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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, 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 elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an incident—but disputed murder.

Addressing reporters recently, a representative for the state prosecutor stated the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of murder".

The names of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities revealed the woman's colleague told them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

Her bank card was then found to have been used overseas on multiple occasions.

However when officers examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was located.

Someone also reported overhearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and cries of "mother" on the occasion the pair were thought to have disappeared.

A broader police investigation was initiated, with authorities discovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—such as a resignation letter to her workplace and messages to the male associate.

Law enforcement stated a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the suspect.

Katja Tersch told reporters on that day that a storage unit had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The male siblings removed the freezer from the storage space on the day the mother and daughter went missing, the official said. And a shortly afterward, they purchased another freezer.

Authorities believe they believe this suggests the demise were premeditated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the victims," Tersch said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the remains were carefully placed and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

Although the brothers were detained in June, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an incident and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any murderous intent, authorities said.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but denied awareness of a killing.

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

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and reveals a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the simple reality that they are female," they added.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."