Human remains unearthed during Poznań sidewalk works; police investigate WWII link
Construction workers in Poznań’s Wilczy Młyn district unearthed a large number of human bones while building a new sidewalk on 13 June. Police, a forensic anthropologist and prosecutors are investigating whether the remains are historical wartime casualties or evidence of a crime.
Discovery
A man walking past a sidewalk construction site on Wilczy Młyn Street in Poznań spotted a significant quantity of bones protruding from a pile of excavated earth on Saturday, 13 June. The remains, uncovered during heavy rains, prompted an immediate call to the police. The site, near the Naramowice neighbourhood along Lechicka Street, is the latest in a series of grim finds in the district.
We received a report from a man who, while walking along the newly built section of the path, found a large number of bones, probably human.
Construction workers had been laying a new pavement when they too came across the bones, which were later described as fragments of limbs by the local cable TV station WTK.
Police and expert response
Officers from Poznań’s Municipal Police secured the scene on Saturday. A forensic anthropologist, a crime-scene technician and a prosecutor were summoned. By Sunday, 14 June, the anthropologist had delivered a preliminary verdict.
On Sunday we received confirmation from the anthropologist that the bones are human and have been lying there for many years.
The remains were packaged and transferred to the forensic medicine department for laboratory testing. A mass grave or formal burial site has been ruled out, the daily Głos Wielkopolski reported.
Old wounds or recent crime?
Investigators are pursuing two hypotheses. The first points to a historical origin: the northern Poznań suburbs saw heavy fighting in early 1945 as Soviet forces advanced on the city. Police spokesperson Anna Klój noted that it is not the first such discovery in the area. The same anthropologist recognised the spot from 15 years earlier, when another human skeleton was found during path construction.
A criminal lead has not been discarded, though no suspects have been named. The bones’ age will be determined through forensic analysis.
- Police alerted after bones spotted at sidewalk construction site on Wilczy Młyn estate.
- Anthropologist, forensic technician and prosecutor called to the scene.
- Anthropologist confirms remains are human and have been buried for many years.
- Bones secured and transferred to forensic medicine for further tests.
What happens next
The material secured at the site is now with the forensic medicine institute. The prosecutor supervising the case will decide on further steps once the lab results are available. Until then, the sidewalk project remains suspended.
