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After Austrian influencer Stefanie Pieper was found dead in a suitcase in November, a prosecutor overseeing her case said her autopsy confirmed it is“entirely possible” she was buried alive.
By Olivia Evans Mar 19, 2026 6:41 PM | Updated 1 minute ago
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A new detail has come to light regarding Stefanie Pieper’s horrific death.
After the Austrian influencer was found in a suitcase buried in the woods in November, Dr. Christian Kroschl, a prosecutor for her case, shared her autopsy has led to more questions about her cause of death.
“The autopsy could not definitively determine when the young woman died,” Kroschl told Austrian outlet Bild in a statement. “It is entirely 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.”
Stefanie, who was 32 at the time of her death, was reported missing on Nov. 23 by a colleague after she failed to show up to a scheduled photoshoot, according to a press release by the Styrian Police Department. In another release, authorities confirmed Stefanie’s ex-boyfriend, whose name has not been publicly confirmed, was considered a suspect and arrested by police.
On Nov. 28, Stefanie’s boyfriend—who was extradited from Slovenia to Graz, Austria—had “confessed to the crime and gave the police directions on where to search for the missing woman," according to a release published by authorities. She was later found in a forest, buried in a suitcase.
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 Stefanie "had been subjected to violence" prior to her death.
Stefanie Pieper/Instagram
Weber also confirmed to the outlet that Stefanie’s ex-boyfriend is "currently in custody." E! News has reached out to Graz Public Prosecutor's Office but has not yet heard back.
Stefanie was a professional makeup artist and had over 40,000 followers engaging in her lifestyle content prior to her death.
Her last post, shared Nov. 9, saw her vlogging a trip to get a pedicure. Since her death, many of her fans have extended condolences in her social media comments.
“I am deeply sorry that we have failed structurally as a society to such an extent that women pay for the end of a relationship at worst with their lives,” a fan wrote 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!”
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