SWITZERLAND, Sept 12: A former model who was a finalist in the Miss Switzerland contest has been allegedly murdered and 'pureed' by her husband, according to Swiss officials. Kristina Joksimovic, 38, was found dead at her home in Binningen, near Basel, in February this year.

Local news outlet BZ Basel reported that Thomas, 41, had his appeal for release from custody denied by the Federal Court in Lausanne on Wednesday. Thomas reportedly confessed to killing Joksimovic, his wife, and the mother of their two children. During a crime reconstruction in March, Thomas claimed the killing was in self-defense after Joksimovic attacked him with a knife.

The court ruling indicated that Joksimovic was strangled to death. The autopsy report revealed that her body was dismembered in a laundry room using a jigsaw, knife, and garden shears. The body parts were then reportedly pureed with a hand blender and dissolved in a chemical solution.

Thomas, a Swiss national, was arrested the day after Joksimovic's remains were discovered by a third party. Initially, he told investigators that he had found her dead and dismembered her body in a panic.

Joksimovic, who was crowned Miss Northwest Switzerland and was a finalist in the 2007 Miss Switzerland contest, later ran her own business as a catwalk coach. She also mentored model Dominique Rinderknecht for the Miss Universe pageant in 2013.