The man ended up in Stradiņš Hospital, where he was treated for facial injuries. After a few days, the family was unable to contact him, leading to concerns and numerous calls to both the hospital and the police. The man is still considered missing. His family recounts the dizzying communication with institutions and the worries that have changed their lives, reports the Degpunktā program (TV3).
Gatis was walking in Tukums late at night when he suddenly became involved in a brutal fight. After returning home, his wife took him to the hospital and informed his sister Vineta about what had happened.
"She called from the hospital and said that he was terribly beaten, spitting blood. His ribs might have punctured his lungs, but thank God, they didn’t," Vineta recounts.
As a result of the conflict, Gatis had broken ribs and a jaw. The Tukums hospital could not treat the jaw fracture, so the man was transferred to Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital in Riga for surgery. Vineta went to visit her relative to bring a phone, clothes, and everything necessary for a few days in the ward.
During a conversation with Gatis in the ward, as well as during a phone call the next day, the woman noticed some oddities in her brother's behavior.
"When we were with him that Sunday, he said that at night he would want to smoke and would climb out [the window] to smoke. I don’t know if this fight affected him, because on Monday evening he called me and was saying something incoherent," Vineta says.
The man has alcohol problems, but he had not been drinking for some time. The manifestations could have been related to detox, shock, or a possible head injury — Vineta hoped it was temporary and everything would be fine. There was an agreement that after the surgery, Gatis would contact the family, but two days passed after the operation, and her brother still did not answer the calls. Concern began to grow, repeated calls to the hospital were made until finally someone answered, and Vineta asked — where is her brother?
"When we got through to the ward, one woman told me: 'Well, yes, he was acting strange.' I said: 'How — was?' 'We discharged him on the morning of the 16th.' Why was he discharged? Why do we leave phone numbers if he is just discharged when he was still acting so strangely?" — Gatis's sister wonders.
Due to data protection requirements, Stradiņš Hospital cannot comment on Gatis's treatment process, including his condition after the surgery and at the time he left the hospital. However, according to the rules, if a patient has not been found to have circumstances preventing him from making decisions, he has the right to manage his treatment as he sees fit.
The hospital's comment states: "A patient has the right at any time to express a wish to discontinue treatment or leave the hospital on their own initiative. In matters related to the patient's ability to orient themselves or their safety, we emphasize that such decisions are always made based on medical assessment, not subjective impressions."
It is difficult to assess whether Gatis was truly in an adequate state, however, Vineta still believes that the hospital could have warned her that her brother left after the surgery.
Understanding that he is alone in a foreign city, with a possible head injury and not answering calls, Vineta filed a report with the police. At the Tukums precinct, she was told that it was better to submit it electronically. So she did — several days passed, and there was no news from the police, and Vineta called 112 to ask how the search was progressing. It turned out that the State Police had not received the report at all.
"They told me: 'Why did you write it electronically?' I replied: 'But how — at the Tukums precinct, they told me to write it electronically, so it would get to Riga faster.' They responded: 'No, you should have submitted the report directly at the precinct.' I said: 'Do you understand what you are doing?'" — Vineta describes this communication.
This only intensified the feeling for the woman and the whole family that the worst had happened to Gatis. There was little hope, and in search of any information, they turned to three different psychics. All of them allegedly said the same thing: "A woman was involved with a man, and they killed him."
The man has been missing for over a month. During the investigation, the police are checking several versions, one of which law enforcement is currently working on, and there is hope that perhaps soon they will be able to establish the man's whereabouts.
The family asks: if anyone saw Gatis Šilbergs in the Agenskalns area or other areas of Riga on December 16 or 17 or knows of his whereabouts, please call Vineta at 29183013 or the police at 112.
