A beauty influencer who went missing after a Christmas party has tragically been found dead in a forest.
Stefanie Pieper, a 32-year-old from Austria, was found by authorities in a forest in Slovenia, nearly a week after she was first reported missing, after she failed to show up to a planned photo shoot.
The social media star, who has over 42,000 followers on her Instagram page, had arrived at her home after the festive bash but fears were sparked when she went radio silent in the days following.
When she didn't arrive at the scheduled photo shoot, the photographer travelled to her home in Graz, and reportedly was greeted by a 31-year-old Slovenian man, who claimed to be her partner.
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It has since emerged that he was her ex-boyfriend, and the photographer called the police not long after that meeting, which led authorities to discover her phone discarded in a bush.
On it, they were shocked to find some chilling WhatsApp messages from Stefanie to a friend, where she talked of a 'creep' who was in her stairwell when she returned from the holiday party, also describing him as a 'dark figure'.
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Her ex was arrested not long after as he attempted to cross the Slovenian border, with his car also abandoned and burned out, which prompted more serious concerns for Stefanie's safety.
Authorities wrote: “The man is believed to have traveled to Slovenia several times in his car. He could not be contacted by the investigating police.
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"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.”
Meanwhile, police undertook a large scale search to find Stefanie using drones and sniffer dogs.
Unfortunately, there was a horrific update on the ongoing case when the ex-boyfriend allegedly confessed to the strangling of his former partner, before leading police to where her body was hidden in the forest.
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"Her body was found today in Slovenia," a police spokesperson stated.
They also confirmed that has confessed to the crime, while two other men have also been arrested in connection with Stefanie's devastating death.
Further details are set to be revealed at a police press conference later today (30 November).
Sadly, this is only the latest on a number of attacks against online personalities, with a TikTok star from Mali kidnapped and publicly executed following her support for the military in her home country.
Topics: True Crime, Social Media
James Moorhouse