Update: According to the latest information, Tadeusz Duda died from a gunshot wound to the head.
A days-long manhunt for Tadeusz Duda, suspected of a brutal killing in Stara Wieś near Limanowa, has come to an end. The 57-year-old was found dead, and his death closes one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Małopolska in recent years.
Who was Tadeusz Duda?
Tadeusz Duda came from Stara Wieś near Limanowa. He was known to local police due to earlier charges of domestic violence and criminal threats against his closest relatives. In April 2025, prosecutors charged him with abusing his family, as a result of which he had to leave the home for two weeks.
Tragic events in Stara Wieś
The tragedy occurred on Friday, 27 June. According to investigators, Duda first shot his 72-year-old mother-in-law, then fatally shot his 26-year-old daughter and her 31-year-old husband. A one-year-old child was also in the house and fortunately was not injured.
After the crime, Tadeusz Duda abandoned his car and fled into nearby forests. The police immediately launched a large-scale manhunt involving hundreds of officers, the army, the Border Guard, tracking dogs, drones and even helicopters.
Manhunt and search
The search lasted several days. The police urged residents to be cautious and to stay indoors. A climate of unease prevailed in the area, with schools closed and the priest of the local parish asking parishioners to take special care.
The services did not rule out that he could be hiding in pre-war bunkers or in forests he knew well.
End of the search – Tadeusz Duda is dead
On the evening of 1 July, the services confirmed that Tadeusz Duda had been found dead near a forest massif. The circumstances of his death are being examined by prosecutors, but it is already known that he poses no threat to residents of the region.
At the press conference on Tadeusz Duda, held late in the evening of 1 July 2025, the police provided the following information:
- The police confirmed the discovery of the body of the wanted man, Tadeusz Duda, who was suspected of killing his daughter and son-in-law and attempting to kill his mother-in-law in Stara Wieś. The body was found with a gunshot wound to the head, and a weapon lay beside it. According to preliminary findings, it was most likely suicide.
- Insp. Katarzyna Nowak (spokeswoman for the National Police Commander) said that the body was not found as a result of information from witnesses, but through the police tactics that had been adopted. She stressed that the suspect’s desperation and unpredictability posed a major challenge for the services.
- Provincial Police Commander in Kraków, Insp. Artur Bednarek, noted that 840 officers took part in the operation on the last day alone. He expressed gratitude to residents for their patience and trust, thanked all services for their professionalism, and thanked the media for their accurate reporting.
- The police announced that the threat to residents of Stara Wieś had passed. Insp. Nowak thanked residents for their cooperation during the search and announced that the investigation would continue to clarify all the circumstances of the case, including whether anyone helped the suspect hide.
- The police did not disclose details about the exact moment the body was found, but it is known that it was discovered near the road leading through the Ostra pass, between the villages of Stara Wieś and Roztoka.
- Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak thanked all services for carrying out the difficult operation and stressed that residents can return to normal life.
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