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

[whatsnext]

LOL!!!

Strong Accent

Nice post, seems like there is too many inconsistencies in the story or false reportings by the media. Everyone has a different opinion, I strongly believe this woman is in on it, my reasoning being that she is standing behind the wall and stalks Lars as he takes off.

Does anyone know what the latest news on this case is? Facebook page hasn't been updated in months? Is Europol and the German Authorities still working on it?

It would be nice to here some updates they must have some clues no one just vanished off the face of the earth unless you walk through a time warp into another dimension which is Doctor Who Bs and very unlikely.

Hi Britboy, as far as I know the family and friends are still working all the time on finding him. They have the support of the german LE as well as that of Bulgarian authorities and also many contacts in the surrounding countries. About Europol I don't know, but they have a wide network. The FB page is not updated so often anymore, but there is still alot going on behind the scenes. He has got a brave and very loving family, I admire them. I am german, by the way.

 

[BethAnn777]

Britboy, is it weird that I keep reading all of your posts in my head with a Scottish accent?? Lol. I can't stop it, now! I dated a guy from Scotland, so it's loud and clear!

The lady in the airport doesn't seem creepy to me. It seems like she is moving quickly to see what the commotion is about. It is rare that you see someone spriting through the airport, and when you do, many times it isn't good! My little brother once realized he forgot his ID in my mom's car as she was driving away. He was about 18 and this was probably 20 years ago, so before scary airport. He dropped his bag and ran to catch my mom, except he only got a few feet before he was tackled to the ground by security. It's funny now. But when people run in the airport, it certainly gets attention. She watched for a couple of seconds before moving. If she was after him, it seems like she would have gone immediately. That's just my take on it.

I agree that the woman is just likely interested in seeing what is going on. Or she could have stopped due to the commotion of someone running behind her and once she saw that is was someone running down the hall she went back to what she was doing before.

 

[DakotaMayi]

I'm not convinced that the woman is "creepy". She looks to me like she is either just wanting to know what is going on or she just so happened to walk in that direction. I'm still on the mental health side of the fence on this one.

I hate to see what has become of the Balkans. I still love Bulgaria.

 

[Bit of hope]

Personally I think the woman "thing" is a red herring. I don't see anything scary in her behavior. She look just a normal traveler to me.

 

[Bit of hope]

I'm not convinced that the woman is "creepy". She looks to me like she is either just wanting to know what is going on or she just so happened to walk in that direction. I'm still on the mental health side of the fence on this one.

I hate to see what has become of the Balkans. I still love Bulgaria.

I drove through Bulgaria in the 80's. I you want scary...that was scary......the last time in 2008, less scary, wonderful new roads, but the police were like mosquito's. It looked like they were only wanting to harass tourists with foreign plates. I have to agree with AnnaP....Bulgaria is beautiful, but you have to look twice....

 

[dotr]

Chilling mystery of the 'most famous missing person on YouTube'
11 MAY 2018
Chilling mystery of the 'most famous missing person on YouTube' who vanished into forest never to be seen again
German tourist Lars Mittank, 28, vanished without trace four years ago - after making a terrifying phone call to his mother telling her he was being followed"
"His disappearance on July 8, 2014 has become an internet cause celebre and clips from the terminal have been watched more than 16million times.

The international intrigue in the case has led to Lars being described as the 'most famous missing person on YouTube'."
"Lars checked into a cheap hotel, the Hotel Color, near Varna Airport, after waving off his friends.

Fellow traveller Paul Rohmann would later tell German television Lars was "relaxed" and in a "good mood" when they left him."
"His fate is unknown. Dark conspiracy theories circulate online about what became of Lars in Bulgaria - a country with high levels of human trafficking and organised crime."

 

[dotr]

Whether a real or imagined threat, the construction worker startled Lars into running away. Maybe he knew of stories ( there are many, posted just a few of them) involving people disguised as construction workers committing crimes.
Fwiw. imo, speculation.
2008
Inside Europe's corruption capital: how Bulgaria's crime mafia plunders EU grant money

"Throughout the 1990s, its government became infiltrated by ex-communists, former secret agents and organised criminals known as "thick necks", who to this day cruise the boulevards of Sofia accompanied by bodyguards, and who settle business feuds through contract killings rather than the courts."
Men dressed as construction workers try to rob store, owner pulls gun
"Men dressed as construction workers try to rob store, owner pulls gun"
Toronto: Man shot dead by disguised construction workers 6-7-2016
"Toronto: Man shot dead by disguised construction workers 6-7-2016"
Witness: Home Burglars Disguised Themselves As Construction Workers
"Home Burglars Disguised Themselves As Construction Workers"

 

[whatsnext]

Okay, I will just throw my opinion out:
I think that he was targeted by people who are involved with human traficking. Bulgaria is a country that is corrupt to the core. Lars, from all I know, was not a street smart kinda guy. He was fed drugs maybe, and set up to be snatched after running from the airport. Maybe they told him to run if he saw a certain guy at the airport, and then to meet up with them afterwards. And then they made him disappear. I know that this is a wild theory, have mercy with me

