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The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered 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 detected on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an accident—but rejected murder.

Addressing the media recently, a official for the legal authorities stated the two suspects were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".

The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by authorities, in following national regulations.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police said the male associate told them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then noted as being active overseas repeatedly.

However when investigators examined the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was discovered.

An individual also claimed listening to a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mum" on the date the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with officers uncovering various messages sent from the victim's mobile—such as a job termination message to her employer and texts to the male colleague.

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

A senior police official told reporters on recently that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the cooling unit from the unit on the day the woman and her child disappeared, she revealed. And a seven days after, they acquired an additional appliance.

Authorities say they consider this suggests the fatalities were premeditated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the condition of the bodies," Tersch said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the suspects were detained in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any murderous intent, officials said.

In a related development, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but rejected awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are presently in pre-trial detention in detention centers in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they added.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."