The remains of Anthony Rickard, a British father who disappeared in 2001, have been discovered in a well in Brittany, France, more than 25 years after he was last seen. His partner, Heather Comins, has been charged with his murder and is being held in pre-trial detention.
Rickard's skeleton was found on May 19 at the bottom of a well located at the home he shared with Comins. He had disappeared shortly after the couple moved to France with their two children. Mary Rickard, his daughter from a previous relationship, had been searching for him since his disappearance, reporting him missing at the time even after Comins told her he had left without explanation.
An initial investigation into Rickard's disappearance yielded no progress for years. In October of the previous year, Mary launched a new appeal, leading to the reopening of the case. Suspicion quickly fell on Comins, and the investigation culminated with the discovery of Rickard's remains.
French media reports indicate that the couple's son told investigators that his mother confessed to killing his father. According to the son, Comins stated she shot Rickard after an altercation where he had pointed a gun at her. She then allegedly enlisted her father's help to hide the body in the well, which has also resulted in charges against him. The well was found to be between 32 and 49 feet deep. DNA analysis confirmed the skeleton was a parental relation to Mary Rickard.
Comins' request for bail was denied. She had argued she was not a flight risk, citing her employment at an industrial bakery and her lack of return travel to England. Mary Rickard expressed her reaction on social media, stating, "Justice will be served!!! But i will remain and always will be my fathers daughter who has now lost their dad, their best friend and that can never change! I will miss him everyday till the day we are reunited!"
