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The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an apartment in western Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected homicide.

Informing reporters previously, a representative for the public prosecutor's office stated the pair were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".

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

The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators said the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.

Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when police searched the mother's apartment, her smartphone was located.

Someone also stated listening to a loud noise in the dwelling, and screams of "mother" on the occasion the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A wider criminal probe was initiated, with authorities finding several texts originating from the mother's device—including a resignation letter to her workplace and communications to the male colleague.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also transferred to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed reporters on recently that a storage unit had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings took out the freezer from the facility on the date the woman and her child disappeared, Tersch stated. And a seven days after, they acquired a second unit.

Investigators say they believe this suggests the fatalities were premeditated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," Tersch commented.

A legal representative—representing the state—said the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an incident and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, investigators confirmed.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but rejected knowledge of a killing.

The brothers are at this time in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and reveals a cruel system".

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."