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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, told law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied intentional killing.

Addressing reporters recently, a official for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".

The identities of those concerned have not been released by police, in accordance with national regulations.

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

Authorities stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used overseas repeatedly.

But when officers searched the woman's home, her smartphone was located.

A witness also stated listening to a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mum" on the day the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

An expanded official inquiry was launched, with authorities discovering various messages sent from the mother's device—such as a notice of quitting to her workplace and texts to the male colleague.

Officials said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the suspect.

A senior police official stated to reporters on that day that a rented space had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the freezer from the unit on the date the mother and daughter disappeared, she said. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Investigators state they consider this indicates the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the condition of the victims," she commented.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the victims were carefully placed and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the suspects were detained in June, it was not until 12 November that the elder brother acknowledged an incident and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, officials confirmed.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a concealment but disputed awareness of a homicide.

The pair are at this time in custody awaiting trial in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative said the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and exposes a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they continued.

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