On October 9th, a 21-year-old man was arrested for the suspected murder of Mirela B., a 20-year-old woman in the town of Saalfelden, in the Austrian province of Salzburg.

At the time of the incident, information about the murder was sketchy, but now new details have emerged, although they have not been confirmed by police.

According to a report from Austrian national broadcaster ORF, the young woman had Nazi symbols carved into her skin, as part of a ritual murder.  

Multiple knives had been used, and the young woman had also been raped. She was found stabbed to death in the bathroom of the suspect's mother's house, lying in a pool of blood.

The young man was an acquaintance of the woman, but was not her boyfriend, according to one report.  

The man was 20 years old at the time of the murder, but has since had a birthday.

On Friday morning, fresh leaks from reliable sources suggest that there were "elements of cannibalism" in the ritual murder, where the young man is thought to have eaten part of the young woman's body.

The Salzburg prosecutor refused to confirm any additional details of the case, saying that they are waiting for a psychological assessment of the suspect, as well as a final autopsy report.

The young man is being held in custody, and will appear before a judge on Monday, but a formal indictment is not expected for another three months.

The man is said to have been obsessed with “deviant thoughts” and spent a lot of time on Internet chat forums.

The accused is reported to have said that he was not in a relationship with the murdered woman and that there had been no argument before he attacked her. Some of his neighbours reported hearing screaming from his apartment.

Police received an emergency call around 1am on October 9th after the woman’s neighbours reported hearing a loud argument.  

When police and paramedics arrived they found the woman lying on the floor with stab wounds. The suspect remained in the apartment and did not resist arrest.

It is believed the woman was murdered with a kitchen knife. 

Police spokeswoman Irene Stauffer said it is unclear what the motive for the attack was. 

Saalfelden's mayor Erich Rohrmoser said that everybody in the community was "asking how such a thing could happen", and promised to help the victim's family. 

Around 16,000 people live in Saalfelden, nestled in a picturesque valley near Salzburg.

Saalfelden valley.  Photo: Vearthy/Wikimedia