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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were found on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an incident—but rejected homicide.

Informing journalists earlier, a representative for the legal authorities stated the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

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

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators revealed the male associate claimed at the time she had gone on an long journey with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

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

Yet when investigators searched the victim's residence, her mobile phone was found.

Someone also stated hearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the date the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider police investigation was initiated, with officers discovering multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—including a resignation letter to her employer and communications to the male colleague.

Authorities said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the man.

Katja Tersch informed media representatives on that day that a storage facility had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the freezer from the unit on the date the woman and her child vanished, the official stated. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.

Investigators state they believe this indicates the demise were premeditated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the condition of the victims," she said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the remains were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the brothers were arrested in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any murderous intent, authorities confirmed.

In a related development, his younger brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but denied involvement in a homicide.

The pair are presently in custody awaiting trial in jails in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and reveals a cruel system".

"Women and girls are being killed due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."