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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the flat, situated in the Innsbruck area.

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

Informing the media earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of murder".

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

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

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 discovered to be utilized abroad repeatedly.

However when investigators entered the woman's home, her smartphone was found.

Someone also reported hearing a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mother" on the day the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider police investigation was launched, with officers finding several texts sent from the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her employer and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Officials said a significant cash transfer was also transferred to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to media representatives on Tuesday that a storage unit had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers took out the appliance from the storage space on the day the mother and daughter disappeared, she said. And a seven days after, they acquired another freezer.

Authorities say they think this suggests the demise were planned in advance.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," Tersch said.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and were not found during a earlier inspection.

Although the brothers were arrested in June, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to concealing the remains. He disputes any plan to cause death, authorities confirmed.

At the same time, his brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed involvement in a homicide.

The pair are presently in detention before court proceedings in jails in separate locations, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "alleged double murder... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and exposes a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Murders of women are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."