At around 11:00 a.m., the children went to a playground in the city centre. Their mother noticed that they were missing after returning home. The woman initially searched for the children herself in the area around their home and at friends’ houses. When the search produced no results, she notified the police.
A search operation was launched, involving all officers. Places where the children might be staying were checked: playgrounds, courtyards, squares, nearby shops and restaurants. Footage from the municipal monitoring cameras was examined. All city patrols received instructions related to checking their assigned areas.
At around 7:00 p.m., the girls were found near Ziemowita Street, on the outskirts of Legnica. They were spotted standing at a bus stop. A woman who had once been their neighbour noticed them from a bus. Concerned by the children’s presence in that part of the city, she got off and notified the police. The children, safe and unharmed, were placed back in their mother’s care.
During the search, it was established that the girls had been taken from the playground by a woman living nearby, who had looked after them several times before. She allegedly travelled around the city by bus with the girls, and at some point dropped them off at a stop on Ziemowita Street and... drove away.
After a brief search, police officers found and detained the woman. She is 21 years old and is the girls’ neighbour. The detainee was placed in police custody. The police are establishing the woman’s motives.
The day before, Legnica police officers had searched for a 12-year-old boy whose disappearance was reported by his grandmother. The boy was said to have disappeared during a walk. He was found outside the door of his own flat. The child had no injuries. It was established that the boy had walked away from his grandmother on his own and returned home.
KMP Legnica/ii