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The remains of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an accident—but denied murder.

Informing the media recently, a official for the public prosecutor's office stated the pair were being detained on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The names of those implicated have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police said the woman's colleague told them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her child to see her family in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad several times.

But when officers examined the victim's residence, her smartphone was discovered.

A witness also stated hearing a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and screams of "mum" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A broader police investigation was started, with officers uncovering several texts sent from the mother's device—such as a job termination message to her employer and texts to the male colleague.

Officials said a amount in the thousands was also sent to the individual.

A senior police official stated to reporters on recently that a rented space had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the facility on the very day the mother and daughter vanished, Tersch stated. And a week later, they obtained a second unit.

Officials believe they believe this suggests the deaths were premeditated.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch commented.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—noted the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the suspect acknowledged an incident and to storing the victims. He denies any murderous intent, officials said.

At the same time, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but denied awareness of a killing.

The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "alleged double murder... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and exposes a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are female," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."