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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed police last week that there had been an accident—but disputed murder.

Addressing the media earlier, a spokesman for the legal authorities stated the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of murder".

The identities of those implicated have not been released by law enforcement, in compliance with local legislation.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities stated the woman's colleague told them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

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

However when police examined the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was found.

An individual also stated hearing a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mum" on the occasion the two were believed to have vanished.

An expanded criminal probe was initiated, with authorities finding multiple communications transmitted via the woman's phone—such as a resignation letter to her workplace and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also moved to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to reporters on that day that a rented space had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been placed there.

The male siblings extracted the appliance from the unit on the date the woman and her child went missing, she revealed. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

Authorities state they believe this points to the demise were planned in advance.

"How they died could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," she stated.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the victims were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

While the suspects were detained in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the suspect acknowledged an incident and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators confirmed.

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

The pair are currently in detention before court proceedings in jails in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... represents the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.

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