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The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The elder brother, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected murder.

Informing the media recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of intentional killing".

Personal details of those involved have been withheld by police, in compliance with national regulations.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Investigators said the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized abroad on multiple occasions.

But when police searched the mother's apartment, her smartphone was discovered.

An individual also claimed hearing a loud noise in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the occasion the pair were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded criminal probe was started, with investigators discovering various messages sent from the mother's device—among them a resignation letter to her company and communications to the male colleague.

Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also transferred to the suspect.

Katja Tersch stated to the press on that day that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been positioned inside.

The male siblings took out the cooling unit from the storage space on the very day the victims vanished, the official said. And a week later, they purchased another freezer.

Officials state they think this points to the demise were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," the official commented.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—said the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the bodies were carefully placed and not discovered during a previous house search.

Although the brothers were arrested in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old confessed to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He denies any plan to cause death, investigators stated.

At the same time, his brother confessed to a cover-up but denied knowledge of a killing.

The two suspects are presently in detention before court proceedings in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being killed due to the sole reason that they are female," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."