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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezers in an flat in western Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

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

Informing the media recently, a representative for the legal authorities announced the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of homicide".

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

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

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

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when investigators searched the woman's home, her mobile phone was found.

Someone also stated hearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and screams of "mama" on the occasion the pair were thought to have disappeared.

A broader police investigation was launched, with investigators finding several texts transmitted via the mother's device—such as a resignation letter to her employer and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

Officials stated a amount in the thousands was also moved to the individual.

A senior police official stated to the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers took out the cooling unit from the facility on the very day the mother and daughter went missing, Tersch said. And a week later, they purchased another freezer.

Authorities say they think this indicates the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the victims," she commented.

The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the victims were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

Although the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the suspect acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He denies any plan to cause death, officials said.

In a related development, his younger brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed awareness of a killing.

The two suspects are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in separate locations, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a cruel system".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they added.

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