Man Allegedly Claimed Wife Had an 'Accident During Rough Sex' Before Texts Uncovered a 'Wider Rape Network'

A 39-year-old Austrian woman has died after her husband allegedly drugged her and allowed other men to rape her, in a harrowing case that prosecutors are investigating as a potential 'wider rape network.'

The victim was found dead and covered in blood by her teenage daughter at their home in Marchtrenk, Upper Austria, on 26 June, sparking an investigation that has drawn comparisons to the infamous Gisèle Pelicot case in France.

To recall, the woman's 51-year-old husband initially told emergency responders that his wife had suffered an 'accident during rough sex,' a claim that initially led authorities to treat the incident as non-criminal. It was only after a post-mortem examination revealed severe injuries that authorities began to suspect foul play. Prosecutors have said the injuries indicated violence.

Husband's Phone Reveals Searches on 'How to Drug Someone'

A search of the husband's mobile phone uncovered internet queries for 'how to drug someone' made in the days leading up to his wife's death, according to reports from Austrian authorities.

Investigators also found that he had deleted a messaging app and disposed of the waterbed on which the woman was discovered, actions that quickly elevated him from witness to prime suspect.

Prosecutors at the Wels regional court said the husband is alleged to have repeatedly drugged his wife and arranged for men to rape her while she was unconscious. Reports have said men were allegedly offered payment of up to €500, although prosecutors have stressed that the existence of a wider network remains unconfirmed. In text messages recovered by police, he allegedly referred to his wife as 'dead meat' and discussed the abuse with a neighbour who is also now in custody.

One message read: 'I'll get her properly drunk. Then you can have sex with her again. The way she was whining the other day was amazing.' In another, he allegedly wrote: 'If it worked, if I had date rape drugs, I would regularly make her available for you to rape.'

The neighbour, also 51, has reportedly confessed to two instances of abusing a defenceless or impaired person, including on the night the woman died. Prosecutors say, however, that only the husband has so far been linked to the act that caused her death.

'Pelicot 2.0': Echoes of French Rape Network Case

The case has been dubbed 'Pelicot 2.0' by Austrian media, drawing parallels to the ordeal of Gisèle Pelicot, a Frenchwoman who was repeatedly drugged and raped by her former husband Dominique Pelicot and dozens of other men over nearly a decade.

Dominique Pelicot was found guilty in December 2024 of drugging and raping his wife and recruiting strangers to assault her, a crime that only came to light after his arrest for taking upskirt photographs in a supermarket.

In the Austrian case, prosecutors said they are investigating what could be a 'wider rape network,' though the Wels public prosecutor's office stressed that claims about the existence of a broad network have not yet been confirmed. The investigation into possible additional perpetrators remains ongoing.

The husband is being investigated on suspicion of sexual abuse of a defenceless or impaired person resulting in death, an offence that carries a possible sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment. Murder charges have not been ruled out, depending on what investigators establish about his intent.

The victim was allegedly raped multiple times before her death, according to reports cited by international media.

An autopsy revealed severe injuries, with prosecutors saying the injuries indicated violence. Only the husband has so far been linked to the act that caused the woman's death.

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene, and an autopsy was subsequently ordered. The husband was arrested on 2 July and remains in pretrial detention, along with the neighbour who was apprehended later.

The Wels public prosecutor's office said the woman was 'extremely intoxicated' and therefore defenceless when the alleged abuse occurred. Prosecutors distinguished the allegations of sexual abuse from responsibility for the woman's death, noting that only the husband has been linked to the fatal act.