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The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 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 unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an accident—but rejected homicide.

Speaking to journalists recently, a representative for the legal authorities announced the two suspects were being detained on "strong suspicion of murder".

The identities of those implicated have not been disclosed by authorities, in following national regulations.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators said the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active in foreign locations repeatedly.

But when investigators searched the mother's apartment, her smartphone was discovered.

Someone also claimed hearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and screams of "mother" on the date the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider official inquiry was started, with investigators discovering multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

Authorities said a four-figure sum was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on that day that a storage facility had been rented out before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the unit on the very day the victims went missing, Tersch said. And a shortly afterward, they acquired another freezer.

Officials state they think this indicates the deaths were planned in advance.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of the remains," Tersch stated.

Mayr—representing the state—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an incident and to concealing the remains. He disputes any intent to kill, officials stated.

In a related development, his younger brother acknowledged a cover-up but denied awareness of a murder.

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 declared the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

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

"Femicides are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."