Body in the suitcase

Drama surrounding Stefanie: police reveal gruesome details

The suspect broke his silence for the first time after being questioned for several hours.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Jarretera – stock.adobe.com, Screenshot instagram.com/oesterreichfindeteuch, Krone KREATIV)

The search for the missing Graz influencer Stefanie P. has come to a tragic end: Her 31-year-old ex-boyfriend broke his silence during his interrogation, which lasted several hours. Her body was then discovered in a wooded area in Slovenia on Saturday. At a press conference, the police announced gruesome details about the case.

"It is now a sad certainty: the missing woman was found dead in Slovenia - and this during the 16 days against violence against women. During the interrogation yesterday, the 31-year-old confessed to the crime," says Provincial Police Director Gerald Ortner. On Sunday morning, the Styrian investigators and their Slovenian colleagues held a press conference in Graz to announce all the details currently known about the Stefanie P. case.

Blood residue stuck to the doorframe
Markus Haas from the Styrian State Criminal Police Office explains the course of the investigation: "On the evening of November 23, a colleague of Stefi's alerted the police because she had not come to the agreed meeting. The police rushed to her apartment, where they found her dog and her ex-boyfriend. The 31-year-old said he was only looking after the dog, but there was blood on the doorpost. However, this was not enough for an arrest.

Press conference in Graz (from left): Markus Haas (Styrian State Criminal Police Office), State Police Director Gerald Ortner, Stanko Vidovič (Maribor Criminal Police) and Christian Kroschl (Graz Public Prosecutor's Office)(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Witness interviews were started immediately. And these revealed explosive details: a violent argument had been noticed at around 8 o'clock that morning, and a short time later the 31-year-old Slovenian had been seen walking out of the apartment "with a kind of tarpaulin or rug on his shoulder". Surveillance cameras showed that he drove across the Slovenian border and back to Styria that same afternoon. Stefanie's cell phone was located in the Graz district of Eggenberg.

Car set on fire to cover tracks
On 24 November, the suspect was found in the parking lot of a casino on the Slovenian border. "He had doused his car with a flammable liquid and then went into the casino to get help putting out the fire," explains Stanko Vidovič, head of the criminal investigation department in Maribor. He obviously wanted to cover his tracks. He was then extradited to the Styrian police on the basis of a European arrest warrant.

There are now numerous candles outside Stefanie P.'s apartment.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

He only broke his silence after hours of questioning: He had murdered the 31-year-old woman from Graz, packed her in a suitcase and taken her to Slovenia in the back of his car. The suitcase was buried in a wooded area near Mašperk. For the time being, no comment will be made on the suspicion that she was strangled. The body will now be sent to Graz for an autopsy.

Brother and stepfather of the suspect released again
The police have confirmed that the two were in an on-off relationship and had recently separated. The suspect's brother and stepfather had already been arrested on Wednesday. They have since been released from custody. "It is almost certain that they were not involved in the crime", says Christian Kroschl from the Graz public prosecutor's office. The confession also means that there is no longer any risk of a cover-up.

The 31-year-old suspect was taken to the Graz-Jakomini public prosecutor's office. Provincial Police Director Ortner expressed his thanks for the cooperation with his Slovenian colleagues: "The exchange of experiences is essential - and the language barriers are no obstacle."