Prosecutors have a new theory about the death of the beauty promoter Stefanie Pieper.
Pieper's autopsy report said the content producer died of strangulation, according to a report on Wednesday, March 18, from a German outlet. Bild. Forensic pathologists also found that Pieper suffered from “severe facial injuries,” possibly caused by being beaten or transported in a suitcase. The time of Pieper's death is still unclear.
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor's Office in Graz told the newspaper that investigators do not rule out the idea that Pieper was alive when he was put in the suitcase.
“The autopsy could not determine when the woman died,” said the spokesperson in a statement on Wednesday translated by. Us Weekly. “He may have been alive when he was put in the suitcase, but he may have been strangled to death prematurely.”
News broke in November 2025 that Pieper had gone missing after attending a holiday party. Her ex-boyfriend was a suspect in her disappearance after Austrian media reported that some of Pieper's neighbors heard the argument and saw his ex-girlfriend before she disappeared.
“Subsequent investigations led to the suspicion that the woman's ex-boyfriend, 31, may have been involved in her disappearance,” the Styrian State Police said in a statement at the time. “This man is believed to have traveled several times in his car to Slovenia. The police investigating the case have not been found.”
German newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported at the time that Pieper's ex was arrested in Slovenia. The ex was found after the police responded to a call that “a car caught fire in the casino parking lot near the border” in Šentilj.
“This was the car of this 31-year-old man,” the police said at the time. “He was found next to a burning car and arrested by the Slovenian police. It has been requested that he be transferred to Austria.”
Authorities in Switzerland have arrested the husband of a former Miss Switzerland finalist, allegedly strangling her to death before dismembering and assembling her body parts. Kristina Joksimovic was killed in February 2024, according to the BBC. Police referred to the 38-year-old Nobuhle by her first names in court documents, […]
After being taken into custody, he reportedly admitted to strangling Pieper. The man led authorities to her body in a nearby forest where her remains were hidden inside a suitcase. Pieper was 31 years old.
The former Pieper is currently in pre-trial detention in Austria. His trial is scheduled for later this year, according to Bild. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Pieper was well known as an influencer, makeup artist and emerging artist in Austria. She has amassed over 47,000 followers on Instagram to share her beauty tips and tricks.
