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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for a number of 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.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but denied homicide.

Informing reporters previously, a official for the public prosecutor's office announced the brothers were being held on "high likelihood of murder".

Personal details of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in compliance with local legislation.

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

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

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

But when investigators entered the mother's apartment, her smartphone was located.

Someone also reported overhearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and screams of "mum" on the occasion the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader police investigation was initiated, with investigators discovering multiple communications sent from the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her employer and messages to the male associate.

Officials said a four-figure sum was also moved to the suspect.

A senior police official stated to the press on that day that a storage facility had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the appliance from the unit on the date the woman and her child went missing, Tersch said. And a seven days after, they acquired a second unit.

Officials state they think this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," she stated.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the remains were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

While the men were taken into custody in June, it was not until November 12 that the suspect acknowledged an event and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any plan to cause death, authorities confirmed.

Meanwhile, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a concealment but disputed involvement in a murder.

The brothers are at this time in detention before court proceedings in jails in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a brutal scheme".

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

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."