Tragic Find: Bodies of Missing Mother and Child Located in Freezers in the Alpine Nation

The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an flat in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, told law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed intentional killing.

Addressing reporters recently, a official for the state prosecutor stated the two suspects were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of intentional killing".

Personal details of those implicated have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

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

Authorities said the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.

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

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

A witness also reported listening to a commotion in the flat, and cries of "mother" on the date the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider criminal probe was launched, with officers uncovering several texts transmitted via the victim's mobile—among them a job termination message to her company and texts to the male colleague.

Law enforcement said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.

Katja Tersch stated to the press on that day that a storage unit had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the storage space on the date the woman and her child went missing, she revealed. And a seven days after, they obtained another freezer.

Officials say they consider this suggests the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the condition of the victims," the official stated.

The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—noted the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the remains were carefully placed and were not found during a previous house search.

While the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the elder brother confessed to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He denies any intent to kill, officials said.

At the same time, his brother acknowledged a concealment but rejected involvement in a killing.

The pair are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they continued.

"Femicides are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."