Human stays present in Leicester belong to Polish lady, 27, who vanished on method house from work 19 years in the past, police verify
Human remains found two months ago are those of a mother who vanished without a trace almost 20 years ago, police confirmed today.
Malgorzata Wnuczek, a Polish National, disappeared in May 2006 aged 27.
She was last seen catching a bus home from her workplace at Peter Jackson Logistics in Leicester.
Ms Wnuczek lived in the city with her husband and daughter who was aged three at the time.
In October, specialist officers who were looking into her disappearance discovered remains on scrubland three miles from where she was last seen – close to Leicester City’s stadium.
Officers had begun a renewed search for Ms Wnuczek on September 30 following a tip off ‘from colleagues in Poland‘, with their efforts focused on digging up the scrubland.
On Tuesday, police said forensic tests revealed the remains were Ms Wnuczek.
She left behind a daughter, Ola, who was three at the time of her disappearance.
Malgorzata Wnuczek disappeared on her way home from her job at a logistics company in Leicester in May 2006
A police tent set up in scrubland off the Great Central Way, Leicestershire, where remains were found
Detective Superintendent Jenni Greenway, the senior investigating officer, said: ‘First and foremost, I’d like 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.
‘The investigation into Malgorzata’s death remains very much open and is ongoing.
‘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.
‘It’s never too late to help and I’d like to take the opportunity to again ask for anyone who can assist us to get in touch.’
A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said a file was now being prepared for the coroner.
He added: ‘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 also remain in contact with KWP Bydgoszcz in Poland.’
Malgorzata, who had a three-year-old daughter named Ola at the time of her disappearance, was last seen catching the bus in Leicester after completing a shift at a logistics firm on May 31, 2006.
Two days earlier, Malgorzata, who was known as Gosia, sent a text message to her family, which was the last contact they had with her.
The following month, she was reported missing by her parents in Poland after they failed to hear from her.
Malgorzata lived with Ola and her husband in the Knighton Fields area of Leicester after arriving in England in July 2005.
Her family made an appeal for information alongside detectives in 2016, ten years after she vanished.
In June 2023, information provided by Polish police to the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) led to searches of the River Soar in Leicester.
During that stage 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 later released with no further action.
