Warning: This article contains graphic details and discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
Appalling details have emerged following the death of a former top Switzerland model with allegations made against her husband.
In 2007, Kristina Joksimovic had the world at her fingertips after being crowned Miss Northwest Switzerland in a pageant and went on to become a finalist for Miss Switzerland.
It kickstarted a career in fashion, with her launching her own business as a catwalk coach, and later mentored compatriot and fellow model Dominique Rinderknecht for the Miss Universe pageant six years later.
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But her life in the glitz and glamor of the model world drastically changed, and 17 years on from her time catwalking alongside the elite, the 38-year-old was tragically found dead in her home in February.
Joksimovic lived in Binningen, a municipality just to the south of Basel, to the north of Switzerland, by the French and German borders.
The evening before Valentine's Day (February 13), the mother-of-two was discovered dead by a 'third party', a local media outlet reported at the time.
Since then an investigation has been launched by Swiss police into her death, with a man named only as 41-year-old Thomas, the main suspect.
Authorities claim Thomas, who was Joksimovic's husband, strangled his wife before then chopping up her body into small pieces and blending them.
He remains in jail following his arrest after his appeal to the Swiss Federal Court was turned down by judges.
Local outlet BZ Basel reports that the court's ruling claimed the accused admitted to killing his wife back in March, during a crime reconstruction.
At which point he claimed he acted in self-defence as he claimed Joksimovic had previously attacked him with a knife.
This would contradict his earlier claims that he found his wife dead and decided to dismember her in the laundry room in a state of panic, according to the ruling.
A forensic report has further contradicted his self-defence claim.
The Basel based publication continued, stating that the report indicated how she was strangled before being butchered with garden shears, an electric jigsaw and a knife.
Then pieces of her were 'chopped up with a hand blender, pureed and dissolved in a chemical'.
The suspect was arrested the day after Joksimovic's body was discovered and a trial awaits.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
Topics: Crime
Joe Yates