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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been located inside freezing appliances in an flat in western Austria.

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

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but rejected homicide.

Addressing reporters previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities stated the pair were being detained on "serious suspicion of homicide".

The identities of those implicated have not been released by authorities, in compliance with national regulations.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

But when officers entered the woman's home, her mobile phone was located.

An individual also stated overhearing a commotion in the dwelling, and screams of "mother" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider criminal probe was initiated, with officers discovering multiple communications transmitted via the mother's device—such as a resignation letter to her company and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on recently that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.

The brothers extracted the appliance from the storage space on the day the victims went missing, Tersch revealed. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.

Authorities believe they think this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the condition of the victims," the official commented.

Mayr—representing the state—said the precise timeline is still unclear, but the bodies were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the elder brother admitted to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He disputes any plan to cause death, authorities said.

Meanwhile, his brother confessed to a cover-up but denied involvement in a murder.

The two suspects are at this time in pre-trial detention in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

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

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."