Police are searching a river for clues about a woman who vanished 17 years ago in Leicester, as they arrested a man in connection with her disappearance.
Detectives have launched a renewed appeal for information about Malgorzata Wnuczek, a Polish woman who was last seen taking a bus from work into Leicester city centre in 2006.
While the family of Ms Wnuczek – who was 27 when she disappeared – “have lived their lives in darkness” ever since, police have said they “firmly believe there are people out there” who know what might have happened to her.
The cold case took a fresh turn early on Tuesday morning, as a 39-year-old man was arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice.
His arrest came as specialist teams were rallied to carry out a search of the River Soar, close to Leicester’s Mill Lane Bridge, as officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit collaborate with detectives in Poland.
The renewed search falls two days after the 44th birthday of Ms Wnuczek, whose family affectionately referred to her as Gosia.
Her whereabouts have remained a mystery since two days after their last contact with her via text message on 29 May 2006. She was last seen after taking a bus from her place of work at Peter Jackson Logistics, on Leicester’s Sunningdale Road, into the city centre.
Detectives have now said they believe there may be people within Leicester’s Polish community who know what happened to her.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Jenni Heggs, said: “Malgorzata was 27 when she was last seen. Two days ago it was her 44th birthday.
“Officers both in the UK and in Poland have remained in contact with her family since she was last seen. Following information provided to us by our Polish colleagues, we are carrying out a search of the River Soar in the hope we might find something that can help us to establish Malgorzata’s whereabouts.
“Since the investigation began, more than 2,000 potential witnesses have raised more than 2,500 lines of enquiry, with more than 100 statements taken. But we still do not know where Malgorzata is or what might’ve happened to her.
“However, I firmly believe there are people out there who do. For more than 17 years, her family have lived their lives in darkness and we owe it to them to answer the questions they have.
“I’m making a direct appeal to the people of Leicester – and in particular our Polish community – to come forward if they have any information that could help. You might think what you know is insignificant, but it might just be something that leads us to Malgorzata.
“What have you heard? What do you know? Any details you’re able to provide could be of great importance.”
Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to visit the Leicestershire Police website and quote incident 362 of 2 June, or to call 101.
