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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an residence in western Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a plasterboard 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 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed murder.

Speaking to journalists previously, a official for the legal authorities stated the pair were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of intentional killing".

The names of those involved have not been released by police, in compliance with local legislation.

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

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an long journey with her child to see her family in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized abroad several times.

But when investigators searched the mother's apartment, her smartphone was discovered.

Someone also reported listening to a disturbing sound in the flat, and screams of "mama" on the day the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader official inquiry was launched, with officers uncovering several texts sent from the victim's mobile—among them a notice of quitting to her company and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement said a amount in the thousands was also moved to the suspect.

A senior police official told reporters on recently that a storage unit had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the storage space on the date the victims went missing, Tersch said. And a seven days after, they purchased an additional appliance.

Investigators state they consider this indicates the deaths were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the condition of the victims," she stated.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the men were detained in June, it was not until November 12 that the suspect admitted to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any plan to cause death, investigators stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but disputed involvement in a homicide.

The two suspects are at this time in pre-trial detention in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and exposes a brutal scheme".

"Female individuals are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they added.

"Gender-based killings are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must address decisively."