A new revelation has emerged in the tragic story of Stefanie Pieper's untimely demise. Following her discovery in a suitcase buried in the woods in November, Dr. Christian Kroschl, the prosecutor handling her case, shared that her autopsy has raised more questions about her cause of death. "The autopsy was unable to definitively determine when the young woman passed away," Kroschl stated to Austrian outlet Bild. "It is entirely plausible that she was still alive when she was placed in the suitcase. However, it is equally possible that she was strangled before being placed there."
Stefanie, who was 32 at the time of her death, was reported missing by a colleague on November 23 after she failed to show up for a scheduled photoshoot, according to a press release by the Styrian Police Department. In another release, authorities confirmed that Stefanie's ex-boyfriend, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, was considered a suspect and arrested by police.
On November 28, Stefanie's boyfriend—who was extradited from Slovenia to Graz, Austria—had "confessed to the crime and provided the police with directions on where to search for the missing woman," according to an authorities' release. She was later found buried in a suitcase in a forest. In December, Patricia Weber, the deputy head of media relations at the Graz Public Prosecutor's Office, told People that an autopsy at the time confirmed that Stefanie "had been subjected to violence" before her death. Weber also confirmed to the outlet that Stefanie's ex-boyfriend is "currently in custody." E! News has reached out to the Graz Public Prosecutor's Office but has not yet received a response.
Stefanie was a professional makeup artist with over 40,000 followers engaging with her lifestyle content prior to her death. Her last post, shared on November 9, featured her vlogging a trip to get a pedicure. Since her death, many of her fans have expressed their condolences in the comments on her social media posts.
"I am deeply sorry that we as a society have failed structurally to such an extent that women pay for the end of a relationship with their lives," wrote a fan in a comment under one of Stefanie's posts. "My voice will be louder and clearer from now on. We owe this to you and all the other victims!"
