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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezing appliances in an flat in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, informed authorities last week that there had been an incident—but denied homicide.

Speaking to the media earlier, a representative for the legal authorities stated the pair were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".

Personal details of those involved have been withheld by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

Their going missing was first reported by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

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

However when police entered the victim's residence, her smartphone was found.

Someone also reported overhearing a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the occasion the two were believed to have vanished.

A wider criminal probe was started, with authorities finding various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—among them a resignation letter to her company and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement said a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the individual.

A senior police official stated to media representatives on recently that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the freezer from the unit on the date the woman and her child disappeared, Tersch said. And a shortly afterward, they purchased an additional appliance.

Investigators state they think this indicates the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the bodies," the official stated.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the remains were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were arrested in June, it was not until the 12th of November that the elder brother confessed to an event and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, authorities stated.

At the same time, his younger brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but denied involvement in a homicide.

The pair are currently in pre-trial detention in prisons in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "alleged double murder... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and exposes a cruel system".

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

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."