The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Jarosław Ziętara

Jarosław Ziętara was an investigative journalist working in Poznań during Poland's turbulent economic transition of the early 1990s. He disappeared on the morning of September 1, 1992. No body has been recovered, and no one has been finally convicted for his disappearance or presumed killing.

The disappearance

Ziętara was last seen in Poznań's Łazarz district on September 1, 1992. He was later legally declared dead, but the physical evidence needed to establish exactly what happened to him has remained incomplete.

Investigators eventually developed the theory that he was abducted and killed because of information he was gathering about major economic scandals. That is the prosecution theory. The motive has not been established by a final murder conviction.

Separate prosecutions, no final conviction

The modern proceedings have followed more than one legal track. Former senator Aleksander Gawronik was prosecuted on an allegation that he incited Ziętara's killing. He was acquitted, and on December 19, 2024 Poland's Supreme Court dismissed the prosecution's cassation. That made his acquittal final.

The acquittal is important to state precisely: Gawronik is not a convicted participant in the crime, and this archive does not identify him as one.

The case concerning two former security guards

In a separate proceeding, Mirosław R. and Dariusz L. were accused of abducting Ziętara, unlawfully detaining him and assisting in his killing. They were acquitted at first instance.

On December 2, 2025, the Poznań Court of Appeal overturned those acquittals and ordered the case to be heard again. The appellate decision did not convict either man; it required a new examination of the evidence.

Evidence gaps identified in 2026

When the renewed case returned to the Poznań Regional Court, the court found that important evidentiary gaps still had to be addressed. On May 25, 2026, it returned the file to the Kraków prosecution for additional work.

Radio Poznań reported that the court specifically pointed to missing or incomplete material connected with former state-security files and also expected further examination of a recorded witness conversation. The prosecution continued to pursue the case, while the accused remained protected by the presumption of innocence.

Current status

As of this page's August 29, 2026 review, Ziętara's remains had not been found, no final conviction had established who abducted or killed him, and the proceedings concerning the two accused men were still active following the 2025 retrial order and the 2026 request for additional evidence.

The archive therefore classifies the case as Unsolved / Active proceedings.

Timeline

1. September 1, 1992
   Jarosław Ziętara disappears

   The investigative journalist vanishes in Poznań. He is never found.

2. 1999
   Legally declared dead

   Ziętara is declared dead in law, while the circumstances of his disappearance remain unresolved.

3. December 19, 2024
   Gawronik acquittal becomes final

   The Supreme Court dismisses the prosecution cassation in the separate incitement case, leaving the former senator finally acquitted.

4. December 2, 2025
   Acquittals of two other defendants overturned

   The Poznań Court of Appeal orders a new trial concerning allegations against Mirosław R. and Dariusz L.

5. May 25, 2026
   Case returned for evidentiary supplementation

   The Poznań Regional Court directs prosecutors to fill important gaps before the renewed proceedings continue.

6. August 29, 2026
   No final resolution

   No final conviction has established who was responsible for Ziętara's disappearance and presumed killing.