Bulgaria - Lars Mittank, 28, German tourist, Varna airport, 8 July 2014

[Bit of hope]

Even if he had the head injury, where would he be? Does his family still look for him in that country or no?


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Of course I'm not sure, but I think yes...seeing the mother's pain...all her efforts, coffering this missing in the media and hiring a private detective.....I'm still thinking about the trucker...who thinks (after a year) that he might have given a guy maybe Lars a lift...but to where?

 

[Elainera]

@Poet, so this is the flyer in Bulgarian language.

 

[Gottlieb]

New on this thread - just a couple of thoughts.

I am confused about Cefuroxim (the antibiotics Lars had to take), because - in contrary to what's stated in the interview - it is NOT banned in Germany. It has never been banned, to this day ever, actually. It runs under other names, like Zinnat and Curocef, but it's the same as this Cef500 and is used widely. It was also used in 2014, when this young man disappeared. Why do media people tell it is/was banned? This is not true. Are there also other mistakes in the interview?

I don't see anything fishy about this medicament anyway. It's just a simple antibiotics. I've taken it several times myself. I'm also a medical professional, and while, according to studies, antibiotics induced psychosis clearly exists, it mostly happens to patients with some prerequisite conditions, like elderly, or with bad kidney function, etc. I have never seen one single such case during my ten years of hospital experience, tbh.

Head injury could be possible - if a smaller vein gets ruptured, it can take some time until symptomes of the growing intracranial pressure set in. The person can look fine for a day with nothing more but a slowly intensifying headache, later some nausea and differing pupils. But the time frame doesn't fit with this theory very well, I think. Concussions can also cause weird behavior and there is a wider time frame for it. More possible, imo.

About the organ trafficking theory from the viewpoint of a medical professional from a similar ex-Socialist country: just no. Random laryngologists in random hospitals aren't involved in organ trafficking, even in the deepest of Balkan. They do not have ready-made boxes of antibiotics that contain something else, just in case a random German tourist, looking perfectly suited for potential illegal organ trafficking purposes, miraculously walks in. They just don't. Hospitals and doctors are just like everywhere else in the world: hospitals and doctors. No exotic mystery organ maffia here.

Also, people clearly have no idea how difficult organ transplantation actually is, how many medically trained people are involved in just taking those organs out. There is full staff from three-four different teams from different hospitals, standing in the OR waiting, ready to fly away with the different organs to their different bases where at the same time other full OR teams are waiting with the recipients already on the table sleeping. Even if the only organ suitable for actual donation turns out to be just one cornea at the end, the whole business is on with all the people all the time. People also clearly have no idea how difficult it is to keep a potential donor's body alive prior/during and the organ after the operation, and how extremely complex the process of finding recipients that match your organs, actually is. Usually every organ goes to another recipient. Nobody receives two kidneys - two different people receive one-one kidney at the same time. It is a very, very complicated and meticulously planned process, involving a huge amount of medically trained personal. It is definitely NOT done by random ear-nose and throat doctors, with the help of fake antibiotics. Eurotransplant or its equivalents in countries not included exist for a reason. Even in Bulgaria.

At this point I cannot even imagine what happened to this young man, but for me two things are clear: nobody gave him false medication and nobody wanted to kidnap him for his kidneys in the Kolor Hotel. They very likely tried to scam his credit card, that's a typical Eastern European crime, maybe they even tried to pickpocket him, but that's all I can imagine. I guess he was scared because for the first time in his West European life he got exposed to the Eastern European reality and because he was alone in that strange new world, he got a bit paranoid about it (paranoid not in the medical sense of the word, of course). That Kolor Hotel doesn't even look shady or scary to me, just normal. I'd totally sleep there and I'm a woman. It's definitely much less sophisticated than the tourist hotels in the Golden Beach area Lars spent the week previous to his disappearence, but that's all.

I'm very sorry for his mother, this not knowing anything since years must be excrutiating.

ETA: since I'm not verified as a medical professional, this is all to be taken as a personal opinion, based on personal experiences.

 

[dotr]

New on this thread - just a couple of thoughts.

