Ireland Ireland - Sligo, WhtMale, 50-70, aka 'Peter Bergmann', prostate cancer, Jun'09

[StillDiggin]

A lonely Sligo death still shrouded in mystery

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Renewed appeal to identify body found in Sligo

The deceased is buried in an unmarked grave in Sligo Cemetery, he has never been identified.

Investigating Gardaí are renewing their appeal to the public for assistance in bringing this case to a conclusion. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sligo Garda Station 071-9157000, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

 

[Warwick1991]

Renewed appeal to identify body found in Sligo

The deceased is buried in an unmarked grave in Sligo Cemetery, he has never been identified.

Investigating Gardaí are renewing their appeal to the public for assistance in bringing this case to a conclusion. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sligo Garda Station 071-9157000, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

I hope the Gardai eventually turn to DNA and isotope testing. Otherwise too much time has elapsed for detailed new witness accounts.

 

[Bit of hope]

I feel very sorry....there are so many new technics nowadays....what is keeping them on the backlog?

 

[Mo Thuairim]

I feel very sorry....there are so many new technics nowadays....what is keeping them on the backlog?

I don't know. Gardaí told Rosita Boland, the Irish Times journalist who made the Atlantic podcast about this case, that they retain his DNA but do not send DNA to sites like Ancestry, as a matter of policy I guess.

Anyway I just spotted that new article this morning. Unlikely they will get many new tips from the public at this stage but thought I'd share it. This case is local to me and I know all the places he went intimately. It intrigues me. I hope some day they find out who he was.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The mystery of the body found on an Irish beach that remains unsolved 12 years later

CCTV of the man

The day after his arrival on June 13, he went to the post office in Sligo and bought eight stamps.

Gardai believe this could be a crucial element in solving the case.

Det Insp Raymond Mulderrig said: “There were no stamps found in his belongings so we believe that he wrote to either one or several people.

“Eight people out there somewhere, we believe that a man who was in Sligo in the last days of his life wrote to them and they haven’t come forward.”

 

[Mo Thuairim]

The curious case of Peter Bergmann - Ocean FM

 

[LucyOso]

Following

 

[Sammie-1919]

My mother was born and raised in Germany and moved to another location she never really lost her german accent same with her sister who married and moved. my cousin who was born there but not raised there has no german accent. I feel in my heart he’s german another thing that got me was dying by the sea if I had to choose a place it wouldn’t be far off considering I have family who’s ashes were spread at sea. I’m really hoping this case gets solved soon.

 

[Bopit]

My mother was born and raised in Germany and moved to another location she never really lost her german accent same with her sister who married and moved. my cousin who was born there but not raised there has no german accent. I feel in my heart he’s german another thing that got me was dying by the sea if I had to choose a place it wouldn’t be far off considering I have family who’s ashes were spread at sea. I’m really hoping this case gets solved soon.

This is such a great post and I agree. My Oma who is Austrian moved to Quebec in the 50s and to this day has a full-on accent. So not only does she speak English but also French now, and still sounds heavily accented. Her friends who also moved here around the same time are the same way. The Austrian and German accents are incredibly hard to lose so I would think he would have to be from there.

 

[Springrain]

I haven't read through the read - I know the OP says his prostate cancer was "extensive", but was there any indication of chemotherapy or any other type of treatment? I ask because I do wonder if he knew he even had it. When my grandfather died (albeit he was significantly older than Peter Bergmann), the medical examiner noted that he had "severe" prostate cancer, but he didn't even know he had it. Mind you, right around the time of his death, his son was in the last stages of his battle with prostate cancer, so it seems like if there would be any time to get checked, it would be then - but he did not and he had no idea. Just something I was thinking about.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I haven't read through the read - I know the OP says his prostate cancer was "extensive", but was there any indication of chemotherapy or any other type of treatment? I ask because I do wonder if he knew he even had it. When my grandfather died (albeit he was significantly older than Peter Bergmann), the medical examiner noted that he had "severe" prostate cancer, but he didn't even know he had it. Mind you, right around the time of his death, his son was in the last stages of his battle with prostate cancer, so it seems like if there would be any time to get checked, it would be then - but he did not and he had no idea. Just something I was thinking about.

You raise a good point. It's possible he didn't realize he had it, or he attributed any symptoms and pain to something else. Currently in the US, prostate screening by a PSA blood test is only recommended for men under age 70. From the second link below, at autopsy "33% of men aged 70 to 79 years were found to have prostate cancer". Screening at younger ages is done mainly to catch the more aggressive and deadlier forms of prostate cancer. PB's age was estimated as being 50-70, so likely younger than 70, but screening guidelines also vary considerably by country, so he may never have even been screened.

My hunch though, is he must have realized he had a terminal illness, whether diagnosed or not. Otherwise he wouldn't have prepared his anonymous exit so carefully.

Should I Get Screened for Prostate Cancer?
Recommendation: Prostate Cancer: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce

 

[Susikatze]

Would this have been a visible tooth? Indeed a strange way to dress for a swim, could he have been disorientated...or his testicles hurt in the cold water....I don't know.

Actually ive seen plenty people do that if they dont intend to swim but merely spend a day at the beach or pool. If the person wears boxers over the trunks, it doesnt even look weird. But i am German and Austrian...

 

[Carovb5]

Hi everyone,

I just stumbled (looking into the Marion Barter/Florabella Remakel case) upon a Peter Bergman the Australian police wanted to do a character check on in 1969.

