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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told police last week that there had been an incident—but denied homicide.

Speaking to the media recently, a official for the legal authorities said the brothers were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".

The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by authorities, in accordance with Austrian law.

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

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

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

But when investigators examined the mother's apartment, her smartphone was located.

An individual also stated hearing a commotion in the flat, and screams of "mama" on the occasion the two were believed to have vanished.

A broader criminal probe was started, with officers uncovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—among them a resignation letter to her company and communications to the male colleague.

Authorities confirmed a significant cash transfer was also sent to the suspect.

Katja Tersch informed media representatives on Tuesday that a storage facility had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The two suspects removed the cooling unit from the facility on the date the mother and daughter disappeared, Tersch stated. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Officials believe they believe this points to the demise were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the remains," the official commented.

Mayr—representing the state—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

While the men were arrested in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect acknowledged an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any intent to kill, officials stated.

Meanwhile, his younger brother admitted to a concealment but denied involvement in a murder.

The two suspects are currently in pre-trial detention in jails in separate locations, situated at a distance.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and exposes a brutal scheme".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."