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

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a false wall in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed homicide.

Addressing the media previously, a representative for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

Personal details of those implicated have not been disclosed by authorities, in compliance with local legislation.

The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities revealed the woman's colleague informed them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active in foreign locations several times.

However when officers searched the woman's home, her mobile phone was discovered.

Someone also stated hearing a commotion in the dwelling, and cries of "mother" on the occasion the two were believed to have vanished.

A wider police investigation was launched, with investigators uncovering various messages originating from the victim's mobile—such as a notice of quitting to her employer and communications to the male associate.

Law enforcement stated a four-figure sum was also sent to the man.

A senior police official told media representatives on that day that a storage unit had been rented out before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The brothers removed the appliance from the unit on the date the woman and her child disappeared, the official revealed. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Authorities state they believe this points to the deaths were planned in advance.

"How they died remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," she said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—stated the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the remains were carefully placed and were not found during a earlier inspection.

Although the brothers were arrested in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the elder brother acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He denies any murderous intent, authorities stated.

At the same time, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but rejected involvement in a murder.

The pair are presently in pre-trial detention in jails in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and uncovers a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."