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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but denied murder.

Speaking to reporters recently, a representative for the public prosecutor's office said the two suspects were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of homicide".

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

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her child to see her family in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized abroad repeatedly.

But when officers examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.

Someone also stated hearing a loud noise in the apartment, and screams of "mother" on the date the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A broader criminal probe was started, with officers uncovering various messages originating from the mother's device—among them a resignation letter to her workplace and communications to the male associate.

Law enforcement said a significant cash transfer was also transferred to the individual.

Katja Tersch stated to media representatives on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The two suspects removed the freezer from the storage space on the date the mother and daughter vanished, Tersch revealed. And a shortly afterward, they purchased another freezer.

Officials state they believe this indicates the demise were planned in advance.

"How they died could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the remains," Tersch said.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and were not found during a prior examination.

While the brothers were taken into custody in June, it was not until the 12th of November that the 55-year-old admitted to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any plan to cause death, officials stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a concealment but rejected awareness of a killing.

The pair are at this time in custody awaiting trial in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."