Leicestershire Police have confirmed that human remains found by officers in a park are those of missing mum Malgorzata Wnuczek.

The remains were discovered in scrubland off the Great Central Way, near Watkin Road and were sent off for forensic testing.

Ms Wnuczek – a Polish national – was living in Leicester when she disappeared on May 31, 2006.

She was last seen after catching a bus from her place of work at Peter Jackson Logistics in Sunningdale Road, Leicester, into Leicester city centre.

The last contact she had with her family, who affectionally referred to her as ‘Gosia’, was via text message on 29 May 2006. Ten years later, in 2016, both her loved ones and police made an appeal for information.

In June 2023, following information provided by Polish police to the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), searches of the River Soar were undertaken across several days between the bridges in Mill Lane and Upperton Road.

During that stage of the investigation a 39-year-old man was arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice and later released with no further action.

Detective Superintendent Jenni Greenway, the senior investigating officer, said: “While this news has ended almost 20 years of uncertainty and not knowing where Malgorzata is, I know it won’t provide closure or end their ongoing grief. The investigation into Malgorzata’s death remains very much open and is ongoing.

“We remain in contact with our colleagues in Poland – who I’d like to thank for their ongoing support – and we’re continuing to liaise with them as our investigation to understand what happened to Malgorzata progresses.

“It’s never too late to help and I’d like to take the opportunity to again ask for anyone who can assist us to get in touch.”

You can pass on information by visiting https://www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ and quoting reference 24*771120.