A man suspected of killing two young women was detained late Friday night in Kaunas after hundreds of residents joined the search effort, authorities said. A court on Sunday ordered the suspect, Benas Mikutavičius, held for three months.
Mikutavičius, who had been hiding since Thursday, was captured near Kalniečiai Park shortly before midnight. Residents monitoring the area spotted him despite earlier police descriptions stating he was wearing a black jacket; witnesses said he was dressed in red.
Paulius Vaicekauskas, a Kaunas resident who organised a large volunteer search group, said the community response exceeded anything he expected.
“It was a civic duty to gather people,” he said. “From the time I started assembling volunteers, it took us about three hours to detain him.”
‘Men are chasing that man’
Recordings from a search coordination app captured tense moments as volunteers tracked the suspect.
“In Kalniečiai Park men are chasing that man. He’s running,” one participant can be heard saying.
Another voice reports: “He’s moving toward Viada, toward Žukausko Street. Is he moving? Yes, 20 metres ahead of me. I’ll drive up with the dog if needed.”
The tension broke only when volunteers announced the capture.
“They got him. Where? Be careful, he has pepper spray,” someone said.
A local woman who was involved in the search said she and her daughter were the first to spot the suspect in the park.
“We made a wide circle to keep some distance, and he started walking toward us,” she said. “We circled behind him, and he sped up. I started talking to him – I said, ‘Stop, wait, maybe you’re the one we’re looking for. We want to speak with you.’”
She said other volunteers joined them as they moved toward a well-lit area.
“When we reached the light, it was me, my daughter, and five men. We tried to surround him,” she said. “He lowered his mask, looked me in the eyes, and said, ‘I didn’t do anything’. There was a strange smile on his face. Then he started running, and the men ran after him.”
The woman said the suspect pleaded for mercy only after volunteers forced him to the ground.
Vaicekauskas, who was present at the scene, said he heard that a knife was found in the suspect’s backpack. He added that police arrived within minutes.
“It’s a sensitive situation,” he said. “He was on the ground, detained, and we waited for officers. We were constantly in contact with police, informing them whenever he was spotted or when he ran.”
Police thank the public
Kaunas Police Chief Mindaugas Akelaitis thanked the community for its involvement.
“Either he was hiding very well or he was simply lucky,” Akelaitis said. “Active search operations were being carried out by officers.”
Authorities said Mikutavičius is suspected of killing two women, ages 22 and 24. One of the victims was reportedly his cousin. The prosecutor said Sunday that the suspect has admitted guilt, though the motive has not been disclosed.
On Sunday evening, Kaunas residents gathered to honour the victims. Flowers and candles were placed near the Church of the Resurrection.
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