Sylwia Ciapcinska
Sylwia Ciapcinska

The family of a Lichfield factory worker who was found dead in Burton have paid tribute to their “beloved daughter and sister”.

The body of Sylwia Ciapcinska, known as Magda, was found on September 17 – two months after she vanished.

The family of the Polish 24-year-old visited the UK last week and said:

“We are still in a state of shock about what has happened to Magda, our beloved daughter and sister. We couldn’t believe it when she was reported missing as she was such a responsible, intelligent woman who was in daily contact with us in Poland.

“Although the police prepared us for the worst, we held out a faint hope that she’d be found alive. The uncertainty of not knowing where she was or what had happened to her was very painful.

“It was devastating when we received the news which we had been dreading – that Magda’s body had been found.”

The family visited a number of locations associated with Magda during their visit. They also paid tribute to the dedication of investigating officers from Staffordshire Police.

They added:

“In the last few days we have laid a tribute at the place where her body was found, and visited the house where she lived and her workplace. Although this has brought some sense of closure, it still leaves us with so many questions. It still leaves us without Magda, who had her whole life to look forward to and had so many plans for when she returned to Poland.

“We’d like to say a special thank you to Staffordshire Police whose treatment of us has exceeded our expectations. Even though Magda was Polish, they have treated her death with the same dedication as if she was an English woman. We’d also like to express gratitute to the community in Burton – including the local church – who have been very committed to helping with this inquiry.

“We are still struggling to come to terms with all that has happened.”

Sylwia worked as a packer at a distribution company called Amethyst Logistics based at Fradley Park, near Lichfield, and planned to stay in the UK for 12 months to save up money to buy a house in her homeland.

Tomasz Sobczak (29), of Ash Street, Burton, has been charged with murdering Sylwia and remanded to appear at Stafford Crown Court on October 8.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.