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The remains of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been located inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the female victim, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected intentional killing.

Speaking to reporters previously, a representative for the public prosecutor's office said the brothers were being detained on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The identities of those involved have been withheld by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators revealed the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized overseas repeatedly.

Yet when investigators searched the woman's home, her mobile phone was located.

An individual also stated hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and cries of "mother" on the occasion the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

An expanded police investigation was started, with authorities uncovering several texts originating from the victim's mobile—including a notice of quitting to her company and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement said a significant cash transfer was also moved to the man.

Katja Tersch stated to the press on recently that a storage facility had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the unit on the day the woman and her child went missing, she said. And a seven days after, they purchased an additional appliance.

Officials believe they consider this points to the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the remains," the official commented.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the elder brother admitted to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any intent to kill, investigators stated.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but denied knowledge of a murder.

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

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and reveals a heartless setup".

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

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."