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

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Alright, now I watched this very interesting and comprehensive video. This is from 11 months after he went missing. It presents the case more like a story with actors playing the parts of Lars and his friends in Varna. It also tells a bit about his background, he was an only child, very close with his mom, athletic, ambitious, and had a promising job in Wilhelmshaven. His friends describe him as lively, always in good spirits, a devoted soccer fan, sometimes liked to drink, a good friend.

New snippet of info: Lars did not want to eat much during the week vacation in Varna, which surprised his friends because the stay at the hotel was inclusive of food, plus they were planning to party and everyone knows that you should eat well before you drink alcohol.

On July 5 the group was out at night and on the way home his friends popped into a fast food restaurant to grab a quick bite. Lars waited outside, but when they came back out he was nowhere to be seen. However, he was back at the hotel the next morning and told them that other soccer fans, with whom he had had a little bit of a tiff in the bar earlier, had paid some Bulgarian or Russian guys to beat him up. And they did, that's why his eardrum was perforated.

The friends did not know what to make of this story, and neither do I. Why did he not wait in front of the fast food joint for his friends? Did he wander away and those guys grabbed him? How did he get away from them? Why only one punch to the ear? It's a weird story, and I have some doubts. Did he lie to his friends?

On the afternoon before the flight back home Lars complained about pain in his ear and was worried that the flight might damage his hearing. They went to a local doctor (NOT the one at the airport) who told him that he shouldn't fly but rather see a specialist in another clinic.

The friends offered to extend their stay but Lars insisted that they fly back. He went to the clinic with a taxi, and this is the doctor that prescribed the antibiotics after Lars decided he did not want to be operated in Bulgaria. His mother speculates that it stressed him that they did not want to admit him at the hospital after he declined surgery. It was now evening, he was alone, and had to find a place to stay. He then took a taxi and arrived at the Hotel Color.

I guess he must have taken the first dose of antibiotics then.

He called his mom from the hotel at just before midnight and asked her to cancel his credit card because he just paid with the card at the hotel but had a bad feeling about it. He goes on to say that he feels something was wrong in this hotel and that he needed to get away. And so he left in the middle of the night.

Around 3am he called his mom again, he was whispering, saying that four guys were following him and that he was hiding.

Shortly afterwards he sent two text messages to his mom, inquiring what CefC500 is (the antibiotic, I assume). I think he believed that someone had drugged him (that the antibiotic was really something else) and that they were now following him. (imo)

He then caught a taxi and arrived at the airport at dawn.

At 6am he called his mom again saying that he finally arrived at the airport and his mom advised him to see the doctor at the airport. She also booked him a flight. He said to her, "They don't let me fly, they don't let me go". At first she didn't think anything of it but later on she found it odd that he had added that they won't let him go (but she never got to talk to him again to ask him about it). She also found it strange that he said those words before seeing the airport doctor to get another opinion. (I think those words show his fear, jmo.)

Then follows another interview with the airport doctor (the guy must have been interviewed quite a number of times already!) and he tells that Lars was very restless. He indeed told him that he shouldn’t fly. When the airport worker entered Lars got even more nervous and started stuttering and mumbling. They tried to calm him and find out what’s wrong but Lars got up suddenly and ran out leaving all his luggage and phone behind.

Next follows an interview with Marco Klein, the detective in charge of Lars’s case. He says that several witnesses have reported that Lars’s behavior was weird ever since he left the hospital in Varna. He was scared, even panicked.

A pharmacist is then interviewed who confirms that in rare cases this particular antibiotic can lead to behavior such as what Lars exhibited. But she also says that this side effect depends on whether he took another medication simultaneously or drank alcohol.

Sandra, his mother, flew down two weeks after he disappeared and searched for him in hospitals and psychiatric wards.
She says the family believes he is alive and they have strong hope. She says Lars is mentally strong and sees things through.

At the end of the video at 20.02 min they show a map of the airport which shows in red the path Lars ran as shown on the surveillance footage. He ran North/Northwest and jumped over the fence into a sunflower field with 2m (7ft) high plants. A few 100 m further North is the A2 highway that leads to Sofia.

