Local investigators in Dublin, Ireland are working to figure out why Krzysztof Daczkowski killed his daughter before killing himself last month
NEED TO KNOW
- A suburban Dublin community is reeling after the apparent murder-suicide of a 5-year-old girl and her 50-year-old father late last month
- Local investigators believe Krzysztof Daczkowski suffocated and killed his daughter Julia Daczkowski before killing himself inside the family’s home in Finglas
- Julia was remembered by family, friends and community members as a child who “greeted life with a smile and endless energy”
After coming home from work to discover her husband and 5-year-old daughter dead inside their family’s Finglas home late last month, a mother’s scream could be heard throughout the suburban Dublin, Ireland neighborhood.
Neighbors called police on Sunday, Sept 28 after hearing Aga Daczkowski’s horrific, terrified yell. Soon afterwards, they found themselves telling police there were no signs that Krzysztof Daczkowski, Aga’s husband, was suicidal and that they’d never suspect him of killing the couple’s young daughter Julia, too.
Instead, they painted an opposite picture for police, according to The Irish Examiner:
Krzysztof, 50, and Julia, 5, were a common sight in the neighborhood together — playing at the park or walking down the street. Just recently, according to the outlet, neighbors looked on as Krzysztof guided his daughter’s bike as she learned to ride without training wheels.
But without seeming explanation, investigators in Dublin believe the Polish bus driver snapped and allegedly suffocated his daughter before killing himself that day, according to the Irish Examiner, The Irish Independent and The Dublin Gazette. The outlets report that local murder investigators have yet to determine a motive for the apparent murder-suicide, as Aga and her family have been left stunned and grieving.
“Julia’s sudden passing has left us heartbroken,” the family wrote in a GoFundMe set up to help Aga pay for her daughter’s funeral costs, according to the Irish Independent. “We are asking for your support for her beloved mother, who is now facing the unimaginable pain of losing her child.”
Julia is planned to be repatriated to Poland, where the young girl and her parents were originally from, according to Dublin Live. The outlet reported that Aga, Julia’s grandparents, and a large crowd of family, friends and mourning community members gathered last week for a memorial service in town before the young girl’s body was taken to her home country.
“I know I am a strong woman, I will do it. I do it for Julia. I will find another way,” Aga said during an emotional speech honoring her daughter, according to Dublin Live. “Thank you for everything, and I know Julia is looking at me from heaven and I believe she will protect me and she will help me to find a different light, different life without her. She will give me support, she will give me the power she gave me already I feel that I can manage — even I didn’t expect I could talk to so many people. But, see, she’s giving me the power.”
Local Finglas councillor Keith Connolly told The Dublin Gazette the father and daughter’s deaths were “a dreadful tragedy” as the community continued to reel days afterwards.
“There is a great sense of shock about this awful tragedy in the community,” Connolly said.
Dublin Live reported that Julia — who would have been 6 years old this week — was remembered in a local death notice as “a bright, happy little girl who filled every day with laughter, curiosity, and boundless energy.”
“Every day she greeted life with a smile and endless energy,” the notice read, according to the Irish Independent. “Her sudden passing has left us heartbroken.”