The mystery of the disappearance of Henrietta and Eliza, the Huszti sisters, continues to unravel after a gruesome discovery was made this morning (January 31).
The body of a woman was found in the waters of River Dee, near where the two 32-year-olds disappeared three weeks ago, in the early hours of January 7, after last being seen near Victoria Bridge, Scotland.
Highlights
- A woman's body was discovered in River Dee; suspected to be one of the missing Huszti sisters.
- Sisters vanished after sending a chilling text to their landlady, leaving their belongings behind.
- Search efforts for the sisters are challenged by strong currents and freezing temperatures.
- No criminal involvement is suspected; disappearance possibly voluntary or tragic accident.
Scotland police have kept the identity of the corpse private. However, according to the BBC, it’s suspected to be Henrietta, as the family was contacted to inform them that the search for Eliza continues.
“Our thoughts are with the Huszti family today. We are keeping them fully updated following this recovery and the ongoing search activity,” Superintendent David Howieson stated.
“Our priority remains to find both of the sisters, and the search has focused on the River Dee and will do so in the coming days.”
A woman’s body was found in the waters downstream from where the Huszti sisters disappeared three weeks ago
Image credits: Police Scotland
“We will not return,” the sisters wrote in their last, chilling message to their landlady. The pair not only left that morning but also abandoned most of their belongings at the apartment.
Their phones also went dark at 2:12 am that day.
“The following day, the sisters’ personal belongings were found inside the flat, and the landlady reported her concerns to police,” officials informed the public, with mounting evidence pointing to their vanishing being voluntary.
Image credits: Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty
CCTV footage of the day prior showed the sisters visiting the Victoria Bridge, which crosses the River Dee in Aberdeen, at 2:50 pm. They were both wearing backpacks, the contents of which are still unknown.
Howieson confirmed that there was no criminal involvement and that the motive behind the sisters’ disappearance is being investigated.
Image credits: The Press and Journal
“Nothing from our extensive inquiries so far suggests either sister left the immediate area after they were last seen on Tuesday, January 7. There is also nothing to suggest any suspicious circumstances or criminality,” Howieson said.
Eliza and Henrietta are from Hungary and are part of a triplet set. Their family expressed confusion over their disappearance as the pair seemed happy and content
Image credits: Police Scotland
Local news outlets have reported that Eliza and Henrietta are from Hungary and are not twins but actually part of a triplet set, with their other sister, Edit Huszti, remaining in that country.
According to The Independent, Edit confirmed she had spoken to the pair on New Year’s Eve and that they appeared “happy and cheerful” during a video call.
Image credits: Huszti family
Joszef Huszti, their brother, spoke to the BBC, explaining that their mother had spoken to Eliza and Henrietta for 40 minutes, and that nothing seemed unusual about them.
According to him, the disappearance has shocked the Huszti family, who are still struggling to understand what happened, as they never suspected that anything was wrong with the sisters.
Image credits: Police Scotland
“We don't understand this whole thing,” he said.
“That they wrote a message to their landlady, that they wanted to immediately end their tenancy agreement. We didn’t have any information about that. So that’s the strange thing, that the girls didn’t tell us anything about that. They never mentioned any such plan.”
Recovery efforts have been difficult, with authorities employing different methods to locate the bodies in challenging weather conditions
Image credits: Police Scotland
The Scottish River Dee flows through the eastern side of the country. Queen Victoria Bridge crosses it and links the main parts of the City of Aberdeen with Torry via the southeast.
Queen Elizabeth Bridge is located to the south of Victoria Bridge, which means the body traveled approximately 550 meters downstream until it was found by police.
Authorities have described the waters as “tidal,” with temperatures as low as minus 11º Celsius in the weeks following the sisters’ disappearance, making research efforts more difficult.
Image credits: Huszti family
“We are carrying out further searches of the river in the area where the body was recovered this morning,” Howieson said. “Conditions are challenging, but we will continue to search and make every effort to locate both of the sisters.”
According to the superintendent, they are working with a number of experts to conduct the search as thoroughly as possible, using a combination of marine and dive units, as well as police dogs and air support.
Netizens went back and forth discussing the possible causes and motivations behind the sisters’ disappearance
Image credits: The Press and Journal
The main theories surround the sisters possibly taking their own lives or foul play by a—yet to be discovered—third party.
“So awful for their family. I feel like they must have been meeting with someone. It's so bizarre to text canceling your flat in the early hours of the morning,” one reader said.
“What a strange story this has been. Poor sisters, why did they feel this was their only option? So sad,” another stated.
“I can only imagine the anguish their family must be going through, especially their triplet sister,” a user wrote.
“This must be awful for their family, especially because they will probably never know why they ended their own lives,” another said.
“It still needs investigating, really,” a reader argued. “They, or someone, ended the tenancy. Then, they supposedly fell into the river. Seems questionable to me.”
People with useful information are asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0735 of Tuesday, January 7.
"An agonizing wait." Netizens offered their condolences to the family, wishing for the investigation to conclude soon
