Stefanie Pieper's murder investigation takes a dark turn after police reveal chilling new evidence.
Grim new details have emerged about the murder of Austrian beauty influencer Stefanie Pieper, three months after she was found dead in a woodland in Slovenia. Updating a previous assumption that Pieper 'had been subjected to violence' and was 'strangled' to death, forensic experts now suspect she was still alive when she was buried.
Chilling New Details in Forensics Update
'The autopsy could not definitively determine when the young woman died. It is entirely possible that she was still alive when she was placed in the suitcase,' Dr. Christian Kroschl, spokesman for the Graz public prosecutor's office, told BILD. 'However, it is equally possible that she was killed by strangulation beforehand.'
A colleague first reported Pieper missing on 23 November, 2025, after she did not show up to a photoshoot. Pieper's ex-boyfriend, identified as 31-year-old Patrick M., was held by Slovenian police the day after for a missing persons case. Patrick M. provided directions about Pieper's whereabouts, leading authorities to her dead body, buried in a suitcase.
The suspect was extradited from Slovenia to Graz, Austria, on 28 November. He allegedly 'confessed to the crime and gave the police directions on where to search for the missing woman,' according to police.
Two of the suspect's relatives were also arrested in connection with the murder, but both were released after the suspect allegedly confessed.
Suspect Says the Crime Escalated from an Argument
Patrick M's account of the murder contradicted the autopsy results, according to the outlet. He said it all started with an argument that escalated when Stefanie grabbed a knife and tried to hurt herself. The suspect said he 'attempted to stop her' by putting pressure on her neck 'until she stopped moving.'
He said he left Pieper's flat and drove around in his car for hours after the incident. He then returned to pack Stefanie's body into a suitcase, the same luggage she used for her beauty gigs. He took the suitcase to Slovenia, initially burying it in his grandmother's home in Trniče. He dug up the body shortly after and took it into a nearby forest.
Defence lawyer Astrid Wagner claims the suspect was high on cocaine during the crime. 'My client is completely broken; he deeply regrets his crime. He can't understand how he could have been capable of killing the woman he loved more than anything,' Wagner said. The suspect was reportedly devastated that his relationship with Stefanie had ended, leading up to the incident.
Damning Evidence Leading up to the Murder
Per People, police raised red flags after finding the suspect's vehicle burning in a casino parking lot, near the Slovenian border. 'This was the 31-year-old man's car. He was found in the immediate vicinity of the burning vehicle and arrested by the Slovenian police,' according to the released statement. 'Extradition to Austria has been requested.'
Pieper reportedly sent a WhatsApp message to a friend shortly before she went missing. Her haunting final message alleged that 'there's a creep in the stairwell' of her flat. She also reported seeing a 'dark figure.'
Patrick M. faces life imprisonment if convicted. The case is scheduled for trial later this year.
