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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, told law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but disputed murder.

Informing reporters previously, a representative for the legal authorities announced the brothers were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The identities of those involved have not been released by law enforcement, in compliance with local legislation.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.

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

However when police examined the woman's home, her cellphone was discovered.

Someone also claimed listening to a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mum" on the day the two were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded official inquiry was launched, with officers discovering several texts sent from the mother's device—such as a notice of quitting to her company and texts to the male associate.

Authorities stated a amount in the thousands was also sent to the suspect.

A senior police official informed media representatives on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been positioned inside.

The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the unit on the date the victims disappeared, the official revealed. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.

Authorities state they believe this indicates the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the bodies," the official commented.

Mayr—representing the state—noted the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the brothers were taken into custody in June, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old confessed to an event and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators stated.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but denied knowledge of a killing.

The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are female," they added.

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."