Was she kidnapped?

Creepy emails—from a missing woman in Styria

Michaela B. is said to have boarded a train at the Wildon station. She has been missing ever since.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martina Prewein und zVg)

On February 11, a woman from Styria went to a train station. The mother of four has been missing ever since. Now, strange messages have been sent in her name, including to the criminal investigation department. Did they actually come from her? Or were the messages written by someone else?

When Michaela B. left her apartment in Sankt Georgen an der Stiefing, Styria, sometime on Friday, February 11, 2026, nothing—absolutely nothing—suggested that she would be gone for an extended period.

She probably seemed unremarkable, with her understated appearance and her clothing in muted colors. And the fact that she was carrying a gym bag likely didn’t strike anyone as unusual either. Why should it? Locals who knew her reasonably well were aware that the 48-year-old often enjoyed taking short vacations—to the mountains, to go hiking.

Michaela B. is said to have boarded a train at the Wildon station. She has been missing ever since.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martina Prewein und zVg)

She left her son and her dogs at home
It’s strange, though, that she didn’t mention anything about an upcoming trip to a neighbor—her best friend—during a conversation on February 10—and even stranger that she hadn’t even told her son Christoph about it. The 19-year-old was still living with her.

“Like every week,” the apprentice said, “I came home from the vocational school’s dorm that Friday evening,” believing he would—as always—find his mother at home. But that wasn’t the case.

Christoph and Emely, Michaela B.’s oldest children: “Mom, please get in touch with us or the police yourself!”(Bild: Martina Prewein)

“What struck me right away: her four Chihuahuas—one of which is pregnant—must have been left unattended for many hours.” This didn’t fit the usual behavior of the dog breeder—who works as a structural engineer by profession. “Which is why I was quite worried.”

A feeling that intensified on Saturday. Because there was still no sign of Michaela B. And the fear that something terrible might have happened to her grew more agonizing with every passing minute.

A missing persons report was filed with the police; a request was made to the organization “Österreich findet euch,” asking them to launch a large-scale search appeal via social media.

“I didn’t leave of my own free will”
What happened next could be the stuff of a crime thriller. A crime thriller—one that is, however, real, and which the criminal investigation department is now looking into. Because there is evidence suggesting that the 48-year-old may be being held captive by someone, somewhere.

The reason for this terrible suspicion: Alarming emails recently arrived at the Styrian State Criminal Police Office and at “Österreich findet euch”; they were sent from an anonymous server in a neighboring country, in the name of the missing woman: “I didn’t leave of my own free will. But please stop looking for me.”

Did Michaela B. write the messages herself? Or was it someone else? It’s reasonable to assume that, if she’s still alive, she must be in a distressing situation. What triggered it? Answers may lie in the woman’s history.

Perhaps the messages were written by the woman under duress. Or maybe even by someone else.

Christian Mader, Leiter des Vereins „Österreich findet euch“

Bild: SCHWARZENEGGER

Complicated Family Circumstances
Now they’re both sitting at a table—the children of the structural engineer from her first marriage: Christoph and Emely. “At first, we feared Mom might have taken her own life,” sobs the 20-year-old student. Why? “Because of her complicated family situation. After her early divorce from our dad, she remarried.”

But that relationship also fell apart quickly; the two daughters from that marriage—“our half-sisters”—stayed with their mother afterward until the girls decided to move in with their father. Why? “We don’t know,” say Emily and Christoph, “we only know that there was a bitter custody battle.” Which the structural engineer ultimately lost in January.

She searched online for a partner
That’s exactly why “we initially thought it was an act of desperation.” Although suicide “wouldn’t fit with our mom.” With her “generally positive outlook.” With her “unshakable hope” for a wonderful future in a committed relationship.

The structural engineer and part-time dog breeder’s great passion: climbing mountains(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

One thing is certain: The 48-year-old searched almost doggedly for a “dream partner”—online, through various dating sites. “She came into contact with a few men this way, but a real connection never developed with any of them.” Christoph and Emely’s terrible suspicion: “Was our mother lured into a trap by an acquaintance—and subsequently kidnapped?”

The siblings have long since searched through their mother’s drawers: “A few—just a few—pairs of pants, T-shirts, socks, and underwear are missing. Her passport, her driver’s license, and apparently some cash, too.” A few thousand euros, the two estimate.

Her trail goes cold—on a train platform
Michaela B. had apparently packed all these items into her gym bag before—as was previously determined with the help of tracking dogs—she went to the train station in Wildon, which is not monitored by surveillance cameras. Probably to board a train there. But with what destination in mind, and what was her plan?