Police name missing man at centre of murder probe

A man whose disappearance is at the centre of a murder investigation in Leicester has been named by police.

On Tuesday, Leicestershire Police arrested 12 people in connection with the disappearance of Gary Piatek while searches began at a house in Broad Avenue in Evington.

The force said the 60-year-old had not been seen since April 2024 and there had been "no proof of life" since.

Six men, 61, 43, 34, 33, 25 and 21, and two women, 34 and 29, remain in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder, while a ninth man, 50, is being held on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Two men, 25 and 23, arrested on suspicion of murder, have been released under investigation while inquiries continue.

A 23-year-old woman, who was also arrested on suspicion of murder, was released on Wednesday with no further action to be taken, police added.

The force said specialist support was being provided to a number of Piatek's close friends and urged anyone with information about him, or what happened to him, to come forward.

A spokesperson for the police told the BBC: "We received some information in June 2024 about concerns over his whereabouts and this was followed up by officers.

"Further information then came to us, which led to a review of previous reports to us."

A significant police presence has remained at the house in Broad Avenue since Tuesday, while extensive searches have been carried out.

Officers have been seen exiting the property with a number of household items.

The force said activity would remain ongoing at the address "over the coming days and weeks" - and would include digging into the ground at the property.

Det Insp Michael Chandler, the senior investigating officer, said: "We are continuing to establish the full circumstances of what has happened to Mr Piatek and as part of our ongoing inquiries, I am appealing to anyone who has any information in relation to him or in relation to what has happened to him to make contact with us.

"We want to speak to anyone who may know something - anything - about him.

"Those in the community may hold the key to understanding what has happened.

"I appreciate I am asking people to think back a long time, but anything, no matter how small you think it is, could help us."

The force reiterated the investigation was not a counter-terrorism policing operation and urged the public to avoid speculation and the sharing of misinformation.

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