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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected homicide.

Informing journalists recently, a representative for the public prosecutor's office announced the two suspects were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of murder".

The identities of those implicated have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in compliance with Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators stated the male associate told them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active in foreign locations several times.

Yet when investigators examined the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.

Someone also reported hearing a commotion in the dwelling, and shouts of "mama" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

An expanded official inquiry was started, with authorities uncovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—such as a notice of quitting to her company and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement confirmed a significant cash transfer was also moved to the individual.

Katja Tersch informed the press on recently that a storage facility had been leased before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the freezer from the unit on the very day the mother and daughter disappeared, she revealed. And a week later, they obtained another freezer.

Officials say they think this suggests the demise were premeditated.

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

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

While the suspects were taken into custody in June, it was not until 12 November that the suspect confessed to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any murderous intent, investigators confirmed.

Meanwhile, his younger brother admitted to a concealment but rejected awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are at this time in pre-trial detention in detention centers in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister said the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."