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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in June. The elder brother, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed homicide.

Addressing the media recently, a representative for the legal authorities announced the pair were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The identities of those concerned have not been released by authorities, in compliance with Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police said the male associate informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

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

Yet when police entered the woman's home, her mobile phone was located.

A witness also reported hearing a loud noise in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader official inquiry was launched, with investigators uncovering various messages originating from the mother's device—including a notice of quitting to her employer and texts to the male colleague.

Authorities confirmed a four-figure sum was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to the press on recently that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been placed there.

The male siblings extracted the appliance from the facility on the date the woman and her child disappeared, Tersch stated. And a seven days after, they acquired a second unit.

Investigators say they think this suggests the demise were premeditated.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the bodies," she stated.

A legal representative—representing the state—said the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the bodies were expertly concealed and were not found during a prior examination.

While the suspects were arrested in June, it was not until the 12th of November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators confirmed.

At the same time, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but disputed involvement in a killing.

The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative said the "alleged double murder... represents the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and exposes a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they added.

"Femicides are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must address decisively."