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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a drywall partition in the flat, situated in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an accident—but denied murder.

Speaking to journalists recently, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being held on "serious suspicion of homicide".

The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in compliance with Austrian law.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Authorities revealed the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had taken an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized abroad repeatedly.

Yet when police entered the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.

A witness also claimed listening to a disturbing sound in the flat, and shouts of "mama" on the date the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A wider official inquiry was launched, with officers discovering several texts originating from the mother's device—including a notice of quitting to her company and communications to the male associate.

Authorities said a four-figure sum was also sent to the man.

Katja Tersch stated to reporters on recently that a storage facility had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.

The male siblings extracted the freezer from the unit on the date the woman and her child vanished, she revealed. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.

Officials believe they believe this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," the official stated.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—said the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the victims were carefully placed and were not found during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were arrested in June, it was only on 12 November that the suspect admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any murderous intent, investigators stated.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed awareness of a killing.

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

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.

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