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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been located inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

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

Speaking to journalists previously, a spokesman for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of homicide".

Personal details of those involved have not been released by authorities, in compliance with Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators stated the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations repeatedly.

But when officers examined the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.

An individual also reported overhearing a commotion in the apartment, and screams of "mum" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A wider official inquiry was launched, with investigators finding various messages originating from the mother's device—among them a job termination message to her company and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

Katja Tersch told the press on that day that a rented space had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The two suspects took out the cooling unit from the unit on the very day the victims vanished, she revealed. And a shortly afterward, they obtained another freezer.

Authorities say they believe this suggests the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the bodies," the official said.

A legal representative—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

Although the men were detained in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old confessed to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He denies any murderous intent, authorities confirmed.

Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a concealment but denied awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."