The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her daughter, 10, have been found inside freezers in an apartment in western Austria.

The remains of the Syrian woman and child, who had been missing for several months, were discovered on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a drywall partition in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, told police last week there had been an accident - but denied murder.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Hansjörg Mayr, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office, said the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".

The names of those involved have not been released by police, in accordance with Austrian law. 

The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024. 

Police said the woman's colleague - the 55-year-old man - told them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

Her bank card was then found to have been used abroad several times. 

But when police searched the woman's home, her mobile phone was found.

A witness also reported hearing a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mama", on the day the two were thought to have disappeared. 

A wider police investigation was launched, with officers discovering various messages sent from the woman's phone - including a resignation letter to her employer and messages to the male colleague. 

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