A 32-year-old man has admitted murdering his girlfriend after she told him she was leaving him weeks after another young Austrian was killed by her ex after dumping him.
Police say the man, a gardener by profession, has confessed to strangling his former partner and hiding her body for nearly eight years before finally confessing to the crime in the wake of massive publicity about the killing of Stefanie Pieper on 23rd November.
Austrian beauty influencer Stefanie Pieper, 31, was allegedly murdered by her Slovenian ex-boyfriend, who is accused of stuffing her body into a suitcase, burying it in a forest, and then fleeing across the border, where he was later arrested near his burning car.
In the latest case, the 21-year-old victim was also found to have been buried after he guided detectives to human remains at the Allentsteig military training area in the Waldviertel region of the Austrian state of Lower Austria, in Austria, on 7th December.
The victim, aged 21, had been reported missing on 30th January 2018 when she failed to appear at work in Vienna after ending her relationship following repeated arguments.
Investigators said the man became a suspect early because previous partners had reported disputes, threats and violence, but a search of their Vienna-Brigittenau flat showed no blood or signs of a struggle.
Large-scale searches were carried out in woodland near Hollabrunn and across the Waldviertel, with divers checking the Ottenstein reservoir, while a reward of EUR 50,000 (GBP 43,730) was announced, yet no trace of her was ever found.
Police said the case was never treated as a cold case, and the breakthrough came this year when the man allegedly sent a voice message explaining how to make a body disappear without leaving evidence.
Detectives questioned him again on 2nd December, and after initially holding back, he returned days later and reportedly said he now wanted to confess. The admission came in the wake of publicity about the murder of Stefanie and experts have noted striking similarities.
Both women had ended their relationships shortly before the killings; both suspects allegedly strangled their partners; and both are accused of moving the bodies to remote areas to hide them.
Forensic specialists said both suspects may exhibit narcissistic traits and difficulties coping with rejection, though the presumption of innocence applies until court judgments are reached.
He allegedly admitted he had grabbed the victim from behind on 22nd January 2018 during a row over her ending the relationship and strangled her until she had no pulse.
He is said to have placed the body in a suitcase and hidden it in a windbreak belt near Grossweikersdorf under branches and twigs.
Police said he moved the body again in March 2018 to the Allentsteig training area, concealing it under vegetation near an entrance closed to the public.
After confessing this month, he allegedly led officers back to the same site, where human remains were recovered and are undergoing formal identification.
He was arrested, transferred to Vienna and placed in pre-trial detention on suspicion of murder, with prosecutors asking for continued custody over fears he may interfere with the investigation.
Austrian reports say the gardener had changed his name to one based on a Lord Of The Rings “necromancer” character and posed online with a flaming pentagram tattoo.
Forensic psychiatrist Sigrun Rossmanith told local media the confession was likely driven by fear of prosecution and prolonged psychological strain, saying he may have repressed and minimised the crime while public appeals by the victim’s mother undermined his denials.