Lastly, they are asking for a witness to contact them. Lars had told his mother that at the airport he had asked a German speaking man for advice about a money transfer from Germany to Varna, possibly the last person who spoke to Lars before he entered the doctor’s office. (The mother had talked to him on the phone about sending him money with Western Union.)

Thank you so much for this, Elainera.

I'm sorry to be going back so many months and a lot of these questions are just me thinking out loud, I don't necessarily expect anyone to be able to answer (great if you can but I'm just voicing things that come to my mind).

So, they listed Lars persona prior to his disappearance... do we know if he'd used drugs in the past? Even just weed? Anything that may make him vulnerable to easily getting back into this scene again?

I'm also wondering, are there usually any instances where drugs make you not want to eat? I was always under the assumption that drugs give you the "munchies"?

Were there no other signs that he had been attacked by the Bulgarians/Russians? Injuries that we know of? It seems like such a strange story that his friends don't believe I wonder if there was nothing to back it up with other than the ear perforation.

If these Bulgarian/Russian men targeted him after he had walked away from his friends, maybe in a dark secluded area, why did he walk away from them? It's as if he is trying to hide something from his friends. The alternative that they targeted him while he waited just outside of the store doesn't seem feasible... surely his friends would have witnessed something/hear commotion.

Ok, so maybe he just felt that his friends shouldn't have to stay behind in BG and it would cost them all to change their flights and thats why he insisted they head home. Again, the other alternative is that this was another way of getting away from his friends, like he had some unfinished business in BG he wished to carry out alone (all theory if this was anything to do with drugs).

The four guys following him... did Lars specify if they were from the hotel? And where was lars hiding when he called his Mom?

Lastly... the highway to Sofia interests me (clearly)... is this possibly where the trucker mentioned somewhere in this thread picked him up from? Or did the trucker and Lars cross paths later in the timeline?

:tyou: sleuths for listening to my ramblings and possibly answering any of these questions. I still have a bit to catch up on so some may get answered along the way.

Къде си, Ларс?
Where are you, Lars?
 
In this video at 2.11 - 2.15 min, is he talking to this woman? Is she trying to touch him?

[video=youtube;DcEoZ_hpj4Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcEoZ_hpj4Q[/video]

She looks to me like a airport official who is showing him directions (and he's not really listening) or she talking to someone else we cannot see. imo.
 
Very nice to have you here AnaPisces!
Curious to know what language is used in your moniker.
 
What I wonder about is why he didn't take the bus and/or train back to Germany rather than staying there alone. That's what I would do. One of his friends could have traveled with him. Yes it's a long trip but wouldn't it still have been a more appealing solution than staying alone in Varna, even if he had been admitted to the hospital (which he had hoped for according to one video)? Especially after you'd been beaten up two nights before? I find it odd that he opted to stay behind, alone, in pain.

I too find it odd. He could easily get a bus (I'm not sure about a train) from Bulgaria to Germany. It would take him a good day, I'm not sure about from Verna but certainly from Sofia. Although, Verna is a pretty big tourist destination so he could probably do so from Verna too.
 
Very nice to have you here AnaPisces!
Curious to know what language is used in your moniker.

Thank you, dotr!

It's Bulgarian (written in Cryllic) :) I'm available for any translating needed :)
 
I have also wondered about Lars friends stating he wasn't eating much, that in itself seems odd to me. Most young men are voracious eaters, if you know what I mean. So, what reason did he have for not eating much? Was he already ill? Was there already something going on? I think there could have been multiple factors involved, including possible drug and alcohol use. And then the beating and ear drum perforation which would be significant, IMO. Then, who knows, he could have gotten some bad weed at the Hotel. I'm not sure about the Schizophrenia possibility, but I do really believe it was a multiple of factors that may have concluded in a perfect storm type of situation. :(

I mentioned this couple of posts up. I'm wondering about the not eating/drugs things as like I said, I thought drugs gave you the munchies. But I suppose, it could have had something unexpected mixed into it. The two don't really fit together in my limited knowledge of drugs.
 
Thank you so much for this, Elainera.

I'm sorry to be going back so many months and a lot of these questions are just me thinking out loud, I don't necessarily expect anyone to be able to answer (great if you can but I'm just voicing things that come to my mind).

