Following an extensive search, authorities discovered the body of a 12-year-old girl in Wolski Forest on Saturday, with the family formally identifying the victim as the missing child.
Identification and Discovery
Katarzyna Cisło, spokesperson for the Lesser Poland Police, confirmed that the family of the 12-year-old girl has officially identified the body discovered in Wolski Forest as the missing minor. Municipal guards involved in the search operation located the remains early Saturday afternoon.
Preliminary reports indicate the clothing and appearance of the deceased matched the description provided in the police missing person alerts. Formal identification procedures have been completed.
Disappearance Circumstances
The 12-year-old was reported missing on Thursday after failing to return home following a meeting with friends. Security camera footage tracked her arrival at a bus stop near the zoo located within the Wolski Forest grounds.
Search and Rescue Operations
The search mission involved hundreds of personnel, including police officers, firefighters, and the Territorial Defence Force, supported by volunteers. Authorities deployed specialized equipment, including drones, quads, and tracking dogs, to scour the vast, wooded terrain and nearby vacant buildings.
Missing Persons Statistics
Poland records over 13,000 missing person reports annually, with 13,032 cases filed last year. Police emphasize that immediate reporting is critical, noting that there is no mandatory 48-hour waiting period before filing a missing person report.