Warsaw police have detained 43-year-old plumber Michał P. following the bank-reported strangulation of an elderly woman on February 23, 2025, with investigators currently examining other unattended elderly deaths across the Polish capital to determine if the suspect represents the country’s most prolific serial killer, dnes.bg reported.
The Late-Night Bank Call That Triggered an Arrest
An elderly resident in the Kabaty district of Warsaw contacted a major Polish bank’s hotline to change her credit card PIN. The bank employee on the other end generated a new code, but the connection remained open. According to a female police officer who spoke with wyborcza.pl, the bank worker listened as the elderly woman was strangled.
Michał P. realized the victim’s phone was still connected and hung up before attempting to flee. Police officers dispatched by the bank employee found him hiding on a building balcony directly beneath the victim’s apartment. He remains in custody.
Six Confirmed Murders Versus Dozens of Investigated Cold Cases
In February, prosecutors charged Michał P. with the murders of six women and the robbery of a seventh victim who died during an assault. No formal indictment has been filed yet as Warsaw’s Terrorism and Homicide Department analyzes records of elderly people who lived alone and died in the city over recent years. Because natural deaths in home armchairs rarely trigger autopsies or thorough family checks, investigators are reviewing mandatory police protocols filed during past out-of-hospital deaths.
Investigators noted that the suspect frequently left apartment windows cracked wide open during the winter months. Police explain this tactic was used to mask the smell of decomposing bodies from neighboring apartments. A search of Michał P.’s phone revealed 75,000 photos, including images of items stolen from victims whose identities investigators are still working to confirm.
False Trust and the Evolution of a Plumber’s Crime Spree
Posing as a trusted tradesman, Michał P. relied on word-of-mouth recommendations to gain access to apartments. A police investigator stated that the suspect successfully established rapport and trust with clients. While some elderly clients invited him for coffee or even loaned him money, others faced a deadlier pattern. Prosecutors state he returned to victim homes under false pretexts, carrying a backpack filled with gloves, grey duct tape, and plastic zip ties to bind and interrogate them before suffocation with garbage bags or pillows.
Early crimes featured chemical cleanups, whereas later attacks, such as one on Wąwozowa Street, left behind biological evidence, footprints, and a sprayed bottle of Domestos cleaner alongside unremoved zip ties.
Accomplices and Additional Charges Filed in Warsaw
Taras H., a 33-year-old Ukrainian national, was arrested near Bródno police station alongside Michał P. and charged with aiding in multiple attacks, including a February 17 robbery on Pruszkowska Street where 80-year-old retired neurologist Barbara suffered a fatal heart attack after tradesmen gained entry by claiming to represent building management.
A second Ukrainian national, Igor H., was arrested in November 2025 on allegations of participating in the December 2024 murders of two sisters on Grzybowska Street and a January 2025 murder on John Paul II Avenue. Meanwhile, Polish national Jarosław O. faces charges for allegedly pawning stolen items across Warsaw pawnshops and at the Koło flea market. While Taras H. admits to robbery involvement without homicidal intent, Igor H. denies all charges, and Michał P. refuses to cooperate with authorities.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Warsaw Plumber Investigation
What historical cases are investigators using for comparison?
Investigators are comparing the potential victim count to historic Polish serial killers, noting that Paweł T., known as “Scorpion,” was convicted of nine murders in the 1980s, and Zdzisław Marchwicki, dubbed the “Zagłębie Vampire,” was convicted of killing 14 women in the 1970s.
How are older, uninvestigated deaths being re-examined?
Police and prosecutors are combing through mandatory home-death protocols filed by Warsaw police over recent years. In at least one instance, authorities conducted an exhumation nine months after a victim’s death to secure forensic evidence.
Where were the stolen goods disposed of?
According to investigators, the loot—ranging from electronics to art and apparel—was fenced through various pawnshops throughout Warsaw and sold directly at the Koło flea market by an associate named Jarosław O.
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