So, they listed Lars persona prior to his disappearance... do we know if he'd used drugs in the past? Even just weed? Anything that may make him vulnerable to easily getting back into this scene again?

I'm also wondering, are there usually any instances where drugs make you not want to eat? I was always under the assumption that drugs give you the "munchies"?

Were there no other signs that he had been attacked by the Bulgarians/Russians? Injuries that we know of? It seems like such a strange story that his friends don't believe I wonder if there was nothing to back it up with other than the ear perforation.

If these Bulgarian/Russian men targeted him after he had walked away from his friends, maybe in a dark secluded area, why did he walk away from them? It's as if he is trying to hide something from his friends. The alternative that they targeted him while he waited just outside of the store doesn't seem feasible... surely his friends would have witnessed something/hear commotion.

Ok, so maybe he just felt that his friends shouldn't have to stay behind in BG and it would cost them all to change their flights and thats why he insisted they head home. Again, the other alternative is that this was another way of getting away from his friends, like he had some unfinished business in BG he wished to carry out alone (all theory if this was anything to do with drugs).

The four guys following him... did Lars specify if they were from the hotel? And where was lars hiding when he called his Mom?

Lastly... the highway to Sofia interests me (clearly)... is this possibly where the trucker mentioned somewhere in this thread picked him up from? Or did the trucker and Lars cross paths later in the timeline?

:tyou: sleuths for listening to my ramblings and possibly answering any of these questions. I still have a bit to catch up on so some may get answered along the way.

Къде си, Ларс?
Where are you, Lars?

About his behavior.....If you take drugs..everything is ok in your mind....not a hungry feeling, not interested, no action fase.
He could have gone in a psychotic stage....It's sometimes comes out of nothing....sometimes triggered by drugs. Having the feeling that somebody/something is following you is quite common...conspiracy thoughts I mean. I wonder if mom did ask a expert to watch the video.....and the behavior.
If there was a fight, were there camera footage that could confirm this...
 
Looking at straight forward details, it would seem that Lars might have been partying and possibly if drinking, attracting the wrong kind of attention.
There might well have been people after him and the " construction worker " may have looked like one of them, or was one of them.
Maybe Lars did have legitimate reason to run and perhaps avoid the airport. Maybe he was forced to phone his mother to have money and tickets sent to him.
Maybe he is trying to make his way home, but struggling physically/mentally to properly get there.
There is also the slim possibility that he wanted to escape his old life, but felt too guilty to leave his mother alone to look after his father. Maybe he just could not deal with it and rather than looking like he abandoned them, constructed one lie after another until everything was so convoluted nobody would be able to make sense of it all.

Wondering if it would help to look closer at Lar's life just prior to his trip to Bulgaria, could he have been singled out for victimization before he even arrived??

All just speculation,imo.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/trave...s/news-story/c6f453d76b2ff527ac278356f257c4e1
rbbm.

Ms Mittank is captured entering the airport and calming walking through the building, luggage in tow. Shortly after arriving, he visited the airport clinic. The doctor later told police that the German, who still had his suitcase with him, seemed fine for the first few minutes of the consultation. This changed when a person described as a “construction worker” walked into the clinic and Mr Mittank suddenly freaked and ran out.

Heading back to this quote... do we know if the "construction worker" was ever interviewed? It feels like he could hold some clues.
 
There was an Bulgarian truck driver who said he could possibly giving him a ride....to where?

If I was taking a guess, I'd say the "big cities"/tourist areas where he could travel easily to and from or go unnoticed. So obviously Sofia comes to mind first. BUT he could have also headed to Plovdiv which is not as far from Varna as Sofia is or Burgas is even closer than Plovdiv.

I have no reason or evidence to back what I'm saying up with, it's just the first places I would think of.
 
Thanks for pointing me in this direction of this thread. And I think you are right. This has all the signs of the onset of Schizophrenia, to me. Disclaimer- I worked as an Mental Health Professional and was the Associate Director of community home programs for 16 years. I have a Masters Degree in Counseling, along with my certification, but we will consider this not a professional assessment (as I am not verified). We will consider it my life experience.

