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The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a drywall partition in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in 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 murder.

Informing journalists previously, a official for the legal authorities said the brothers were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those implicated have not been released 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 said the male associate claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

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

However when officers examined the victim's residence, her smartphone was located.

A witness also claimed overhearing a loud noise in the apartment, and screams of "mama" on the occasion the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider police investigation was initiated, with officers uncovering multiple communications sent from the woman's phone—among them a notice of quitting to her workplace and messages to the male colleague.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to the press on that day that a storage unit had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been placed there.

The brothers took out the cooling unit from the facility on the date the victims disappeared, the official stated. And a shortly afterward, they purchased a second unit.

Officials state they consider this indicates the deaths were premeditated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," Tersch commented.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the victims were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

Although the brothers were detained in June, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother acknowledged an occurrence and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators stated.

Meanwhile, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a concealment but rejected knowledge of a killing.

The pair are at this time in custody awaiting trial in prisons in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative said the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and uncovers a brutal scheme".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."