The incident took place in 2009 in Pieszyce, Lower Silesia. On May 1, a young man went missing. The missing man’s partner reported to the Police Commissariat in Bielawa, alarmed that the young man had not returned home for the night. This had never happened before, he had no conflicts with the law, and besides... his pregnant girlfriend was waiting for him at home.
Investigators determined that on that day the young man had been drinking alcohol with two older acquaintances. During the gathering, an argument broke out between the homeowner and the victim. The homeowner began repeatedly beating the young man all over his body—until the victim stopped defending himself. He left the beaten man lying unconscious on the ground.
The only witness to the incident, their mutual acquaintance, dragged him away. This is where the story took on a different meaning, as investigators relied on the testimony of that sole witness. He testified that he had left the property at around 10 p.m. and did not know what had happened to his young acquaintance afterward. The homeowner, meanwhile, stated that he had gone to sleep and that when he got up, the victim was no longer on his property.
Investigators:
A large-scale search for the young man was conducted. Officers searched the property where he had been drinking, the house located there and the surrounding area. They spoke with neighbors and issued a media appeal concerning his disappearance. At the time, it was assumed that he might be being held somewhere against his will.
That theory faded when information began coming in from members of the public that the missing man had been seen—for example, at a railway station in Wrocław or even in the town where he lived.
Since no trace was found that could indicate the victim had come to harm, and witnesses came forward claiming they had seen the young man alive and well, proceedings under Article 189(1) of the Criminal Code were discontinued. Perhaps the young man had indeed suddenly decided to abandon his family and move away.
Despite this, operational searches continued. The officers from Bielawa could not let it go. From time to time, they checked whether the man had registered with any offices in Poland, traveled abroad, used health services or changed his name. But there was no trace of the Pieszyce resident.
It seemed unrealistic to the officers that a person who was not a wanted criminal, knew nothing about procedures or the police’s search capabilities, had no financial or human resources, and sought only to sever contact with his family could successfully hide for more than 10 years without leaving any trace.
2019—A breakthrough
The breakthrough came when the sole witness was questioned again in 2019. By then, he had moved away from Pieszyce and even changed his name. The man admitted that when he had left his friend’s property 10 years earlier, the missing young man was already showing no signs of life. The older acquaintance then threatened him, saying that if he told anyone anything, he would end up like the younger man.
He had heard such threats for many years, which led to his decision to move away, cut contact with his acquaintances and change his name. Fearing for his life, the witness wanted to distance himself from the man who, as it turned out, was the perpetrator of the murder.
From the moment of this testimony, the investigators from Bielawa and Wrocław once again began painstaking and difficult work. No one knew where the young man’s body might have been hidden. Police officers searched the entire garden and property belonging to the homeowner from 10 years earlier. They searched for the body in a septic tank filled with concrete, demolished the flooring in the garage and basement, and searched the walls.
These searches ended in failure, but the investigators did not give up because they felt they were close to solving the mystery. They searched areas near the site of the 2009 drinking session, wooded areas nearby and even local ponds. Tracking dogs were used, and firefighters and a GOPR mountain rescue group assisted. Still, there were no major results. They did not find even the slightest trace, and every piece of information reported to the police was checked.
Lower Silesian Police Headquarters in Wrocław:
It was not until May 2020 that, 2 kilometers from the tragic site, police officers searching the area came across a dried-up reservoir containing human remains. It was clear that the perpetrator had prepared meticulously for the crime. The body had even been weighed down with four heavy boulders so that it would not surface in the old reservoir during torrential rains.
Since it was impossible to identify the remains, DNA testing was carried out. It confirmed that they belonged to the missing young man who had once lived in Pieszyce and whom investigators from Bielawa had searched for over 10 years.
The body had been hidden not far from the perpetrator’s home, in a place he knew very well, having lived in Pieszyce since birth. It was also a place rarely visited by people and difficult to access—something the perpetrator knew perfectly well. Once filled with water, the pond had been dry for years and was located away from publicly accessible roads and paths. It seemed perfect in every respect—but not to our police officers.
The perpetrator, a participant in the 2009 drinking session and the former owner of the house where the murder took place, was arrested. Investigators said: “He stubbornly refuses to admit to the acts he is accused of.” By court decision, the suspect was remanded in custody and remains detained to this day.
Officers:
This extraordinary case, reminiscent of those from The X-Files, demonstrates the police officers’ commitment and their painstaking, difficult work, which produces results. Without the persistence and dedication of the investigators from Bielawa, the missing young man’s family might still not have found peace, while the murderer would be walking our streets with impunity.