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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an accident—but disputed murder.

Speaking to journalists previously, a representative for the public prosecutor's office stated the pair were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of murder".

The names of those involved have been withheld by authorities, in accordance with local legislation.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then found to have been used abroad on multiple occasions.

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

A witness also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and cries of "mama" on the date the two were believed to have vanished.

A broader official inquiry was initiated, with investigators discovering multiple communications transmitted via the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her employer and communications to the male associate.

Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also sent to the individual.

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

The two suspects extracted the cooling unit from the facility on the date the woman and her child went missing, the official said. And a seven days after, they acquired another freezer.

Officials state they believe this suggests the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the condition of the bodies," she stated.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—said the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the 55-year-old confessed to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, authorities stated.

Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but denied awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and uncovers a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."