“Danusia was murdered. We will never know why” – the 11-year-old’s mother speaks publicly for the first time about the tragedy and fight for other children

The case shocked Poland – a 12-year-old schoolmate is suspected of the murder, while the motive remains unknown. On December 15, 2025, the body of 11-year-old Danusia was found on Wyspiańskiego Street in Jelenia Góra, several hundred metres from the school. The girl had injuries inflicted with a sharp instrument.

The following day, a spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra announced that a 12-year-old had been detained in connection with the case. Both girls attended the same Primary School No. 10 and knew each other by sight. The motive for the murder has still not been established.

She was happy. She was coming home from the cinema with popcorn

A few days before her death, Danusia became the patrol leader of her scouting group. She was happy – she felt safe at school, had female classmates and friends, and was gaining confidence. During health education classes, she learned the term introvert and came home to ask her mother whether she was one.

– She did not want to be in the spotlight; she preferred to observe from the sidelines – her mother recalls.

On December 15, she was returning home from a school trip to the cinema. She was carrying popcorn she had bought. She said goodbye to her friends and chose the longer, prettier route – along the stream.

– She was a romantic – her mother says in an interview with TVN24. – It was not the usual route home. She chose it because it is beautiful there.

A friend called: there had been an accident by the stream

Danusia’s mother learned that something had happened from a friend. The friend called to ask whether the girl had arrived home – there had been an accident by the stream, and police and an ambulance were there. The mother tried to check her daughter’s phone location and call her, but without success. She ran out of work and headed towards the school. There, she learned the truth.

– My daughter did not die because she was hit by a car. Her throat was slit. You do not do that by accident – the devastated mother says in the interview.

I keep asking: why Danusia?

The girl’s mother admits that she asks herself this question every minute of her life. No one knows the truth about the motive. The girls had no relationship – they knew each other only by sight. Although the 12-year-old suspect’s family lived nearby, the families did not know each other.

The mother seeks solace in the thought that this death was not without purpose. – To open other people’s eyes. To save other children – she says.

After Danusia’s funeral, another mother from Danusia’s school came to her mother and told her about her daughter, who was not accepted by her class. Danusia had approached her then and put a note in her pocket that read: “You’re great”.

The state does not protect children

The Polish state appears to provide insufficient protection for families, particularly parents and children, Danusia’s mother believes. Children and young people have unrestricted access to the Internet, which brings new threats to which the state does not respond quickly enough, while society does not expect that one child could take another child’s life.

Uncertainty about perpetrators’ motives and the lack of clear conclusions from investigations deepen the sense of fear and helplessness. This situation affects society as a whole: parents, teachers and children. No one knows how to respond to a changing reality in which young people encounter previously unknown threats.

Young people call the murderer a sigma

Many people are unable to cope with the trauma following tragedies. Some want to close this chapter, while young people have not yet worked through their emotions.

The glorification of perpetrators of violence by young people is particularly concerning. Some have called Danusia’s murderer a “sigma”. In youth slang, this means a confident and independent person. This interpretation raises serious concerns about the value system of the younger generation and the need to strengthen education and psychological support.

A bracelet bearing the word “Mummy”

Danusia’s mother is moved and grateful for the solidarity shown by the residents of Jelenia Góra, who demonstrated their support for the family in a march. The wave of sympathy and assistance became an invaluable source of strength for the girl’s mother during these difficult moments.

– Danusia made a bracelet for me – her mother says in the interview, showing her daughter’s work. – She made hundreds of them and sold them. She raised money to help others. And this is the most beautiful bracelet in the world – the mother says, showing a bracelet bearing the word “Mummy”.

The full interview with Danusia’s mother can be watched on the TVN24 digital platform.