It is important not only what a person says, but also how he acts. 80 percent of signals are non-verbal messages that can tell us whether someone is telling the truth or lying, says investigative and preventive psychologist Bogdan Lach. The prosecutor is again interrogating witnesses who, in his opinion, may have information about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of 16-year-old Michal Karash.
Prosecutor Michal Lasota, who is investigating the disappearance of Michal Karash, has selected about 20 witnesses for re-examination. These include the people who were at the discotheque in Bieliny on the day the 16-year-old disappeared, but not only them. – These persons were selected for re-interrogation based on the analysis of the procedural cases. In my opinion, they may have some information about Michal’s disappearance, – says the prosecutor Lasota. Shortlisted people will be interviewed later this month.
Prosecutor Lasota reminds that according to Article 240 of the Criminal Code, anyone who “has reliable information about criminal preparations or attempts to commit a prohibited act”, including murder, “must not immediately inform the authorities responsible for prosecuting crimes. three A person who gives false testimony can be imprisoned for up to eight years.
Also read: Searching for traces of the spirit and the mystery of the disappearance of Michal Karash
– It is very likely that one of the people who were with him at the disco, someone from the village saw something, knows something, and if they have such information, they should share it with the law enforcement authorities, because they can be punished for withholding information. , – noted the prosecutor Lasota.
“Bavilon” discotheque was located in this building. Today, the OSPMartyna Sokołowska center has its headquarters there
“The body speaks more than the language itself”
The selected persons are interviewed in the presence of the investigating psychologist. He is an expert who analyzes people’s behavior, thought processes and emotions in the context of criminal cases. Based on the analysis of verbal and non-verbal signals, it assesses whether the statements of witnesses or suspects correspond to reality or not.
– In questioning, it is not only what a person says, but also how he behaves that is important. 80 percent of the messages we receive in everyday life are non-verbal messages that can tell us whether someone is telling the truth or lying. The body speaks more than the language itself. Gestures, reactions and the latent period in the statement (the time when a person passes from the moment of receiving a question to the moment of answering, editor’s note) are non-verbal messages that are very important and sometimes tell us more than words – explains Dr. Bogdan Lach, investigative psychologist, court expert in the field of psychology and one of the most famous prophylactics in Poland.
Also read: This is where Michal used to play before he disappeared. After 24 years, investigators entered the building of the discotheque
Michal Karash was 16 years old when the family archive was lost
During such interrogation, not only the prosecutor, but also the investigating psychologist can ask questions. If the witness agrees (in the case of the suspect, such consent is not required), the expert can also conduct psychological tests to answer the question of the existence of psychological premises that the witness hides or distorts the truth.
– Such inquiries allow us to answer the question whether this person is related to the incident? And if there is such a relationship, how and how strong is it? Circumstances that occur in the course of this cooperation may lead to the disclosure of new important circumstances for a given case – Bohdan Lach notes.
But – as the expert emphasizes, it is difficult to judge whether someone is guilty or not based on the interrogation alone. If there are no obvious symptoms, but these are rare cases. In most cases, it is necessary to analyze all the materials collected during the investigation.
On August 19, 2000, Michal left his home in the village of Beliniets and went to a disco in the village of Belini, less than four kilometers from Google Maps, TVN24
– And how to break the conspiracy of silence? – I ask my interlocutor. – You should ask yourself: what does a person gain and what does he lose by starting to speak? And the more these losses are, the more difficult it is to convince such a person to break the conspiracy of silence, – answers Bogdan Lach. He adds: Conspiracy of silence can have different forms. This can be, for example, fear of a potential threat. People who remain silent must have information related to the incident, and if they do not speak about it, it means that they are worried about their life and health.
Such people, as prosecutor Michal Lasota notes, the investigators guarantee full anonymity. – The Criminal Procedure Code allows solving issues that do not lead to the disclosure of a person’s identity, – assures the prosecutor.
Michal Karash family archive
They chose the “mystery blonde”.
Despite the inquiries, investigators are still doing other work aimed at explaining what happened to Michal Karash. In October, they searched the tank located in the area next to the building where the “Bavilon” discotheque was located years ago, and the sewage pits around it. They found no trace of the missing 17-year-old.
Also read: Bodies could have been hidden there. 24 years after Michal’s disappearance, they check the tank at the disco
Investigators dug up and searched a cistern that was used as a septic tank next to the disco in 2000. Martina Sokolovska
In December, they entered the building of the former discotheque. The technicians managed to secure the remains, which are being examined by the biological and blood traces specialists from the forensic laboratory in Rzeszów. We will have to wait a bit for the results.
