WARNING: DISTURBING DETAILS – Anna Podedworna has been found guilty of the murder of Izabela Zablocka, who was buried in a ‘makeshift grave’ in a garden for 15 years
Anna Podedworna being arrested by police(Image: Derbyshire Police / SWNS)
A turkey butcher who bludgeoned her partner to death before cutting her in half with a knife and burying her body parts in a garden has been found guilty of murder.
Anna Podedworna, 40, killed Izabela Zablocka before trussing her up “like a chicken” with electrical tape and burying her remains in bin bags in a “filthy, makeshift grave”, Derby Crown Court heard. Ms Zablocka, a 30-year-old mother of one, lost contact with her family in August 2010 and was reported to the police as missing, the court was told.
Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC said that “mounting pressure” caused Podedworna to “crack” and email the police last year, when a Polish television journalist flew to the UK to interview her. In June, officers found Ms Zablocka’s remains under concrete hardstanding in the garden of a terraced house in Princes Street, Normanton, Derby, which she shared with Podedworna after they moved to the UK from Poland together.
READ MORE: Turkey butcher who dismembered girlfriend and buried her in garden GUILTY of murder
Izabela Zablocka was killed, cut in half and buried in a garden(Image: PA)
Hiding crime for 15 years
Izabela’s distraught family believed their daughter had ran away and police launched an appeal to find the missing 30-year-old. Podedworna hid her crime for 15 years until she handed herself into Derbyshire Police in May last year.
Officers searched the back garden of 113 Princes Street and discovered badly decomposed human remains. DNA tests confirmed the body was Izabela and Podedworna was charged with murder, perverting the course of justice, and preventing a lawful burial. Podedworna, now 40, denied the charges and claimed she struck Izabela when she tried to strangle her.
Podedworna found guilty
On February 10, 2026, a jury found Podedworna guilty on all three charges. She was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday.
Podedworna has been found guilty of murder(Image: Derbyshire Police / SWNS)
Relationship details
Izabela and Podedworna, who were originally from Poland, came to live in the UK in 2009 and got jobs in a poultry factory. The pair, who were in a relationship, later moved into the house in Princes Street, Normanton.
Izabela’s young daughter remained in Poland living with relatives and she would call her family every few days. They last spoke to her on August 28, 2010, but after that never saw or heard from her again.
How the murder unfolded
The court heard that shortly after the phone call, Podedworna flew into a rage and murdered Izabela. She then used a large knife to hack the body in two at the waist and hauled the remains into plastic bags. She then laid concrete over the top of the burial site in what the court heard resembled a “filthy, makeshift grave”.
Podedworna told the jury she did not call the emergency services because: “I had no witnesses and no one would believe me that I was defending myself.” She added: “At that property there was a garden, I decided to bury her there.”
She said she lacked the “strength” to move Izabela’s body so decided to “cut her in two” as “it seemed the only way at the time”. Podedworna denied throwing her body out “with the trash” but admitted: “I did it”. She then went on to cover up the grisly murder for the next 15 years.
Police and forensics searching a property on Princes Street, Normanton, Derby(Image: SWNS)
Family worries
Izabela’s mother became concerned when she had failed to call on September 4 to wish her daughter happy birthday. She contacted Podedworna who lied about Izabela’s disappearance, claiming she had “run off” to London.
When officers spoke with Podedworna she claimed she hadn’t seen Izabela for months and didn’t know where she was. In January 2011 Izabela’s family contacted Polish authorities to report her missing. Their inquiry failed to return any leads and the case went cold.
Izabela’s adult daughter led to key development
14 years later, Izabela’s now adult daughter contacted a Polish missing persons organisation about her mother. They released several appeals and made contact with Podedworna. The investigation also found that no formal missing person report was ever filed in the UK for Izabela.
In May 2025, Podedworna was contacted by the missing person charity and a Polish journalist. On May 21, Podedworna contacted Derbyshire Police on Facebook, claiming she had information about a missing person. Podedworna said a person was buried in the garden of a property and she was arrested by released on bail.
A diary and phone belonging to her showed that a number of internet searches had been made in the previous week. The searches included: Izabela Helena Zablocka, reformed murderers, converted murderers, sinners who became saints, a catholic prayer, and whether those with a criminal record still receive Universal Credit. There were also messages sent to a local church asking for help interpreting dreams about a dead woman.
The interior of the in which the offence took place(Image: PA)
Human remains found in garden
On June 1, human remains were found in the garden of the property in Princes Street. These were later confirmed to belong to Izabela, and Podedworna was re-arrested but declined to comment.
Police speak out after guilty verdict
Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Emma Birch, said: “Today’s verdict has been a long time coming for Izabela’s family, who now finally have answers about what happened to their loved one. For 15 years they were kept in the dark about what had happened to Izabela, constantly wondering, all while one woman held the key to this information.
“Anna Podedworna brutally stole Izabela’s life and lied time and again about what she knew. It was only when she felt the net was finally closing around her that she spoke to police, and even then, she tried to place the blame on Izabela.
“Nothing can bring Izabela back, but I hope that today’s verdict and seeing Podedworna held publicly accountable will allow Izabela’s family to move forward and put her memory to rest.”
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