Confession after 8 years

Ex-boyfriend confesses to murder of missing Jenni (21)

Cell phone selfie with goosebumps factor: Here the suspect laughs with Jenni just a few hours before her disappearance from the Vienna apartment.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martinna Prewein)

It's a missing persons' thriller that moved the country: Jenni Scharinger (21) disappeared without a trace in 2018 - now, almost eight years later, her ex-boyfriend was gripped by late remorse. The 32-year-old confessed to murder and led the police to her body on Monday.

This case - so mysterious, so eerie. This case, so incredibly shocking. This case, which has moved the whole of Austria for almost eight years, which has been reported again and again in the media, especially often in the "Krone": the "Jenni Scharinger case".

On January 22, 2018, the 21-year-old, an office worker and law student at the time, disappeared from her apartment in Ospelgasse in Vienna-Brigittenau. From the beginning of the investigation, the boyfriend of the "missing person" - Andreas G. (name changed), then 24 - was considered a suspect. Investigators quickly discovered that the couple's relationship had long since broken down. Because of the young man's addiction to control and constant outbursts of anger.

Cell phone selfie with goosebumps factor: Here the suspect laughs with Jenni just a few hours before she disappeared from the Vienna apartment.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martinna Prewein)

It soon became clear, based on investigations on his cell phone and computer, that he had been googling the effects of knockout drops and other narcotic substances in the run-up to the alleged crime - and that he had been driving his car in remote areas of Lower Austria from 22 to 23 January.

"No body, no charges", was the longstanding response
But during interrogations, the trained gardener remained steadfast: "I am convinced that my girlfriend voluntarily absconded abroad." And during searches in the areas in question, to which he claimed to have retreated - "in my lovesickness, because Jenni had broken up with me before she left" - no trace of the "missing woman" could be found. "No body, no charges", was the final verdict, so he remained free.

I know my beloved daughter is long dead. She is now with God. I just want her body to be found at last.

Jennis Mutter vor zwei Jahren in einem Interview mit der „Krone“

Suddenly turned up at the police station
Even a 50,000 euro reward for clues didn't help. Until Sunday! Jenni's ex, now 32, suddenly turned up at the police station in Waidhofen an der Thaya in his Waldviertel home. The burden of guilt was too great after all these years. He is said to have made a late confession at the Vienna State Criminal Police Office on Monday.

He was careless, talked about the "perfect murder"
He probably suspected that he would soon have been convicted by the murder investigators with new evidence anyway. For as perfectly as Andreas G. had managed to keep his dark secret to himself for a small eternity, he had recently become careless - perhaps because he had long since felt completely safe. For example, he had begun to talk at length in private about how a "perfect murder" works.

It is now also clear that the private excavations, organized by Jenni's family, at the places he had once demonstrably visited, had never worried him; he had known that there were no mortal remains to be found there.

This picture was used to search for the missing woman.(Bild: LPD Wien)

Memories of Jenni(Bild: Andi Schiel)

Jenni's mother had also been personally searching for the truth for years.(Bild: zVg)

But how did this dynamic come about in the case? Andreas G. had once again come to the investigators' attention due to domestic violence. The fitter, who continued to work as a gardener on the side, had physically attacked his current partner during an argument. The woman was injured and alerted the police. He was then questioned again, not just about his current offense - but, once again, about Jenni's mysterious disappearance.

The officers were able to confront him with new evidence, such as his "chats" about how a crime could be easily concealed - but again he vehemently denied having killed his former girlfriend in 2018. Now he has been seized by belated remorse.

Human remains recovered
The missing persons mystery is now about to be solved. On Monday, investigators were out and about with the suspect in the Allentsteig area of Lower Austria. Later that evening, it was announced that human remains had been recovered ...

At a press conference today, Tuesday, at 12.30 p.m., the investigators want to provide more detailed information about new developments in the case.