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The remains of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.

Speaking to journalists earlier, a official for the public prosecutor's office stated the pair were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".

Personal details of those concerned have not been released by authorities, in following national regulations.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities said the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when police examined the victim's residence, her mobile phone was located.

An individual also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and cries of "mum" on the occasion the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A broader criminal probe was launched, with officers uncovering various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her company and texts to the male colleague.

Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also moved to the man.

Katja Tersch told reporters on recently that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The two suspects extracted the freezer from the unit on the date the woman and her child disappeared, the official said. And a shortly afterward, they obtained a second unit.

Officials state they believe this indicates the demise were premeditated.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," she said.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—stated the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.

Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He denies any plan to cause death, investigators said.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but denied knowledge of a killing.

The two suspects are at this time in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."