Family of ‘hero’ father Arvydas Petrauskas who was found in River Nene in Wisbech launch fundraiser to get body back to Lithuania

The family of a missing Wisbech man whose body was found in a river has launched a fundraising appeal to help get his body home to Lithuania.

Relatives of Arvydas Petrauskas, 31, who was last seen on Friday, March 21, and 13 days later was discovered in the River Nene in Wisbech, set up a GoFundMe page on Friday with a goal of raising £10,000.

Arvydas, who was born in Lithuania on November 26, 1993, was a beloved son, dad, and husband, and his death has left a profound impact on those who knew him.

After moving to the UK at around 14 years old, he had a successful career as a multi-skilled engineer and had two children – a daughter who is 11 years old and a son who is now seven years old – with his ex-wife, Ieva Stadaliute.

Ieva said he was always a “keep going person,” and he would always find something to do.

She said: “He always tried to achieve his best. He always tried to help people and always put others before himself. He would always prefer to have less and other people have more.

“It is going to be hard for his kids and for the funeral costs.”

His children, who “meant everything to him,” only lived a short walk from his rented room at Malvern Gardens, and his parents lived just around the corner.

“It is devastating for the children”, Ieva added.

“They are big enough to understand what is happening. It is really hard for the kids, especially for his son, as he is a lookalike of Arvydas, a copycat.”

As soon as his son was told about his father, Ieva said it was heartbreaking for him.

“He was a hero for them; he was there when they needed to learn something”, she said.

Ieva believes Arvydas took his own life as a result of the pressure from the social media posts that were made about him.

She also said that he had depression for quite some time, which seemed to have gotten worse over the last month, which could also have played a role in his death.

The support and generous donations coming in from the community mean a lot to Arvydas’ family and Ieva said: “Anything would be appreciated.”

People can donate through the GoFundMe page, which will be going towards covering the costs of repatriating Arvydas and ensuring he is laid to rest in Lithuania, where his grandparents and cousins are.