A beauty influencer who vanished after a Christmas party has been found dead in a forest, and police say her ex-boyfriend has confessed to the crime.

Stefanie Pieper, a 32-year-old from Austria, was reported missing when she failed to appear at a planned photo shoot. The popular influencer, who had more than 42,000 Instagram followers, returned home after a holiday gathering and then suddenly went silent. When she did not respond to calls or messages, friends became worried.

The photographer scheduled to work with her went to her apartment in Graz. There, he was met by a 31-year-old Slovenian man who claimed to be her partner. It was later revealed that he was actually Stefanie’s ex-boyfriend. Alarmed by the strange interaction, the photographer contacted the police. Officers later found Stefanie’s phone discarded in a bush, along with disturbing WhatsApp messages in which she described seeing a “creep” and a “dark figure” in her stairwell after the party.

Her ex-boyfriend was arrested soon after while trying to cross into Slovenia. His car had been found burned near a casino parking lot, and officers were unable to reach him by phone. Authorities launched a large-scale search using drones and sniffer dogs.

Tragically, investigators confirmed that Stefanie’s body was discovered in a Slovenian forest. Police say the ex-boyfriend confessed to strangling her and led them to the location where he hid her remains. Two additional men have also been detained in connection with the case.

More information is expected to be shared during a police press conference.