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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezers in an apartment in western Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but rejected intentional killing.

Addressing reporters previously, a representative for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

Personal details of those implicated have not been released by police, in following Austrian law.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized abroad several times.

But when police searched the woman's home, her cellphone was located.

Someone also reported overhearing a commotion in the dwelling, and shouts of "mum" on the day the pair were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded criminal probe was initiated, with investigators finding several texts sent from the woman's phone—such as a job termination message to her company and texts to the male colleague.

Authorities said a four-figure sum was also sent to the man.

A senior police official informed the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been placed there.

The two suspects took out the cooling unit from the facility on the date the mother and daughter vanished, Tersch stated. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Authorities believe they believe this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.

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

A legal representative—representing the state—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and were not found during a previous house search.

While the brothers were arrested in June, it was not until November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He denies any plan to cause death, authorities said.

In a related development, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but denied knowledge of a killing.

The brothers are currently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

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

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."