Human remains found by police have been confirmed as those of a woman who disappeared nearly 20 years ago.
Malgorzata Wnuczek, 27, from Poland, was living in Leicester when she went missing on 31 May 2006.
The remains were found in scrublands off the Great Central Way in October and sent off for forensic testing, with Leicestershire Police confirming the remains were of Ms Wnuczek on Tuesday.
Ms Wnuczek was last seen after catching a bus from her place of work in Leicester and her family last heard from her in a text two days earlier.
The force said a file was being prepared for HM Coroner and officers remain in contact with Ms Wnuczek’s family to provide support.
Ms Wnuczek was last seen catching a bus from her workplace at Peter Jackson Logistics on Sunningdale Road into the city centre.
On the 10th anniversary of her disappearance in 2016, police issued an appeal for information.
In June 2023, police arrested a 39-year-old man in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice.
The East Midlands Special Operations Unit conducted searches of the River Soar in July 2023 after receiving new information from Polish police.
The arrested man was later released with no further action, police said.
Det Supt Jenni Greenway, the senior investigating officer, expressed her deepest condolences to Ms Wnuczek’s family.
She 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.”
