Opole police detail manhunt and arrest of 17-year-old over Kadłub double murder

The Opole Voivodeship Police Headquarters has published an official statement detailing the actions of law enforcement following the dramatic double murder in the village of Kadłub in Strzelce Opolskie County. It is the first such comprehensive account from the police since the incident, shedding new light on the scale of the police operation and the evidence secured at the scene.

According to investigators, the crime took place on Thursday, 26 February 2026, in a single-family house in Kadłub. The attack left two people dead – an 87-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, both residents of the same village. Four people lived in the house in total, meaning two other people present at the address escaped the tragedy.

The case gathered pace during the night. At around 4:00 a.m., officers of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) received a report about graphic video footage posted online on one of the social media platforms. The recordings showed possible scenes of a murder. Thanks to rapid analysis by the CBZC, investigators were quickly able to identify both the author of the material and the exact location of the incident – the house in Kadłub.

A patrol from the Strzelce Opolskie District Police Station was immediately dispatched to the scene. Officers confirmed the deaths of two people and secured the area. Under the supervision of a prosecutor, a detailed inspection began. Forensic technicians equipped with a 3D scanner, expert witnesses, and a physician from the Forensic Medicine Department of the University Clinical Hospital in Opole took part in the work. Numerous biological and material traces, as well as objects that may be relevant to the case, were secured.

At the same time, one of the largest police manhunts in recent years in the Opole region got under way. Forces from several units were engaged in the search for the 17-year-old resident of Kadłub:

• Strzelce Opolskie District Police Station
• Krapkowice District Police Station
• Criminal Investigation Department of the Opole Voivodeship Police Headquarters (including so-called „headhunters”)
• Independent Police Prevention Subunit in Opole
• Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC)

Officers combed both built-up areas and nearby forests. Drones, tracking dogs, and explosives-detection dogs were used. Surveillance footage was analysed, witnesses were questioned, and the likely escape route of the suspect was established. The operations were fully coordinated and lasted several hours.

The key moment came a few minutes after 1:00 p.m. Officers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Opole Voivodeship Police Headquarters detained the 17-year-old in the Krapkowice County area – nearly 45 kilometres from the scene of the crime. The teenager was hiding in thickets near the Osobłoga River. As the police statement stresses, he was not armed and did not resist. He was immediately taken into police custody.

While searching the area where he had been hiding, investigators found and secured three tools that could have been used to commit the crime. One of them was an axe. All items have been sent to a forensic laboratory and will undergo detailed examination.

In its statement, the police stress that investigators still have a great deal of work ahead. „Investigators have further intensive actions to carry out. Activities are scheduled for today at the scene of the crime and with the participation of the detained 17-year-old” – reads the official statement.

The case is being conducted under the supervision of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Opole. The 17-year-old will be charged with the double murder using a dangerous tool. He faces a sentence of life imprisonment.

Video from the arrest operation

The police statement does not yet reveal the perpetrator’s motives or the details of the recordings that triggered the entire operation – yet everything suggests that these recordings were the key piece of evidence that allowed the facts to be quickly connected.

This is already the second official appeal by the authorities in this case (following yesterday’s CBZC statement). The police consistently ask the public to show respect for the victims and their families – in particular, to refrain from spreading any graphic material and footage from the scene.

The entire Opole region remains shaken. The village of Kadłub, previously peaceful, has become a symbol of how quickly everyday life can turn into a nightmare. The investigation is ongoing and will certainly bring further findings. The police assure that they are doing everything to clarify the case in the smallest detail and to answer all the questions troubling the local community and all of Poland.

Gallery of photos from the arrest

Source: Opolska Policja