Search for woman comes to terrible end

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The search for a young Lewiston woman, missing for more than a month, came to terrible end Friday in Buffalo.

Police found the body of 20-year-old Amanda Wienckowski Friday morning, inside a garbage tote near a Buffalo church.

Friday night, her family is remembering a young woman who had her full life ahead of her.

Amanda's mother Leslie Brill Fink said, "I talked to Amanda every day. She was doing so well."

The mother of 20-year-old Amanda Wienckowski says she had just enrolled at Niagara County Community College the day before she disappeared.

That was the first Friday in December when a 47-year-old man she had been staying with dropped her off at a home on Spring Street near Clinton.

Brill Fink said, "I confronted him, I said, 'Why would you bring her there? We wouldn't know anybody on the east side. Why would you bring her there? He said she was gonna see a friend,' and then that was it."

...until Friday morning when police found her body inside a garbage tote on church property right across from where she was dropped off on Spring Street.

An hour later police picked up a man who lived at that address, a man who Amanda's family says originally denied ever knowing her, but whose name appeared as a friend on her Facebook page.

Buffalo Police Department Chief Dennis Richards said, "He's been taken into custody and we'll have further details later as they develop."

Police tell News 4 they believe Amanda was involved with heroin and prostitution. But family and friends find it hard to believe.

Amanda's father Glenn Wienckowski said, "Wrong crowd, she was trying to get herself out."

Amanda's sister Danielly Wienckowski said, "No matter what, whoever did this to her, she didn't deserve it. She was a victim."

Glenn Wienckowski said, "Just a beautiful girl, I mean she was full of life."

She was one of ten kids, graduated with a Regents diploma from Niagara Wheatfield, and left an impression even on her old friends from Kenmore Middle School.

Amanda's friend Aunia Mears said, "She was always happy and fun loving."

Dia Marie Domiano said, "Just a joy being around all the time."

Rosalie Toth said, "Just a ball of energy."

Amanda's sister Kristen McCrae said, "She'll be greatly missed for all of the pluses, and not as something that was thrown in the garbage, because that's just wrong."

Amanda Wienckowski's friends are holding a candle light vigil for her on Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. at the site of where she was found, Clinton and Spring Street.