Former Miss Switzerland Finalist Allegedly Strangled by Husband, Remains 'Pureed' in Blender: Authorities

A former Swiss beauty pageant was allegedly strangled by her husband before he put her remains in a blender and pureed them, according to local authorities. 

Kristina Joksimovic, 38, was killed in February in a suspected homicide in Binningen, a municipality minutes away from the Swiss city of Basel, the Basel-Landschaft police said in a statement at the time.  

Authorities did not identify the victim in their report, but she was named by The Telegraph, citing medical reports. She was also identified by BBC, which cited Swiss outlet 20min, where the victim is referred to as KJ and described as a 2007 Miss Switzerland finalist. (In a 2007 article, 20min listed Joksimovic as one of the contestants for that year). 

Her husband, who The Telegraph and BBC refer to only by Thomas, told police shortly after the murder that he had found Joksimovic dead by the stairs and panicked, 20min and Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bzbasel) reported, citing a detention hearing and a Federal Court ruling, respectively. He allegedly admitted to dismembering her, per the hearing and ruling.

In March, however, he allegedly admitted to authorities that he killed her, according to a Federal Court ruling cited by local outlet bzbasel, 20min and The Telegraph. 

An autopsy report determined that the suspect allegedly dismembered Joksimovic with a jigsaw and garden shears, before chopping up the remains and dissolving them in a blender, per 20min, local radio FM1 Today and bzbasel.

The report also said Thomas “pureed” the remains in the blender. It further determined her remains were dissolved in a chemical. The report results were inconsistent with the husband's account of self-defense against his wife, according to the three outlets.

Joksimovic and her husband shared two children, who were being looked after since immediately after the killing, Basel-Landschaft police said at the time.

The public prosecutor's office is yet to file charges against the husband, who is still in custody, 20min reported.

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In a 2007 mini profile, 20min reported that Joksimovic played foot volleyball and loved documentaries and reading. She described herself as down-to-earth and said the 2001 movie "Blow" with Johnny Depp is one of her favorite movies.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.