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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed homicide.

Informing reporters previously, a official for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of homicide".

The names of those implicated have been withheld by police, in following Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities revealed the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used in foreign locations several times.

However when investigators entered the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.

A witness also reported listening to a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mother" on the date the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

An expanded criminal probe was initiated, with investigators uncovering various messages transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a notice of quitting to her company and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed reporters on recently that a rented space had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The two suspects removed the appliance from the storage space on the very day the mother and daughter went missing, she stated. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.

Authorities say they believe this indicates the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the bodies," Tersch said.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the suspect confessed to an incident and to concealing the remains. He denies any plan to cause death, investigators said.

In a related development, his brother confessed to a concealment but rejected involvement in a killing.

The pair are presently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister declared the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and reveals a heartless setup".

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

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