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

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, informed authorities last week that there had been an accident—but rejected homicide.

Informing reporters earlier, a representative for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being held on "high likelihood of murder".

Personal details of those concerned have not been released by police, in following local legislation.

The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators stated the woman's colleague told them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used overseas several times.

But when police examined the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

A witness also claimed overhearing a loud noise in the flat, and shouts of "mother" on the date the two were thought to have disappeared.

A wider criminal probe was initiated, with officers finding several texts originating from the mother's device—including a resignation letter to her company and texts to the male colleague.

Law enforcement confirmed a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the suspect.

Katja Tersch informed the press on recently that a rented space had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been placed there.

The brothers took out the cooling unit from the facility on the day the woman and her child vanished, the official revealed. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

Officials believe they consider this suggests the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the remains," the official said.

A legal representative—representing the state—noted the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.

Although the suspects were detained in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect acknowledged an occurrence and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but disputed awareness of a homicide.

The pair are presently in custody awaiting trial in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and uncovers a cruel system".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they went on to say.

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."