Police say murdered magnificence influencer Stefanie Pieper might have been buried ALIVE in suitcase by ex-boyfriend who confessed to killing her
A beauty influencer allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend may have been buried alive, police say.
Patrick M., 31, is alleged to have killed 32-year-old Stefanie Pieper in late November after a row in her home in Graz, Austria.
He admitted to strangling her before stuffing her in a suitcase and burying her in a forest in neighbouring Slovenia, according to local media.
But while it was initially believed Ms Pieper had died before he disposed of her body, chilling new details suggest she may have still been alive when she was buried.
A forensic report found she suffered massive neck trauma consistent with strangulation, and also identified severe facial injuries.
But experts could not determine exactly when she died, raising the possibility she was only unconscious when placed in the suitcase and died later.
Dr Christian Kroschl, spokesman for the Graz public prosecutor’s office, told BILD: ‘The autopsy could not definitively determine when the young woman died.
‘It is entirely possible she was still alive when she was placed in the suitcase.’
Patrick M. allegedly drove around for hours before packing her body into a turquoise suitcase – the same one she used for beauty jobs.
He reportedly folded down the seat of his car to make room.
Patrick M. (left), is alleged to have killed 32-year-old Stefanie Pieper (right) in late November following a row in her home in the Austrian city of Graz
While it was initially believed Ms Pieper had died before he disposed of her body, chilling new details suggest she may have still been alive when she was buried
Ms Pieper was last seen at a holiday gathering, and friends raised the alarm when she failed to show up for a modeling shoot the next day. Pictured: Police involved in the search operation for Ms Pieper
He first buried her in his grandmother’s garden in Trniče before later digging her up and moving her to a secluded forest spot.
Ms Pieper was last seen at a holiday gathering, and friends raised the alarm when she failed to show up for a modeling shoot the next day.
Police later found her dog alone in her flat and discovered her phone had been switched off, Austrian newspaper Kurier reported.
Her former boyfriend was taken into custody in Slovenia after authorities say he set his car on fire in a casino parking 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.
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.’
Patrick M is being represented by Astrid Wagner, the lawyer who represented the incestuous monster Josef Fritzl.
In December she told the Regional Criminal Court in Graz that her current client is ‘completely broken’, adding that he loved Ms. Pieper ‘infinitely’ and cannot explain the killing.
She added that the killing happened following an argument between Patrick M. and Ms. Pieper.
Wagner, 61, is best known for her work in defending Austrian monster Josef Fritzl, who has been incarcerated since 2009 after holding his daughter Elisabeth captive in his cellar in the Austrian town of Amstetten for 24 years, raping her thousands of times and fathering her children.
