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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezing appliances in an residence in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected homicide.

Addressing reporters earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the brothers were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of homicide".

The identities of those involved have been withheld by authorities, in following national regulations.

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

Authorities revealed the male associate told them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

But when investigators searched the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

An individual also stated listening to a commotion in the flat, and cries of "mum" on the day the pair were thought to have disappeared.

A wider official inquiry was initiated, with authorities discovering multiple communications transmitted via the victim's mobile—among them a resignation letter to her workplace and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also transferred to the suspect.

A senior police official stated to media representatives on recently that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The brothers took out the cooling unit from the facility on the day the victims vanished, Tersch stated. And a shortly afterward, they purchased another freezer.

Officials believe they believe this points to the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the state of decomposition of the remains," Tersch commented.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the bodies were expertly concealed and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an event and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, officials stated.

At the same time, his brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."