Woman dies after husband allegedly ‘drugged her’ for other men to rape her as disturbing texts emerge
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
An Austrian woman has died after her husband allegedly drugged her and allowed random men to rape her.
As reported by Metro, the 39-year-old woman, who remains unnamed, was allegedly raped dozens of times on 25 June, before she was found dead and covered in blood by her young daughter, who called the emergency services.
Prosecutors in the Austrian city of Wels told CNN that the woman was ‘defenceless’ and that another man confessed to sexually abusing her, including on the night that she died.
Police are reportedly also investigating whether other men may have sexually abused the woman, potentially in exchange for payment of around £430.
Authorities said her husband, 51, was not initially a suspect, having told first responders that his wife had an ‘accident during rough sex’. However, prosecutors told CNN that the victim’s injuries ‘indicate violence’.
Authorities who looked through his phone found that he had deleted an app and disposed of the bed the woman’s body was found on.
Metro reports that the phone search by Marchtrenk authorities also found that days before his wife died, he had searched ‘how to drug someone’.
Allegedly, both the husband and the second man, reported to be the couple’s neighbour, have been arrested and taken into custody.
As reported by 7News, prosecutors in Wels said reports in the local press that have emerged about a wider ‘rape network’ cannot yet be confirmed, but remain under investigation.
The publication also reports that both men are now in custody, but prosecutors say only the husband has been linked to the act that caused her death.
According to prosecutors, the second man has confessed and is being investigated over two alleged instances of abuse of a defenceless or impaired person.
Metro reports that the husband is being investigated over allegations of abuse of a defenceless or impaired person resulting in death, and has declined to comment.
He could also face a murder charge, depending on what investigators are able to establish about his intent.
The Wels Public Prosecutor’s Office told CNN that the investigation is ongoing and further details about the alleged acts won’t be disclosed out of respect for the victim and investigative considerations.
The horrific case has been likened to that of Gisele Pelicot, 73, who, as a rape victim, made the brave decision to wave her right to anonymity and lift the closed-door proceedings, revealing who she was and what had happened to her to the world in order to shift the blame from victims onto abusers.
She was grandmother was drugged unconscious and raped by her then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who was found guilty in 2024, and more than 70 different men he had recruited on the internet.
Pelicot was jailed for 20 years for the abuse that lasted nearly a decade between 2011 and 2020 after a four-and-a half month trial in Avignon that garnered global attention.
Tyla has contacted Marchtrenk Police for comment.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Topics: News, World News
Madison Burgess