In a tragic turn of events, the life of 31-year-old influencer Stefanie Pieper has come to a heartbreaking end, as her body was discovered in a secluded area of a Slovenian forest.
Authorities revealed that the discovery followed a chilling confession from Pieper’s ex-boyfriend, who reportedly admitted to the crime and led investigators to the hidden site where her remains were found.
A report from Austria’s prominent newspaper, Kronen Zeitung, details that the ex-boyfriend allegedly confessed to strangling Pieper and subsequently guided law enforcement officials to the location of her body. Following his confession, he was transported from Slovenia back to Austria, where the investigation has expanded to include his brother and stepfather, who have both been detained.
The last known sighting of Pieper was at a holiday gathering on Sunday, but concern grew among her friends when she didn’t appear for a scheduled modeling shoot the next day, prompting them to alert authorities.
The unfolding investigation led officers to the suspect on Monday, where they found him in proximity to a car that had been set ablaze, further deepening the mystery surrounding this grim case.
Officers tracked down the suspected killer on Monday, finding him near a vehicle that had been set on fire.
Influencer Stefanie Pieper, 31, has been found dead in a remote Slovenian forest
Detectives located Pieper’s body after the ex reportedly admitted he strangled her and then guided officers to where he left her remains, per Austria’s largest newspaper Kronen Zeitung
Pieper’s movements in the days before her disappearance came under even greater scrutiny after investigators found records showing her ex had crossed the Austria–Slovenia border multiple times.
The influencer was last spotted early Sunday morning, stepping out of a taxi with a friend outside her home in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city.
She didn’t show up for a planned photoshoot the next day, prompting immediate concern from those expecting her.
When police checked her apartment, they discovered her dog inside alone and learned her phone had been switched off, according to Austrian newspaper Kurier.
Her former boyfriend was taken into custody in Slovenia on Monday after authorities say he set his car on fire in a casino lot.
‘He was found in the immediate vicinity of the burning vehicle and arrested by the Slovenian police. Extradition to Austria has been requested,’ officials said.
The photographer booked to work with her became worried when he couldn’t reach her and went to her building in Graz.
There, he unexpectedly encountered her on-off partner, 31-year-old Peter M., described locally as a part-time security guard and unsuccessful poker player.
Pieper was last seen on Sunday at a holiday gathering, and friends raised the alarm when she failed to show up for a modeling shoot the next day
Peter let him inside, but the man was unsettled enough to immediately alert police.
Officers arrived quickly and soon located Pieper’s phone discarded in nearby bushes.
As they canvassed the area, neighbors reported hearing ‘loud noises’ coming from her apartment the same morning she vanished.
Investigators then uncovered Pieper’s chilling last messages to a friend.
‘There’s a creep in the stairwell’, she wrote in WhatsApp texts, describing a ‘dark figure’ she had seen as she headed inside after returning to walk her Golden Retriever, Marlow.
Those were the last words anyone received from her.
By the time the search was expanded, her ex-boyfriend had already been detained in Slovenia.
His red Volkswagen Golf was found burned out near the Mond Casino in Šentilj, just across the border.
When questioned, he reportedly offered no explanation for why his car was in flames.
Her mother Csilla Legenstein issued a desperate plea as the hunt intensified.
‘My daughter has been missing since [Sunday] morning. Any helpful information will be financially rewarded. Please help me find my daughter.’
