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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.

Speaking to the media previously, a representative for the legal authorities stated the two suspects were being held on "serious suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in accordance with national regulations.

The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an long journey with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized abroad on multiple occasions.

However when police searched the woman's home, her mobile phone was discovered.

Someone also claimed listening to a commotion in the dwelling, and shouts of "mum" on the occasion the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A broader police investigation was started, with investigators uncovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—among them a resignation letter to her employer and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.

Officials said a four-figure sum was also sent to the individual.

Katja Tersch stated to the press on that day that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the freezer from the storage space on the date the victims vanished, Tersch stated. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Officials state they believe this points to the deaths were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the condition of the remains," she stated.

The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the victims were expertly concealed and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the men were taken into custody in June, it was only on 12 November that the suspect confessed to an event and to concealing the remains. He disputes any plan to cause death, investigators confirmed.

In a related development, his brother confessed to a concealment but denied knowledge of a homicide.

The brothers are currently 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 "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and exposes a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Femicides are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."