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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, informed police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied homicide.

Speaking to the media previously, a official for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of homicide".

The identities of those concerned have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in accordance with local legislation.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities said the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized overseas several times.

However when police entered the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

A witness also stated overhearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and shouts of "mum" on the occasion the two were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider criminal probe was initiated, with investigators finding several texts transmitted via the woman's phone—among them a notice of quitting to her employer and messages to the male associate.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told media representatives on recently that a rented space had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the cooling unit from the unit on the date the woman and her child went missing, she said. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Investigators state they think this suggests the demise were planned in advance.

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

Mayr—from the legal authorities—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the remains were professionally hidden and were not found during a prior examination.

While the brothers were arrested in June, it was not until the 12th of November that the elder brother confessed to an event and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, investigators stated.

Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but disputed knowledge of a killing.

The brothers are currently in pre-trial detention in prisons in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister declared the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and reveals a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the simple reality that they are female," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."