Human remains have been discovered during a police search in Leicester as part of the ongoing investigation into the 2006 disappearance of Malgorzata Wnuczek.
Specialist officers made the discovery while searching scrubland off Great Central Way, near Watkin Road. The identity of the remains has not yet been confirmed, and further forensic testing will be conducted to establish whether they belong to Ms Wnuczek.
Picture: Leicestershire Police
Despite the discovery, the search of the area continues. Police remain in close contact with Ms Wnuczek’s family, who are being supported by specialist officers. Her relatives have requested privacy during this difficult time.
Leicestershire Police are also working in cooperation with authorities in Poland, including officers from KWP Bydgoszcz.
The current search effort began on Tuesday, September 30, focusing on land near the Great Central Way. It follows years of investigations into the disappearance of Ms Wnuczek, a Polish national who was living in Leicester at the time she went missing.
She was last seen on May 31, 2006, after taking a bus from her workplace, Peter Jackson Logistics on Sunningdale Road, into Leicester city centre. Her final known contact with family was a text message sent two days earlier, on May 29.
Detective Superintendent Jenni Greenway, who is leading the investigation, acknowledged the significance of the recent development.
“While I appreciate this news may come as a shock to the community, I hope this discovery will provide us with information that helps us understand what may or may not have happened to Malgorzata,” she said. “Officers will remain in the Watkin Road area to carry out further enquiries and provide reassurance to local residents.”
In June 2023, the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) conducted searches of the River Soar following information received from Polish police. Those efforts, which spanned several days between Mill Lane and Upperton Road, aimed to find personal belongings or remains. At the time, a 39-year-old man was arrested in Greater Manchester on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice, but was later released without charge.
No significant evidence was found during that phase of the investigation, and Ms Wnuczek’s whereabouts remained unknown—until now.
Police have urged anyone with information relating to the case to come forward.
