Troubling case of missing influencer gets more mysterious as police finds her bf’s destroyed car – and he can’t explain how it happened

The search for missing Austrian influencer Stefanie Pieper just took a shocking turn, as police found her boyfriend’s red Volkswagen Golf abandoned and completely burned out in Slovenia, leading to his subsequent arrest near the border. This is a huge development that throws the whole case wide open, especially since reports claim the boyfriend, 31-year-old Peter M., couldn’t give authorities any explanation for why his car was totally destroyed.

Stefanie, a 32-year-old social media star with over 42,000 Instagram followers, hasn’t been seen or heard from since last weekend after she left a Christmas party on Saturday, November 22. She was reportedly heading home to Graz because she wanted to take her Golden Retriever for a walk early the next morning.

The alarm went off on Monday, November 24, when Stefanie missed a scheduled photoshoot. Her worried photographer showed up at her apartment and was let inside by Peter M., her Slovenian partner. The photographer called the police shortly after, and the investigation kicked off immediately.

Missing influencer’s case is going off the rails

When police started searching the area, they found Stefanie’s phone dumped in a nearby bush. If you’re a true crime fan, you know finding the phone is often the first major clue, and the messages on this device were seriously troubling.

It turns out Stefanie had sent a couple of disturbing WhatsApp messages to a friend right before she disappeared. She told her pal that there was “a creep in the stairwell” and then described the individual as cutting a “dark figure.” This is absolutely chilling, especially because she sent those texts right after letting the same friend know that she had arrived safely at her apartment building. That small window of time between feeling safe and encountering this “creep” is deeply unsettling.

The timeline is also raising major red flags. Stefanie was last heard from around 7:00 AM on Sunday, November 23. Coincidentally, or maybe not, neighbors told cops they heard “loud noises” coming from her home that same day.

The focus shifted quickly to Peter M. after his initial cooperation with the photographer. Reports confirm he was arrested in neighboring Slovenia while attempting to cross the border. Finding his car burned out in the town of Šentilj, coupled with his attempt to leave the country, is awful for his defense.

Peter is now remanded in custody by Slovenian authorities and is awaiting an extradition hearing back to Austria. The investigation isn’t stopping there, though. Police have sent sniffer dogs to search the garden at Peter M.’s grandmother’s home, looking for any possible evidence related to Stefanie’s disappearance. Officials have also confirmed they are investigating two other men in connection with the case, suggesting they aren’t ruling out any possibilities right now.

We hope that she is okay, especially since there has been a worrying uptick in deaths of influencers. We sincerely hope she returns hope, safe and sound.