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

The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an accident—but rejected intentional killing.

Speaking to journalists earlier, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the pair were being held on "high likelihood of murder".

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

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

Police said the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used abroad repeatedly.

But when investigators entered the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was found.

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

A wider police investigation was initiated, with authorities uncovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—including a job termination message to her workplace and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told media representatives on that day that a storage unit had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been positioned inside.

The brothers extracted the cooling unit from the storage space on the day the mother and daughter vanished, the official stated. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Authorities state they consider this indicates the deaths were premeditated.

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

A legal representative—representing the state—noted the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the bodies were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the men were detained in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, officials said.

Meanwhile, his younger brother acknowledged a cover-up but rejected knowledge of a killing.

The pair are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and uncovers a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they added.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."