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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told police last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.

Speaking to journalists recently, a official for the legal authorities stated the pair were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of murder".

The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by police, in following local legislation.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators revealed the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

But when police entered the victim's residence, her mobile phone was found.

An individual also stated listening to a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mother" on the day the two were thought to have disappeared.

A broader official inquiry was launched, with officers uncovering various messages originating from the woman's phone—including a resignation letter to her employer and communications to the male associate.

Law enforcement stated a significant cash transfer was also sent to the suspect.

Katja Tersch stated to the press on Tuesday that a storage facility had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The male siblings extracted the cooling unit from the unit on the day the woman and her child vanished, Tersch stated. And a shortly afterward, they purchased an additional appliance.

Officials believe they believe this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of the bodies," she said.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—noted the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the brothers were detained in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the elder brother acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, investigators confirmed.

In a related development, his brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed knowledge of a murder.

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

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "alleged double murder... represents the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they added.

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