I am confused about Cefuroxim (the antibiotics Lars had to take), because - in contrary to what's stated in the interview - it is NOT banned in Germany. It has never been banned, to this day ever, actually. It runs under other names, like Zinnat and Curocef, but it's the same as this Cef500 and is used widely. It was also used in 2014, when this young man disappeared. Why do media people tell it is/was banned? This is not true. Are there also other mistakes in the interview?

I don't see anything fishy about this medicament anyway. It's just a simple antibiotics. I've taken it several times myself. I'm also a medical professional, and while, according to studies, antibiotics induced psychosis clearly exists, it mostly happens to patients with some prerequisite conditions, like elderly, or with bad kidney function, etc. I have never seen one single such case during my ten years of hospital experience, tbh.

Head injury could be possible - if a smaller vein gets ruptured, it can take some time until symptomes of the growing intracranial pressure set in. The person can look fine for a day with nothing more but a slowly intensifying headache, later some nausea and differing pupils. But the time frame doesn't fit with this theory very well, I think. Concussions can also cause weird behavior and there is a wider time frame for it. More possible, imo.

About the organ trafficking theory from the viewpoint of a medical professional from a similar ex-Socialist country: just no. Random laryngologists in random hospitals aren't involved in organ trafficking, even in the deepest of Balkan. They do not have ready-made boxes of antibiotics that contain something else, just in case a random German tourist, looking perfectly suited for potential illegal organ trafficking purposes, miraculously walks in. They just don't. Hospitals and doctors are just like everywhere else in the world: hospitals and doctors. No exotic mystery organ maffia here.

Also, people clearly have no idea how difficult organ transplantation actually is, how many medically trained people are involved in just taking those organs out. There is full staff from three-four different teams from different hospitals, standing in the OR waiting, ready to fly away with the different organs to their different bases where at the same time other full OR teams are waiting with the recipients already on the table sleeping. Even if the only organ suitable for actual donation turns out to be just one cornea at the end, the whole business is on with all the people all the time. People also clearly have no idea how difficult it is to keep a potential donor's body alive prior/during and the organ after the operation, and how extremely complex the process of finding recipients that match your organs, actually is. Usually every organ goes to another recipient. Nobody receives two kidneys - two different people receive one-one kidney at the same time. It is a very, very complicated and meticulously planned process, involving a huge amount of medically trained personal. It is definitely NOT done by random ear-nose and throat doctors, with the help of fake antibiotics. Eurotransplant or its equivalents in countries not included exist for a reason. Even in Bulgaria.

At this point I cannot even imagine what happened to this young man, but for me two things are clear: nobody gave him false medication and nobody wanted to kidnap him for his kidneys in the Kolor Hotel. They very likely tried to scam his credit card, that's a typical Eastern European crime, maybe they even tried to pickpocket him, but that's all I can imagine. I guess he was scared because for the first time in his West European life he got exposed to the Eastern European reality and because he was alone in that strange new world, he got a bit paranoid about it (paranoid not in the medical sense of the word, of course). That Kolor Hotel doesn't even look shady or scary to me, just normal. I'd totally sleep there and I'm a woman. It's definitely much less sophisticated than the tourist hotels in the Golden Beach area Lars spent the week previous to his disappearence, but that's all.

I'm very sorry for his mother, this not knowing anything since years must be excrutiating.

ETA: since I'm not verified as a medical professional, this is all to be taken as a personal opinion, based on personal experiences.

Thanks for popping on this thread Gottlieb, good information in a great post, looking forward to more!

 

[Elainera]

Hi Gottlieb thank you for joining here!

Good point you're making about the antibiotic. All I can find about it is that Lars got Cefcil which is Cefprozil (how does it differ from Cefuroxim, which you mentioned?) and that is apparently not allowed in Germany, according to this (old) publication: http://www.p-e-g.de/publikationen/ctj/0699/227-229.PDF

:dunno:

Maybe it was an attempt in initial reporting to dramatize the story, or it was only a concern/point of interest in the initial investigation? I have not seen it being stressed by his mother or by the detective in later interviews, so they might have come to the conclusion that whether the medication was/is allowed in Germany or not really is not important to the search.

