An Austrian woman who prosecutors say was drugged by her husband and subjected to sexual assaults by other men has died from injuries allegedly suffered during the abuse.
Authorities have reportedly described the shocking case as “Pelicot 2.0,” drawing comparisons with Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose husband drugged her and arranged for dozens of men to rape her on multiple occasions.
Emergency crews were called to the couple’s home in Marchtrenk, Austria, on June 25 after the 39-year-old woman’s teenage daughter found her lifeless and covered in blood on a waterbed.
According to news outlet 20 Minuten, the woman’s 51-year-old husband, who was intoxicated at the time, initially told first responders that she had been injured in an accident during “rough sex.”
Police did not immediately treat the husband as a suspect, but investigators later uncovered evidence suggesting the circumstances of her death were far more disturbing, including findings from an autopsy and a search of his phone.
After his wife died, officers discovered that the man had disposed of the waterbed and deleted an app from his mobile phone, according to reports.
Investigators also found that, just days before the fatal incident, he had allegedly used his device to search for information on how to drug someone.
Local media reports allege the husband repeatedly drugged his wife over an extended period and, while she was unconscious, handed her over to men for money — including on the night she died.
A woman from the Austrian town of Marchtrenk has died after her husband allegedly drugged her so that other men could rape her. Pictured: General view of the town of Marchtrenk
The woman’s husband was paid up to 500 Euros per session and would refer to his wife as ‘dead meat’ in text messages.
Her husband has been arrested alongside a neighbour, who is accused of sexually assaulting the woman twice, including on the night of her death.
He is understood to have left the house before she died.
Text messages between the two men were found to mention the alleged abuse of the woman, newspaper Krone reports.
On the night of her death, her husband allegedly sent his neighbour a photo of his unconscious wife.
In one text, the woman’s husband wrote: ‘I’ll get her properly drunk. Then you can have sex with her again. The way she was whining the other day was amazing.’
His neighbour responded: ‘She almost screamed. You cover her mouth again.’
He also thanked the woman’s husband for ‘allowing me to use her’.
In another text, the husband revealed his wife had not consented to the acts. He wrote: ‘She’s not participating willingly.’
He also said: ‘If it worked, if I had date rape drugs, I would regularly make her available for you to rape.’
The day before the woman’s death, her husband also allegedly shared photos of his wife with the man, and in a separate text message wrote: ‘But he does know that it’s a real rape and she would never go along with it?’
More suspects remain under investigation as a police probe continues.
The case follows the high-profile trial that shocked France in 2024, in which Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging his wife Gisele for almost a decade and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious.
He was found guilty on all charges last year and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which was the maximum possible.
He admitted his role and did not appeal.
All 50 of his co-defendants were also found guilty of various charges related to the case.
The case has been likened to that of Gisele Pelicot (pictured in October 2025) who was raped by dozens of men on numerous occasions after being drugged by her husband
The trial drew international attention after Gisele opposed a closed hearing, a demand made by several defendants.
The court sided with her. Her courage inspired campaigners against sexual and sexist violence, and the shocking case spurred a national reckoning over rape culture in France.
The evidence included stomach-churning homemade videos of rapes and assaults that Dominique Pelicot filmed in the couple’s home in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.
