Beauty influencer Stefanie Pieper found dead after mysterious disappearance

29 November 2025

It began like any other night: a Christmas party, friends, laughter, and the warmth of holiday spirit. For Stefanie Pieper, a 31-year-old Austrian beauty influencer and makeup artist, it would be the last time she would be seen alive. The online world that celebrated her for candid beauty tips, photos with her Golden Retriever Marlow, and glimpses into her creative life would soon be shaken by tragedy.

Almost a week after her return home from that gathering, her body was found, strangled, hidden in a suitcase, and abandoned in a forest in neighboring Slovenia. Her alleged killer was her former boyfriend, who confessed to the crime and led authorities to the grisly discovery.

Pieper disappeared after leaving the party on November 23, 2025. According to local police, she and a friend exited a taxi outside her apartment, and she sent a message to a friend confirming she had arrived home safely. That would be the last time she reached out normally. Later, as she planned to take Marlow for a walk, she sent another message full of fear, warning that she believed a “creep” lurked in her building’s stairwell. That unsettling message became the final signal anyone received from her.

When Pieper failed to arrive at a scheduled photoshoot the next morning, her absence sounded the alarm. Her worried colleagues alerted friends and family. Investigators arriving at her apartment found Marlow alone, her phone abandoned in a nearby bush, and neighbors reported hearing a violent argument the previous night and seeing her ex-boyfriend, Peter M., near the premises carrying a suspicious bundle.

The case escalated quickly. On November 24, Slovenian police arrested Peter M. after his red Volkswagen Golf was found burning in a casino parking lot near the border with Austria. Authorities believe he had crossed into Slovenia several times in the days following Pieper’s disappearance.

Under interrogation, Peter M. confessed. He admitted to strangling Pieper during a dispute and revealed the location where he had dumped her body. Mounted in a suitcase and discreetly transported across the border, her remains were discovered in a remote forest near Majsperk, Slovenia, on November 29. Two of his relatives believed to have assisted in the cover-up were also taken into custody, and the hunt turned into a multinational operation between Austrian and Slovenian authorities.

Pieper’s life before this horrifying end was far removed from scandal. Based in Graz, she built a modest but devoted following with her makeup tutorials, lifestyle content, and glimpses of her daily life often featuring Marlow joyfully trotting alongside her. She worked professionally as a makeup artist and served as a brand ambassador for a cosmetics company. Music was another passion of hers: she often blended her love for singing with her online presence and once studied law at the University of Graz before fully embracing the world of beauty and content creation.

But behind the polished filters and manicured nails, Pieper had recently ended a tumultuous relationship with Peter M. Those close to her say the breakup had caused strain. On the night of her disappearance, tensions reportedly escalated between them. Her chilling final message and the neighbors’ reported sighting of a man lurking nearby suggest fear, desperation, and a tragic miscalculation.

The aftermath has sent shockwaves through her community of fans, friends, and fellow influencers. What once was supposed to be a simple night out for holiday cheer spiraled into horror and heartbreak. In Graz and beyond, people are left asking how someone dedicated to sharing beauty and light could fall victim to such darkness. Investigations continue, evidence is being gathered, and the burden of grief and unanswered questions weighs heavily on all who knew her.

This case stands as a tragic reminder of the hidden vulnerabilities behind social media personas. For every curated feed and glamorous snapshot, there can be unseen struggles and dangers. Pieper’s murder underscores the urgent need for attention to domestic violence, trust betrayed, and justice yet to be served.