A man is facing up to three years in prison after being charged with manslaughter for abandoning his girlfriend on Austria's highest mountain, where she tragically froze to death.
A Fatal Ascent and a Fateful Decision
The 33-year-old woman from Salzburg and her 36-year-old boyfriend, an experienced mountaineer, set out to climb the 12,460-foot Grossglockner on January 18. Prosecutors state this was the woman's first high-altitude tour, and the expedition began two hours later than planned.
The couple encountered serious trouble when they were just 50 metres from the summit. Webcam footage, later used in the investigation, shows the woman was left alone for six and a half hours while her partner descended to seek help. He left her in freezing conditions with inadequate equipment as night fell.
A Desperate Wait and a Failed Rescue
Images show the emergency lights used by the pair were visible at 6pm, but the light from the woman's location had significantly weakened by midnight. The boyfriend continued his descent, captured on webcam at 2:30am.
An emergency call was not made when problems first arose around 8:50pm. Alpine police attempted to contact the man several times, finally reaching him after midnight when his phone was no longer on silent.
By the next morning, a rescue helicopter was dispatched, but the mission near the abandoned woman was called off due to dangerously strong winds. Rescuers on the ground eventually reached the 33-year-old around three hours later, but she had already died from hypothermia.
Charges of Gross Negligence
The public prosecutor's office detailed the charges, stating the defendant left his girlfriend "unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented." As the experienced planner and guide of the tour, he was deemed responsible for her safety.
The investigation, which used mobile phone data, forensic reports, sports watches, and expert alpine analysis, highlighted several critical errors:
- The inexperienced woman was wearing soft snow boots, deemed inappropriate for the climb.
- The pair carried insufficient emergency equipment.
- The man failed to move his partner to a wind-protected area before leaving.
- He did not immediately make an emergency call or send a distress signal.
The 36-year-old now faces charges of manslaughter and gross negligence. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to approximately three years behind bars.
