Khaberni - Polish police found a 42-year-old woman who had been held captive in her own room by her parents for 27 years, in the city of Siewierz, in the southern part of the country, after she had disappeared from sight since 1998 when she was fifteen.
The story began last July when the police received a report from neighbors about strange noises and disturbances coming from the family's apartment.
Upon arrival, the elderly landlady (82 years old) denied any altercation, but the officers insisted on speaking to the other woman, who appeared pale and confused, asserting that "everything is fine".
However, her appearance raised suspicions with the police, who noticed injuries and bruises on her legs, prompting them to call an ambulance.
In the hospital, doctors discovered that the woman in her forties was days away from death due to severe infections and extreme malnutrition. It later became apparent from initial examinations and investigations that she had been held in her room for 27 years for unknown reasons.
According to the prosecutor’s investigation, decades ago, the parents had reported the "disappearance" of their daughter Mirella, claiming she had left the home and vanished without a trace, which led neighbors to believe that she had either run away from home or traveled. However, the truth was that the girl had lived all those years behind a closed door in a small room, completely isolated from the world.
Organizers of a fundraising campaign launched to help Mirella confirmed that she had not left her room since 1998, nor had she visited a doctor or dentist, or even a beauty salon during this time.
She was quoted as saying she "has not seen her city evolve, has never gone out for a stroll, or even to the balcony", adding that she did not have an identity card and had not undergone any medical examination since her childhood.
The doctors explained that her health and psychological condition are critical, and that she has been receiving treatment for two months in the hospital.
The public prosecutor Anjieszka Kwatierra confirmed that an extensive investigation was launched to determine the conditions of Mirella’s imprisonment and those responsible for it, noting that some details of the case cannot currently be revealed for legal and humanitarian reasons.
