Prosecutors have confirmed that the body found in the Vistula under the Świętokrzyski Bridge in Warsaw belongs to missing 13-year-old Roksana J. The information was released on Wednesday, 4 November, by prosecutor Remigiusz Krynke, as reported by Miejski Reporter.
According to Miejski Reporter, the teenager’s relatives recognised her in the deceased, and her body was handed over to the family. Previously, due to the condition of the remains, prosecutors had not confirmed her identity and had treated the deceased as a person of unknown identity.
What was found with the body
The body was found on Tuesday, 27 October, near the Świętokrzyski Bridge, on the Praga side of the river. As o2.pl reported, the remains were found by Daniel Dymiński, who was searching for his missing son, together with other people conducting the search. According to Miejski Reporter, items belonging to the 13-year-old were secured with the remains: a school ID card, a bank card and keys with a keyring reading “Roxie”.
The parents were told that the body was not suitable for visual identification. Prosecutors had said that specialist tests would be needed, and the autopsy was carried out on Thursday, 29 October. At that time, prosecutors decided that they would not disclose their findings at this stage.
Cause of death not known
As of publication, prosecutors have not said how the girl died. According to Miejski Reporter, confirmation of her identity does not mean that the involvement of third parties has been established. It remains unclear under what circumstances the teenager ended up in the river. Proceedings were opened by the Warsaw-Praga Północ District Prosecutor’s Office under Article 155 of the Penal Code (causing death through negligence), as a spokesperson for the Warsaw-Praga Regional Prosecutor’s Office told o2.pl. According to the Życie.news portal, the legal classification has not changed following the autopsy.
Disappearance on 10 October
The girl disappeared on Saturday, 10 October, after leaving home in the Ochota district of Warsaw. According to o2.pl, she was last heard from after 9 p.m., when she told her father she was heading home. The portal also reported that before vanishing she was reportedly spending time with friends near the Vistula Boulevards; prosecutors have not publicly confirmed these circumstances. Detective Kamil Sobkiewicz, working on behalf of the family, told o2.pl that the area around the bridge was significant because of the teenager’s last phone activity. This information comes from the detective, not from investigators.
What happens next
Miejski Reporter writes that the wait continues for final test results and further findings from prosecutors. Investigators must, among other things, establish the cause of death and the course of the girl’s final hours before she disappeared. As of publication, no date for the next update has been announced.
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