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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter 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 missing for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Addressing journalists earlier, a representative for the public prosecutor's office announced the two suspects were being detained on "strong suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those involved have been withheld by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police revealed the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized overseas on multiple occasions.

However when police entered the mother's apartment, her smartphone was discovered.

A witness also stated overhearing a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mum" on the day the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with officers discovering several texts transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her workplace and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

Katja Tersch stated to reporters on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been placed there.

The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the unit on the day the mother and daughter went missing, she stated. And a seven days after, they obtained another freezer.

Authorities say they consider this points to the deaths were premeditated.

"How they died was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the bodies," she said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the victims were professionally hidden and were not found during a prior examination.

While the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the suspect acknowledged an incident and to storing the victims. He denies any murderous intent, officials confirmed.

At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but disputed involvement in a killing.

The two suspects are presently in detention before court proceedings in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister said the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".

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

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."