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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an incident—but rejected murder.

Informing the media recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor stated the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The names of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police stated the male associate informed them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used in foreign locations repeatedly.

Yet when investigators searched the victim's residence, her cellphone was located.

An individual also claimed hearing a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mother" on the day the two were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with authorities discovering various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—including a notice of quitting to her employer and texts to the male associate.

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

Katja Tersch informed the press on Tuesday that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The brothers took out the cooling unit from the storage space on the day the mother and daughter vanished, she said. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.

Investigators state they think this points to the deaths were premeditated.

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

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the bodies were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

While the suspects were detained in June, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old confessed to an event and to concealing the remains. He denies any plan to cause death, investigators stated.

In a related development, his brother admitted to a concealment but rejected knowledge of a murder.

The brothers are at this time in pre-trial detention in prisons in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they added.

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."