[4] In 1998, Katarzyna Zowada (1 June 1975 – c. 7–14 December 1998) began studying religion at Jagllonian University, located in nearby Kraków.
[5] On 12 November 1998, Katarzyna was due to meet her mother at the Psychiatric Clinic in Nowa Huta, where she had been treated for her depression.
Later that day, Katarzyna's mother attempted to file a missing person's report at the local police station, but was told to wait.
However, when the body fragments were examined, it was discovered that the skin was deliberately removed from the torso and the limbs and head were cut off.
[9] Experts from the 3D Expertise Laboratory of the Wrocław Medical University created a model of injuries inflicted on the victim.
They concluded that the attacker had used a sharp tool to wound his victim on her neck, armpit and groin, to inflict pain and cause her to bleed to death.
[3] In 2014, an FBI representative for Europe created a psychological profile of the suspect, pointing to his sadistic tendencies.
[10] In 2016, investigators consulted with University of Coimbra professor Duarte Nuno Vieira, a Portuguese specialist in forensics and UN expert in the field of signs of torture on the human body.
He confirmed that Katarzyna was tortured before her death and that the perpetrator was probably trained in martial arts, specifically one particular, undisclosed variation.
[3] On 4 October 2017, 19 years after the murder, police arrested 52-year old Robert Janczewski in Kraków's Kazimierz district.
[13] On 31 October 2024 the Court of Appeal found Robert Janczewski could no longer be held without trial, and he was released from custody.