He’s probably too old (born in 1938) but i couldn’t find a thing about him online so can’t rule him out!

Because he was on a list that named a man know to be an identity fraud(false names), i thought i would post this here, you never know!

You have to jump to page 109! View digital copy

 

[Warwick1991]

Hi everyone,

I just stumbled (looking into the Marion Barter/Florabella Remakel case) upon a Peter Bergman the Australian police wanted to do a character check on in 1969.

He’s probably too old (born in 1938) but i couldn’t find a thing about him online so can’t rule him out!

Because he was on a list that named a man know to be an identity fraud(false names), i thought i would post this here, you never know!

You have to jump to page 109! View digital copy

It is interesting, but the Jonathon Peter Bergman on page 109 was born in London in 1938. It’s doubtful he’d have a German or other guttural accent if born in the UK.

 

[Carovb5]

It is interesting, but the Jonathon Peter Bergman on page 109 was born in London in 1938. It’s doubtful he’d have a German or other guttural accent if born in the UK.

I totally agree. However he’s on a list of people the AUS police want to look in to + there is at least one guy on that list who is known for giving false identities (even ethnicities) so it’s a very very long shot but… i think all the logic and easy ways have been checked already. Imo it was worth the shot…

 

[azure]

Also shades of Somerton Man here, but at least the man's motivation to commit suicide (if that was his COD) is clear. He was terminally ill.

Probably didn't imagine when I posted this in 2015 that I'd ever visit Sligo, but I was just there. Lovely town. Bumping Peter's case and hoping his identity is found soon.

 

[Cattydcat]

Fascinating case - I can’t believe I’ve only just heard of it. Finished the Atlantic podcast today.

The same frustration with this case as Isdal woman - the DNA is there. If there is ever to be an answer to these cases, is clearly in genealogical DNA research.

I live in the UK and I have had my DNA tested for family tree. I fully understand laws that govern privacy etc but the Irish and Norwegian authorities have the means to solve these cases - but they have chosen not to. Surely there is a way they can solve these without releasing information to the public if they don’t wish to ?

 

[MrPollunder]

Hello folks,

I am wondering if the possibility that Peter Bergmann was in fact French or Belgian was ever explored. I am Irish and have been following this case for a long time, it's quite frustrating how few updates there have been over the years. I returned to the case recently and it struck me that the artist's impression of Mr. Bergmann, as well as the limited CCTV footage we have seen of him, makes him look more French than German or further eastern European to me.

If Mr. Bergmann grew up in Alsace-Lorraine, there's a good chance that he was brought up to speak German fluently. I don't have full confidence that the people who met him in Sligo and said he had a strong German accent could distinguish a strong German accent from one that he was putting on, cynical as that may be of me, and as a German speaker I might add that Swiss German almost sounds like a different language than High German to me, so different is the accent, though I would note that most educated Swiss German speakers can switch between Swiss and High German without problem. I stand to be corrected on that as a non-native speaker, but I believe it to be true. The address he gave was of course a red herring, but I think it was a total red herring and that he was not from Austria, Germany or Switzerland. He doesn't look Dutch or Slavic to me either.

I would also love to know how the Gardai found that the address was a vacant lot, as there doesn't seem to be any evidence to support that from what I can see.

As I can't speak French, I have no idea where I would even start looking for a missing persons database for Belgium or France. I could find one, but it might be difficult to navigate. In any case, I would be interested to hear what other sleuths think of this theory and whether there is any way to determine if this possibility has been explored before.

 

[Bit of hope]

Hello folks,

I am wondering if the possibility that Peter Bergmann was in fact French or Belgian was ever explored. I am Irish and have been following this case for a long time, it's quite frustrating how few updates there have been over the years. I returned to the case recently and it struck me that the artist's impression of Mr. Bergmann, as well as the limited CCTV footage we have seen of him, makes him look more French than German or further eastern European to me.

If Mr. Bergmann grew up in Alsace-Lorraine, there's a good chance that he was brought up to speak German fluently. I don't have full confidence that the people who met him in Sligo and said he had a strong German accent could distinguish a strong German accent from one that he was putting on, cynical as that may be of me, and as a German speaker I might add that Swiss German almost sounds like a different language than High German to me, so different is the accent, though I would note that most educated Swiss German speakers can switch between Swiss and High German without problem. I stand to be corrected on that as a non-native speaker, but I believe it to be true. The address he gave was of course a red herring, but I think it was a total red herring and that he was not from Austria, Germany or Switzerland. He doesn't look Dutch or Slavic to me either.

I would also love to know how the Gardai found that the address was a vacant lot, as there doesn't seem to be any evidence to support that from what I can see.

As I can't speak French, I have no idea where I would even start looking for a missing persons database for Belgium or France. I could find one, but it might be difficult to navigate. In any case, I would be interested to hear what other sleuths think of this theory and whether there is any way to determine if this possibility has been explored before.

Hi and welcome @MrPollunder.

He might be French or Belgium, I really don't know. My experience tells me that, in general, we should be very careful saying things about somebody's origin, solely based on looks. To be honest my frustration about the DNA policy in Ireland has reach a point that I don't want to spend to much time on this case. because I lost hope we will find him. My bad, maybe? but it is what it is.

If you are interested; this is the site for Belgium.
Vermiste personen In the upper left corner you can change the text to another language.

I'm kinda lost where they put the national missing persons database for France. It seems they changed the website and I can't find an entrance. Lot's of appeals on Social Media.....