Shocking Discovery: Bodies of Missing Mother and Child Located in Freezing Units in Austria

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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a false wall in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but rejected homicide.

Addressing journalists earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the brothers were being detained on "serious suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those involved have not been released by authorities, in accordance with local legislation.

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

Police stated the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then found to have been used overseas several times.

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

Someone also reported listening to a commotion in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the day the two were thought to have disappeared.

An expanded police investigation was started, with authorities uncovering multiple communications originating from the woman's phone—including a job termination message to her company and messages to the male associate.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also transferred to the individual.

Katja Tersch told reporters on Tuesday that a storage facility had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been placed there.

The male siblings extracted the freezer from the facility on the date the victims disappeared, Tersch revealed. And a shortly afterward, they acquired another freezer.

Investigators say they consider this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died was not identifiable due to the condition of the victims," Tersch stated.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—noted the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the bodies were carefully placed and were not found during a previous house search.

While the men were arrested in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any murderous intent, investigators confirmed.

At the same time, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but disputed awareness of a murder.

The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and exposes a brutal scheme".

"Females of all ages are being killed due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."