Girl, 16, found dead in bushes ‘was murdered and mutilated by friend’

A 16-year-old found dead in a bush is believed to have been brutally murdered by someone she considered to be a friend.

Maja Kowalska’s body was discovered one week after she went missing.

She left the house on the evening of 23 April after telling her mother she would be home within 30 minutes.

When she failed to return, Maja’s parents reported her disappearance to the police.

A giant search operation was launched and the family’s entire local area, including forests and meadows, were combed through.

Maja Kowalska, 16, was found dead a week after vanishing in Poland, with police suspecting a teen friend who fled to Greece and may face murder charges over the brutal killing. — *Maja Kowalska. (Picture: Jam Press)*

Maja’s body was discovered in a bushy area on 1 May.

Local press reported that she sent a disturbing text message to an unnamed friend at around 8 pm, asking them to contact her urgently.

But just moments later, Maja’s phone was switched off.

Police discovered that one day after her disappearance, the schoolgirl had met with a 17-year-old, who was believed to have been a friend, as reported by Need To Know.

And after Maja went missing, the ‘pal’ had travelled to Greece as part of a school exchange.

Local police requested that the teenager be arrested, and the prosecutor’s office now plans to charge Bartłomiej with murder.

Maja’s father, identified as Mr Jacek, spoke out in an interview with the local press after the discovery of his daughter’s body.

He revealed that Maja’s body had been mutilated.

He said: “If she was suffering, I need to know it. I saw traces of burns.”

The exact circumstances surrounding Maja’s death have not yet been confirmed, but reports have suggested that the young girl was tied up before being beaten and burned with a corrosive substance.