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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Informing reporters earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being detained on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The identities of those implicated have been withheld by police, in compliance with Austrian law.

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

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active overseas repeatedly.

However when investigators searched the mother's apartment, her smartphone was located.

Someone also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and screams of "mum" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader official inquiry was initiated, with authorities uncovering various messages sent from the mother's device—such as a job termination message to her company and texts to the male associate.

Law enforcement said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the man.

A senior police official told the press on that day that a storage unit had been rented out before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers removed the appliance from the facility on the very day the woman and her child vanished, Tersch said. And a shortly afterward, they acquired a second unit.

Authorities say they believe this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," she stated.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—said the precise timeline is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old confessed to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any plan to cause death, investigators confirmed.

Meanwhile, his younger brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but denied involvement in a murder.

The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in prisons in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and reveals a cruel system".

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."