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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an incident—but denied intentional killing.

Addressing journalists earlier, a official for the legal authorities stated the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of homicide".

The names of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in accordance with national regulations.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad on multiple occasions.

Yet when police examined the victim's residence, her smartphone was found.

An individual also stated overhearing a commotion in the apartment, and screams of "mother" on the day the two were thought to have disappeared.

A broader police investigation was started, with officers discovering multiple communications sent from the victim's mobile—among them a notice of quitting to her workplace and communications to the male associate.

Authorities confirmed a four-figure sum was also moved to the individual.

A senior police official told reporters on that day that a storage facility had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The brothers took out the freezer from the unit on the day the mother and daughter went missing, she revealed. And a week later, they purchased a second unit.

Officials believe they consider this indicates the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of the victims," Tersch said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—stated the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the victims were expertly concealed and were not found during a prior examination.

While the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to concealing the remains. He rejects any plan to cause death, officials stated.

At the same time, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but rejected involvement in a homicide.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings 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 "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they added.

"Murders of women are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."