Katarzyna Zowada was a 23-year-old student at Krakow's Jagiellonian University. She was studying Religious Studies. Her friends described her as pleasant but sad and withdrawn.

Katarzyna had been depressed since the death of her father in 1996. Katarzyna was scheduled for an appointment at the Psychiatric Clinic in Nowa Huta on November 12, 1998. Her mother had planned to meet her there. When Katarzyna failed to appear, her mother became concerned and called the police. The police said it was too early to file a missing person's report and advised her to wait.

Murder investigation

On January 6, 1999, while sailing on the Vistula River, a tug boat named the Elk got something stuck in its propeller. When the crew came to a halt to investigate, they discovered a strange rubber-band-like material wrapped all the way around the propeller.

When the crew removed the object, they discovered a human ear and realized they had discovered human skin.

The police were called, and DNA tests revealed that the skin belonged to Katarzyna Zowada.

The body was initially thought to have been damaged by the propeller, but further testing revealed that the skinning occurred while Katarzyna was still alive.

Katarzyna was severely beaten, drugged, and tortured for weeks before her death, according to police. Her skin was riddled with stab wounds and lacerations. She had been raped both before and after her death, according to the evidence.

Initially, police had little to go on in their search for Katarzyna's killer. In 1999, a man named Vladimir W. murdered his father in Krakow. He then severed his father's skin and wore it as a mask. Police thought it was too coincidental that two incidents like this could occur in the same city in such a short period of time.

They had strong suspicions that Vladimir had also murdered Katarzyna, but no proof.

Janczewski was a person of interest in the initial investigation, but there was insufficient evidence to convict him. In 2017, he was arrested after one of his friends wrote a letter to the police implying that Janczewski was a murderer.

Blood was discovered in the bath and bath frame after Janczewski's apartment was searched.

Janczewski fit the psychological profile of someone who would commit such a heinous murder. He was well-versed in martial arts, had a history of harassing women, and was known to frequent Katarzyna's grave.

Janczewski claims he never met Katarzyna and played no role in her death. He has been imprisoned for the last five years, with his trial details kept private.

Janczewski was a good match for the mental profile. He was well-known for harassing women and was an expert in combative techniques. He had also known Katarzyna and had been seen visiting her grave on a few occasions.

He had previously worked in a lab managing human bodies and at the Krakow Institute of Zoology, where he witnessed the handling of creature skins.