A man who was feared murdered has been found alive, living in woods in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, nearly five years after his disappearance. Ricardas Puisys, 40, was last seen on 26 September 2015 at his workplace in Chatteris, 20 miles from his home. He failed to return to work two days later, prompting a police murder investigation in November 2015.
Hopes that Puisys might be alive were raised when a Facebook account was set up in his name and photographs were posted. In November 2019, police relaunched an appeal, and in December they received several reports of sightings. On Monday, police confirmed that Puisys had been found on 1 July in a wooded area in Harecroft Road, Wisbech, where he had been hiding.
Detective Chief Inspector Rob Hall of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit said: 'For almost five years Ricardas’s disappearance has been a complete mystery. That was until we received information at the end of June, which led us to finding him.' Hall added that Puisys had fled because of fears for his safety, having been a victim of crime and exploitation.
In August 2015, a local resident raised concerns that Puisys was being exploited and may have been forced to move against his will. Police spoke to him at the time, but he said he was fine. However, officers later noted that he had little money, few friends, and no family in the country, making him vulnerable to exploitation.
Hall said an investigation into the exploitation of Puisys has been launched. The decision to delay announcing his discovery was taken to ensure his welfare and to put safeguarding measures in place. 'We want to ensure he remains safe, but also to ensure he gets the support he needs after having lived through extremely difficult circumstances,' Hall said.