I agree about the organ trafficking theory being rubbish, I never believed it.

So, going with your theory, if Lars had a concussion and was confused and paranoid because of it, could this lead to a permanent loss of memory and confusion? Or would you think that after a few days/weeks he would have recovered and would have been able to think clearly again? Or what do you think happens when someone has an untreated concussion?

Also, do you think the side of his head where he got hit would matter? Would it affect different regions of the brain that were more (or less) likely to produce (when injured) symptoms such as we have seen reported in Lars? From the video where an actor plays Lars he seems to indicate that the blow was to the left ear.

Lastly, what do you think about mental illness as a cause for Lars' behaviour and disappearance? Do you think it at all likely?

Sorry for the many questions! It's nice to have a professional weighing in!

New on this thread - just a couple of thoughts.

I am confused about Cefuroxim (the antibiotics Lars had to take), because - in contrary to what's stated in the interview - it is NOT banned in Germany. It has never been banned, to this day ever, actually. It runs under other names, like Zinnat and Curocef, but it's the same as this Cef500 and is used widely. It was also used in 2014, when this young man disappeared. Why do media people tell it is/was banned? This is not true. Are there also other mistakes in the interview?

I don't see anything fishy about this medicament anyway. It's just a simple antibiotics. I've taken it several times myself. I'm also a medical professional, and while, according to studies, antibiotics induced psychosis clearly exists, it mostly happens to patients with some prerequisite conditions, like elderly, or with bad kidney function, etc. I have never seen one single such case during my ten years of hospital experience, tbh.

Head injury could be possible - if a smaller vein gets ruptured, it can take some time until symptomes of the growing intracranial pressure set in. The person can look fine for a day with nothing more but a slowly intensifying headache, later some nausea and differing pupils. But the time frame doesn't fit with this theory very well, I think. Concussions can also cause weird behavior and there is a wider time frame for it. More possible, imo.

About the organ trafficking theory from the viewpoint of a medical professional from a similar ex-Socialist country: just no. Random laryngologists in random hospitals aren't involved in organ trafficking, even in the deepest of Balkan. They do not have ready-made boxes of antibiotics that contain something else, just in case a random German tourist, looking perfectly suited for potential illegal organ trafficking purposes, miraculously walks in. They just don't. Hospitals and doctors are just like everywhere else in the world: hospitals and doctors. No exotic mystery organ maffia here.

Also, people clearly have no idea how difficult organ transplantation actually is, how many medically trained people are involved in just taking those organs out. There is full staff from three-four different teams from different hospitals, standing in the OR waiting, ready to fly away with the different organs to their different bases where at the same time other full OR teams are waiting with the recipients already on the table sleeping. Even if the only organ suitable for actual donation turns out to be just one cornea at the end, the whole business is on with all the people all the time. People also clearly have no idea how difficult it is to keep a potential donor's body alive prior/during and the organ after the operation, and how extremely complex the process of finding recipients that match your organs, actually is. Usually every organ goes to another recipient. Nobody receives two kidneys - two different people receive one-one kidney at the same time. It is a very, very complicated and meticulously planned process, involving a huge amount of medically trained personal. It is definitely NOT done by random ear-nose and throat doctors, with the help of fake antibiotics. Eurotransplant or its equivalents in countries not included exist for a reason. Even in Bulgaria.

At this point I cannot even imagine what happened to this young man, but for me two things are clear: nobody gave him false medication and nobody wanted to kidnap him for his kidneys in the Kolor Hotel. They very likely tried to scam his credit card, that's a typical Eastern European crime, maybe they even tried to pickpocket him, but that's all I can imagine. I guess he was scared because for the first time in his West European life he got exposed to the Eastern European reality and because he was alone in that strange new world, he got a bit paranoid about it (paranoid not in the medical sense of the word, of course). That Kolor Hotel doesn't even look shady or scary to me, just normal. I'd totally sleep there and I'm a woman. It's definitely much less sophisticated than the tourist hotels in the Golden Beach area Lars spent the week previous to his disappearence, but that's all.

I'm very sorry for his mother, this not knowing anything since years must be excrutiating.

