Residents of a Polish village where a father and daughter were accused of incest and the murder of three babies said there could be more victims.
Piotr, 54, and Paulina Gierasik, 20, now face life in prison on suspicion of murder and incestuous maintenance after the remains of three infants were discovered in the basement of a property in the village of Czerniki, in northern Poland last week.
Police discovered the dark basement where Piotr Gierasik allegedly threw his own daughter’s newborn babies, wrapped in plastic and buried in shallow graves, to death as they continued their four-year relationship in secret.
Authorities also identified that one of the corpses belonged to another of Piotr’s four daughters, identified as Paulina’s older sister.
Now, residents say there could be even more dead babies from another girl, who was allegedly raped by the father.
A woman described by local media as being “close to the family” told the Fakt newspaper: “One of the girls gave birth to twins, the circumstances of this case are unexplained, the children have disappeared.
Piotr allegedly had an incestuous relationship with his daughter for four years.
Paulina Gierasik, 20 (pictured), was arrested with her father Piotr after the babies’ remains were discovered in shallow graves and wrapped in plastic bags on the property.
The infants were found in the basement of the family’s home in Czerniki, northern Poland.
Speaking to Fakt, the woman added: “About 2-3 years ago, one of Piotr’s daughters was pregnant with twins. Now we begin to remember everything.
“He took the girl to another province, supposedly to give birth, to Toruń (150 kilometers away) or Ciechocinek (160 kilometers away).
“He assured the social workers that everything was fine and they believed him, but now no one knows what happened to these children.
“Why did he take her so far?” Why not in Gdańsk? (35 miles).
Police had visited the property after receiving a worrying tip from social services, but while searching the property for evidence, they discovered a foul odor emanating from a basement inside the house .
Two of the babies had been put in plastic bags and buried in a shallow grave in the soft ground beneath the house.
A third – which probably belonged to another of Piotr’s daughters – was simply left to decompose.
According to prosecutors, “there is no doubt that the children were murdered.”
Joanna Mikołajska, director of the Social Assistance Center in Stara Kiszewa, said: “As social services, we cannot enter homes by force.
“A specific report would be needed to have a basis for action. We always call on these reports. They can be anonymous.
“Now we received such a signal and our action was immediate, but on a human level we analyze everything. We ask ourselves if we did everything correctly, if we could have done something more.
“On a human level, we are shocked.
“None of us expected to have to face such a tragedy.”
According to local mayor Marian Pick, when social workers arrived at the house, Paulina was lying on the bed, fully dressed, saying she felt unwell and had a stomach ache.
The mayor said that after hearing fears that “something bad” might happen, the social worker arrived the next afternoon, having previously been sent to investigate reports about the family,
He added that earlier suspicions had been rejected by a court.
Piotr, 54, and Paulina Gierasik, 20, allegedly threw the three children born of incest in their basement
Police discovered the dark basement where Piotr Gierasik allegedly threw his own daughter’s newborn babies to death, wrapped in plastic and buried in shallow graves.
Front door closed as Polish police continue investigation
Pick told the Fakt newspaper: “The social worker went there in the afternoon and met Paulina and her disabled brother.
“At first their father was listening to the conversation, but our employee asked him to leave them alone, he must have lost his guard because he agreed.
“Paulina was lying on the bed, fully dressed, she said she lay down because she didn’t feel well and had a bit of a stomach ache.
“A few days later, the police arrived in Czerniki, took Paulina to the hospital, the doctor confirmed that she was pregnant, but there was no baby.
“Then the police arrested the girl and she said that the body was buried in the cellar, but she added that there were two other bodies, that is, three babies buried in the cellar .
“We are all shocked, this father can only be called a degenerate, nothing else.”