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

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Informing reporters earlier, a spokesman for the legal authorities announced the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".

The names of those concerned have been withheld by law enforcement, in accordance with local legislation.

Their going missing was first reported by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Investigators revealed the male associate told them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her child to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used in foreign locations repeatedly.

However when officers entered the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

An individual also claimed hearing a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the occasion the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.

A wider official inquiry was started, with officers discovering multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—including a resignation letter to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

Authorities confirmed a amount in the thousands was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told reporters on Tuesday that a storage facility had been leased before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings took out the appliance from the storage space on the very day the woman and her child went missing, the official said. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Investigators say they think this points to the fatalities were premeditated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the condition of the bodies," Tersch said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—noted the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

Although the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He denies any murderous intent, authorities said.

At the same time, his younger brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but rejected knowledge of a homicide.

The pair are currently in custody awaiting trial in jails in separate locations, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister declared the "alleged double murder... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they continued.

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."