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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, informed police last week that there had been an accident—but disputed intentional killing.

Addressing journalists recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

Personal details of those involved have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police said the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

Her bank card was then found to have been used overseas on multiple occasions.

Yet when officers examined the woman's home, her cellphone was located.

Someone also reported overhearing a commotion in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A wider criminal probe was started, with authorities uncovering multiple communications transmitted via the woman's phone—among them a job termination message to her workplace and messages to the male associate.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also transferred to the individual.

Katja Tersch informed the press on Tuesday that a rented space had been leased before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the unit on the date the mother and daughter vanished, Tersch revealed. And a seven days after, they obtained a second unit.

Authorities say they consider this indicates the deaths were premeditated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," she said.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the victims were expertly concealed and were not found during a previous house search.

Although the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the elder brother acknowledged an event and to storing the victims. He denies any intent to kill, authorities stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a concealment but rejected involvement in a killing.

The two suspects are presently in pre-trial detention in prisons in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are female," they added.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."