Man turns up alive in Cambridgeshire five years after police thought he had been murdered

A man who police feared had been murdered has turned up alive nearly five years after he disappeared.

Ricardas Puisys, who was 35 when he went missing, was found in the town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire on 1 July this year.

Officers had launched a murder investigation in November 2015 after Mr Puisys, who is Lithuanian, was not seen for several weeks.

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.”

Concerns were initially raised about Mr Puisys in late August 2015 when police were told he was being exploited and had moved address within Wisbech.

He was working at the Nightlayer Leek Company, a food production firm, in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire.

The last confirmed sighting of him before he went missing was on Saturday 26 September 2015.

Police said he was believed to be in the company of a small group of Lithuanian men later that evening before he disappeared.

Officers have launched an investigation into the potential exploitation of Mr Puisys.

DCI Hall said: “There were genuine concerns Ricardas came to harm that evening. 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. That was until we received information that Ricardas may have been alive and still in the Wisbech area.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Man turns up alive in Cambridgeshire five years after police thought he had been murdered