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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezers in an flat in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed murder.

Speaking to journalists earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

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

The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

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

The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad repeatedly.

Yet when officers examined the woman's home, her cellphone was located.

Someone also claimed overhearing a commotion in the dwelling, and cries of "mum" on the day the pair were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded police investigation was initiated, with investigators uncovering multiple communications transmitted via the victim's mobile—including a job termination message to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

Law enforcement said a four-figure sum was also moved to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told media representatives on recently that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The male siblings removed the appliance from the storage space on the date the mother and daughter disappeared, the official stated. And a shortly afterward, they purchased a second unit.

Investigators state they think this indicates the demise were premeditated.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the victims," Tersch stated.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—noted the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were professionally hidden and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

While the brothers were arrested in June, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old acknowledged an incident and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any murderous intent, officials confirmed.

At the same time, his younger brother admitted to a concealment but rejected knowledge of a murder.

The pair are at this time in detention before court proceedings in jails in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... represents the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a cruel system".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."