Vienna: Austrian police were hunting for clues on Friday in the mysterious death of an American au pair whose body was discovered in her apartment in Vienna.
The 25-year-old from Colorado was found on Tuesday night lying face down on a mattress with splatters of blood on the floor.
A sea of burning candles, according to the APA news agency, had surrounded her half-undressed body.
Investigators said the victim was believed to have died from suffocation, but added it was too early to determine whether she had been murdered.
"Further post-mortem examinations need to be carried out," a police spokesman said on Friday.
The woman's employers, who described her as "very reliable", had filed a missing person report on Tuesday after she failed to pick up their child from kindergarten.
Firemen then went to the American's one-bedroom flat and broke down the entrance door, leading to the gruesome discovery.
The au pair had been living in Austria for several years and was a German language student.
