Latest news with #IzabelaZabłocka
The Sun
07-06-2025
- The Sun
Daughter reveals chilling phone call made hours after mum vanished 15 years ago – as cops find body buried in garden
A MYSTERY phone call could prove vital in cracking the cold case of a mum who vanished 15 years ago, The Sun can reveal. Izabela Helena Zabłocka went missing in August 2010, aged 30, after moving to Derbyshire from Poland the previous year. 9 9 9 9 But an investigation wasn't opened by British cops until last month, thanks to a baffling miscommunication gaffe. Once the probe finally kicked into gear, officers made five arrests before finding remains in a back garden and charging a woman with murder on Friday - all within a matter of a couple of weeks. Anna Podedworna, 39, also faces charges of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice. Now, Izabela's daughter, Kasia, who was just nine when she vanished, has told The Sun about an odd phone conversation she had in the hours after her mum was first reported missing. Kasia and her grandmother would speak to Izabela every day over the phone after her move to Britain - but when she suddenly stopped, they became frantic with worry. The young girl had been continuously trying to contact her mum when an unknown woman answered and told her she didn't know Izabela and hung up. Kasia told us: "It was a conversation of a few seconds, I was only a child. "The woman, as far as I remember, told me that she doesn't know my mother, doesn't know who Izabela is, and hung up." Soon after that, Kasia recalls, the phone was disconnected. Her family - who don't speak English - relayed all of this to Polish cops at the time but the trail eventually ran cold, without any answers about what had happened. Derbyshire Constabulary say the first they heard of Izabela was last month when Kasia, now 25, after years of appeals for help, got in touch on a whim. She was as surprised as anyone that British cops hadn't been involved in the case at all - assuming Polish forces must have been liaising with them all these years. And Izabela's case might not be the only one to slip through the cracks. Speaking to The Sun, former top Scotland Yard cop Peter Bleksley said: 'Given all the circumstances, my question is how many more? How many other cases are like this in the UK?' He said it's so easy for someone to move to the UK and then after months or even years disappear but because they're not part of a stable support network, are never reported to police. He added: 'How many more have entered communities, but are murdered and done away with but no one is going to miss them?' Of course, Izabela's family, particularly daughter Kasia, never did give up looking - but were let down by authorities again and again. Speaking to The Sun after remains were found in the garden of a home in Princes Street - a road where Izabela had lived - last week, Kasia had said: 'I definitely want to know the truth as soon as possible.' Her mum, who had called back home every day prior to vanishing on August 29 2010, had communicated to the family she planned to return home imminently. Have YOU got a story or an amazing picture or video? Email exclusive@ and you could even get PAID It's understood Kasia's grandmother had even sent her daughter money to buy a plane ticket but she never arrived and her phone was suddenly deactivated after the strange call. When they reported her missing to Polish cops, it seems they simply assumed she'd made it back to her homeland. They told Izabela's family they checked hospitals and prisons, and over the years did collect DNA samples, including hair from her wedding veil. However, Kasia said the case was then archived in the mid-2010s, and her loved ones feared they would never learn what happened. Mr Bleksley said: 'In terms of the Polish police, they paid it absolute lip service. Not in a hospital, not in a jail, don't really care.' In contrast, he said the investigation by Derbyshire Constabulary 'moved at break neck speed', which is a credit to those involved. 'From it getting reported, even having heard her name for the first time, it's only days until someone has been arrested, re-arrested, and now in custody,' he continued. 'In stark contrast to the Polish police, Derbyshire have taken it very seriously, they must have made a considerable amount of enquiries to rapidly make arrests and nail the correct address, start excavating and unfortunately find remains.' He said he hoped 'despite the passage of time' the remains 'provide a treasure trove of forensic evidence'. 9 9 9 Mr Bleksley went on to say: 'It smacks to me that somebody was desperate to tell the police what they knew, and they had been waiting for that knock on the door all that time.' He said the excavation 'will be absolutely painstaking' because 'any tiny microscopic' piece of forensic evidence 'will be crucial to nailing the case'. 'This is almost like a textbook test of modern forensic science,' he added. Asked if he believes Izabela - if the remains prove to be hers - was killed by someone she knew, Mr Bleksley said: 'That is very difficult to speculate. The fact that arrests were made so swiftly, indicates to me that these were people that were known to each other - that I will say… 'I'm not being intentionally flippant here but they are going to solve this. 