Beauty influencer Stefanie Pieper, 32, has been missing since returning home from a night out with her friend – in her final texts to her friend she told of a ‘creep in the stairwell’ outside
Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a beauty influencer who went missing shortly after she texted her friend to say there was a ‘creep’ outside her flat.
Stefanie Pieper, 32, has been at the centre of a huge police operation across national borders after she failed to turn up to a photoshoot on Monday.
The influencer – who has over 42,000 followers on Instagram – had been out with a friend in Graz, Austria for a Christmas party, and sent a message to her friend early on Sunday saying she had arrived home safely at her flat after getting a taxi.
But when she failed to answer her phone following her no-show at the shoot on Monday, a concerned photographer went to her address to check on her – and was greeted by her boyfriend, 31-year-old Peter M.
After growing increasingly suspicious as to her whereabouts, he called police a short time later, who found her phone in a bush nearby.
Officers spoke to neighbours, who described hearing “loud noises” coming from her flat on Sunday – and were given a handed a crucial piece of information when they went through her final message. In a message to a friend on Whatsapp, she wrote “there’s a creep in the stairwell”, adding that the person cut a “dark figure.”
Peter has since been arrested in neighbouring Slovenia during a reported attempt to cross the border, with his red Volkswagen Golf found burnt out near the Mond Casino in Å entilj a few miles away.
When quizzed by cops, Peter reportedly could not explain why the vehicle had been set on fire. He remains in custody in Slovenia, and was scheduled to appear in court for an extradition hearing today.
Two men said to be his brother and stepbrother have also been arrested in connection with Stefanie’s disappearance. Police said they are investigating “at full speed” and are keeping an open mind as to whether Stefanie is alive or dead.
Stefanie is described as around 5ft 9in, with shoulder-length dark blonde hair and a slim build. She has a tattoo of her mother’s name, Csilla, on her left forearm.
In an emotional plea posted on Facebook on Monday, her mum Csilla Legenstein wrote: “My daughter has been missing since [Sunday] morning. Any helpful information will be financially rewarded. Please help me find my daughter.”
