Man thought to be murdered and missing for five years found living in woods

Ricardas Puisys was assumed to have been murdered after he went missing in 2015. The victim of modern-day slavery was found after nearly five years. Puisys had run away and was in hiding in the woods in the town of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The police followed multiple leads to finally track down the man. Even though he was found last month, police only announced the news on Monday, August 3 to ensure his safety. An inquiry into his alleged exploitation has been launched.

Police were altered of the threat to Puisys' life in August 2015. The farmworker was questioned by the police before his disappearance. On Saturday, September 26, 2015, the then 35-year-old left work at Nightlayer Leek Company in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. He then reportedly met with some Lithuanian men that night.

On Monday, September 28, 2015, Puisys failed to turn up at work. The man who knew very little English and had no close family in the United Kingdom was reported missing to the police. An investigation was launched to find Puisys. Eventually, the search for the missing person turned into a murder investigation in November 2015 as it was believed that the farmworker had been killed.

According to the Daily Mail, a 31-year-old man was arrested in December 2015 as the murder suspect. He was eventually released and no further actions were taken against him. In August 2018 the police found a Facebook profile using Puisys' name. Police tried to track down the user but were unable to do so. They only knew that the profile was being managed by someone in Wisbech Town.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Hall yesterday revealed that Puisys had been discovered unharmed in a wooded area at Harecroft Road. He said that information from a source in June allowed them to finally find the missing man on July 1.

Hall stated that the now 40-year-old man had cut off ties from the outside world and had been living in hiding. He feared for his life and had faced exploitation at his workplace. Hall assured that assistance is being provided to him. An investigation into the alleged exploitation is ongoing.