'Somebody, I feel, is desperate to tell people what they saw. That's why it's galloped forward so quickly. Someone's almost gone 'oh I thought you'd never come - right okay, this is what I saw, this is who did it.'' Mr Bleksley added: 'As much as we criticise our police, and as much as we at times fall short and fail us all, by and large, when it comes to the big, serious, major investigations, they do very well.' He pointed to examples of Brits who have lost loved ones abroad and they've remained unexplained, including Madeleine McCann. 'We sometimes have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to our police force investigating serious crime,' he said. Mr Bleksley also added that had Madeleine - who vanished while on holiday in Portugal in 2007, aged three - gone missing 'under similar circumstances' in the UK, 'that case would have been solved a very long time ago'. During his career he's worked with police forces across the world, including the US, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, sometimes undercover. He championed British forces, in comparison, for their work ethics and systems of investigation. Asked if whilst working in other countries he recognised blindsides in local cops' working, he said: 'I did, which is why I was called in so often to help foreign law enforcement with their cases.' The existence of the likes of Europol, Interpol and the National Crime Agency designed to help police communicate internationally, it may appear archaic that a case like Izabela's can fall through the cracks. 'They can only be effective if the liaison through different countries is good,' said Mr Bleksley. 'In this case, it was appalling to the extent of being non-existent. 'If the Polish police had done their job properly, this case would've been solved years ago.' Asked if it is likely there will be some kind of watchdog probe into what went wrong in Poland, Mr Bleksley said: 'That I don't know, that would be a matter for the family, I'm sure for any forces in the UK, litigation would be pursued, of course, not to mention the complaints procedure. 'I don't know what the situation is in Poland with regards to that. He added: 'There's plenty more embarrassment for the Polish police force coming down the line if this case runs its course and ends up in a trial.' Asked if there's any chance Derbyshire Police were simply mistaken and, despite their assertions, ignored communications with Poland over the years about the case, Mr Bleksley said it's unlikely. 'Everything gets logged these days. Everything goes into the computer system and lives there forever. 'Derbyshire Police wouldn't have been as bullish as they have been by saying we had no trace of this if actually they didn't have any trace.' 'I did everything to publicise my mum's disappearance' Kasia told The Sun last week, prior to the remains discovery: "When Mum went missing, I was 9 years old, I was a child. "It was only when I became an adult that I took up the search for Mum again. "I did everything to publicise my mother's disappearance; it took me a lot of time, but I hope I will find out the truth." She went on to say: "My family reported the case to the Polish police 15 years ago, but now we are finding out that the British police did not receive the report during those 15 years, and they have only just started an investigation. "The Polish police only checked prisons and hospitals and didn't find anything significant, and after a few years, the disappearance case went to the archive." She continued: "I started looking for her on my own as soon as I became an adult. "I started publicising my mother's disappearance in Poland, in the media and on YouTube. I did everything I could, and Polish charities helped me with this. "I started making posters about my mother's disappearance. I wrote to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, and they wrote back that they would check the prisons in England and Wales, but I did not receive any information on whether this was actually checked." The 25-year-old had hoped her mum had simply decided to start a new life, and she would suddenly appear with a new identity. However, those hopes were quashed when murder arrests were made, with Kasia admitting: "I'm very upset by the news I've received, and I'm so sorry that I received this message and not another one. "I've been looking for her for 15 years, and I hope I finally find out the truth." Two other women aged 39 and 43, and two men aged 41 and 48, were arrested on suspicion of murder and all remain on police bail pending further inquiries Detective Inspector Kane Martin, who is leading the investigation, said after the body was found: 'Izabela's family are at the forefront of our minds following this discovery and, whilst formal identification has not yet taken place, it is our belief that these remains do belong to Izabela." Mr Martin went on to say: 'We have spoken with Izabela's family in Poland, and they are aware. Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time. 'Identification of the remains is likely to be a lengthy process, but we will issue updates when we are able. 'I know that reports of these findings will send shockwaves through the local community, and I understand the concern of residents. 'Officers will remain in Princes Street in the coming days, and anyone with concerns is encouraged to speak with them." DI Martin explained that a "dedicated team of detectives" would continue their investigation to "piece together information" about the days leading up to Izabela's death. Izabela worked at the former Cranberry Foods chicken and turkey factory in Scropton, around 10 miles west of Derby. Crimestoppers is offering up to £20,000 for exclusive information relating to the investigation that leads to a conviction, with the reward valid for three months until August 27. Anyone with information can contact the charity via its website, or by calling 0800 555 111. 9 9
