For 12 days

No trace of Linz woman after cab ride

Her family is desperately searching for the Linz woman and has launched a search appeal on Facebook. But this case is just one of many every year.

"We miss you" - the family is desperately searching on social media for Christa P. There has been no trace of the Hörsching resident for twelve days and she disappeared on the night of October 13. She got into a cab outside a pub in Raimundstraße in Linz at midnight and was never seen again. "As a family, we are very worried and hope that we can hold her again soon," reads an appeal for help that has already been shared almost 800 times. On Tuesday, however, the Linz woman was still officially missing. The police are involved.

Woman seemed happy
There is still no explanation as to why the woman, who also has a daughter, suddenly disappeared. Barely 24 hours before the cab ride into the unknown, she had happily posted that she was "off to work" and the day before that she now had a new apartment for "me and my animals". She felt "overjoyed".

Police investigate
This is why the sudden disappearance of the 54-year-old woman is so mysterious. The investigation is being conducted by a police department in the state capital. At present, it is not believed to be a criminal case, but a voluntary disappearance.

And this is not a legal problem in Austria. Adults are allowed to move away without informing their relatives. And if the police find them, they are not even allowed to inform close relatives of their whereabouts against the wishes of the person concerned.

Up to 33 missing person reports every day
The number of missing persons is high: between 10,000 and 12,000 Austrians are reported missing every year. Most cases are solved quickly, missing persons return home or are found with relatives or friends. However, two percent of missing persons remain untraced - their fate often remains hidden forever. Incidentally, the assumption that the police can only become active after 24 hours is wrong: if there is a suspicion that something may have happened to the missing person, they investigate immediately