A former Miss Switzerland finalist was allegedly strangled and dismembered by her husband, with authorities saying the grisly autopsy results of her remains did not align with his varying recollections of events.
Kristina Joksimovic — a 2007 Miss Switzerland finalist after she was crowned Miss Northwest Switzerland — was found dead in Binningen, a municipality near the city of Basel, earlier this year in what authorities believe was a homicide.
Now, authorities suspect her husband was her killer, per Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bzbasel), as reported by the BBC.
According to the outlet, the woman’s husband — referred to only as a 41-year-old man named Thomas in media reports — originally told Basel-Landschaft police that he was in a state of “panic” after finding his wife’s body dead by the stairs. In this state, per local authorities, he allegedly admitted to dismembering her body.
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That was on Valentine’s Day 2024, one day after the 38-year-old beauty queen’s body was first found. The following month, though, 20min and The Telegraph report that Thomas’ story changed, and he admitted to killing his wife.
On Wednesday, September 11, the court handling the case ruled that Joksimovic had been strangled to death and stated there was “concrete indications of mental illness” underlying the case, per The Telegraph.
Citing the autopsy report, per 20min, it was determined that her body had been dismembered with a combination of a jigsaw and gardening shears in the laundry room of the family’s home.
Further, the report states the body was further chopped up and “pureed” in a handheld blender, per local radio station FM1 Today. It was also determined, per the station and bzbasel that the remains were dissolved in a chemical solution.
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These local media outlets reported that the autopsy results “were inconsistent with the husband’s account of self-defense against his wife,” as reported by People. The husband’s latest story, at the time the report came in, was that he had killed his wife in self-defense when she came at him with a knife, per The Telegraph.
Investigators stated Thomas showed a “conspicuously high level of criminal energy,” per the outlet, adding that he presented with a “lack of empathy and cold-bloodedness after killing his wife.” They summarized that it was their belief he has “sadistic-sociopathic traits.”
The Telegraph further reported that police had been called to the family’s residence before Joksimovic’s death on calls of alleged physical violence.
According to 20min, the prosecutor’s office has yet to formally file charges against Thomas, but he remains in custody. The couple shared two daughters, who are being looked after, according to bzbasel.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages; Calls are confidential and toll-free.
