Eisenstadt Public Prosecutor's Office finally closes investigation into the death of Christian Pilnacek

Transfer to Eisenstadt due to allegations of bias

The body of the former section chief was found in the Danube near Krems on October 20, 2023. The proceedings had been taken away from the Krems an der Donau Public Prosecutor's Office by the OStA Vienna and transferred to Eisenstadt. "Als Oberbehörde könne die OStA Verfahren bereits delegieren, wenn bloß der Anschein einer Befangenheit bestehe," the authority explained the step. The background was public criticism of the originally case-leading prosecutor as well as of officers of the Lower Austria State Police Directorate, who had been accused of sloppy investigations.

The transfer to Eisenstadt was also carried out "um jeglichen Anschein von Befangenheit zu verhindern" and because the local public prosecutor's office could act independently of the Lower Austrian police apparatus. The FPÖ, which had requested the currently ongoing committee of inquiry into possible political influence on the investigations in the case, welcomed the transfer to the Eisenstadt Public Prosecutor's Office at the time as a "längst überfälligen Schritt."

Follow-up investigations: smartwatch, expert reports and witnesses

In Eisenstadt, after the takeover, an apparent attempt was made to carry out all investigative steps that had been omitted in Lower Austria: the smartwatch Pilnacek was wearing at the time of his death was analyzed by an IT specialist, an additional forensic medical expert report was obtained, and, among others, the excavator operator who had discovered the body on October 20, 2023, in a side arm of the Danube in Rossatz was questioned as a witness. "Basierend darauf gerichtsmedizinische Gutachten eingeholt," the authority summarized the process.

In addition, the Eisenstadt Public Prosecutor's Office formally obtained forensic expert reports that had previously been discussed publicly. The new expert report was prepared by Elke Doberentz, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Innsbruck. It confirmed the result of the original autopsy.

The role of Peter Pilz and conspiracy theories

The death of the section chief had triggered numerous speculations and conspiracy theories over the past years. These were fueled significantly by former National Council member Peter Pilz. "Zweifel daran wurden vom ehemaligen Nationalratsabgeordneten Peter Pilz geäußert," the public prosecutor's office noted. Pilz had commissioned two of his own forensic medical expert reports, which had been prepared on the basis of the autopsy report from the investigations of the Krems Public Prosecutor's Office, and published two books about the death of the section chief.

"Schließlich habe es in der Vergangenheit auch Vorwürfe gegen zwei Polizeibeamte gegeben," the authority explained. Because of Pilz's claims about a political conspiracy and serious accusations against police officers, he was unable to provide evidence of the truth in court; in December 2025, a conviction was handed down, one of his books is to be confiscated, and Zackmedia is also to pay damages to the wrongly accused police officers.

Political reactions and outlook in the committee of inquiry

As early as March 2024, the Krems Public Prosecutor's Office had ruled out third-party involvement on the basis of an expert report. The OStA Vienna had confirmed this finding on February 13, and the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office Vienna then ordered the review of a continuation of the investigation into the death of the former section chief in a corresponding directive to the Krems Public Prosecutor's Office. The Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office had conducted the police investigations.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office Vienna and the Ministry of Justice have now joined the result from Eisenstadt. "Die nunmehrige Einstellung der Ermittlungen durch die StA Eisenstadt wird wohl auch nächste Woche Thema im U-Ausschuss sein," observers expect. The ongoing parliamentary committee of inquiry is to examine the circumstances of Pilnacek's death as well as possible political influence on the investigations.