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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed murder.

Addressing reporters recently, a official for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".

Personal details of those implicated have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in accordance with local legislation.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police stated the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad on multiple occasions.

But when officers examined the mother's apartment, her smartphone was found.

Someone also claimed overhearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and shouts of "mother" on the occasion the two were thought to have disappeared.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with authorities finding multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—among them a job termination message to her company and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement stated a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed media representatives on Tuesday that a storage unit had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the appliance from the facility on the date the mother and daughter vanished, Tersch revealed. And a shortly afterward, they obtained another freezer.

Officials believe they believe this indicates the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," the official stated.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—stated the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a previous house search.

While the brothers were arrested in June, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an incident and to storing the victims. He rejects any intent to kill, authorities said.

In a related development, his younger brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed knowledge of a homicide.

The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in prisons in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative declared the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must address decisively."