Beauty Influencer Stefanie Pieper Found Deceased After Disturbing Disappearance and Arrests

The tragic news has emerged that beauty influencer Stefanie Pieper has passed away at the age of 31, with multiple individuals taken into custody in connection with her untimely death.

According to reports from the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung on Saturday, November 29, Pieper’s former partner was apprehended in Slovenia near his vehicle, which was found ablaze.

Once detained, he reportedly admitted to strangling Pieper and subsequently guided authorities to her remains, which were discovered in a nearby forest, concealed within a suitcase.

Austria’s Styrian State Police initially confirmed Pieper’s disappearance on Sunday, November 23, following her attendance at a Christmas celebration. Her loved ones alerted authorities when she failed to appear for a scheduled modeling photo shoot.

Local news sources Oe24 and 20 Minuten indicated that Pieper had initially contacted friends after returning from a Christmas party in Graz, Austria, on Sunday. However, she later reached out again, expressing apprehension about someone being present in her stairwell.

Austrian media outlets reported that several of Pieper’s neighbors overheard an argument and observed her ex-boyfriend before the influencer went missing.

Investigators quickly developed suspicions that Pieper’s former boyfriend might be involved in her disappearance.

“Subsequent investigations led to the suspicion that the woman’s 31-year-old ex-boyfriend might be connected to her disappearance,” the Styrian State Police stated. “The man is believed to have traveled to Slovenia several times in his car. He could not be contacted by the investigating police.”

On Monday, November 24, Slovenian police were informed that “a car had caught fire in the parking lot of a casino near the border” in Šentilj.

“This was the 31-year-old man’s car,” police confirmed at the time. “He was found in the immediate vicinity of the burning vehicle and arrested by the Slovenian police. Extradition to Austria has been requested.”

Further developments occurred on Thursday, November 29, when Austrian state police confirmed the detention of two of the suspect’s male relatives at the Graz-Jakomini correctional facility in Austria, due to concerns about obstruction of justice. Local media later identified these family members as the suspect’s brother and stepfather.

“Two more men from the suspect’s family circle were arrested in Austria. The detainees are in police custody and are being questioned,” police affirmed.

At that point, Austrian police conducted a “forensic examination of the ex-boyfriend’s car [that] yielded no clues” concerning the alleged murder.

“The investigation is being conducted in both Slovenia and Austria, and there is close cooperation between the two authorities,” the Styrian State Police have communicated.

Austrian police also cautioned on Thursday: “Rumors are circulating in various media outlets and online platforms that the missing woman has been found in Slovenia. Several media inquiries refer to this rumor. The Styrian police cannot confirm this rumor.”

Pieper’s remains were eventually discovered in a Serbian forest. The suspect himself was extradited to Austria for interrogation on Friday, November 29, though a motive for the crime remains undetermined.

Representatives from Austrian and Slovenian police, alongside the Graz Public Prosecutor’s Office, are scheduled to host a joint press conference to provide updates on the case on Sunday, November 30.

Pieper was a rising influencer, a talented makeup artist, and an aspiring singer in her home country of Austria, having garnered over 47,000 followers on Instagram.