Have you heard about this case? The founder of BitBay, Sylwester Suszek, disappeared in 2022 under mysterious circumstances. At just 34 years old, he was known at the time as one of the most prominent figures in Poland’s crypto scene.

What fascinates and at the same time disturbs me about this story is how quickly everything escalated. Suszek was last seen at a gas station after a business meeting, and then he was gone. The surveillance cameras at the scene happened to not be working that day—too suspicious to be a coincidence.

His sister Nicole didn’t give up and kept searching. She discovered that his phone was still active four days later and moving through a network along an expressway. Then came the most disturbing part: Nicole received a voice message that sounded like Sylwester Suszek, but was electronically distorted. The voice demanded Bitcoin worth 12 million PLN. She also received an SMS with a clear threat: "This is no joke. In a week there will be a photo of the body." Nicole refused to pay.

There were more recordings, with increasingly brutal threats. To this day, Nicole is convinced that her brother was kidnapped and murdered, even though his body was never found. She continues to see herself as being exposed to threats, while the investigation remains open to this day. A case that shows just how exposed crypto celebrities can be—and what risks are associated with large fortunes in this space.