Few things--- (I will apologize in advance. After working directly with the most chronically treated mental health adults for 16 years, I tend to explain through examples and stories. Never giving enough info to break confidentiality, though)

The fight- did anyone ever say they saw it? Or did he just report this to his friends after he disappeared. I am doubting this ever happened. I once had a "client" (we don't really call them that, but we will say that for ease) who I had brought out of town for Special Olympics (dual diagnosis). We finished eating at a restaurant and she said she needed to go back in to go to the restroom. We all waited outside, but I watched her through the window. I WATCHED her through the window. She reached the bathroom, turned around and ran out the restaurant screaming about how some b**** just accused her of sleeping with her husband and punched her. She then proceeded to try to punch me. She was very convincing! People were not sure if it actually happened. But, it did not. It was part of her delusions. No woman even spoke to her, much less punched her. I was watching. I say all of that because it is highly likely he believed this himself, but it didn't happen. He could have also hit himself, put something in his ear, anything that caused damage. If a person is having auditory hallucinations, it would not be uncommon for them to stick something in their ear to try to make it stop. Unless there is corroboration that the fight actually existed, I'm not going to 100% bank on it yet.

As for the airport- I immediately noticed the lady he walks past. If you notice, it almost looks like he says something (possibly non-sensical) and she points the way. It is the same time the guy in the blue turns around and looks. I am going to bet if they talk to blue guy, he will report Lars either speaking loudly or saying things that seemed bizarre, which is why he was looking over his shoulder. Blue guy was looking out for his own safety, not looking to harm someone else, I will guess.

The thing that seems consistent throughout the days/ weeks leading up to this event is several people saying he was paranoid, acting strangely, not acting quite like himself, etc. This is common when someone is in the first stages of discovering it is Schizophrenia. People around you believe you! So, instead of realizing it is delusions and paranoia, people try to help keep a person away from the perceived harm. A big clue is him asking his mom about the number and letters on the pills. In my experience, most delusions surround government, God/ satan, someone (doctor, etc) trying to access control of them, tv and microwaves trying to control thoughts. To be paranoid about the pills would fit right in. They were very likely antibiotics that we all take and nothing more.

He had "someone" after him for a long time. This is likely perceived, not real. He left his friends and not only was he jumped, but there were groups of Russians and Bulgarians (Dont remember the specific groups) that did it. And no one saw. Then, a doctor wont let him leave. Then there are 4 guys following him at the hotel. Then, the hotel people cant be trusted and credit cards need to be canceled. Then, the doctor (who is obviously working with the pharmacist) gave him pills that were tainted. Then, the doctor at the airport wouldnt let him leave. And the airport personnel was terrifying and he needed to run from him..... do you see what I am getting at?


To me, Schizophrenia is the scariest thing that can happen to a person. Most of my "clients" were intelligent and had lived their lives like every one of us. Until they didn't. The fateful day that Schizophrenia took center stage. Most of them related the onset to a single time of drug usage. A very specific time. The best way i describe Schizophrenia to people is to imagine your dream state and your awake state meshing together. You can never know what things really exist or what things are just part of the dream state, leaking through into your reality. There is also usually some parts that are true. I had one of my guys tell me there were human bones in the garbage can upstairs. I went to investigate (with gloves on, of course, because you never know!) and it was an apple core. When he glanced into that garbage, the apple core took the shape of a finger bone. All of us can understand how something like this could happen in a dream. It is sadly the reality that they often live, not knowing if threats are real or perceived. And Schizophrenia can be very well controlled on meds. But, that takes a person knowing what is happening and receiving ongoing treatment.

My guess is that he all of a sudden thought his sweet mama would be in danger or possibly was part of the plot against him. He is probably living among the many other untreated mental health adults living as homeless. I hope they find him. Someone asked where the trucker brought him. That is a GOOOOD question. And an important lead to follow. I feel like he can be found, but it will take lots of people sending photos of homeless from all over the place. I always think about how many of our "missing" are probably right under our noses and ignored as people on the streets. I hope he is found and helped real soon.

Thank you soooo much for this insight, mpnola. Honestly, like I've said before, I really did think something must have become of Lars at the hands of someone else but after reading the facts here and everyones thoughts and opinions I was changing my mind and this has just pushed me over to the other side of the fence. I have full confidence he is out there and just needs the right person to look him in the eyes.