ETA: since I'm not verified as a medical professional, this is all to be taken as a personal opinion, based on personal experiences.

 

[Schmatz]

I have taken Cefuroxim in the past for a bladder infection with no side effects.

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[Gottlieb]

I think I missed this info about Cefzil - for some reason I only remember him asking his mother about Cef500. I will watch the videos again, who knows what other infos I missed?

Anyway, they are both cephalosporines, differ only slightly in chemical structure and in spektrum, but I'm no pharmacology expert. I have no idea why is it not allowed in Germany, in my country it is, and also in Switzerland, which I'd say is on the same level of medical safety as Germany if not higher? The pharmacology industry has its dirty secrets, lol. I don't see any suspicious in this medication, it is just a cephalosporine, nothing less, nothing more.

Sorry for the rant about the organ trafficking theory - it is a sweet spot for me, having worked in the process. It actually amazes me to see how naive and romantic people can get about it. It is much, much more complicated than anybody can imagine it, really.

I don't doubt that organ trafficking is a real problem, but not in this part of the world, I'd say. Eastern Europe runs on corruption, and our crimes are also less grandiose and let's be real, cheaper. Nobody would pay for a kidney from the black market if you can just go down the good old, traditional Eastern European way of corruption and bribe the right people to get you to the top of the transplantation list. You can do your crimes legally here, lol. (Of course, I'm joking - but only halfway. Corruption is real).

Usually, light concussions don't require treatment other than rest and pain management - it depends on its seriousness though. If he had a blunt force trauma big enough to rupture his eardrum on one side, he most likely had an even more serious injury on the opposite side of his brain, where it hit the skull. A head injury can cause bleeding, or diffuse injury of the brain tissue, or the swelling of the brain, which, if left untreated, leads to death. It is impossible to tell, exactly what effect an injury will have. Commotio can indeed cause amnesia, the longer is the amnesia period, the worse is the injury. My problem with the head injury theory though is that physical symptoms, like headache or nausea and vomiting or even loss of consciousness are more prominent than behavioral changes. So I'm not completely sold on this theory.

For me the most likely explanation is the sudden onset of some psychiatric condition, triggered by the head injury and/or the insecure situation. I don't believe he had any real reason to be afraid for his life. But I will re-watch the videos, because I may have missed important informations.

I also think that while Bulgaria may not have a very strong social support net, a good-looking, seemingly confused person, who does not speak the local language, would draw the attention of the authorities fairly quickly. Cops on the streets usually know the homeless people in their area. Lars would stick out. I think he tried to hitch-hike home, and just never arrived, sadly.

 

[mpnola]

Did anyone see Grey's Anatomy this week? I couldn't stop thinking of this case. A woman came into the hospital, with clear delusions and psychiatric issues. Through a medical device she had in her, they found her identity. Her mother and father had since "buried" her, she was assumed dead. She did not recognize them or respond to them until in the hospital and on meds to stabilize. It is so sad and sadly accurate. I hope this mama finds Lars.

 

[dotr]

Here is another case of a man, who after suffering a head injury, goes missing for many years suddenly remembers his identity.
he was found not terribly far from home, wondering if Lars might be closer to his home than one might expect?

http://globalnews.ca/news/2511590/o...almost-30-years-suddenly-remembers-who-he-is/

A nearly 30-year-old missing person’s case has been solved after an Ontario man who disappeared in 1986 suddenly remembered his identity.

Edgar Latulip was 21 when he was last seen at a bus station in Kitchener, Ont.
On Wednesday, Niagara Regional Police said he was found roughly 130 kilometres away in St. Catharines, Ont., now a 51-year-old man, after he began remembering pieces of his identity and gave his name to a social worker.
Const. Philip Gavin of the Niagara Regional Police told Global News when he arrived in St. Catharines he suffered a head injury that left him with limited memory at the time. Then one month ago, he began to remember something.

 

[neesaki]

I think I missed this info about Cefzil - for some reason I only remember him asking his mother about Cef500. I will watch the videos again, who knows what other infos I missed?

