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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated 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 female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.

Informing reporters previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities said the brothers were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".

The identities of those concerned have been withheld by police, in accordance with national regulations.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Police stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an long journey with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

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

But when investigators examined the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was located.

Someone also stated listening to a loud noise in the flat, and screams of "mama" on the occasion the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader police investigation was started, with officers discovering multiple communications originating from the woman's phone—including a notice of quitting to her workplace and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told media representatives on that day that a storage unit had been leased before the vanishing and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The brothers took out the appliance from the facility on the date the victims went missing, she revealed. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Authorities believe they believe this suggests the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the bodies," the official commented.

Mayr—representing the state—stated the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the men were taken into custody in June, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old confessed to an incident and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, authorities said.

In a related development, his younger brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but rejected awareness of a killing.

The two suspects are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."