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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody 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 accident—but disputed murder.

Addressing journalists recently, a official for the legal authorities stated the brothers were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

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

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

Investigators said the woman's colleague told them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to see her family in Turkey.

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

But when officers examined the mother's apartment, her smartphone was located.

A witness also stated listening to a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and cries of "mama" on the date the pair were believed to have vanished.

A broader police investigation was initiated, with officers discovering several texts sent from the mother's device—such as a job termination message to her employer and messages to the male associate.

Law enforcement stated a significant cash transfer was also sent to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed media representatives on recently that a storage unit had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the facility on the date the mother and daughter went missing, Tersch said. And a shortly afterward, they obtained another freezer.

Officials believe they think this indicates the demise were premeditated.

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

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the remains were carefully placed and were not found during a previous house search.

While the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the suspect acknowledged an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators stated.

At the same time, his younger brother admitted to a concealment but disputed knowledge of a murder.

The pair are presently in pre-trial detention in jails in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and exposes a cruel system".

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

"Femicides are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."