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

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

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told authorities last week that there had been an accident—but rejected intentional killing.

Informing journalists previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities announced the pair were being detained on "strong suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those implicated have been withheld by authorities, in compliance with local legislation.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

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

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used abroad several times.

But when investigators examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was located.

A witness also stated listening to a disturbing sound in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the day the two were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider official inquiry was launched, with authorities discovering several texts transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a notice of quitting to her company and texts to the male associate.

Law enforcement said a four-figure sum was also moved to the man.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed reporters on Tuesday that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been positioned inside.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the storage space on the date the victims went missing, the official said. And a week later, they acquired an additional appliance.

Authorities say they believe this indicates the demise were premeditated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the remains," Tersch said.

Mayr—representing the state—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the bodies were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

Although the suspects were detained in June, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an event and to storing the victims. He rejects any intent to kill, officials said.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a cover-up but denied involvement in a homicide.

The brothers are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and uncovers a cruel system".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must address decisively."