 

[Bit of hope]

Yesterday I saw a program made by a Dutch crime journalist who researches tourist scams in (mostly) European country's. It was about a so called "bar scam" in Farna (Lithuanian) where man on there own are lured into certain bars (the bar people are into the "game" as well) by girls (they almost always work in couples) proposing themselves as foreign tourists looking for a nice night out with another tourist. They let the man pay for drinks and food and the bartender puts drugs in there drink. When they pass out they are robbed, credit card taken, get the secret code from them and clean out the bank account or make them withdrawal money. The guys are left out on the street, totally lost. Most of the bars like this are run by the Russian Mafia, forcing and controlling this girls most of the time. The journalist underwent the same faith (filmed everything with a secret camera) Luckily enough his crew was always very near to him and he could leave on time, before passing out. Very scary all together. Maybe something like this happened to Lars in the hotel and made him very scared and confused. Don't have an explanation though what happened on the airport (could be related to this) and where Lars is. In the above scam the don't intent to kill somebody, "just" robbing them, but this people have no conscience.

 

[adeedra]

Yesterday I saw a program made by a Dutch crime journalist who researches tourist scams in (mostly) European country's. It was about a so called "bar scam" in Farna (Lithuanian) where man on there own are lured into certain bars (the bar people are into the "game" as well) by girls (they almost always work in couples) proposing themselves as foreign tourists looking for a nice night out with another tourist. They let the man pay for drinks and food and the bartender puts drugs in there drink. When they pass out they are robbed, credit card taken, get the secret code from them and clean out the bank account or make them withdrawal money. The guys are left out on the street, totally lost. Most of the bars like this are run by the Russian Mafia, forcing and controlling this girls most of the time. The journalist underwent the same faith (filmed everything with a secret camera) Luckily enough his crew was always very near to him and he could leave on time, before passing out. Very scary all together. Maybe something like this happened to Lars in the hotel and made him very scared and confused. Don't have an explanation though what happened on the airport (could be related to this) and where Lars is. In the above scam the don't intent to kill somebody, "just" robbing them, but this people have no conscience.

It's quite common in other European countries, not all controlled mafia, just people who don't care what will happen with their victims lives. Details may vary but scam looks same.

 

[Bit of hope]

It's quite common in other European countries, not all controlled mafia, just people who don't care what will happen with their victims lives. Details may vary but scam looks same.

Hi Adeedra, I'm not sure what you are trying to add here that is not already included in my post. It's just an example. A bird is an animal, but not all animals lay eggs? But to be honest, I made a mistake in the example. It happened in Riga.

 

[DakotaMayi]

I drove through Bulgaria in the 80's. I you want scary...that was scary......the last time in 2008, less scary, wonderful new roads, but the police were like mosquito's. It looked like they were only wanting to harass tourists with foreign plates. I have to agree with AnnaP....Bulgaria is beautiful, but you have to look twice....

Oh absolutely, I spent most of a lifetime there. And I still go back now most years. But yes, the issues are very open to be seen.

 

[dotr]

Came across this story today that is unrelated to Lars's case, but was intrigued to see how this woman was kidnapped from a busy airport and nobody seems to notice what was actually going on.
Wondering if Lars thought he was about to be kidnapped too?
speculation, imo.
Fwiw.

"May 22, 2018
This is the shocking moment a woman is kidnapped after stepping off a flight at Bangkok airport without any fellow travellers noticing anything is wrong. Jincai Chen, 39, landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport,Thailand, after a short-haul flight from Hong Kong on May 6, and within moments, she was being tailed by four men and a woman. Within moments of stepping off the plane, she was followed through the airport by four Chinese men dressed in black and one Thai woman. CCTV next to a walkway shows Jincai tussling with two of the gang who are holding her by the arms, while another in a red shirt walks a few paces ahead throughout the abduction."

 

[neesaki]

Came across this story today that is unrelated to Lars's case, but was intrigued to see how this woman was kidnapped from a busy airport and nobody seems to notice what was actually going on.
Wondering if Lars thought he was about to be kidnapped too?
speculation, imo.
Fwiw.

"May 22, 2018
This is the shocking moment a woman is kidnapped after stepping off a flight at Bangkok airport without any fellow travellers noticing anything is wrong. Jincai Chen, 39, landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport,Thailand, after a short-haul flight from Hong Kong on May 6, and within moments, she was being tailed by four men and a woman. Within moments of stepping off the plane, she was followed through the airport by four Chinese men dressed in black and one Thai woman. CCTV next to a walkway shows Jincai tussling with two of the gang who are holding her by the arms, while another in a red shirt walks a few paces ahead throughout the abduction."

That’s so creepy and scary... I don’t know what else to say, while I sit here and try to process what I just saw.

