A tragic influencer found dead in a suitcase in woodland may have been buried alive, according to chilling new forensic evidence.
Stefanie Pieper, 32, is believed to have been murdered by her ex-boyfriend after returning home from a Christmas party on 23 November last year.
In a haunting final message, she texted a friend warning “there’s a creep in the stairwell” and described seeing a “dark figure”.
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Her body was later discovered by police after her ex, identified as Patrick M, was arrested and questioned.
The 31-year-old is accused of strangling Stefanie before stuffing her into a suitcase and burying her in a forest near the Austrian-Slovenian border.
The suspect, who reportedly could not accept the end of their relationship, is said to have confessed and led officers to the burial site.
He claims the killing happened after a heated row at her flat, as reported by Need To Know.
His defence lawyer, Astrid Wagner, said: “My client is completely broken; he deeply regrets his crime.
“He can’t understand how he could have been capable of killing the woman he loved more than anything.”
But in a disturbing twist, forensic experts now say Stefanie may not have been dead when she was buried.
Post-mortem findings confirmed she had been strangled and suffered facial injuries, possibly from blows or movement inside the suitcase during transport.
However, experts have been unable to determine exactly when she died.
They have not ruled out the horrifying possibility that she was only unconscious when placed inside the turquoise suitcase, which she used for her beauty work, and died later after being buried.
Dr Christian Kroschl, spokesperson for the Graz Public Prosecutor’s Office, said: “The autopsy could not definitively determine when the young woman died.
“It is quite possible that she was still alive when she was placed in the suitcase.
“However, it is equally possible that she was killed by strangulation beforehand.”
The suspect’s legal team claims he was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the alleged murder.
After being arrested in Slovenia, he was extradited to Austria and is now being held in a pre-trial detention centre.
The case is set to go before the courts later this year.
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