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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an flat 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 Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The elder brother, a work associate of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied intentional killing.

Informing journalists earlier, a representative for the legal authorities said the brothers were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".

Personal details of those concerned have not been released by police, in accordance with national regulations.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had taken an long journey with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active abroad repeatedly.

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

A witness also reported listening to a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the date the pair were believed to have vanished.

A wider police investigation was started, with authorities uncovering multiple communications originating from the woman's phone—among them a job termination message to her company and messages to the male associate.

Officials stated a four-figure sum was also transferred to the man.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed media representatives on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The brothers took out the appliance from the unit on the date the mother and daughter disappeared, the official stated. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Officials say they believe this indicates the fatalities were premeditated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the remains," she said.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—said the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the bodies were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

Although the men were arrested in June, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old acknowledged an event and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, officials said.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a concealment but disputed involvement in a homicide.

The pair are currently in pre-trial detention in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "suspected killing of two... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."