THE story of a missing man feared to have been murdered is set to feature on Channel 4’s 24 Hours In Police Custody.
Ricardas Puisys disappeared without a trace in 2015, leading cops to suspect he’d been killed.
PA:Press AssociationRicardas Puisys was lfeared to be dead after disappearing[/caption]
Who is Ricardas Puisys?
Ricardas Puisys disappeared in 2015 leading police to fear he had been murdered or forced into slavery.
He moved to Wisbech, Cambs, from Silute, Lithuania, a number of years before he vanished, although an exact date is unknown.
Ricardas left behind a mother in Lithuania and has a sister living in Germany and cousins in Ireland.
He was a casual land worker and lived from hand to mouth while in the area.
Ricardas had no car, no close family in the UK and very few friends.
Was Ricardas Puisys found?
Ricardas was last seen on September 26, 2015, at Nightlayer Leek Company in Chatteris where he worked.
Witnesses claimed he was seen in the company of a small group of Lithuanian men before disappearing.
The alarm was raised when he failed to turn up for a shift two days later and his identification badge was found in a park.
Police launched a murder investigation in November 2015 after believing Ricardas was a victim of modern slavery.
The probe was launched despite no body being found as officers had “genuine concerns Ricardas came to harm that evening”.
Police followed up a number of leads and tirelessly worked to unravel the disappearance.
In December 2015, a man aged in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of murder but was later released with no further action.
However, Ricardas was found in July 2020.
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Hall, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “For almost five years Ricardas’ disappearance has been a complete mystery.
“That was until we received information at the end of June which led us to finding him.”
Where was Ricardas Puisys found?
Ricardas was found secretly living in a tent in the woodlands five years after he vanished.
He set up camp in undergrowth in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, after cops received information he was still alive.
Ricardas was keeping himself a prisoner in the woods after fearing for his life.
DCI Gallop
Police say he had “deliberately hidden” himself away in woodland having previously been a victim of crime.
The makeshift home in deep undergrowth in woodland off a residential street was described as “very well concealed”.
Detective Chief Inspector Adam Gallop said Ricardas had been forced into a form of modern slavery by a man with links to organised crime, according to Mail Online.
Speaking to officers after he was found, Ricardas said he was violently beaten with a set of keys and a barbecue on two occasions by a man after arriving in the UK for work.
The man reportedly confiscated Ricardas’ passport and bank card and took money from his wages at the farm where he worked.
DCI Gallop said Ricardas had been “keeping himself a prisoner in the woods after fearing for his life”.
Cambridgeshire PoliceA missing poster handed out by police at the time[/caption]
When is the Ricardas Puisys story on 24 Hours in Police Custody?
24 Hours In Police Custody is a documentary series following the work of Bedfordshire Police round-the-clock.
Ricardas’ incredible story is being featured on an episode of the hit Channel 4 series,
You can catch it from 10.20pm on April 9, 2024.
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