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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.

Informing journalists earlier, a representative for the public prosecutor's office said the pair were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of homicide".

The names of those concerned have not been released by law enforcement, in following local legislation.

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

Police stated the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her child to see her family in Turkey.

Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized overseas on multiple occasions.

But when investigators entered the victim's residence, her cellphone was found.

An individual also claimed overhearing a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mother" on the occasion the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

An expanded official inquiry was initiated, with officers finding various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a notice of quitting to her workplace and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

Katja Tersch informed the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the cooling unit from the facility on the very day the victims vanished, she revealed. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

Investigators believe they think this indicates the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the victims," the official said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the remains were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

Although the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the elder brother confessed to an event and to storing the victims. He denies any intent to kill, authorities said.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a concealment but disputed awareness of a killing.

The two suspects are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."