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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 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 a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, told police last week that there had been an accident—but rejected intentional killing.

Addressing reporters previously, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the brothers were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of homicide".

The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in compliance with national regulations.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police stated the male associate told them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations several times.

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

An individual also reported listening to a loud noise in the dwelling, and shouts of "mum" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

An expanded police investigation was launched, with officers discovering various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a job termination message to her workplace and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement said a amount in the thousands was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to the press on recently that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the appliance from the unit on the very day the victims disappeared, Tersch said. And a week later, they purchased a second unit.

Investigators believe they think this suggests the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," the official stated.

The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—said the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the victims were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the men were arrested in June, it was only on November 12 that the suspect confessed to an event and to concealing the remains. He denies any intent to kill, authorities said.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a concealment but disputed knowledge of a killing.

The two suspects are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and reveals a cruel system".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."