Gardaí are becoming increasingly concerned for the well-being of a Lithuanian man who has been missing for almost three weeks and have not ruled out the possibility that he may have been killed, The Irish Times has learned.
They are concerned that Raimundas Berzinskas (33), St Finbarr's Place, Proby's Quay in Cork city, may have been killed in a dispute some time before Christmas.
"We are ruling nothing out at this stage and that includes the possibility that there may be foul play behind his disappearance and the longer it goes on without any contact from him, then obviously the more concerned we become," said a Garda source.
Mr Berzinskas has not been seen since the early hours of December 16th when he went drinking with a number of his countrymen on the curtilage of the Fás office on O'Sullivan's Quay in Cork's city centre.
Mr Berzinskas was on bail at the time of his disappearance after being charged early last year with the manslaughter of a fellow Lithuanian Gintaras Balcionas at Rockgrove Terrace, Lower Glanmire Road, Cork, on October 9th, 2005.
However, gardaí do not believe that Mr Berzinskas's disappearance is linked in any way to the death of Mr Gintaras.
They pointed out that Mr Berzinskas's disappearance is out of character, as he was abiding by the terms of his bail.
Mr Berzinskas is described as being 188cm (6ft 2 in), of strong build and with tight blond hair. When last seen, he was wearing a brown three-quarter length jacket with a red trim, light blue jeans and white runners.
