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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 deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed 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 the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the female victim, told police last week that there had been an incident—but denied homicide.

Informing reporters earlier, a official for the legal authorities said the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".

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

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

Police said the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when officers entered the victim's residence, her mobile phone was located.

A witness also stated hearing a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mother" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

A wider criminal probe was initiated, with authorities uncovering various messages sent from the victim's mobile—such as a job termination message to her company and messages to the male colleague.

Officials said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the suspect.

Katja Tersch told reporters on recently that a rented space had been leased before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The brothers extracted the cooling unit from the facility on the day the mother and daughter went missing, she revealed. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.

Authorities believe they think this suggests the fatalities were premeditated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the condition of the bodies," Tersch stated.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

While the brothers were arrested in June, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, officials said.

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

The two suspects are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

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

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they added.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."