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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied homicide.

Informing journalists recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of murder".

The identities of those implicated have been withheld by police, in compliance with Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities said the male associate informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

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

But when officers entered the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was located.

A witness also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and shouts of "mama" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider official inquiry was initiated, with officers uncovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—such as a notice of quitting to her workplace and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.

Officials confirmed a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed reporters on recently that a rented space had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been positioned inside.

The male siblings took out the cooling unit from the facility on the day the victims went missing, she revealed. And a week later, they purchased another freezer.

Investigators say they consider this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the victims," she stated.

A legal representative—representing the state—noted the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the bodies were expertly concealed and were not found during a prior examination.

Although the men were arrested in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the suspect acknowledged an event and to concealing the remains. He disputes any intent to kill, officials said.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but disputed awareness of a murder.

The pair are presently in pre-trial detention in jails in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and exposes a brutal scheme".

"Female individuals are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."