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Woman's bid to uncover why mum vanished in 2010
The daughter of a woman who went missing 15 years ago has urged people to come forward with information, as a murder investigation said on Monday a body had been discovered as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Izabela Helena Zabłocka in August remains were found in the garden of a property in Princes Street in Normanton, Derby, and are believed to be those of Izabela, according to Derbyshire just a few hours before the discovery, her daughter Katarzyna Zabłocka, now 24, told the BBC: "I would simply like to find out the truth." Izabela was 30 when she disappeared, just a year after moving from Poland to Police launched an investigation into the disappearance of Izabela after the force received a missing persons report in spoken to her just days before her disappearance, Katarzyna, who was about nine at the time, said despite her family's attempts to trace her, she was never to the BBC prior to the discovery of the remains, she added: "For those 15 years, we constantly wondered what happened; why she's not contacting us, whether anything serious has happened so that she couldn't reach out to us."It was difficult for me and for those close to me. We suspected something bad could have happened." As part of the investigation, Derbyshire Police said on Monday officers had arrested four people on suspicion of murder.A 39-year-old woman was arrested and bailed over the course of the weekend. She has since been re-arrested, police others - another woman aged 39, a woman aged 43 and a 41-year-old man - remain on charity Crimestoppers is also offering a £20,000 reward for any information which leads to the conviction of someone in the is now urging people with information to come forward and assist the police investigation."If anyone knows anything about this subject regarding my mum's disappearance and are still unsure whether to go to the police and say something, I would like to encourage them to do so because for a very long time I've been trying to uncover the truth and I really care about it - so does my family," she said"If anybody knows anything, go, even anonymously, and pass the information to the police."She added: "I would feel at peace that I succeeded, that I did everything I could to find out what happened and why."
The Sun
03-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Daughter of missing woman breaks silence as body found 15 years after mum vanished without a trace when she was just 9
THE daughter of a missing woman has broken her silence as a body was found 15 years after she vanished. Izabela Helena Zabłocka went missing in 2010, aged 30, after moving to the UK from Poland the previous year. 6 6 6 6 Daughter Kasia, who was just nine at the time her mum disappeared, contacted Derbyshire cops last month before an investigation was swiftly launched and arrests made. Detectives yesterday found what they believe to be Izabela's remains in the garden of a home on Princes Street in the Normanton area of Derby. Kasia, now 25, has spent much of her adult life trying to understand what happened to her mum. Following the grim discovery, she told The Sun: "I definitely want to know the truth as soon as possible." A 39-year-old woman, who was previously arrested on suspicion of murder, has been rearrested. Two other women, aged 39 and 43, as well as a 41-year-old man, who were all arrested in connection with the investigation over the course of the last week, remain on police bail, pending further inquiries. Detective Inspector Kane Martin, who is leading the investigation, said: 'Izabela's family are at the forefront of our minds following this discovery and, whilst formal identification has not yet taken place, it is our belief that these remains do belong to Izabela." Izabela's worried family had contacted Polish police on August 29 2010, but Derbyshire cops say the missing person report never reached them. The British constabulary said the first it was aware of the case was when Kasia contacted them in May. Izabela's family reluctantly accepted they would likely never find out what happened after the Polish probe ran cold in the mid 2010s. Kasia told The Sun last week: "When Mum went missing, I was 9 years old, I was a child. "It was only when I became an adult that I took up the search for Mum again. "I did everything to publicise my mother's disappearance; it took me a lot of time, but I hope I will find out the truth." She went on to say: "My family reported the case to the Polish police 15 years ago, but now we are finding out that the British police did not receive the report during those 15 years, and they have only just started an investigation. "The Polish police only checked prisons and hospitals and didn't find anything significant, and after a few years, the disappearance case went to the archive." She continued: "I started looking for her on my own as soon as I became an adult. "I started publicising my mother's disappearance in Poland, in the media and on YouTube. I did everything I could, and Polish charities helped me with this. "I started making posters about my mother's disappearance. I wrote to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, and they wrote back that they would check the prisons in England and Wales, but I did not receive any information on whether this was actually checked." The 25-year-old had hoped her mum had simply decided to start a new life, and she would suddenly appear with a new identity. However, those hopes were quashed when murder arrests were made, with Kasia admitting: "I'm very upset by the news I've received, and I'm so sorry that I received this message and not another one. "I've been looking for her for 15 years, and I hope I finally find out the truth." 