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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

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

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but denied murder.

Addressing reporters earlier, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office announced the brothers were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of homicide".

The identities of those involved have not been released by authorities, in accordance with local legislation.

The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities said the male associate told them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

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

Yet when investigators searched the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.

A witness also stated listening to a commotion in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the occasion the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider criminal probe was started, with officers uncovering various messages transmitted via the woman's phone—such as a notice of quitting to her company and texts to the male associate.

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

Katja Tersch stated to reporters on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the appliance from the storage space on the day the woman and her child disappeared, the official revealed. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.

Officials believe they consider this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the condition of the remains," she stated.

Mayr—representing the state—noted the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

Although the brothers were detained in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect admitted to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators said.

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

The two suspects are currently in pre-trial detention in prisons in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

"Women and girls are being killed due to the mere fact that they are female," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."