Beauty Influencer Stefanie Pieper, 32, Found Dead in Forest: Report

Stefanie Pieper has been found dead, nearly a week after she went missing after returning home from a Christmas party. 

According to Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, the beauty influencer, 32, was found dead in a forest in Slovenia after investigators alleged that her ex-boyfriend, 31, admitted to strangling her and led police to where he had hidden Pieper’s body in a suitcase. 

Pieper went missing on Nov. 23 after returning home from a Christmas party, according to the Styrian State Police. While she was reported to have gotten out of a taxi with a friend upon arriving at her apartment, family members alerted authorities when she didn’t show up to a scheduled photo shoot. 

Authorities confirmed in a Nov. 26 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 connection with her disappearance. 

“The man is believed to have traveled to Slovenia several times in his car. He could not be contacted by the investigating police,” authorities wrote. “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.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.          

According to local outlets Oe24 and 20 Minuten, Pieper had allegedly sent a message to a friend on WhatsApp stating she had arrived home safely. However, she sent another message soon after to express that she believed someone was in her stairwell. According to Kleine Zeitung, neighbors had also heard arguing and allegedly saw her ex-boyfriend. 

The next day, the Styrian State Police shared in an update that two of Pieper’s ex-boyfriend’s family members had also been arrested. 

“The detainees are in police custody and are being questioned,” authorities wrote at the time. “Forensic examination of the ex-boyfriend’s car yielded no clues as to the missing woman’s whereabouts.”

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