 

[neesaki]

Whether a real or imagined threat, the construction worker startled Lars into running away. Maybe he knew of stories ( there are many, posted just a few of them) involving people disguised as construction workers committing crimes.
Fwiw. imo, speculation.
2008
Inside Europe's corruption capital: how Bulgaria's crime mafia plunders EU grant money

"Throughout the 1990s, its government became infiltrated by ex-communists, former secret agents and organised criminals known as "thick necks", who to this day cruise the boulevards of Sofia accompanied by bodyguards, and who settle business feuds through contract killings rather than the courts."
Men dressed as construction workers try to rob store, owner pulls gun
"Men dressed as construction workers try to rob store, owner pulls gun"
Toronto: Man shot dead by disguised construction workers 6-7-2016
"Toronto: Man shot dead by disguised construction workers 6-7-2016"
Witness: Home Burglars Disguised Themselves As Construction Workers
"Home Burglars Disguised Themselves As Construction Workers"

This could explain a lot about Lars behavior, I have never heard this. Thank you dotr, you’re always the best!

I have been torn and conflicted as to whether Lars was under a real versus an imagined threat. You know, it’s very possible he was under a real threat. It’s also possible he was having delusions as a result of drugs , etc. This is a difficult case , we have next to nothing to go on. There should be more, but look where it is. That’s part of it. Didn’t the family have a PI Involved at some point? I was thinking that but it’s been a while.

 

[neesaki]

But, he wasn't chased? Ok, so maybe he was attacked the night he says he was, but he wasn't chased out of the airport, you can clearly see that on the surveillance footage.

I'll be honest, it seems as if you are not happy for people to come to their own conclusion that it was paranoia, but you are happy for people to come to YOUR conclusion that he was chased and murdered, which as far as I can see, there is no evidence to show that.

Had Lars have disappeared following the attack (as in, directly after) then yes, I would think he was likely murdered. But, he ran from an airport with no one behind him. Maybe he was murdered thereafter, but maybe, he wasn't.

FWIW, we only have very limited video of where Lars went, we really have no way of knowing if he was being watched and followed . I could be missing something, haven’t checked in on the thread in a while.

 

[neesaki]

That is so creepy! I had never noticed the woman in the video. Good eyes @britboy_101. I re-watched it a few times just now and noticed she really walks with purpose and clearly in the direction of Lars. Her motions were so much more than a quick peer as to see the commotion. Even a 10-second extension of the video from that view would be so useful.

I think the fight(s) may have very well happened but I think they are a red herring in this case meaning no one was actually after him. He may have become impaired due to the fight(s) but I think that confrontation ended there. I believe he had a breakdown due to a preexisting mental condition which was brought out by drinking, possibly drugs, lack of sleep, a knock to the head, stress, and possibly the medication he was put on.

So coming up on four years next month with the last verified sighting caught on tape of him exiting the airport. Alive? Trafficked, living a new life, homeless. Dead? Exposure, illness, suicide, murder associated with (or without) the situation above. I normally go the most probable route which is that he is no longer with us and that his death had nothing to do with anyone he crossed paths with on that vacation.

Thoughts?

His death had NOTHING to do with anyone he crossed paths with? I guess none of us can know one way or the other, but, it’s hard for me to believe that Lars went on this vacation and just totally self destructed. Not saying it’s impossible just not going to say I’m giving up on someone else being involved. Jmo

 

[neesaki]

Hey @Lavinia , i have to disagree with you on the mental health stress medication scenario, it's just not how things work in the real world, Coming from Glasgow i know how things go down, we used to be the crime capital of Europe, there is a lot of unsavory characters out there. Mainstream media sources are pointing towards the whole mental health drug interaction as it hides the truth of the Real World.

This is just my opinion, the way Lars was running strongly indicates to me that he has seen someone that he has pissed of during the Holiday, he has been threatened told if he returns home his family will be took out along with him. That Airport could be full of Mafia connections, how much do we really know about Bulgaria? I wouldn't go near the place with a 10 foot pole, it's a well known fact the resort is run by Gangland and Gypsies.

I've dug out every piece of information available on this case and it sound's to me like he was truly on the Run from Gangsters.

That’s truly scary, makes me wonder why do tourists go there at all?

 

[DakotaMayi]

That’s truly scary, makes me wonder why do tourists go there at all?

People are taken in by it's beauty, it's weather. The crime rates are not what is talked about when people think of going to Bulgaria.

I will likely be booking my flight to Sofia, Bulgaria for this or next year I'm sure.

 

[whatsnext]

People are taken in by it's beauty, it's weather. The crime rates are not what is talked about when people think of going to Bulgaria.

I will likely be booking my flight to Sofia, Bulgaria for this or next year I'm sure.

Exactly, the beautiful landscape and it is still alot cheaper than other european countries. For some people that 's the most important reason to spend their holiday there, especially young people.