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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected intentional killing.

Addressing journalists recently, a official for the legal authorities announced the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The identities of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

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

Police said the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used abroad on multiple occasions.

Yet when officers entered the mother's apartment, her cellphone was found.

An individual also claimed listening to a loud noise in the dwelling, and screams of "mother" on the date the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader criminal probe was initiated, with investigators finding various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a notice of quitting to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

Law enforcement confirmed a amount in the thousands was also moved to the individual.

Katja Tersch told reporters on recently that a storage unit had been secured before the vanishing and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The brothers removed the freezer from the storage space on the date the victims disappeared, the official said. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Investigators believe they think this points to the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

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

Mayr—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the bodies were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the suspects were detained in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the suspect acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He disputes any plan to cause death, authorities stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a cover-up but rejected involvement in a homicide.

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

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."