'Piece together information' Mr Martin went on to say: 'We have spoken with Izabela's family in Poland, and they are aware. Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time. 'Identification of the remains is likely to be a lengthy process, but we will issue updates when we are able. 'I know that reports of these findings will send shockwaves through the local community, and I understand the concern of residents. 'Officers will remain in Princes Street in the coming days, and anyone with concerns is encouraged to speak with them." DI Martin explained that a "dedicated team of detectives" would continue their investigation to "piece together information" about the days leading up to Izabela's death. Izabela worked at the former Cranberry Foods chicken and turkey factory in Scropton, around 10 miles west of Derby. Crimestoppers is offering up to £20,000 for exclusive information relating to the investigation that leads to a conviction, with the reward valid for three months until August 27. Anyone with information can contact the charity via its website, or by calling 0800 555 111. 6 6
The Sun
31-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
I was only nine when my mum vanished – cops stopped caring so I took on the case… and it uncovered my worst fears
YOUNG mum Izabela Helena Zabłocka moved to the UK after landing a new job in 2009 - but just 18 months later she vanished without a trace. What's perhaps more baffling is that it would be 15 years until a formal search was launched in Britain - after her daughter finally stepped in to uncover the truth. 5 5 5 Izabela, who left behind nine-year-old daughter Kasia Zabłocka with family in Poland, had apparently been living happily in the Normanton area of Derby before she went missing on August 29, 2010. That day, the then 30-year-old left her home on Prince Street to head to work at the former Cranberry Foods Turkey and Chicken Factory, in Scropton, a few miles from the city. But her worried family reached out to Polish cops when she suddenly stopped making contact, despite telling loved ones that she planned to head back to Poland. Izabela's family was told that officers in the Eastern European country had made checks in prisons and hospitals, and it was assumed she had returned to her homeland. But they found nothing of significance before their investigation was thought to have been closed in 2015. To this day, the young mum has never been traced and Derbyshire Constabulary later confirmed the case was never communicated to them at the time of her disappearance. Izabela's family reluctantly accepted they would likely never find out what happened until her daughter decided to launch her own appeal. Earlier in May, Derbyshire Police were approached by Izabela's daughter, Kasia, now 25, who, in a last ditch effort to find her mum reported her as missing. She was then baffled to learn this was the first the force had heard about her. Derbyshire cops launched an appeal that led to more information emerging before they arrested two women, aged 39, and a man aged 41, on suspicion of murder on Tuesday (May 27), just over a week after the investigation was started. Kasia, who lives in Gryfice, northwest Poland, told The Sun she's now turned detective to finally find out what happened to her mother all those years ago. The force has yet to release any further details about the case - and the timeline around Izabela's disappearance is still not entirely clear. Speaking just hours before the arrests, Kasia said: "I hope I will find out the truth about her disappearance." She continued: "I was a child then, now I am an adult, and I've decided to try to find her myself." Kasia has no idea why Polish cops never liaised with forces in the UK but she hopes the latest probe will uncover the truth. Speaking to The Sun via an online translator, she said: "My family reported my mother missing when she stopped calling us, and we reported her disappearance to the Polish police. "The British police have taken up the investigation into my mother's disappearance and this is all I know about the case. "I can say that she left for Derby at the beginning of 2009 and went missing on August 29, 2010." Despite the torment of not knowing, she remembers her mum fondly, recalling her helping her with homework and taking her on days out before her move to UK. She says those brief memories have kept her driven and saved her from giving up on her search for answers. Kasia continued: "Mum was a sociable, cheerful person; she had many friends. "She loved spending time with me and having fun together. She took care of me and helped me with my school homework." Worst fears come true Kasia has been posting about her mother's disappearance in missing persons groups on Facebook, and a private investigation firm, Alpha Investigators, has also shared information online. She has also been