Former Miss Switzerland finalist killed and dismembered at home

Swiss model and former Miss Switzerland finalist Kristina Joksimovic met a tragic end in her home in Binningen, a municipality in northwestern Switzerland near Basel. Recent court proceedings have brought the grim details of her death to light, revealing she was murdered and dismembered by her husband.

Joksimovic, 38, was found dead on February 13, 2024. Her husband, identified only as "Thomas," 41, initially claimed he discovered her body dismembered in their laundry room. He was arrested the following day.

In March, Thomas confessed to the killing but claimed self-defense, alleging Joksimovic had previously attacked him with a knife. However, medical experts found no evidence supporting this claim. The autopsy report revealed strangulation as the cause of death.

The federal court in Lausanne rejected Thomas's appeal for release, citing "concrete indications of a mental illness" in the ongoing investigation. 

According to the autopsy report, Joksimovic's body was dismembered using a jigsaw, knife, and garden shears. Several body parts were then reportedly "pureed" with a hand blender and dissolved in a chemical solution.

Prosecutors stated that Thomas exhibited "a noticeably high level of criminal energy, lack of empathy and cold-bloodedness" in his attempts to cover up the crime. They also revealed that he had choked Joksimovic before, and a former partner alleged he once grabbed her by the neck and slammed her head into a wall.

Joksimovic, crowned Miss Northwest Switzerland in 2007, was a finalist for Miss Switzerland that same year. She later became a catwalk coach, mentoring model Dominique Rinderknecht for the Miss Universe pageant in 2013.

The couple, parents to two daughters, presented an image of a picture-perfect family on social media. Just weeks before her death, Joksimovic shared an Instagram post of herself and Thomas on a "couple's getaway" on Lake Lucerne.

Former Miss Switzerland Christa Rigozzi, who was acquainted with Joksimovic, expressed shock at the news. "It's terrible. I'm really shocked," Rigozzi told Swiss outlet 20 Minuten. "I'm thinking of her two daughters. She was such a beautiful and kind-hearted woman."