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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.

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

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, told law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but disputed homicide.

Informing journalists previously, a representative for the state prosecutor said the brothers were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The names of those implicated have been withheld by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities said the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had taken an long journey with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations repeatedly.

Yet when police searched the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

A witness also claimed hearing a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and screams of "mum" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

A wider official inquiry was initiated, with investigators finding various messages sent from the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her workplace and texts to the male associate.

Officials confirmed a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.

A senior police official informed the press on that day that a storage unit had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been positioned inside.

The brothers took out the appliance from the unit on the date the victims went missing, the official said. And a shortly afterward, they obtained an additional appliance.

Investigators state they believe this indicates the deaths were planned in advance.

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

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—said the precise timeline is still unclear, but the remains were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the men were detained in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any intent to kill, authorities stated.

In a related development, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but disputed knowledge of a killing.

The brothers are currently in pre-trial detention in jails in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

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