Anyway, they are both cephalosporines, differ only slightly in chemical structure and in spektrum, but I'm no pharmacology expert. I have no idea why is it not allowed in Germany, in my country it is, and also in Switzerland, which I'd say is on the same level of medical safety as Germany if not higher? The pharmacology industry has its dirty secrets, lol. I don't see any suspicious in this medication, it is just a cephalosporine, nothing less, nothing more.

Sorry for the rant about the organ trafficking theory - it is a sweet spot for me, having worked in the process. It actually amazes me to see how naive and romantic people can get about it. It is much, much more complicated than anybody can imagine it, really.

I don't doubt that organ trafficking is a real problem, but not in this part of the world, I'd say. Eastern Europe runs on corruption, and our crimes are also less grandiose and let's be real, cheaper. Nobody would pay for a kidney from the black market if you can just go down the good old, traditional Eastern European way of corruption and bribe the right people to get you to the top of the transplantation list. You can do your crimes legally here, lol. (Of course, I'm joking - but only halfway. Corruption is real).

Usually, light concussions don't require treatment other than rest and pain management - it depends on its seriousness though. If he had a blunt force trauma big enough to rupture his eardrum on one side, he most likely had an even more serious injury on the opposite side of his brain, where it hit the skull. A head injury can cause bleeding, or diffuse injury of the brain tissue, or the swelling of the brain, which, if left untreated, leads to death. It is impossible to tell, exactly what effect an injury will have. Commotio can indeed cause amnesia, the longer is the amnesia period, the worse is the injury. My problem with the head injury theory though is that physical symptoms, like headache or nausea and vomiting or even loss of consciousness are more prominent than behavioral changes. So I'm not completely sold on this theory.

For me the most likely explanation is the sudden onset of some psychiatric condition, triggered by the head injury and/or the insecure situation. I don't believe he had any real reason to be afraid for his life. But I will re-watch the videos, because I may have missed important informations.

I also think that while Bulgaria may not have a very strong social support net, a good-looking, seemingly confused person, who does not speak the local language, would draw the attention of the authorities fairly quickly. Cops on the streets usually know the homeless people in their area. Lars would stick out. I think he tried to hitch-hike home, and just never arrived, sadly.

I agree that the antibiotic was not the cause, as it's very rare. As you or someone else brought up, it's usually only in patients with other health issues. That's why earlier on I discounted it, yet, didn't want to totally rule it out. Still, I don't believe it's the cause of Lars issues. If anything, I think it had to do with a head injury that was undiagnosed. I just can't figure out how they didn't find him. Because if that's the case, it's hard for me to believe that he got very far before he succumbed to the injury. Unless someone was actually following him and then took advantage of his compromised state of mind. I suppose it's possible he had some sort of fugue state, but that type of event usually isn't that long term. Amnesia of some sort? I just don't know. Such a strange case.

 

[Elainera]

Thank you for your input Gottlieb!

I also think that while Bulgaria may not have a very strong social support net, a good-looking, seemingly confused person, who does not speak the local language, would draw the attention of the authorities fairly quickly. Cops on the streets usually know the homeless people in their area. Lars would stick out. I think he tried to hitch-hike home, and just never arrived, sadly.

respectfully snipped by me

Maybe he mingled with other tourists and ended up in some little known tourist spot, more off the beaten path? Are there any expat communities in Bulgaria? I knew someone here in India who lived here illegally for many years before he was found by authorities and sent home to Europe. (He wasn't ill though, just an old hippy.) As there are many expats living in this city he didn't stick out at all, he also learned the local language. He mingled well and slipped through the cracks for a long time. It is certainly possible.

I keep thinking that they should update his missing picture. He looks very clean and cute and healthy in that original pic, I'm sure he doesn't anymore. He probably has long hair and beard now (longer than in the altered image) and looks more thin and tired, older than his age. Also more tanned I would think?

@dotr, thank you for posting these amazing stories! They do give hope!

 

[Gottlieb]

These amnesia cases are so interesting! There was one not so long ago, an elderly, kind-looking gentleman with a moustache that got solved by a DNA expert who also posted here? I can't remember the name of this man for my life, but I do remember that he didn't regain his memories.

