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The remains of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an flat in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, told authorities last week that there had been an accident—but disputed intentional killing.

Informing reporters previously, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office said the brothers were being held on "strong suspicion of homicide".

Personal details of those involved have not been disclosed by authorities, in accordance with national regulations.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities said the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used abroad several times.

Yet when police examined the victim's residence, her mobile phone was discovered.

An individual also claimed listening to a disturbing sound in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

An expanded official inquiry was launched, with investigators discovering various messages originating from the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her company and texts to the male associate.

Officials stated a amount in the thousands was also sent to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to the press on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The two suspects extracted the freezer from the unit on the very day the mother and daughter disappeared, Tersch said. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Officials believe they believe this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch stated.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the precise timeline is still unclear, but the victims were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.

Although the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an incident and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any intent to kill, officials confirmed.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but rejected awareness of a murder.

The pair are currently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and reveals a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they added.

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."