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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an flat in western Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a false wall in the flat, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an accident—but disputed murder.

Speaking to the media recently, a official for the legal authorities announced the pair were being held on "high likelihood of murder".

The identities of those implicated have been withheld by law enforcement, in compliance with Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Police stated the male associate claimed at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used overseas repeatedly.

Yet when investigators entered the victim's residence, her cellphone was located.

Someone also stated hearing a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and screams of "mama" on the date the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider police investigation was started, with officers finding various messages originating from the mother's device—such as a resignation letter to her employer and texts to the male colleague.

Authorities confirmed a significant cash transfer was also moved to the suspect.

Katja Tersch told media representatives on that day that a storage unit had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been placed there.

The male siblings removed the freezer from the storage space on the day the victims vanished, the official said. And a shortly afterward, they acquired another freezer.

Authorities state they believe this indicates the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the condition of the remains," she commented.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—stated the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the victims were expertly concealed and were not found during a earlier inspection.

Although the men were arrested in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the suspect admitted to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He rejects any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

In a related development, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but denied involvement in a killing.

The two suspects are presently in pre-trial detention in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

"Women and girls are being killed due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must address decisively."