In September 1999, a crime took place in Żagań in which a 43-year-old man was killed. Sub-Inspector Maciej Kimet from the press team at the Provincial Police Headquarters in Gorzów Wielkopolski:

The investigation conducted at the time failed to gather sufficient evidence that could have allowed charges to be brought against specific individuals. Now, 21 years after the crime, officers from the Lubusz “Archive X” have returned to the case. Modern developments in forensic science and new laboratory methods for examining biological traces may significantly narrow the circle of those suspected of the murder.

The Crime

Nearly 21 years ago, to be precise: on October 1, 1999, the body of a 43-year-old man, a resident of the city, was found in Żagań, near one of the housing estates.

The previous day, at around 7 p.m., the man had attended a social gathering, where he drank alcohol with friends.

As the 43-year-old was leaving his friend’s apartment, he noticed a woman in the stairwell and soon began talking to her. During the conversation, the man invited his new acquaintance to drink vodka at the so-called concrete slabs—a place where people drank alcohol at the time. The woman accepted the invitation and went to the indicated location.

During the meeting, he became insistent, and a scuffle broke out. The woman eventually freed herself from the nuisance and ran to her home.

The next day, the 43-year-old was found dead. Sub-Inspector Maciej Kimet:

Police experts worked at the site where the body was found: investigators, criminal officers and forensic technicians, who, under the supervision of a prosecutor, carried out procedural activities at the crime scene. During the examination, numerous forensic traces, including biological traces, were secured. The murder weapon was also secured for examination—a piece of a wooden stake, which was probably used by the perpetrator or perpetrators to attack the 43-year-old.

The investigation into the murder of the Żagań resident was conducted by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Zielona Góra. Numerous witnesses were questioned. Unfortunately, the evidence collected at the time proved insufficient to bring charges against specific individuals in court.

Police:

Now, at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, we find ourselves in a different reality. Officers from the “Archive X” of the Criminal Division of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Gorzów Wlkp. are revisiting the murder of the 43-year-old Żagań resident. Traces secured 21 years ago at the crime scene can now undergo modern and innovative examinations in forensic laboratories.

It is worth remembering that biological traces are permanent and unique—modern research methods available in contemporary forensic science may provide concrete evidence of a particular person’s involvement in the incident.

Criminal investigators do not rule out repeat polygraph examinations either. To reopen the proceedings from a procedural standpoint, officers must have very strong operational and evidentiary material. Officers from the Lubusz “Archive X” are working very intensively on this.

The uniformed officers add:

It is demanding work involving dozens of hours spent reading case files and operational materials. The painstaking and meticulous work of investigators, together with advances in forensic science, may significantly narrow the circle of those suspected of the murder. This, in turn, could lead to the reopening of the investigation, the arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators, and their being brought to justice.

The murder of the 43-year-old Żagań resident was one of the subjects of Magazyn Kryminalny 997, broadcast on TVP1 on February 20, 2020. The guest of Dariusz Bohatkiewicz was Chief Superintendent Marcin Maludy, spokesperson for the Provincial Police Commander in Gorzów Wlkp. Link to the programme: https://vod.tvp.pl/video/magazyn-kryminalny-997,20022020,46440015.