Man who went missing four months ago found dead on Vakarbuļļi beach
Kristers Rags, a 32-year-old resident of Kocēni parish who had been missing since March, was found dead in mid-July on Vakarbuļļi beach. His family says it has serious concerns about the circumstances of his death and about how police handled the search.
Kristers Rags, a 32-year-old man from Kocēni parish, went missing in late March while traveling to Riga. His family reported him missing to police and spent the following months actively searching for him on their own.
According to the TV programme "Degpunktā", relatives repeatedly offered police help in the form of drones and volunteers, but the offers were turned down, with police saying no special measures were needed. Communication between the mother and police remained tense throughout this period.
Found at Vakarbuļļi
In mid-July, the young man's body was found without signs of life on Vakarbuļļi beach, at the spot where the Lielupe river meets the Gulf of Riga. Because the body had decomposed significantly, police advised the mother against visiting the morgue and suggested identifying him remotely using photographs of a tattoo.
Family's concerns
Despite the advice, the mother went to the morgue in person and noticed several serious injuries on her son's body, including head wounds and missing teeth. These findings have given the family reasonable grounds to suspect the death may have involved violence.
Police are currently conducting forensic examinations to establish the exact circumstances of the case, including what the young man was doing in Riga and how he ended up at Vakarbuļļi. The family is awaiting answers both about the cause of death and about how the search was conducted.
