Austrian woman reportedly left to freeze to death by boyfriend identified as Kerstin Gurtner

The woman who allegedly froze to death after being abandoned near the summit of Austria’s highest mountain has been identified as 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner, reports New York Post.

Gurtner died on January 19 less than 150 feet below the peak of Grossglockner during a night climb led by her boyfriend, 39-year-old experienced mountaineer Thomas Plamberger, according to the Daily Mail.

Gurtner, who described herself on social media as a “winter child” and a “mountain person,” reportedly had little experience with high-altitude alpine climbing.

Plamberger has now been charged with negligent homicide for planning and guiding the demanding winter ascent, which required the pair to climb more than 12,000 feet in temperatures around –4°F.

According to the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office, the couple became effectively stranded from around 8:50 p.m. onward.

Despite spotting a police helicopter at approximately 10:50 p.m., Plamberger did not call for help or signal distress, prosecutors said, citing local outlet Heute.

Webcam footage later showed the pair’s temporary camp high on the mountain, where Gurtner was eventually found dead.

Authorities allege that around 2:00 am, Plamberger left Gurtner “exhausted, hypothermic and disoriented” roughly 50 meters below the summit cross, failing to use available emergency blankets to protect her.

He is accused of ascending alone toward the peak before descending without her; a trail camera captured him heading down at about 2:30 am.

Plamberger reportedly contacted emergency services again at 3:30 a.m., but by then Gurtner had succumbed to the extreme conditions.

His attorney, Kurt Jelinek, maintains Plamberger’s innocence and says the death was a “tragic, fateful accident,” according to the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, tributes have appeared on a memorial page dedicated to Gurtner, with friends and strangers offering condolences and messages of remembrance.

Plamberger has been charged. His trial is expected to begin in February. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison.