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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a drywall partition in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, told law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but denied homicide.

Addressing journalists recently, a official for the state prosecutor announced the pair were being detained on "serious suspicion of homicide".

Personal details of those implicated have been withheld by law enforcement, in compliance with national regulations.

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

Police revealed the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

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

However when investigators searched the woman's home, her cellphone was located.

A witness also stated listening to a loud noise in the dwelling, and cries of "mama" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A broader official inquiry was launched, with authorities finding several texts sent from the mother's device—such as a notice of quitting to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also moved to the man.

A senior police official informed reporters on Tuesday that a rented space had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the storage space on the date the mother and daughter went missing, Tersch said. And a week later, they purchased a second unit.

Authorities state they consider this suggests the demise were planned in advance.

"How they died remains unclear due to the condition of the bodies," the official said.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—said the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old admitted to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He denies any intent to kill, authorities said.

In a related development, his brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but rejected involvement in a murder.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."