Last Monday (April 20), Mantas Sadauskas, a 31-year-old Lithuanian paramedic and father of two, was lured to his end through a fake Facebook request for a trampoline delivery.
His body was found buried at a rural homestead in Panevėžys district the day after.
The grisly case has shocked Lithuania after authorities detained three people, including Sadauskas’ ex-wife, Justina Gaigalaitė, a former paramedic and bodybuilding competitor.
Highlights
- Paramedic Mantas Sadauskas disappeared on April 20, 2026, after receiving a fake Facebook request for a trampoline delivery.
- His body was found buried the next day with firearm wounds to the head.
- Police detained three suspects, including his ex-wife Justina Gaigalaitė.
- Investigators pointed to a bitter divorce and custody dispute as a possible motive.
The incident is believed to have followed a bitter divorce and custody battle, with relatives saying Sadauskas had been awarded custody of his children. According to the family, this was far from the first time they experienced violence as a result.
“She is taking revenge on us in every possible way,” Sadauskas’ father told TV3 News.
The bodybuilder ex-wife of a 31-year-old man has been apprehended in connection with his passing
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
On the morning of April 20, 2026, Sadauskas left home after receiving what appeared to be a routine request. According to his father, the message came through Facebook, asking him to deliver a trampoline for a children’s party at a kindergarten.
The job fit seamlessly into his life. Sadauskas worked as a paramedic, as did his ex-wife, but in his spare time he ran a side business renting trampolines and delivering them to customers’ homes.
Hours later, something went wrong.
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
When Sadauskas failed to return, his loved ones went from concerned to alarmed. His relatives began retracing his steps, and what they found only deepened the mystery.
The Facebook account that had contacted him had been deleted.
Image credits: TV3 Televizija
A local official later confirmed that no kindergarten existed at the address provided. By then, his family already feared the worst.
Relatives said Sadauskas had been locked in a bitter divorce, and a court had awarded him custody of the couple’s children. They also pointed to earlier incidents, including their cars being set on fire, and suspected that his ex-wife and her new partner could be involved.
Sadauskas was buried wrapped in a trampoline mat, his body showing wounds consistent with a homicide
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
On April 21, the search intensified.
With the help of a helicopter from the State Border Guard Service, authorities located Sadauskas’ car abandoned in a rural area not far from a homestead in the Panevėžys district.
An investigation into abduction was launched as officers began combing the surrounding land.
Later that same day, at around 6 p.m., the case took a grim turn.
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
Sadauskas’ body was discovered on the grounds of a homestead in Mileškūnai village. It had been wrapped in a trampoline mat and buried.
Police confirmed they found the body without assistance from any suspects.
At the scene, investigators also located a weapon, which was seized for forensic examination to determine whether it had been used in the attack.
Authorities began treating the case as a suspected intentional homicide, alongside unlawful deprivation of liberty and illegal possession of firearms.
Earlier family statements said they suspected the ex-wife and her "new partner" were responsible for the crime
Image credits: Delfi
Detentions followed quickly.
Three individuals were taken into custody: two men and a woman, identified as Sadauskas’ ex-wife, Justina Gaigalaitė. Both Sadauskas and Gaigalaitė had worked as paramedics, meaning their lives had overlapped professionally before their marriage fell apart.
The two men had prior convictions related to driving under the influence and possession of narcotic substances.
Media reports identified them as Vilias Solkanas and his father, Ilja Solkanas, although prosecutors did not formally confirm the family relationship.
Image credits: TV3 Televizija
One suspect was detained at the homestead where the body was found, while the other two were apprehended elsewhere.
Prosecutors moved quickly to secure pre-trial detention on April 22, 2026, when the suspects were brought before the Panevėžys District Court.
Prosecutor Lukas Krivickas argued that one of the men should be held for three months, warning he could “flee, attempt to evade justice, obstruct the legal process or commit new crimes.” The court ultimately authorized a two-month arrest.
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
A second man was brought before the court later the same day, with prosecutors seeking a one-month detention over illegal firearm possession. He was instead released on bail set at 5,000 euros.
Krivickas also requested that Gaigalaitė be held for three months on suspicion of intentional homicide and unlawful deprivation of liberty. She was ultimately remanded in custody for two months.
Sadauskas’ father believes his son’s ex-wife attacked him in retaliation over their divorce
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
As court proceedings continued, more details emerged about what Sadauskas may have endured.
According to investigators, the suspects are believed to have planned the attack in advance, luring him to a location under false pretenses and depriving him of his freedom.
The exact location where he was first restrained has not been publicly confirmed.
As per reports, Sadauskas was allegedly struck multiple times across his body, including his head, face, arms, and legs, suffering extensive injuries and bruising. Documents referenced damage to his left eye and cheek, as well as visible trauma to his limbs.
Image credits: _justina_fox_/Instagram
His father later provided a harrowing account after seeing the body.
“I saw my son, I saw a g*ns*ot wound on his forehead, and it says on the d**th certificate that it was a penetrating g*ns*ot, which is what he d*ed from,” he told TV3 News on April 23.
He believes his son was tortured before he was fatally wounded.
Authorities have not fully confirmed the sequence of events, and it remains unclear how the reported beating, the alleged restraint, and the firearm wound fit together chronologically.
Despite the growing body of evidence, several critical questions remain unanswered, including the exact role each suspect played and where the fatal attack ultimately occurred.
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