Human remains found by police have been confirmed as belonging to a woman who disappeared 19 years ago.
Malgorzata Wnuczek, from Poland, went missing on May 31, 2006, while living in England, according to Leicestershire Police. She was last seen after catching a bus from her job at Peter Jackson Logistics.
In October, officers discovered remains in scrubland off the Great Central Way, near Watkin Road. The remains were sent for forensic testing, and authorities announced this week that they had been positively identified.
“Officers remain in contact with Ms Wnuczek’s family and are continuing to provide support to them. They have asked that their privacy is respected while the investigation continues,” police said on Tuesday, Dec. 16. “Police also remain in contact with KWP Bydgoszcz in Poland.”
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Wnuczek was 27 when she last contacted her family by text message, police said. Two days later, she disappeared.
Ten years after she went missing, her loved ones and local police renewed appeals for information. In June 2023, authorities said that “following information provided by Polish police to the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), searches of the River Soar were undertaken across several days between the bridges in Mill Lane and Upperton Road.”
During that phase of the investigation, a 39-year-old man was arrested in the Greater Manchester area “on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice,” but was later released.
In the latest press release, Detective Superintendent Jenni Greenway, the senior investigating officer, said she wanted to “express my deepest condolences to Malgorzata’s family.”
“While this news has ended almost 20 years of uncertainty and not knowing where Malgorzata is, I know it won’t provide closure or end their ongoing grief,” Greenway added.
Greenway said the investigation into Wnuczek’s death remains open.
“We remain in contact with our colleagues in Poland — who I’d like to thank for their ongoing support — and we’re continuing to liaise with them as our investigation to understand what happened to Malgorzata progresses,” the investigating officer added.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
