The grieving family of two Hungarian twin sisters who died in Aberdeen were forced to carry their ashes home in a backpack, their brother has disclosed in a raw and emotional interview.
A Tragic Discovery in the Dee
Henrietta and Eliza Huszti, both aged 32, vanished on January 7 after they were captured on CCTV crossing the Victoria Bridge in Aberdeen and turning onto a path beside the River Dee. An extensive search operation involving police divers, dogs, and specialist teams scoured the river, harbour, and coastline for more than three weeks before their bodies were discovered in the River Dee on January 31, close to where they were last seen.
A Heartbreaking Decision for a Family in Mourning
Speaking to Hungarian outlet Bors, the sisters' brother, József Huszti, explained the agonising financial predicament the family faced. He revealed that the cost of transporting his sisters' bodies back to Hungary in coffins would have been approximately £45,000, a sum the family could not afford.
"We went to their flat, where their clothes and belongings were still there," Mr Huszti said. "We had to arrange the cremation because we didn't have enough money to bring them home in coffins." Instead, the family placed the sisters' urns in their backpacks for the journey home, as reported by the Daily Record.
Family Rejects Police Conclusion, Demands Truth
The twins were laid to rest in their hometown of Monor, Hungary, in June, but the family's grief is compounded by unresolved questions. Police Scotland has concluded its investigation, stating it found no suspicious circumstances, and has submitted a report to the Procurator Fiscal.
However, the Huszti family firmly disputes the suggestion of suicide. "We still can't believe that my sisters committed suicide," József stated. "We can't accept what the police said, it would be nice to finally know the truth."
Their father, Miklòs Huszti, 63, was more explicit, telling Hungarian site SZON he was "sure" his daughters did not take their own lives. "I believe that they did not send the SMS to their landlord, but someone else... I am sure that someone lured them to the waterfront and cruelly killed them," he said.
The sisters, who were two of a set of triplets, had lived in the UK for around a decade, predominantly in Aberdeen, where one worked in a café and the other as a hotel cleaner. They maintained regular contact with family in Hungary and had shown no signs of distress.
József Huszti summed up the family's enduring pain: "We still can't process it. This is a very difficult time for us... This is the first anniversary, which is very painful." The family's search for clarity continues as they mourn their profound loss.
