Daughter who battled for 25 years to find father lays flowers at well in France where skeleton was discovered

A DAUGHTER who battled for 25 years to find her father has finally laid flowers at the well where his skeleton was found. Mary Rickard was 20 when dad Anthony, 42, vanished at their family home in 2001. Mary Rickard, who battled for 25 years to find her father, has finally laid flowers at the well where his skeleton was found Credit: Gary Stone Daddy’s girl Mary with Anthony, who vanished at their family home in 2001 Credit: Facebook Her stepmum, Heather Comins-Rickard, now 56, kicked her out days after he disappeared. But Mary never gave up the search and even hired a private investigator. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Police reopened their inquiries when a new witness came forward last year— and on May 19, forensic teams made the grim discovery in the French village of Le Breil Oréal, Brittany. Comins-Rickard has been charged with murder and is awaiting trial. Pet shop worker Mary, of Gunnislake, Cornwall, has visited the well and was able to tell her dad: “I’ve finally found you.” Now 45, she told The Sun that being able to visit the place where her long-lost dad was buried was bittersweet. She said: “I feel sad. I feel angry that this has happened, but I also feel happy.” The mum of three added: “He only came here because he wanted to make this life for his family, a better life for his kids. Instead, we lived 25 years of wondering, searching and looking. Most read in The Sun “After he disappeared, Heather stopped me entering the property or going near it. “But I stayed for about nine months. I was suspicious of Heather but after getting no answers, I returned to England. Anthony’s mum and siblings joined the campaign to find him. The investigator drew a blank but told them he felt that something had happened to him. Mary added: “It was heartbreaking, especially as his family here seemed to know something. “We knew dad would not abandon his family. It was torture for us. “We’ve lived a prison sentence without rest, sleep, or leading a normal life. Never being listened to was the hardest part. “Now, I just want to get dad back where he came from, back to England, where he would have wanted to be.”