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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an flat in western Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

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, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected intentional killing.

Addressing reporters earlier, a spokesman for the legal authorities said the pair were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

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

Police stated the male associate claimed at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used overseas several times.

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

A witness also stated listening to a commotion in the flat, and shouts of "mum" on the day the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider official inquiry was started, with officers discovering various messages transmitted via the woman's phone—among them a notice of quitting to her company and messages to the male associate.

Authorities confirmed a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the suspect.

A senior police official stated to the press on recently that a rented space had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the appliance from the facility on the very day the woman and her child disappeared, she revealed. And a seven days after, they purchased a second unit.

Officials state they think this suggests the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the remains," she commented.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect confessed to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any intent to kill, investigators stated.

Meanwhile, his brother confessed to a cover-up but rejected knowledge of a killing.

The pair are currently in pre-trial detention in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and uncovers a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they added.

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."