I had no idea that Schizophrenia could come on like that. Honestly, I assumed people would have some signs of it always.

BBM. I really do what you are saying. There is always something.
 
FWIW.
Hate to refer to the site that starts with an R, but looking for further information about Lars, it popped up with someone claiming to have seen a homeless type person in Ontario, who looked like Lars.
Thinking that the person they might have seen was possibly the once missing Canadian who was previously mistaken for Lars.
Still, it is good to know that people do have Lars in mind, he could be anywhere!
 
FWIW.
Hate to refer to the site that starts with an R, but looking for further information about Lars, it popped up with someone claiming to have seen a homeless type person in Ontario, who looked like Lars.
Thinking that the person they might have seen was possibly the once missing Canadian who was previously mistaken for Lars.
Still, it is good to know that people do have Lars in mind, he could be anywhere!

Dotr,

Sadly, I doubt that he's alive.
 
I mentioned this couple of posts up. I'm wondering about the not eating/drugs things as like I said, I thought drugs gave you the munchies. But I suppose, it could have had something unexpected mixed into it. The two don't really fit together in my limited knowledge of drugs.

Regarding the no appetite and drugs, just a thought: Yes, Marijuana is known to increase appetite, but on the other hand, uppers suppress one's appetite, such as cocaine, etc. Also, don't methamphetamines suppress appetite? It's possible he was doing something that caused appetite suppression, and / or was given something that caused hallucinations. Idk, it does seem he was delusional, his behavior reminds me much of the couple from Nebraska that got lost in the snow storm and froze to death. Such a baffling case. :(

And thank you for coming aboard ! :welcome:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Primetime/story?id=549455
 
FWIW.
Hate to refer to the site that starts with an R, but looking for further information about Lars, it popped up with someone claiming to have seen a homeless type person in Ontario, who looked like Lars.
Thinking that the person they might have seen was possibly the once missing Canadian who was previously mistaken for Lars.
Still, it is good to know that people do have Lars in mind, he could be anywhere!

Ah, I had read some over there yesterday but I find "R" so hard to read so I didn't get very far. I will have to head back there today.

Glad to see Lars is on minds all over the world. I have full confidence that he is out there and he just needs the right person to find him.
 
Regarding the no appetite and drugs, just a thought: Yes, Marijuana is known to increase appetite, but on the other hand, uppers suppress one's appetite, such as cocaine, etc. Also, don't methamphetamines suppress appetite? It's possible he was doing something that caused appetite suppression, and / or was given something that caused hallucinations. Idk, it does seem he was delusional, his behavior reminds me much of the couple from Nebraska that got lost in the snow storm and froze to death. Such a baffling case. :(

And thank you for coming aboard ! :welcome:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Primetime/story?id=549455

Thank you neesaki! Glad to be here.
I did not know that about cocaine & methamphetamine's. I need to look into this further (damn, if any gov. official was to ever look at my internet history, I would have a lot of explaining to do... "drugs, murder, serial killers, how long does a body take to decompose, can you disappear without being found" ;)
 
I too find it odd. He could easily get a bus (I'm not sure about a train) from Bulgaria to Germany. It would take him a good day, I'm not sure about from Verna but certainly from Sofia. Although, Verna is a pretty big tourist destination so he could probably do so from Verna too.

Just noticed that I randomly spelt Varna as Verna yesterday in just this one post. PROOF that sleuthing should not be done on only a few hours sleep! :floorlaugh:
 
Lars came into doctor's office.
Doctor noticed that he was nervous since he showed up, examined him and told him that he's not in condition for flying (and will not be through at least next 10 days) and he will not allow him to do so unless he will sign some documments that he's aware and been warned that flight can end up with his death.
Lars insist that he must fly as soon as possible.

Doctor Gave him these papers to sign and at that moment some guy, dressed as "construction worker" or "airport worker" showed up.
As he saw that man, he freaked out, refused to calm down and left his luggage, phone and documments at doctor's office.

