Remains of Briton missing since 2001 found in well in Brittany, former partner under investigation
A daughter’s continued search for her missing father led to new investigation
Published
Modified
The remains of a British man who disappeared 25 years ago have been discovered at the bottom of a well in Brittany. His former partner is being investigated for murder.
The skeletal remains were found on May 19, 2026 in a well located on the property he shared with his partner at the time.
The Ploërmel research brigade (Morbihan), an investigative unit of the French National Gendarmerie, confirmed the discovery to The Connexion and said the investigation is ongoing.
Anthony Rickard disappeared in 2001 after moving to Brittany with his partner and their two children.
Since then, his daughter from a previous relationship who remained in the UK, Mary Rickard has been looking for her father, with her latest appeal posted on a Facebook group back in October 2025, writing “I hope someone can help me. I am looking for my father, Anthony Rickard, who disappeared in Le Breil, L’Oreal and Ménéac.”
Ms Rickard later contacted the Vannes public prosecutor's office to request that a new investigation be opened. A judicial investigation was launched in December 2025, with inquiries carried out by the gendarmerie in Ploërmel.
A human skeleton was subsequently discovered in the well. Genetic testing comparing the remains with Ms Rickard confirmed a parent-child relationship, according to Le Parisien.
Investigation now ongoing
Heather C., who was Mr Rickard’s partner at the time of his disappearance, has been placed under judicial investigation and remanded in pre-trial detention.
According to reports in the French media, the couple’s son told investigators that his mother had confessed to killing Mr Rickard. He reportedly said she told him that she had shot his father after an altercation in which he was pointing a firearm at her.
On her part, Ms Rickard shared her reaction on social media.
“Justice will be served!!!” she said. “But I will remain and always will be my father’s daughter who has now lost their dad, their best friend and that can never change.”
In another message shared around Father’s Day, she wrote: “Another Father’s Day dad! But this time we solved the case! Soon you’ll be back here where you belong!”
