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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a work associate of the female victim, told authorities last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.

Informing journalists previously, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the brothers were being detained on "high likelihood of murder".

The identities of those implicated have not been released by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities revealed the male associate 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 in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when officers searched the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.

Someone also stated overhearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and shouts of "mother" on the date the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader criminal probe was initiated, with investigators discovering multiple communications originating from the mother's device—including a notice of quitting to her company and communications to the male colleague.

Authorities stated a significant cash transfer was also moved to the man.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to the press on that day that a storage facility had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been positioned inside.

The male siblings took out the freezer from the storage space on the date the mother and daughter disappeared, the official said. And a week later, they purchased an additional appliance.

Investigators believe they think this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," Tersch said.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the brothers were detained in June, it was not until 12 November that the suspect acknowledged an incident and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, officials confirmed.

Meanwhile, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a concealment but denied involvement in a killing.

The brothers are at this time 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 the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and exposes a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."