Irishman reported missing for over two weeks, found

Police have found 45-year-old Irish national Robert Carrick, over two weeks since he was last seen in Xghajra.

He was last seen on Sunday, 3 August but police officially issued a missing notice for Carrick, after his brother Phil turned to MaltaToday for assistance.

In a statement, the police said investigations to find the Carrick started "immediately" and the British Embassy was kept regularly informed of the investigations.

Carrick had been living in Malta for around 10 months and was last seen by his landlord and flatmate, Adrian Vamanu. Vamanu told MaltaToday that the Irishman “vanished” and that he had not heard of him in two weeks. “He disappeared, vanished and I have absolutely no idea of where he could have gone or what intentions he had,” Vamanu, 33, said.

Sources close to Carrick's family say Robert was found "on a beach", in a state of disorientation.

"His family look forward to him making a full recovery," the source said.

On Friday last week, Carrick’s wife Orsi left a message on the Police’s Facebook page in which she said “My husband living in Malta has disappeared for the last two weeks. Where can I report his absence? I live abroad. Please help!!!”

The missing man’s brother, speaking to MaltaToday from his home in Australia, described the disappearance as “odd”, and informed this newspaper of the brother’s disappearance, asking for assistance as his family has absolutely no idea of his whereabouts.

Phil Carrick last spoke to his brother five weeks ago, and although Robert did go off the radar in the past, he said that “it’s highly unusual for my brother to stop all communication with his family without informing us of his whereabouts.

“Normally no news is good news with my brother, however whenever he has some kind of problem he calls me. When he needs somebody to talk to I’m the first one he calls, so it’s peculiar of him to disappear in this way.”

Robert Carrick was last seen by Vamanu, who said the Irishman had left all his possessions, including his passport, at the apartment. “He left everything at home, his passport, his tablet and computer, everything. The only thing that is missing is a blue bag which belonged to me, in which he might have carried some clothes.”

Vamanu informed the police of Carrick’s disappearance on 10 August by filing a report at the Zabbar police station. “At first I thought he went in hiding because he did not have any money to pay for his rent, but after a week I realised that something was wrong. He did not return to have a shower, change his clothes or take his tablet. For a moment I thought he might have gone for a trip to Gozo or something, but he would have told me so.”