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

[dotr]

In the CCTV footage there is a guy in blue near lars as he's walking into the dr's office. He looks behind and stares at lars as he walks past. If lars was right, and he really thought that people was after him could he be one of them? Was he followed from the hotel he was staying in? The man in blue has no luggage with him so why is he at the airport? He may be innocent and may have a friend looking after his bags but as always with this case there are more questions than answers

Not sure of course, but it appears like, the male in blue almost walks in synchronicity with Lars and is built and dressed similarly to him, including footwear.
Not saying anything, just noting, and speculating, imo.
[video=youtube;GqCokFceWTw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqCokFceWTw[/video]

 

[JanetElaine]

I wanted to bring this video forward. Lars' case starts at about 8:40. I like it because it shows more CCTV footage - all the way to the fields he disappeared into.

[video=youtube;T7O6S4w2qaE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7O6S4w2qaE[/video]

 

[dotr]

Just noticed a new post on the Find Lars Mittank FB page that his birthday was apparently yesterday, and they also referenced the Anton from Canada recently located case, as cause for hope.

 

[Elainera]

German newspapers are reporting him as living Wilhelmshaven. He was originally from Marne. Back in 2014 his mother still lived there.

ETA so it seems that he moved to Wilhelmshaven for his job that he held since 2007. There's no way to commute that daily from Marne, it's about a 3 hour drive - without traffic. So IF he might have memory problems but maybe remembers his childhood, he might be trying to go to Marne. All speculation on my part, and probably a long shot, but who knows.

You may be onto something. Maybe he did try to get home on foot and therefore has long left the area of Varna. Maybe appeals in Bulgaria should concentrate on the likely route he would have taken to get back to Germany.

I wanted to bring this video forward. Lars' case starts at about 8:40. I like it because it shows more CCTV footage - all the way to the fields he disappeared into.

[video=youtube;T7O6S4w2qaE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7O6S4w2qaE[/video]

Some wrong details in that report so not sure whether we should trust what is said. The footage is good though. Once he left the airport his pace slowed down, in the end he's seen walking. So clearly, the panic quickly subsided but also clearly he was determined not to go back to the airport.

 

[JanetElaine]

Not sure of course, but it appears like, the male in blue almost walks in synchronicity with Lars and is built and dressed similarly to him, including footwear.
Not saying anything, just noting, and speculating, imo.
[video=youtube;GqCokFceWTw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqCokFceWTw[/video]

To me, that guy doesn't look very suspicious, just another tourist. Could Lars have made a sound, maybe talked out loud to himself, that made blue shirt guy look over? That's kinda what it looks like to me.

I noticed that when Lars gets outside, in the footage that's seen towards the buildings, he initially goes straight/to the left, then seems to make a sharp turn to the right (from our viewpoint). That change of direction seems to be right after the point where he puts his hand on/in his left trouser pocket.

According to Google maps, the car rentals are in the part of the airport where Lars comes out. Did he have a rental car? Just thinking that maybe he parked the rental in that parking lot and either a) thought he still had the key to take off in it, but he didn't, so he changed direction; or b) he still had the key but saw people (or thought he saw people) by/near the car that scared him so he changed direction because of that.

Or maybe a bus ticket? There seem to be buses there as well in the CCTV footage, although they look more like touring cars than public transportation buses (although I have no idea what those would look like in Bulgaria). Either way it looks like he suddenly and quickly changed his mind out there.

The direction he headed does not seem like a thick, big forest to me, when I look it up on Google maps. Smaller trees and larger shrubbery in places, no doubt still good to hide in, but it changes into an open field pretty quickly, with the highway right by it. He could have easily hitched a ride there. IMO

 

[Elainera]

2,300 km Varna to Wilhelmshaven

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/V...cf7763005c70!2m2!1d8.1068722!2d53.5323403!3e0

 

[Elainera]

To me, that guy doesn't look very suspicious, just another tourist. Could Lars have made a sound, maybe talked out loud to himself, that made blue shirt guy look over? That's kinda what it looks like to me.

I noticed that when Lars gets outside, in the footage that's seen towards the buildings, he initially goes straight/to the left, then seems to make a sharp turn to the right (from our viewpoint). That change of direction seems to be right after the point where he puts his hand on/in his left trouser pocket.

According to Google maps, the car rentals are in the part of the airport where Lars comes out. Did he have a rental car? Just thinking that maybe he parked the rental in that parking lot and either a) thought he still had the key to take off in it, but he didn't, so he changed direction; or b) he still had the key but saw people (or thought he saw people) by/near the car that scared him so he changed direction because of that.

Or maybe a bus ticket? There seem to be buses there as well in the CCTV footage, although they look more like touring cars than public transportation buses (although I have no idea what those would look like in Bulgaria). Either way it looks like he suddenly and quickly changed his mind out there.

The direction he headed does not seem like a thick, big forest to me, when I look it up on Google maps. Smaller trees and larger shrubbery in places, no doubt still good to hide in, but it changes into an open field pretty quickly, with the highway right by it. He could have easily hitched a ride there. IMO

He did not have a rental car. He got to the airport that night by walking, then catching a lift.

 

[JanetElaine]

Some wrong details in that report so not sure whether we should trust what is said. The footage is good though. Once he left the airport his pace slowed down, in the end he's seen walking. So clearly, the panic quickly subsided but also clearly he was determined not to go back to the airport.

sbbm

Yes, I agree. I should have noted that, because I did notice it as well. Thank you, because it's important to keep the facts straight. I mostly did like it because of the extended footage (although the part I just mentioned in my other post was snipped from it, go figure).

I like how you put this: "clearly he was determined not to go back to the airport". That's what he looks like. Determined to not go back.