In sources dated few months after Lars disappeared are two things which are lost or changed later:

1. Before Lars send his mother text with question about Cefuroxime he mentioned to her that someone at "Color" was asking him about these pills as they saw them.
2. At some point Lars calls his mother again and told her that he's followed by the same group of four "Bayern" fans which he got into confrontation at "Rock Club" and that he's in hiding.
Earlier sources are saying that happened on the airport, before he entered doctor's office. Later it's totally messed up and pushed at different time points starting from July 6th till his disappearance.

RS&BBM

I find it strange that one doctor would tell him it’s safe to fly and then another doctor tells him he shouldn’t fly for 10 days. You are always going to get different answers from different people but that’s extreme.

So, the four men that were following him were the BM fans that had supposedly attacked him before? They weren’t just new people from Hotel Color? Or is that not considered confirmed?

Ok, now I have a few douzens of sources to check.

But it wasn't about eardrums as much as about that doctor at the airport, if I'm recalling correctly it was somewhere in his statements abour Lars condition.

_______________________________
Here:
http://www.crimes.bg/криминално/7626-изгубен-ли-случаят-намери-ларс-митанк.html

attachment.php

Interesting that thisseems to be the only article that suggest his ear injury could be fatal if hedecides to fly. Did we ever see any other articles stating this along the way?These cases are made so much more difficult when languages overlap like this.

Seriously,is this really worth calling "being paranoid" when some aggressiveguys are chasing you and want to hurt you even more than they already did andyou are desperately trying to run away and find some kind of safety?

Yes, it absolutely is given that we have no idea if what he told everyone aboutthe fight and people following him is even true.
 
I don't know where to start. So many things spring to mind for me, because of my own life experience, watching my little brother having the sudden onset of bi-polar syndrome. At the time, in the late 70's, he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. His 'meltdown' happened over 3 weeks or so, and it was very similar to what is being described in this case.

How many of those facts have been verified by others besides Lars? Do we know there was really a fight?

Do we know if any doctors really did ask him to sign papers because he might die if he flew?

Do we know there was really a perforated ear drum? And if so, do we know if he might have accidentally harmed himself?


My brother used to get very frustrated by the voices in his head. He tried many odd ways to get it to stop. He once had earmuffs on with tin foil around them, hoping to stop the voices from getting into his head.

My brother had been looking for his birth certificate, I found out later, because he was no longer believing he was really born into our family. he thought we were all CIA and trying to get into his mind and turn him into a robot.

RSBM.

Thank you Katy for sharing this with us. I don’t for a second believe the story about the fight and as mpnola said, there would be more evidence that a fight had taken place. The more I read, the more I’m convinced this was all in his head. Something snapped while he was in BG.
 
It is sad and touching, isn't it. So wonderful to know that there are people like you who help those afflicted with compassion and understanding. Thank you for sharing your, or rather their stories!

If he has schizophrenia and is living among homeless people, not taking care of himself, not eating well ... it's been two and a half years now. How long can he go on? I don't know how the health care system is in countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and those regions, I just hope if he gets weak and ill someone gets him to a hospital. And I hope they will try to find out who he is and not just put him in some forgotten place.
The healthcare system isn’t as bad as some think. Especially in the big cities. In Bulgaria anyway, I don’t know about Romania or Poland. A EHIC would give him access to free healthcare but I guess he doesn’t have one of those on his person.

If he's living on the streets, it's tough now. They have minus temperatures in Bulgaria right now, probably in every winter.

Possibly he has long left the area and is gone south, the Mediterranean is only a few hundred kilometers away, much milder climate.
Yep & the temperatures are heading that way again soon. 47F in Varna today & 43F in Sofia.

I have wondered that too. After two and a half years I would think they have been returned by now, but who knows.

Surely they must have gone through the luggage with a fine toothcomb immediately, since this was technically luggage left unattended at an airport and a possible security threat. Later, I would think, that Bulgarian LE, German LE, the PI, and the family all had a look at the items to try to determine if he took anything with him. And surely I would assume they went through his phone to see if he made any phone calls other than to his mother.

I would hope they went through both things and still have access to them. It’s possible they are still with LE. The lack of reporting on this case is concerning and leaves us with not many avenues to go down. Even the FB page is pretty quiet.
 

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