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The bodies 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 woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, told authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied homicide.

Speaking to journalists earlier, a official for the legal authorities said the brothers were being held on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The names of those involved have been withheld by police, in compliance with local legislation.

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

Police stated the male associate claimed at the time she had taken an long journey with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active abroad on multiple occasions.

However when officers searched the woman's home, her smartphone was located.

Someone also stated hearing a loud noise in the apartment, and screams of "mum" on the day the pair were believed to have vanished.

A wider police investigation was initiated, with officers uncovering several texts originating from the woman's phone—including a notice of quitting to her employer and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

A senior police official told the press on that day that a storage unit had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezer had been placed there.

The male siblings extracted the cooling unit from the storage space on the day the mother and daughter vanished, the official revealed. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

Authorities say they believe this suggests the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the condition of the bodies," she said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the remains were carefully placed and were not found during a earlier inspection.

While the suspects were detained in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He denies any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but denied awareness of a murder.

The two suspects are currently in custody awaiting trial in jails in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, 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 reveals a cruel system".

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

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."