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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an incident—but denied homicide.

Addressing reporters recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor stated the two suspects were being held on "serious suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those concerned have not been released by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

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

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active overseas on multiple occasions.

Yet when officers searched the mother's apartment, her smartphone was found.

Someone also claimed listening to a commotion in the flat, and shouts of "mum" on the day the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded police investigation was initiated, with authorities uncovering several texts originating from the mother's device—such as a job termination message to her company and communications to the male associate.

Law enforcement stated a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the individual.

A senior police official told media representatives on Tuesday that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.

The brothers removed the freezer from the unit on the day the mother and daughter disappeared, the official stated. And a seven days after, they purchased another freezer.

Officials say they believe this points to the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the bodies," she commented.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—stated the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

Although the brothers were detained in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the elder brother acknowledged an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He denies any murderous intent, investigators said.

At the same time, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but rejected knowledge of a killing.

The pair are presently 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 stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and exposes a cruel system".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they added.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."