When 20-year-old Amanda Wienckowski vanished one night in Buffalo, her mom, Leslie, refused to sit back and wait for answers. She begged police to listen and even parked outside the house where Amanda was last seen — for weeks — hoping her daughter would walk out the front door. What followed would test every ounce of a mother’s strength: a case full of contradictions, silence from the system, and a fight that would stretch on for more than a decade. This is the story of a mother who wouldn’t let the world forget her daughter — no matter how long it takes for justice.

You can track the status of Assembly Bill 8986 at this link: https://legiscan.com/NY/bill/A08986/2025

You can also comment on that site or find a local legislator to champion Leslie’s request for a 20-year extension to Article 78.
Find the NY State Assembly Directory here: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/ and please include the bill number when reaching out

You can find Sexual Assault resources by texting HOPE to 64673 for RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline.

If you or a loved one wants to explore treatment for substance use, you can seek help by calling 211 in the United States.

Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/mysterious-death-of-amanda-wienckowski/

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