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The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

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

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied intentional killing.

Informing journalists earlier, a official for the public prosecutor's office stated the brothers were being held on "serious suspicion of homicide".

Personal details of those concerned have been withheld by authorities, in compliance with local legislation.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police said the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to see her family in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized overseas repeatedly.

But when police searched the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was located.

An individual also stated overhearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and screams of "mama" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

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

Officials confirmed a significant cash transfer was also sent to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to media representatives on Tuesday that a rented space had been secured before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The male siblings took out the cooling unit from the facility on the very day the woman and her child vanished, the official said. And a shortly afterward, they purchased an additional appliance.

Authorities believe they consider this indicates the demise were premeditated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch stated.

Mayr—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and were not found during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the suspect confessed to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He disputes any plan to cause death, investigators confirmed.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a cover-up but disputed involvement in a killing.

The brothers are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and exposes a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the mere fact that they are female," they added.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."