A man has been arrested in Greater Manchester in connection with the disappearance of Malgorzata Wnuczek, who's been missing since 2006.
A 39-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice, Leicester Police confirmed. Officers are also searching the River Soar in Leicester in hopes of finding something to establish her whereabouts.
Polish national Malgorzata was 27 years old when she went missing and she would be 44 now. Her family were living in Poland, including her parents and three-year-old daughter, and raised the alarm after she had failed to contact them for some time, 17 years ago.
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Leicestershire Police began a long and complex investigation which saw officers pursue more than 2,500 lines of inquiry. But Malgorzata, affectionately known as Gosia, was never found and the trail went cold, reports LeicestershireLive.
But the force has today (Tuesday June 6) confirmed that it has received new information in connection with the unsolved case from colleagues in Poland, prompting fresh searches of the River Soar. Specialist officers from East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) are carrying out a search of the river around the area of the Mill Lane bridge, near Bede Island.
It is still believed there may be members of Leicester's Polish community who know what happened to her. Detective Inspector Jenni Heggs, from EMSOU, the senior investigating officer said: "Malgorzata was 27 when she was last seen. Two days ago it was her 44th birthday.
"Officers both in the UK and in Poland have remained in contact with her family since she was last seen. Following information provided to us by our Polish colleagues, we are carrying out a search of the River Soar in the hope we might find something that can help us to establish Malgorzata’s whereabouts.
"Since the investigation began, more than 2,000 potential witnesses have raised more than 2,500 lines of enquiry, with more than 100 statements taken. But we still do not know where Malgorzata is or what might’ve happened to her.
"However, I firmly believe there are people out there who do. For more than 17 years, her family have lived their lives in darkness and we owe it to them to answer the questions they have.
"I’m making a direct appeal to the people of Leicester – and in particular our Polish community – to come forward if they have any information that could help. You might think what you know is insignificant, but it might just be something that leads us to Malgorzata.
"What have you heard? What do you know? Any details you’re able to provide could be of great importance."
The last public appeal in a bid to find out what happened to Malgorzata was issued in 2016, marking 10 years since her disappearance. A police reward of £10,000 was offered for information in connection with the case but received only seven responses at the time with no new lines of inquiry.
You can pass on information by visiting the force website and quoting incident 362 of 2 June. Alternatively call 101.
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