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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but denied homicide.

Informing reporters previously, a official for the legal authorities said the brothers were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of homicide".

The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in compliance with Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Authorities stated the male associate told them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations repeatedly.

But when investigators searched the victim's residence, her mobile phone was discovered.

An individual also stated hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and shouts of "mother" on the date the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

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

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

Katja Tersch told the press on recently that a rented space had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the appliance from the storage space on the date the victims went missing, the official stated. And a seven days after, they acquired an additional appliance.

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

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the remains," she stated.

Mayr—representing the state—stated the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

Although the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old confessed to an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, officials confirmed.

In a related development, his brother confessed to a cover-up but disputed involvement in a homicide.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "suspected killing of two... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and exposes a brutal scheme".

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

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