Human foetal remains found in June on a property in Lutoryż near Rzeszów did not come from illegal abortions – according to findings by investigators, as reported by Radio Eska. Forensic doctors were reportedly finishing their examinations, but proceedings against the former owner of the plot are ongoing.
Radio Eska reported the exclusion of illegal procedures on 4 November, citing findings from the Rzeszów prosecutor’s office; the information was repeated by Onet and WP, among others. According to these reports, experts have completed post-mortem examinations, but investigators are still awaiting further expert opinions. As of publication, we have not found a separate statement on the matter on the website of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Rzeszów.
How the discovery was made
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Rzeszów was notified on 10 June about the discovery on one of the properties in Lutoryż of large quantities of medical waste, mainly paraffin blocks and microscope slides. They were found during earthworks. The waste also included a human foetus and other remains that medical experts identified as foetal remains. The prosecutor’s office established that the current owners had bought the plot from a woman who was a pathomorphologist.
Magdalena H., 57, was detained in Zamość on 12 June and, as the prosecutor’s office said, gave explanations indicating that she had buried the foetuses and other medical waste on her former property. She also indicated the source of their origin; the prosecutor’s office did not disclose what it was. The woman had no prior criminal record.
How many foetuses and what charges
In an official statement of 15 June, the prosecutor’s office said that, after activities at the property were completed, among other things, 34 human foetuses or their fragments were uncovered. The activities were carried out using a ground-penetrating radar and dogs trained to detect remains. The media, including Radio Eska, still report 32 foetuses – the figure from the first days of the investigation. The final number and the age of the remains are to be determined by autopsies.
According to TVP Rzeszów, Magdalena H. was charged with desecration of corpses and abandoning hazardous waste. On 13 June, the District Court in Rzeszów imposed three months of pre-trial detention on her, until 10 September. We do not know whether the detention has been extended.
Where the remains came from
According to unofficial information cited by the portal rzeszow-info.pl, the suspect reportedly said she had taken the bodies of unborn children from a hospital for research purposes and could not say how many foetuses were involved. The prosecutor’s office did not confirm these words. Investigators are analysing medical documentation and questioning witnesses. They are also still checking exactly where the remains came from and why they were buried at depths of 1.2 to 1.6 m.
What comes next
Ruling out illegal abortions does not end the case. The investigation concerns the handling of remains and medical waste, and its further course depends on the remaining expert opinions. As of publication, the prosecutor’s office has not given a date for concluding the proceedings nor announced whether the charges will be expanded.
