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Police are sharing new details about the investigation into the death of Stefanie Pieper, who was found dead in a suitcase in November.
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The late content creator was first reported missing by a colleague on November 23, when she failed to show up for a scheduled shoot
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Police previously said in a press release that Pieper’s ex-boyfriend was arrested in connection with the case and allegedly “admitted to the crime.”
Police are sharing new details about the investigation after Stefanie Pieper was found dead in a suitcase in the forest a week after she went missing.
The Styrian Police previously revealed in a press release that Pieper was reported missing by a colleague on November 23 after he failed to attend a scheduled photo shoot. Slovenian authorities found Pieper in a suitcase buried in the forest after receiving tips about Pieper’s whereabouts from her 31-year-old ex-boyfriend, who was in police custody on a missing persons case, according to a news release.
Stephanie Pieper
Photo credit: Stephanie Pieper/Instagram
A spokesperson for the Graz prosecutor’s office previously told People magazine that an autopsy determined that Pieper was “subjected to violence” and “strangled” before his death, but in a new statement to German outlet Bild, the office said they were not sure when Pieper died.
“An autopsy could not definitively determine the time of death of the young woman,” a spokesman told the outlet, according to Bild. “It is entirely possible that she was still alive when she was put in the suitcase, but it is also possible that she was strangled beforehand.”
On March 18, PEOPLE reached out to us for further comment.
Pieper’s ex-boyfriend was considered a suspect by police and was arrested on November 24. Police previously revealed that the next day police searched an area of woodland south of Maribor in Slovenia, an area with “close family ties” to the ex-boyfriend, but found no evidence of Pieper.
Police previously revealed that after being extradited from Slovenia to Graz, Austria, on November 28, the ex-boyfriend allegedly “admitted the crime and gave police instructions where to find the missing woman.” Slovenian authorities searched the location he provided and eventually discovered Pieper’s body inside a suitcase buried in the forest.
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Stephanie Pieper
Photo credit: Stephanie Pieper/Facebook
During the course of the investigation, authorities also arrested two members of the ex-boyfriend’s family after “receiving indications” that they may be involved in the influencer’s disappearance. Both men were released after the ex-boyfriend confessed and Pieper’s body was found, according to a Nov. 30 police release.
According to Bild, Pieper’s ex-boyfriend is currently in pretrial detention in Austria, awaiting a trial scheduled for later this year. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Pieper has nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram and is known for sharing fashion and lifestyle content. The last time she updated her account appeared to be on November 9, posting a video of a pedicure.
Read the original article on People