The heartbroken family of two sisters tragically found dead in a river has thanked the Aberdeen public as their quest for answers continues.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, went missing from their flat in the city’s Charlotte Street on January 7, sparking a massive search.
Their bodies were found in the River Dee near Aberdeen Boat Club last weekend and police broke the tragic news to their loved ones in Hungary.
Their other triplet – Edit Huszti – broke down upon hearing the news and is being looked after by her relatives.
Officers gave the Huszti family daily updates during the 26-day search – and the family say they are now seeking answers about what happened.
‘Lots of contradictions in timeline’
Speaking to the Press and Journal from his home in Budapest via an interpreter, Eliza and Henrietta’s brother Jozsef said the priorities are for the investigation to conclude and for his siblings to be laid to rest.
Jozsef said: “There are lots of contradictions (in the sequence of events before they went missing).
“I don’t think there will be many answers given in the coming days – but the story isn’t quite over yet.
“I truly believe the local police will do their best to do a full investigation and give answers about what happened exactly.
“My family and I are religious people. We believe that with the help of God, we will learn what happened.”
The sisters had lived in the UK for about 10 years – mostly in Aberdeen.
They both held down jobs – Henrietta in Costa Coffee and Eliza as a cleaner – didn’t socialise much and would usually phone Edit and Jozsef for monthly chats.
Final family phone call
Eliza and Henrietta called Edit on Hogmanay and wished her ‘Boldog uj evet kivanok’ – Happy New Year in Hungarian – and Edit think anything was amiss.
A few days later, the sisters spoke to their family for the final time.
“The last time Eliza and Henrietta had contact with their mum was on the Saturday before they disappeared (January 4). They had quite a long conversation – about 40 minutes,” said Jozsef.
He added: “There was nothing to suspect anything was wrong or something was about to happen.
“With me and Edit, the catch-ups would be maybe every three weeks or monthly, but with their mum it was on a daily basis.
“Eliza and Henrietta had a deeper connection with their mum.
“No matter what, they would always be in touch with her, whether they had any problems or good news to share.
“They would call her to get advice and opinions – no matter what the issue.”
Late-night text to landlady
Jozsef said he is sure that if his sisters were so distressed that were considering harming themselves, they would have told their mum.
But he is at a loss to explain why Eliza and Henrietta made other decisions in the days before they disappeared.
They told their landlady they were moving out – and the landlady anticipated the flat to be clear of any belongings by the end of January 6.
‘We’d like to know the answers’
So when the sisters text her in the middle of the night to say they were not planning to return to the property – despite their belongings still being there – the landlady became concerned for their welfare and called police.
Jozsef said: “We didn’t know about that entire situation regarding their tenancy.”
The mystery deepened further when it emerged that, 12 hours before going to the river bank and going missing, the sisters had walked to that same location before heading back to their flat.
Next comes the post-mortem investigations and a fitting tribute to the sisters in the form of a funeral service.
Jozsef said: “We want to find out the reason they died. It’s hard, but we would like to know the answers.
Cremation in Aberdeen but other decisions still to be made
“We want to address (the formal processes) that are required in Scotland and then lay Eliza and Henrietta to rest.”
Jozsef said the sisters will be cremated in Aberdeen but they will decide about funeral arrangements later.
That could involve a funeral or memorial service in Aberdeen, Hungary or both.
He told us: “The specifics of the funeral are not really something we’ve thought about yet.
“It’s hard enough for the family just now dealing with our loss.
“Edit and I would like to go to Aberdeen, but there are no dates just yet.
“In the meantime, we have contacted the Hungarian Embassy, and they’re organising whatever we need.”
Hungarian national and Aberdeen resident Anita Vida was so moved by the family’s trauma that she started a fundraising campaign to help with funeral costs.
It is anticipated to be expensive because of the cost of repatriating the sisters’ ashes to Hungary and arranging one or two services.
Community rallied round
Anita’s partner knew Henrietta socially.
In just four days, supporters from across the north-east, the UK and Europe surpassed Anita’s initial target of £1,500.
In fact, the current total stands at £6,325, with some 358 people donating amounts between £5 and £100.
Anita said: “In just under four days, we have managed to raise this amount.
“This will be a tremendous help to the family and I cannot thank you all enough for your generosity.
“I will be closing the fundraiser so that, with the time needed to process and transfer the funds, the family will hopefully receive the support by next week.
“I have been in daily contact with Jozsef and also received a message from Edit, who shared that ‘there are no words to describe how thankful we are’.
“A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you – not only for your donations but also for your kind words, which have been an incredible emotional and financial support.
“Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
‘Thanks to Aberdonians for their love and care’
Anita also thanked the media for publicising the fundraiser.
Jozsef, who works at a pool and darts social club in Budapest, told us: “The support we had from the people of Aberdeen very much surprised all my family.
“This is because I have never visited Aberdeen and so I didn’t know much about the people there.
“From the start, I received lots of thoughtful messages, not just from Hungarians living in Scotland but also native Scots.
“It was very touching how thoughtful people were.
“We are very grateful for all the support.
“The police have also been very good and we were grateful for how they were keeping us up-to-date.
“The authorities in Scotland were extremely helpful in putting in all this effort to find my sisters and assist our family.
“I’m thankful to everyone involved in trying to search for my sisters tirelessly and not giving up.
Support for family goes on
“I would like to thank, on behalf of my family, the people of Aberdeen for all their love and care.”
Superintendent David Howieson said: “Our thoughts very much remain with the family of Henrietta and Eliza Huszti at this extremely difficult time.
“Officers are supporting them and ensuring they are fully updated as we continue to carry out enquiries.
“This has had a significant impact on the Aberdeen community and much further afield.
“I thank everyone who has responded to our appeals for information and assisted us during this challenging investigation.”