Józef Pluta

Józef Pluta (March 16, 1932 – October 29, 1979), known as The Vampire of Marianowo , was a Polish serial killer and mass murderer who killed at least six people across Greater Poland during a two-month killing spree in 1979, committed shortly after escaping a mental institution where he was serving as 12-year sentence for murder. A large manhunt was initiated for his capture, resulting in his death under disputed circumstances.

Early life and first murder Little is known of Pluta's background. He was born on March 16, 1932, in the village of Marianowo, and by 1973, he was married and had a son. Sources differ on what occupation Pluta had at this time, with some claiming that he was a roofer while others say he was a farmer, but most concur that he was resented by other villagers due to his sexual proclivities.

On February 27, 1973, Pluta was allegedly caught having sex with a sheep inside a barn by a neighbor, Aniela B. Fearing that she would reveal his secret to the entire village, he grabbed a blunt instrument and hit her several times on the head, before proceeding to strangle her. Pluta then dragged the body to the nearby Warta river, where he threw it in to dispose of it. From there, Pluta went to the family's barn, where he came across 80-year-old boarder Wojciech J., who had been staying with them at the time. Unwilling to leave any potential witnesses alive, he killed him as well.

After fleeing the crime scene, Pluta continued to wander until he found himself in Suchy Las, where a doctor from the hospital, Henryk K., lived. Since he had done renovations for him before and was treated almost like a family friend, he was allowed to stay overnight, but not long after, Pluta grabbed an axe and attacked them.

In 2021, a woman referred to as "Mrs. Barbara" wrote a letter to , claiming that she had been attacked by Pluta in April or May 1978. In her letter, "Mrs. Barbara" claimed that she had boarded a train bound for Krzyż, and while sleeping in one of the compartments, she was awakened by somebody making noises in the hallway. When she checked out what was going on, she was confronted by a sinister-looking man who intruded into her compartment, and after failing to convince him to go elsewhere, the man grabbed her bag. She managed to go past him and ran to the end of the compartment, where she came across several men playing cards. She then turned around to see if the man was still there, but he was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Barbara claimed that she remembered his face well, and decades later, she decided to search for the word 'serial killer' to see what comes up - once she saw a picture of Pluta, she immediately recognized him as her assailant. If her account is to be believed, it is possible that Pluta may have had more victims than what is currently known, likely committed during his trips related to his renovation work.