Stefanie Pieper, 31, was reported missing by a colleague on November 23 after she didn’t show up to a scheduled photoshoot. Her 31-year-old ex-boyfriend – considered by police to be a suspect in the missing persons case – was arrested the next day
A woman who was killed and stuffed into a suitcase by her killer shared a poignant video with her followers on Instagram before her shocking murder. Stefanie Pieper – a glamorous makeup artist – pinned a haunting clip to the top of her account, made all the more moving given her fate.
In the video, filmed in 2023, Stefanie can be seen emotionally singing to Lewis Capaldi’s song Forget Me, with the lyrics: “Cause I’m not ready, to find out you know how to forget me. I’d rather hear how much you regret me, and pray to God that you never met me, than forget me.”
Stefanie mysteriously disappeared after a festive night out on 23 November. The 31-year-old’s body was discovered on 28 November with an autopsy determining she “had been subjected to violence” before her death.
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The alarm was raised when Stefanie failed to turn up to a photoshoot on the Monday morning. When she didn’t answer her phone, a concerned photographer decided to take action and headed to Stefanie’s Austria apartment to check that she was OK.
The colleague was greeted by her on-off boyfriend, 31-year-old Peter M. The man, described locally as a part-time nightclub security guard and unsuccessful poker player, let the photographer inside – but it wasn’t enough to alleviate his concerns.
The police were called and officers spoke to neighbours, who described hearing “loud noises” coming from her flat in Graz, Austria on the Sunday. The officers also discovered Stefanie’s phone in a nearby bush – and were able to read her chilling final texts.
In a message to a friend on Whatsapp in the early hours of Sunday morning, November 23, she wrote “there’s a creep in the stairwell”, describing a “dark figure” she had seen as she headed inside after returning to walk her Golden Retriever, Marlow. Clearly concerned about the mysterious individual lurking near her home, Stefanie had raised the alarm. Then, silence.
Police immediately honed in on her ex, and he was arrested in neighbouring Slovenia, trying to cross the border. After he was extradited from Slovenia to Graz, Austria, on November 28, he allegedly “confessed to the crime and gave the police directions on where to search for the missing woman”.
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The suspect is said to have initially remained silent, but allegedly cracked after hours of interrogation. He is said to have ambushed Stefanie after the Christmas party and killed her following a noisy argument, before driving 90 minutes into Slovenia to bury her body in the forest.
Slovenian authorities searched the location he provided, and eventually Stefanie’s body was found inside a suitcase buried in a forest. During the investigation, police also arrested two of the ex-boyfriend’s family members after “receiving indication” that they may have been connected to her disappearance. But they were released from custody after his alleged confession and Stefanie’s body was found, according to the police’s Nov. 30 release.
Stefanie had over 42,000 followers on Instagram and her account has since been flooded with tributes from devastating fans. One wrote: “My sincere condolences to the family, and everyone who was close to her” while another said: “Rest in peace beautiful angel”. A third heartbroken follower said: “We mourn with you, we think of you, and we wish you endless strength and light in your darkness.”
