Stefanie Pieper, Austrian influencer, found dead in forest, ex-boyfriend strangulated her and buried her in forest, says report; police probe reveals chilling details

Stefanie Pieper, a beauty influencer, was found dead in a forest in Slovenia. The shocking development surfaced nearly a week after she went missing after returning home from a Christmas party. The Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that her ex-boyfriend reportedly admitted to strangling her, packing her body in a suitcase, and burying her in a forest in Slovenia. He led the police to where he had hidden Pieper’s body in a suitcase.

The motive behind the horrific act is currently unclear. The Styrian State Police informed that Pieper went missing on November 23, 2025, following her return home from a Christmas party. The influencer reportedly got out of a taxi with a friend upon arriving at her apartment.

Stefanie Pieper’s ex-boyfriend arrested

Authorities confirmed in a November 26, 2025, release that Pieper was missing after not showing up for work and that she “could not be reached.” They also said her ex-boyfriend had been arrested in Slovenia in connection with the influencer’s disappearance.

Local outlets Oe24 and 20 Minuten claimed that Pieper had allegedly sent a message to a friend on WhatsApp stating she had arrived home safely. She initially revealed that she had arrived "good and safe" at the apartment complex in Graz-Geidorf.

Later, when she took her beloved Golden Retriever, "Marlow," for a walk, she sent a message indicating that someone might be in the stairwell. Family members of the beauty influencer alerted authorities when she didn’t show up to a scheduled photo shoot. “The man is believed to have traveled to Slovenia several times in his car. He could not be contacted by the investigating police,” authorities said in the release.

“On Monday evening, November 24, 2025, the Slovenian police reported that a car had caught fire in the parking lot of a casino near the border. This was the 31-year-old man's car. He was found in the immediate vicinity of the burning vehicle and arrested by the Slovenian police. Extradition to Austria has been requested.”

Pieper's ex-boyfriend's family members arrested

The Styrian State Police later shared an update that two of Pieper's ex-boyfriend’s family members had also been arrested, according to reports. “The detainees are in police custody and are being questioned,” authorities wrote at the time, as quoted by PEOPLE. “Forensic examination of the ex-boyfriend's car yielded no clues as to the missing woman's whereabouts,” they added.

“Investigations are being conducted in both Slovenia and Austria, and there is close cooperation between the two authorities,” they further stated. “Search operations carried out in Slovenia have so far been unsuccessful; these will continue tomorrow,” authorities said.

Suspects uncooperative during questioning:

Kronen Zeitung reported that the two relatives of the ex-boyfriend, who were arrested in Graz, are being held in the Jakomini prison in Graz. According to previous reports, they are the brother and stepfather, who, like the suspect, are Slovenian citizens but live in Graz. All three have been uncooperative during questioning so far.