I think there is one big difference between Lars' case and the schizophrenia and amnesia cases mentioned here - that he is a stranger. All the other cases are Americans in America, they are, in a way, still at home, they do not stick out, they could be anybody from a population of 300 million. That's why it is usually so hard to identify them. In an ex-Socialist country like Bulgaria, where most people still don't speak languages other than their own, it would be very difficult for him to blend in and go unnoticed for a longer period of time. If in my smaller but similar country a social worker would stumble upon a seemingly confused homeless foreigner, it'd be national news in thirty minutes. I also find it unlikely that he, in a confused state, survived on the streets so long that he could pick up the local language. Remember, Germans don't even read the cyrillic alphabet.

In my country there are expat communities, yes, but they are all here with a reason - studying, teaching ESL, working at international companies. That kind of sunshine-hippy-expat-easy-living, that you find in India or in Bali, does not exist here. The winters are harsh, people are poor, it is not easy to survive on the streets even with local knowledge. Maybe in beach cities in Bulgaria it is easier? I can't comment on that, unfortunately.

I agree that, if he's still alive, his appearance has most likely changed a lot. And he may have wandered down to Turkey. It has all happened before the refugee crisis started. A strange case indeed.

(PS - when I read back my previous comment I noticed a typo - of course I worked in the organ transplantation process and not in organ trafficking, lol. Unfortunately I can't edit it anymore.)

 

[Rayemonde]

These amnesia cases are so interesting! There was one not so long ago, an elderly, kind-looking gentleman with a moustache that got solved by a DNA expert who also posted here? I can't remember the name of this man for my life, but I do remember that he didn't regain his memories.

Benjaman Kyle? Some people argue that he never really had amnesia. He does have schizophrenia though, and obviously that can mess your mind up badly.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ed-amnesia-says-he-has-found-out-his-identity

 

[Gottlieb]

Yes, thanks! It was indeed Benjaman Kyle! I don't remember him having schizophrenia but I wasn't following his case very closely. I'll read up on him too.

 

[dotr]

Could there be a common thread between Lars and these strange disappearances?
Looking forward to watching/reading some of these stories, several links included in this link..

http://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/features/missing-far-from-home

[h=1]The Missing Tourist[/h] Watch Preview
[h=2]Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 9 PM on CBC-TV[/h] Bizarre Stories About Tourists Who Went Missing Far From Home

 

[JanetElaine]

Hi guys. I just wanted to stop in and say I've been spreading Lars' missing poster around to truckers and any cars I see with license plates from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria etc... Sometimes (if there's no language barrier) I give them a small pile so they can spread them when they get back there. I'm hoping something will come of it. I haven't been doing much else about this (or any) case other than that, because I have to take care of myself a bit. Not doing too great and 'thinking' is quite the chore right now. But, printing and handing out I can do.

 

[Elainera]

That's awesome JanetElaine! Thank you so much! Yes, hopefully something will come from it.

I also hope you feel better soon!

 

[Bit of hope]

Hi guys. I just wanted to stop in and say I've been spreading Lars' missing poster around to truckers and any cars I see with license plates from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria etc... Sometimes (if there's no language barrier) I give them a small pile so they can spread them when they get back there. I'm hoping something will come of it. I haven't been doing much else about this (or any) case other than that, because I have to take care of myself a bit. Not doing too great and 'thinking' is quite the chore right now. But, printing and handing out I can do.

Great!! :loveyou:Take care of yourself.

 

[Brainy]

Wow.. How bizarre and sad, and can't believe that he just disappeared. Where did he go? Did someone pick him up after he ran out? He couldn't go very far on foot. No idea...


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[neesaki]

Hi guys. I just wanted to stop in and say I've been spreading Lars' missing poster around to truckers and any cars I see with license plates from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria etc... Sometimes (if there's no language barrier) I give them a small pile so they can spread them when they get back there. I'm hoping something will come of it. I haven't been doing much else about this (or any) case other than that, because I have to take care of myself a bit. Not doing too great and 'thinking' is quite the chore right now. But, printing and handing out I can do.

That's so awesome, JanetElaine :loveyou: Hope you get back to feeling better soon, please do take care of yourself!