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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, informed authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.

Speaking to the media previously, a official for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The names of those involved have been withheld by police, in following national regulations.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities revealed the male associate claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when officers entered the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

An individual also claimed overhearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and screams of "mum" on the occasion the two were thought to have disappeared.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with authorities finding various messages originating from the mother's device—including a job termination message to her workplace and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement stated a amount in the thousands was also moved to the man.

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

The brothers took out the appliance from the unit on the date the mother and daughter went missing, Tersch revealed. And a week later, they acquired an additional appliance.

Investigators state they think this indicates the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

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

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the remains were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect admitted to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

In a related development, his younger brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but denied involvement in a murder.

The two suspects are currently in pre-trial detention in jails in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and exposes a brutal scheme".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they continued.

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