Court in Poland overturns closure of case into death in parish house — Interia

The District Court in Sierpc, Poland, has overturned the decision of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Płock to discontinue the investigation into the death of a 31-year-old man in a parish house in Drobin, Masovian Voivodeship. The case has been referred for further proceedings, Interia reports.

Further directions of the investigation

The court considered a complaint filed by a representative of the injured party — a family member of the deceased. It concluded that the collected evidence provides grounds to continue proceedings concerning possible unintentional causing of death or failure to provide assistance to a person whose life or health was in immediate danger.

According to the court, in order to determine the further direction of the investigation, it is necessary to establish who purchased and subsequently supplied the substances prohibited by law which, in the court’s assessment, led to the man’s death. The district court’s decision, issued following consideration of the complaint, is not subject to appeal.

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What actions the court proposed

The court also indicated the need to supplement the evidence base with conclusions in the fields of toxicology and forensic medicine. In addition, it proposed considering questioning the police officers and the prosecutor who supervised their actions about their observations of signs of the victim’s death that should have been entered in the body examination report.

Police received a report of the man’s death in the apartment of the then-vicar in the parish house on September 7, 2024. The investigation into unintentional causing of death was initially opened by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Sierpc and was later taken over by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Płock. In July, it announced that the case had been discontinued due to the absence of elements of a crime, including in the matter of possible failure to provide assistance.

In June 2025, experts clarified that the man’s death, linked to cardiorespiratory failure, resulted from poisoning of the body with various substances. Their composition was not disclosed, citing the interests of the investigation and the confidentiality of information about the deceased’s health. The Płock diocesan curia had previously reported that the vicar was removed from his position and later renounced the priesthood.