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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

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

Informing reporters recently, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those involved have not been disclosed by authorities, in following local legislation.

Their going missing was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators said the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

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

Yet when officers searched the woman's home, her smartphone was discovered.

Someone also claimed overhearing a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the day the two were presumed to have gone missing.

An expanded criminal probe was initiated, with investigators finding several texts transmitted via the woman's phone—such as a resignation letter to her workplace and messages to the male colleague.

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

A senior police official informed reporters on Tuesday that a rented space had been secured before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the appliance from the storage space on the date the victims disappeared, she stated. And a seven days after, they purchased a second unit.

Investigators believe they think this points to the demise were premeditated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the condition of the remains," she commented.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the remains were professionally hidden 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 confessed to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He denies any murderous intent, investigators stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a concealment but disputed awareness of a killing.

The brothers are currently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."