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The remains of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an flat in the western part of Austria.

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

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, informed police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed murder.

Speaking to reporters recently, a spokesman for the legal authorities announced the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".

The identities of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with local legislation.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities revealed the woman's colleague told them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized overseas on multiple occasions.

Yet when police examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was found.

A witness also reported listening to a loud noise in the apartment, and screams of "mum" on the occasion the two were thought to have disappeared.

A wider official inquiry was initiated, with authorities uncovering multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—including a notice of quitting to her workplace and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Authorities said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the man.

Katja Tersch told reporters on that day that a storage facility had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the freezer from the storage space on the date the woman and her child vanished, Tersch revealed. And a seven days after, they acquired an additional appliance.

Authorities state they consider this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," the official stated.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the remains were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

While the brothers were arrested in June, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect admitted to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He disputes any intent to kill, officials confirmed.

In a related development, his brother admitted to a concealment but denied knowledge of a killing.

The pair are at this time in pre-trial detention in prisons in separate locations, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Murders of women are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."