Suspicion of murder confirmed

Autopsy: Body had been lying in a cellar in Vienna for a year

Construction workers were carrying out renovation work when they came across the body in the basement.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

After the horror discovery in a cellar in Vienna-Margareten, where construction workers came across a decomposed headless body, the "Krone" now has the autopsy results. What was already suspected has been confirmed: The body is the victim of a homicide.

After the horror on Tuesday in Vienna's Hundsturm neighborhood, the next shock news came on Friday: As the "Krone" learned, several defensive wounds were discovered on the corpse during the autopsy. Among other things, the badly decomposed body is said to have cuts and stab wounds on the hands, upper body and neck. "The person died from external causes", confirmed the Vienna police on Friday. 

Missing persons reports are being searched
The dead person is said to have lain covered in rubble in the cellar compartment for around a year. Influences such as moisture and cold in the cellar make it difficult to assess the decomposition process.

Construction workers were carrying out renovation work when they came across the body in the cellar.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

The horrific discovery was made in this cellar in Margareten.(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

(Bild: Martin Jöchl)

The case presents the investigators with a tricky task: although the gender of the murder victim has been identified - it is said to be a very young man - one of the tasks now facing the State Criminal Investigation Department's homicide team is to search through all the missing persons reports from the past few months.

The investigation is in full swing and the search is on for the perpetrator(s).

Discovered by construction workers
The dead body was found by construction workers who were carrying out renovation work in the apartment building. The men became aware of a pungent odor and a plastic bag while digging. The body was discovered shortly afterwards, with the head found separately.