MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Amanda Wienckowski
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.
One of the Facebook messages that Antoine sent to Leslie in 2011.
Credit: Buffalo Police Department
Additional Info:
Assembly Bill 8986
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
Sexual Assault resources
You can find Sexual Assault resources by texting HOPE to 64673 for RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline.
Substance Use Treatment
If you or a loved one wants to explore treatment for substance use, you can seek help by calling 211 in the United States.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Original reporting by Rachel Ryan, Courteney Stuart, and Sam Anderson.
- In a response to our request for comment, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office wrote that in 2017, the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York (DAASNY) Mutual Assistance Committee agreed that the circumstances of Amanda’s death were “suspicious.” But, they noted, that the DAASNY found there was insufficient evidence to prove that her death was a homicide, and that former DA John Flynn agreed with their findings.
- Buffalo Police Department Records
- NBC New York: NY Makes It a Felony to Unlawfully Dispose of a Body. Published Oct. 2 2013. Accessed November 11, 2025. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/new-york-corpse-concealment-law-felony/1293325/
- New York State Senate: Amanda Lynn’s Law Passes in Senate and Assembly. Published Dec. 10 2015. Accessed November 11, 2025. https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/robert-g-ortt/amanda-lynns-law-passes-senate-and-assembly
- New York State Senate: PEN § 195.02 – Concealment of a Human Corpse. Published Nov. 27 2015 (statute updated). Accessed November 11, 2025. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/195.02
- The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY): Second autopsy on Wienckowski shows beating, strangulation, by Lou Michel. Published November 23, 2011. Accessed June 16, 2025 https://buffalonews.com/news/second-autopsy-suggests-strangling-lawyer-releases-details-from-wienckowski-exams/article_3ce9e149-ab81-5cf4-9165-2d4d9e06b2e8.html
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