Group of Czech young people disappeared in Albania 22 years ago, bodies never found

Every day, Helena Pavelkova passes by the railway station in a small town near Prague, where she lives, reopening the deepest wound and wondering where her sons Jan and Mihail are, Kurir reports.

Twenty-two years ago, the mother sent her sons off on a journey at that railway station, and they never returned. On that day, she had a strange feeling that she later understood. She gave one of her sons a cross and said, "You must return this to me. Promise me you will."

She waved to them for the last time as the train departed. They haven't seen each other since.

A Czech family lost two of its members in Albania. It is believed that Jan and Mihail ended up in the "yellow house" as victims of organ trafficking.

Helena found the strength to open the doors of her home and the bachelor's room, where Jan and Mihail left their dreams and plans for the future, in front of TV Prva cameras. The host of the show "Eksploziv," Ana Rajkovic, says that the mother of the two missing students still holds hope that her sons will appear on her doorstep.

"Not a day goes by without her wondering what actually happened to them. Helena learned that they ended up in Albania and that all traces of them were lost there, but their bodies were never found. She still doesn't know whether to light a candle for them as if they were alive or dead, which weighs heavy on her heart and soul. Helena said that she had found the strength to move forward for the sake of her daughter and grandchildren, but her husband never came to terms with the fact that his sons were gone and emotionally withdrew from the beginning," she said, adding that it was not easy for families enveloped in grief to experience the most painful moments together.

When the three young people did not return at the agreed time, the locals organized a search. The expedition in Albania ended unsuccessfully, with the local police promising assistance but never taking any concrete action.

"Years later, she reached out for help to Czech writer and screenwriter Josef Urban, known for his mountaineering activities, who was familiar with the Balkan peaks. Urban embarked on a solo expedition and learned that the students were staying with a teacher who lived with a relative. He took them on a tour of the area one day but returned home alone. According to his findings, the teacher suspected that the relative had done something terrible to the students, and it later turned out that the teacher was murdered. He addresses this moment in his book 'Return to Valbona,' which shook the Czech public and sparked action regarding the disappearance of their compatriots," the host narrated.

What further pains the parents is that former KLA leader Hashim Thaci denies the existence of the "yellow house," where, according to numerous testimonies, many Serbs perished.

"This adds to the pain of our families, as well as the Czech families, who suspect that their loved ones suffered the same fate as the victims of organ trafficking," Rajkovic added.

Heartbreaking testimony of the brother of the missing Lenka

With tears in his eyes, Petr, the brother of the missing Lenka Tuckova, spoke about his attempts to find out how his sister had ended up in Albania and what had happened to her there. Over time, he began to suspect the most horrific scenario.

The parents of young Lenka, an ambitious student and the girlfriend of one of the missing Pavelkov brothers, died of grief, and Petr is still searching for answers.

When asked what he would say to her if he had one more chance in life, he replied that he misses her dearly and loves her very much. He imagines her as an aunt to his children, and that they all live together. He said he never goes to the family home because it is difficult for him to remember the times with his sister, Lenka.