21-year-old son charged with murdering his mother and attempting to kill his grandmother in Chojna, West Pomerania

Discovery and initial response

On the morning of July 20, 2026, around 10 a.m., police in Chojna, a town of about 7,000 residents in West Pomerania's Gryfino County, discovered the body of a 46-year-old woman inside a house. The exact cause of death has not been disclosed, but authorities immediately launched a search for a person of interest. Within three hours, they detained the victim's 21-year-old son. The operation drew on multiple police units: prevention officers, dog handlers with trained tracking dogs, and officers piloting drones to scan the area. Additional personnel from Szczecin were called in to support the search.

A man who may have been connected with the death of a woman whose body was found today around 10 a.m. in Chojna has been arrested.

Charges and the suspect's account

The suspect was brought before the Gryfino District Prosecutor's Office on July 21. Footage captured by TVN24 showed him being led into the building wearing a special protective helmet, a standard precaution in high-profile cases. Once inside, he was formally charged with the murder of his mother and the attempted murder of his grandmother. Damian Kordykiewicz, a spokesman for the Szczecin District Prosecutor's Office, confirmed the charges.

The man did not admit to the charges.

During questioning, his statements were brief and provided little help to investigators. The prosecutor's office said that because his explanations were so sparse, the exact sequence of events on the day of the killing remains under investigation. Local reporter Krzysztof Zasada of RMF FM reported that the incident stemmed from family arguments, though authorities have not officially confirmed a motive.

His explanations were very sparse, so investigators are still establishing the exact course of the tragedy.

Court orders pre-trial detention

The Gryfino District Court considered the prosecution's request for three months of pre-trial detention on July 22. Judge Michał Tomala, spokesman for the Szczecin Regional Court, stated that the court saw a high probability the suspect had committed the crimes. The judge also noted that the court appointed a public defender for the defendant.

The court assessed that the likelihood of the suspect committing the crimes is high and decided on his temporary arrest until October 18.

The decision took into account the severity of the punishment facing the suspect (up to life imprisonment), the risk that he might tamper with evidence, and the possibility of flight. The detention order runs through October 18, 2026.

Legal context and next steps

Under Article 148 of the Polish Criminal Code, murder is punishable by imprisonment for a term of not less than 10 years, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment. The ancillary charge of attempted murder also carries a heavy sentence. The Gryfino District Prosecutor's Office continues to lead the investigation, with procedural oversight from the Szczecin regional office. As of July 22, the suspect remained in custody, and no further details about the grandmother's condition or the exact circumstances of the attack had been released. Authorities have said they are still gathering forensic evidence and interviewing witnesses to piece together what happened in the hours before the body was found.