DNA and genetic genealogy lead to arrest in 2011 murder of 13-year-old Izabela Strzałkowska

The crime

On 23 August 2011, 13-year-old Izabela Strzałkowska left her home in Gdynia's Dąbrowa district to walk a friend to a bus stop. She was last seen on CCTV at 20:22, heading back along a path through a small wood. When she failed to return, her mother Małgorzata went searching and found her body in bushes just 300 metres from their home. The girl had been strangled; her trousers were pulled down, but no rape occurred. Investigators determined the motive was sexual.

The investigation

The case shocked Poland. Police interviewed over 950 witnesses, collected more than 900 DNA samples, and obtained nearly 150 expert opinions in fields from genetics to materials engineering. A composite sketch of a man aged 55–60 was circulated, but no match was found. Despite the scale of the effort, the investigation was suspended in 2013 with no suspect identified. The case was later taken over by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk and the police "Archives X" cold-case unit in 2020.

Genetic genealogy breakthrough

For the first time in Poland, investigators turned to genetic genealogy – not as direct evidence, but as an investigative lead. A team of experts spent two years analysing DNA kinship across large databases, cross-referencing with metric records. This work eventually pointed to Michał S., a man living in Gdynia. Prosecutor Mariusz Marciniak stressed that the genealogy report itself is not proof of guilt, but it enabled detectives to zero in on the suspect.

We searched all over Europe, all over the world, and the suspect was close – about 500 metres from the girl.

The suspect

Michał S. was 22 at the time of the murder and lived in the same neighbourhood as the victim. Now 37, he is married with two preschool-age children and had no prior police record. Officers arrested him at his home on the morning of 21 July 2026. He immediately understood the accusation and confessed to the killing, but declined to provide any further explanation. On 22 July, a Gdańsk court ordered a three-month pre-trial detention. He faces a possible life sentence.

Despite the lack of the killer's DNA profile in databases and no direct witnesses, the search never stopped.

What comes next

The arrest brings a measure of resolution to a case that has haunted the Pomerania region for 15 years. Izabela's mother died five years ago, never seeing justice for her daughter. The investigation, now backed by a DNA match from two independent laboratories, will proceed to trial.