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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the female victim, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but disputed homicide.

Addressing the media previously, a official for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being detained on "serious suspicion of homicide".

The names of those implicated have not been disclosed by police, in following local legislation.

The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities said the male associate claimed at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

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

Yet when officers entered the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was discovered.

An individual also claimed overhearing a loud noise in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the day the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with authorities uncovering several texts originating from the mother's device—such as a job termination message to her workplace and texts to the male colleague.

Law enforcement stated a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to reporters on recently that a rented space had been secured before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The two suspects removed the appliance from the storage space on the very day the woman and her child went missing, Tersch revealed. And a seven days after, they acquired a second unit.

Investigators state they believe this points to the fatalities were premeditated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the condition of the victims," Tersch commented.

A legal representative—representing the state—said the precise timeline is still unclear, but the victims were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the 55-year-old confessed to an event and to hiding the bodies. He denies any murderous intent, authorities said.

Meanwhile, his younger brother admitted to a concealment but disputed involvement in a homicide.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "alleged double murder... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they added.

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."