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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the flat, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

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

Addressing the media previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities said the brothers were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

Personal details of those implicated have not been disclosed by authorities, in compliance with local legislation.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators said the male associate claimed at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

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

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

A witness also reported hearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and shouts of "mama" on the occasion the two were thought to have disappeared.

A broader criminal probe was launched, with authorities finding various messages sent from the mother's device—including a resignation letter to her company and communications to the male colleague.

Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also sent to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on Tuesday that a rented space had been leased before the vanishing and a freezer had been placed there.

The male siblings extracted the cooling unit from the facility on the date the victims vanished, the official said. And a week later, they obtained a second unit.

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

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch stated.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and were not found during a prior examination.

While the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, officials stated.

At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but disputed awareness of a murder.

The pair are currently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and reveals a cruel system".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they went on to say.

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