A Lithuanian man whose apparent murder had been investigated in Britain was found alive. It's been nearly five years since he was last seen.
Ricardas Puisys was working at a food production company in Chatteris, England, in September 2015. A month earlier, police were contacted by parties concerned for his safety. They believed Ricardas was being exploited. He was last seen walking with a group of Lithuanian men in mid-September.
Police were contacted again in November after he hadn't been seen in weeks. At that point, Ricardas was presumed dead. An investigation into his presumed murder began from that point. That investigation was relaunched last year after a Facebook account set up in Ricardas' name appeared online. The photos on the account appeared to be recent.
The investigation led to a break, police have announced. It's been revealed that the missing man is, in fact, alive. He was found living in a heavily wooded area less than 20 miles from where he was last seen.
A bizarre missing person's case that was believed to be a murder has a happier ending now. Ricardas Puisys, a Lithuanian man living in Britain, was reported missing in November 2015 after those close to him hadn't seen him in weeks. There were concerns for his safety months beforehand.
Individuals had contacted police in August 2015 to alert them to concerns for Ricardas' safety. They told police they had reason to believe he was being exploited after he had moved to a new address within Wisbech against his will. Ricardas was working at Nightlayer Leek Company in Dean Drove, Chatteris, after landing the gig through an agency.
Ricardas was last seen on September 26, 2015. He worked that evening. Sources have told police they last saw him walking in the area with a group of Lithuanian men. Police made a series of public appeals regarding his whereabouts before beginning to treat the missing person's case as a probable murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Hall from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and the Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit revealed that Ricardas vanished that night of his own accord.
"There were genuine concerns Ricardas came to harm that evening," the DCI explained.
"He did not return to work on Monday, 28 September 2015 as expected, but we now believe Ricardas made the decision to run away as he had been a victim of crime, having previously been subject to exploitation."
"A team of investigators worked tirelessly following up a number of inquiries, none leading to the discovery of Ricardas," he continued.
"That was until we received information that Ricardas may have been alive and still in the Wisbech area."
That information began pouring in last year when a Facebook account in his name appeared online.
The account contained 69 friends, all of whom were Ricardas' actual friends and family. The loved ones had reached out to the person behind the account, but the answers were sporadic and vague enough to leave doubts lingering.
After going public with information regarding sightings of Ricardas, investigators were contacted by additional people who believed to have seen him. Police also attempted tracing the account to determine where it was being accessed from. They determined the Facebook account was pinging around the Wisbech area. By last month, the police had gathered enough information to get an idea of his location.
"Following a search of wooded area in Harecroft Road, Ricardas was eventually found living in undergrowth, very well concealed after having deliberately hidden and having not spoken with anyone for some time," they explained. The area he was discovered in was just 17 miles from where he was last seen.
"We made the decision not to publicly announce we had found Ricardas alive until now in order to protect him and put safeguarding measures in place."
The police are taking serious measures to ensure Ricardas' safety. They worry not only for his physical safety but also his mental health after the ordeal he has been through.
"He is safe and we are working very closely with him to ensure he remains safe, but also to ensure he gets the support he needs after having lived through extremely difficult circumstances during the last five or more years."
Police are also investigating those who have victimized Ricardas. They are working alongside detectives in the Fenland region. Now that Ricardas is safe, it's their hope they can get him justice for what he's been through.
