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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed homicide.

Speaking to journalists earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The names of those concerned have not been released by authorities, in compliance with local legislation.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police said the male associate informed them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her child to see her family in Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

Yet when police examined the woman's home, her mobile phone was discovered.

An individual also claimed listening to a loud noise in the flat, and screams of "mama" on the day the pair were thought to have disappeared.

A broader criminal probe was launched, with authorities uncovering various messages sent from the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her company and messages to the male colleague.

Officials stated a amount in the thousands was also moved to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told reporters on that day that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The male siblings extracted the freezer from the facility on the day the victims went missing, she revealed. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.

Investigators believe they think this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," Tersch stated.

The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the precise timeline is still unclear, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

While the brothers were detained in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the suspect acknowledged an event and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any murderous intent, officials confirmed.

At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a cover-up but disputed knowledge of a homicide.

The pair are currently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."