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The remains of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

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

Informing the media earlier, a representative for the legal authorities announced the brothers were being held on "high likelihood of murder".

The names of those involved have not been released by law enforcement, in compliance with national regulations.

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

Police stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized abroad repeatedly.

But when investigators searched the victim's residence, her mobile phone was located.

A witness also reported listening to a loud noise in the apartment, and shouts of "mother" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

A broader official inquiry was launched, with officers uncovering several texts sent from the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her workplace and communications to the male colleague.

Authorities confirmed a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the individual.

Katja Tersch told media representatives on Tuesday that a rented space had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezer had been placed there.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the facility on the day the woman and her child vanished, she stated. And a seven days after, they acquired a second unit.

Officials state they believe this indicates the demise were planned in advance.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch said.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were carefully placed and were not found during a prior examination.

While the brothers were taken into custody in June, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an incident and to storing the victims. He denies any intent to kill, officials confirmed.

In a related development, his younger brother admitted to a cover-up but denied awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are presently in custody awaiting trial in prisons in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being killed due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they went on to say.

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