liaising with charities in Poland, as well as writing to the Polish embassy in London - who she says confirmed they would check prisons in England and Wales. Kasia, who has so far been unable to travel to the UK, added: "When Mum went missing, I was 9 years old, I was a child. "It was only when I became an adult that I took up the search for Mum again. "I did everything to publicise my mother's disappearance; it took me a lot of time, but I hope I will find out the truth." She went on to say: "My family reported the case to the Polish police 15 years ago, but now we are finding out that the British police did not receive the report during those 15 years, and they have only just started an investigation. "The Polish police only checked prisons and hospitals and didn't find anything significant, and after a few years, the disappearance case went to the archive." 5 5 She continued: "I started looking for her on my own as soon as I became an adult. "I started publicising my mother's disappearance in Poland, in the media and on YouTube. I did everything I could, and Polish charities helped me with this. "I started making posters about my mother's disappearance. I wrote to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, and they wrote back that they would check the prisons in England and Wales, but I did not receive any information on whether this was actually checked." The 25-year-old had hoped her mum had simply decided to start a new life, and she would suddenly appear with a new identity. But now she accepts she is likely dead. And sadly, her fears were confirmed when cops arrested three people on suspicion of murder on Tuesday. Talking about the tragic update, she says: "I'm very upset by the news I've received, and I'm so sorry that I received this message and not another one. "I want to know where my mother's remains are; I really need to know. "I've been looking for her for 15 years, and I hope I finally find out the truth." The three people arrested have since been bailed pending further enquiries, with searches of a property in Derby continuing. Forensic teams and officers have been searching an address in Princes Street as part of the investigation and will remain there for the "coming days", they said this week. Cops believe Izabela is dead, but no remains have been found. But they did say they believed the answers surrounding Izabela's disappearance "are in the community" and urged anyone who knew her to come forward. Timeline of Izabela Helena Zabłocka's disappearance Early 2009 - Izabela Helena Zabłocka moved from her home in Gryfice, northwest Poland, to Normanton in Derby to begin factory work. August 29 2010 - Her family report Izabela missing to Polish police and an investigation is launched. Around 2015 - They were told by Polish cops the case had been archived. 2018-2025 - Kasia undertook her own search, posting appeals online, liaising with charities in Poland and eventually contacting the Polish Embassy in London. May 2025 - Kasia reported her mum as missing to Derbyshire Police and was surprised to hear they had never been informed she had disappeared. May 28 2025 - Derbyshire Police arrest three people on suspicion of murder after opening the case around a week earlier. Superintendent Rebecca Webster read a statement in front of media outside 113 Princes Street, Normanton at 3.30pm on Wednesday (May 28), urging anyone who knew Izabela to come forward, regardless of how insignificant the information may seem. She said: "We're here today to appeal for information as part of a murder inquiry linked to the disappearance of Izabela Zablocka some 15 years ago. "I wanted to start this appeal by stating that, due to information we have received recently, we believe that Izabela is dead. "However, we have not found her remains. I understand that this will cause concern amongst the community, not least due to the time passed since Izabela's disappearance. "Izabela, a Polish national, came to the UK in 2009 and lived in Princes Street in Normanton during 2010. Izabela last made contact with her family in Poland on August 28, 2010, but despite their best efforts to trace her, she has never been found. "A missing persons report was not made to Derbyshire police or any other UK authority at this time. "However, in the last week, officers received a report with information about Izabela's disappearance which led to a murder investigation being launched. "We know that Izabela worked for a time at the former Cranberry Foods Turkey and Chicken Factory in Scropton. In the last few days, officers have been searching an address in Princes Street which will continue into the coming days. "Two women, aged 39, and a man, aged 41, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and have now been released on bail pending further inquiries. "We believe the answers around Izabela's disappearance are in the community. "People will have known her. People will have worked with her. And people will have socialised with her. Then one day she vanished. "Do you remember anything from that time? Do you remember anyone acting suspicously? Do you remember anyone saying something about Izabela that seems to you odd now today? "No matter how insignificant you think it is, please come forward and speak to us or Crimestoppers. You may hold they key to bring answers to Izabela's family." Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for any information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for Izabela's death.