However, there are already test results of the note Michal’s brother Andrzej found under the candle in their mother’s grave. The findings of fingerprint and biological traces experts show that there are no fingerprints or biological traces – saliva, epidermis or sweat. It is not yet known who left the note on the grave and for what purpose.
Investigators identified the person whose name and surname were written on the card. They do not reveal his identity, only that he is a man who lives in Podkarpacie. The investigators plan to interrogate him.
Also read: New leader in search of Michal. A note was found on his mother’s grave
Investigators also identified a girl – a “mysterious blonde” – who was partying with the missing 16-year-old at a disco in Belini. The woman will be interrogated soon.
Based on the phone records, they also identified the people who called Michal’s house on the day of his disappearance and the following days. As prosecutor Michal Lasota told us, the missing 16-year-old sister recognized all the numbers, they belong to family friends.
Also read: Billing records and old phone book. A new lead in the missing Michal Karash case
Nationwide DNA data is still being sought. Michal’s biological material, which was separated from his school notebooks, was included in the database. Investigators want to check if this missing teenager is not among the unidentified people whose body has been found in Poland since the day he disappeared.
One of the last events was the interrogation of the alias of Grand Master Marek K. will be the owner of a disco in Belini in 2000 when Michal disappeared. Now he is serving 13 years in prison. to lead a criminal group. In December of this year, the appeals court of the city of Rzeszów reduced his sentence by one year. According to the schedule, he should be released from prison in 2027.
Also read: The former leader of the gang will soon be released from prison. It was at his disco that 16-year-old Michal was last seen
Marek K. Beata Olejarka / Agencja SE / East News
– We are not limited to one version of events. All possible options of investigation were investigated. None of them can be treated as the dominant and the only correct one, emphasizes the prosecutor Lasota.
Investigation after 23 years
Michal Karash disappeared on the night of August 19-20, 2000. He was last seen at a disco in Belini, a small village in the Nizhny region of Podkarpackie. To this day, it is not known what happened to him. No trace of this 16-year-old was found.
The investigation into the disappearance of the teenager was started only after 23 years, on September 28, 2023, after the report of the missing sister to the Nisko district prosecutor’s office. A case was opened based on Article 148 of the Criminal Code, i.e. murder. On October 16, the prosecutor’s office of Tarnobrzheg region took over this work.
This case was initiated after the notification was sent to the prosecutor’s office by the missing 16-year-old sister and brother. After we described the case on tvn24.pl in September 2023 and attracted the attention of the founders of Krakow X-Files, they met with the family and helped them write an application to the prosecutor’s office to start an investigation into the case. they did
Also read: 23 years ago he went to a disco and disappeared. The prosecutor’s office is investigating what happened to Michal
Michal’s brothers believe that this boy may have been the victim of a crime.
– We believe that Michal could have been killed, – Bojena Martina, the sister of the missing teenager, told us. – Michal was a responsible person and did not cause any problems in education. He took care of his sick father and helped on the farm. So far, it has not happened that he does not come home at night. He was not argumentative, he had no enemies, – she pointed out.
The brothers also reject two other scenarios – suicide and running away from home.
He danced with a mysterious blonde and disappeared
The case of the disappearance of Michal Karash was widely described in the portal tvn24.pl in early September 2023. The boy lived with his sister and father in Beliniets, a small village in Podkarpackie. On Saturday, August 19, 2000, he went with a group of friends to a disco in the town of Belini, which is four kilometers away, and there was no trace of him. The family first searched for the boy on their own and reported him missing to the police on Monday.
In this case, it was not possible to establish much, and the police of Nisko, who conducted activities in this case, give very moderate information about the activities themselves. Sergeant Katarzyna Prakalo, the press officer of the Nisko district police office, told us that in this case “a number of people were interviewed and interviewed, the content obtained was analyzed and verified.”
Also read: He danced with a mysterious blonde and disappeared. “He is the key to solving this mystery.”
The subject of the investigation was a “mysterious blonde” with whom the 16-year-old was having fun at the disco that fateful evening. According to witnesses cited by the police, Michal allegedly left the discotheque with her, got into a car and drove off in an unknown direction. Police also considered the version of him being “dragged” into the car, as witnesses reported it. At that time, the police could not determine the identity of this young woman, the make and color of the car, and the direction of its departure. The case of Michal Karash’s disappearance has remained a mystery for 24 years.
Michal Karash family archive
People who have information about the disappearance of Michal, who were at the disco in Belini on August 19, 2000, or who may have important information in this case, are asked to contact the police – you can come in person to the Nisko district police station. call 47 826 33 10, Tarnobrzeg District Prosecutor’s Office at 15 866 81 11 or contact the Fund. ITAKA looking for Michal, call 22 654 70 70.
The investigators guarantee the anonymity of the informants.
Main photo source: Family Archives