I hope I'm not getting on anyone's nerves with my serial posting, and I also want to put out a disclaimer that I tend to 'brainstorm' a lot. I post theories or ideas that maybe I don't even agree with myself, just for the sake of trying to get every plausible option covered.

 

[mrmojorising33]

I agree, something does not seem right...even when he walks past him he still turns his head to stare

 

[Elainera]

Well Varna is a seaside resort and has a port. And then there is Lake Varna about 4km south of Varna airport. The airport is surrounded mainly by fields. I wonder how thoroughly that area has been searched. He might well have succumbed to whatever he ingested somewhere out there, just hasn't been found.

The airport he vanished from was the one in Varna, is that right? Because in one video they are saying he vanished from the Bulgarian capital which would be Sofia.

bbm - answering my own question. According to the Findet Lars fb page, yes he vanished from Varna airport.

https://www.facebook.com/findetlarsmittank/

 

[JanetElaine]

2,300 km Varna to Wilhelmshaven

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/V...cf7763005c70!2m2!1d8.1068722!2d53.5323403!3e0

That's quite a trek through some countries he would stand out in, then mountainous/snowy areas around the time he may have reached those... if he globally followed that direction. I'm not very positive about this.

 

[dotr]

sbbm

Yes, I agree. I should have noted that, because I did notice it as well. Thank you, because it's important to keep the facts straight. I mostly did like it because of the extended footage (although the part I just mentioned in my other post was snipped from it, go figure).

I like how you put this: "clearly he was determined not to go back to the airport". That's what he looks like. Determined to not go back.

I hope I'm not getting on anyone's nerves with my serial posting, and I also want to put out a disclaimer that I tend to 'brainstorm' a lot. I post theories or ideas that maybe I don't even agree with myself, just for the sake of trying to get every plausible option covered.

Very glad for your posts and everyone else's too.
Like you, i tend to try and think of every angle, including ones that i do not necessarily agree with, then after some thought, totally revise again!
At the moment, after reading up on head injuries from sports, wondering if Lars had a prior concussion or similar injury that was aggravated by the Bulgarian fight, worsened by an adverse reaction to the antibiotic and perhaps alcohol in his system.

Right now, thinking/hoping that Lars is still on the move, he may well have traveled very far.
speculation, imo.

 

[Rayemonde]

Sever anxiety and panic attacks can cause dilated pupils, so if Lars had dilated pupils it doesn't necessarily mean he was on drugs.

Stimulation of the autonomic nervous system's sympathetic branch, known for triggering "fight or flight" responses when the body is under stress, induces pupil dilation.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/eye-opener-why-do-pupils-dialate/

 

[JanetElaine]

There's quite a few truckers from Poland that come from there through Germany and The Netherlands that converge at a truck stop near my town... I might head out there with a friend next week and hand them some printouts of Lars' flyer from post #4. Did that in Ohio a lot, although I hope the truckers speak English here, haha. What language is the third poster in, does anyone know?

 

[mrmojorising33]

Great idea handing out flyers...lars could be anywhere by now worth a try!

 

[JanetElaine]

These ones. Sorry, I can't figure out how to include them in my previous post.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=LARS+MITTANK&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinm_7S4OrRAhVDymMKHc1EDngQ_AUICigD&biw=1366&bih=659#imgrc=qF16HJj6xFyP5M%3A

 

[JanetElaine]

Great idea handing out flyers...lars could be anywhere by now worth a try!

Thank you. It's the least I can try. If the one sighting is true where Lars hitchhiked, maybe he's still doing that if he's still out there somewhere. It's been quite a while, but there have been so many long-term missing people found recently that I refuse to give up hope.

 

[Elainera]

There's quite a few truckers from Poland that come from there through Germany and The Netherlands that converge at a truck stop near my town... I might head out there with a friend next week and hand them some printouts of Lars' flyer from post #4. Did that in Ohio a lot, although I hope the truckers speak English here, haha. What language is the third poster in, does anyone know?

I don't know which language that is, I would guess it's Bulgarian?

On the fb page they have flyers for all languages spoken in that area but I'm not able to make out which is what. I think there is a Polish one too. See here (all flyers):
https://www.facebook.com/309908912513429/photos/?tab=album&album_id=350109618493358

Maybe someone else knows which one is Polish?

 

[JanetElaine]

I don't know which language that is, I would guess it's Bulgarian?

On the fb page they have flyers for all languages spoken in that area but I'm not able to make out which is what. I think there is a Polish one too. See here (all flyers):
https://www.facebook.com/309908912513429/photos/?tab=album&album_id=350109618493358

Maybe someone else knows which one is Polish?

I guess it could be Bulgarian, I had no idea they used characters like that... *hangs head in shame*

I might post them on my personal FB and see if any of my friends know which language is which. They're all over the world. But it'll have to be tomorrow, it's almost 2:30am here so I really should be fftobed:

 

[neesaki]

sbbm

Yes, I agree. I should have noted that, because I did notice it as well. Thank you, because it's important to keep the facts straight. I mostly did like it because of the extended footage (although the part I just mentioned in my other post was snipped from it, go figure).

I like how you put this: "clearly he was determined not to go back to the airport". That's what he looks like. Determined to not go back.

I hope I'm not getting on anyone's nerves with my serial posting, and I also want to put out a disclaimer that I tend to 'brainstorm' a lot. I post theories or ideas that maybe I don't even agree with myself, just for the sake of trying to get every plausible option covered.

Not at all, I usually am a perpetual brainstormer as well, just don't have as much time as I used to. I appreciate all the brainstorming we can get. Lars and all the cases like his need it. :wave: