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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a drywall partition in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, told police last week that there had been an accident—but rejected murder.

Speaking to journalists recently, a official for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being detained on "high likelihood of homicide".

The identities of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in following Austrian law.

Their going missing was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities revealed the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

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

Yet when investigators examined the woman's home, her cellphone was discovered.

An individual also stated overhearing a loud noise in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

A broader criminal probe was launched, with authorities uncovering several texts sent from the woman's phone—such as a job termination message to her company and texts to the male colleague.

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

A senior police official told the press on recently that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The male siblings extracted the appliance from the unit on the day the mother and daughter vanished, the official stated. And a seven days after, they obtained a second unit.

Investigators believe they believe this points to the deaths were planned in advance.

"How they died remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch stated.

The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the remains were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the men were arrested in June, it was not until November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an incident and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, officials stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a concealment but disputed knowledge of a murder.

The two suspects are presently in custody awaiting trial in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister said the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."