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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Speaking to journalists earlier, a official for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of homicide".

Personal details of those implicated have been withheld by authorities, in compliance with local legislation.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police stated the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations several times.

Yet when officers searched the woman's home, her cellphone was discovered.

A witness also stated overhearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and screams of "mama" on the date the two were thought to have disappeared.

A wider police investigation was started, with officers discovering several texts originating from the woman's phone—including a resignation letter to her workplace and communications to the male associate.

Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also transferred to the man.

Katja Tersch informed reporters on recently that a storage facility had been leased before the vanishing and a freezer had been installed within.

The brothers took out the appliance from the unit on the day the mother and daughter disappeared, she revealed. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

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

"How they died could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the remains," the official said.

Mayr—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and were not found during a earlier inspection.

While the suspects were arrested in June, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to storing the victims. He denies any murderous intent, officials stated.

Meanwhile, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a cover-up but denied awareness of a murder.

The pair are at this time in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "suspected killing of two... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

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

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."