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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a false wall in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the Syrian woman, told police last week that there had been an incident—but rejected intentional killing.

Informing the media previously, a official for the public prosecutor's office said the pair were being detained on "high likelihood of homicide".

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

The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators revealed the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to see her family in Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active abroad repeatedly.

But when investigators examined the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

Someone also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and shouts of "mother" on the day the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded police investigation was initiated, with investigators discovering various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—including a resignation letter to her company and texts to the male associate.

Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also transferred to the suspect.

A senior police official stated to reporters on Tuesday that a rented space had been leased before the vanishing and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The two suspects took out the appliance from the storage space on the date the woman and her child vanished, she said. And a week later, they purchased another freezer.

Officials state they consider this suggests the demise were premeditated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the condition of the remains," Tersch said.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—noted the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the suspects were arrested in June, it was not until the 12th of November that the elder brother acknowledged an incident and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a concealment but disputed involvement in a homicide.

The pair are currently in detention before court proceedings in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a cruel system".

"Women and girls are being killed due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."