Ireland Ireland - Sligo, WhtMale, 50-70, aka 'Peter Bergmann', prostate cancer, Jun'09
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The Man Who Deleted His Past Before He Was Found Dead
In June of 2009, a man calling himself Peter Bergmann was found washed up on an Irish beach. Ten years later, police, journalists and internet sleuths are still trying to work out what happened.
One June afternoon in 2009, a thin man dressed in black boarded a bus to Sligo, a small coastal town not far from the Irish border. Three days later, after a quiet weekend spent largely alone, the man was dead – his passing the first act of a mystery that has now baffled and compelled police forces, journalists, film-makers and internet sleuths for over a decade.
The beginning of this story is the earliest known point of the man's journey: Derry, in northern Ireland, where he boarded a mid-afternoon bus over the border to Sligo.
Arriving at 6:28PM, as the evening sun warmed the water of Sligo Bay, the man took a taxi to the centre of town. In the years since, some have offered this as proof of his unfamiliarity with Sligo: to walk from the station takes just over ten minutes at an ordinary pace. That said, he did also have two bags to carry, and his greying hair and slight frame suggested he could have done with the help.
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The first hotel the man tried was full – it was a Friday night at the peak of the summer tourist season – but he had more luck at the Sligo City Hotel on Quay Street, where he paid for three nights upfront. Writing in the register, he put down his address as Ainstettersn 15, 4472, Vienna, Austria, which matched his Germanic accent. With the same pen he gave his name as Peter Bergmann. At no point was he asked for identification.
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Just after 1PM on Monday the 15th of June, Peter Bergmann checked out of the hotel and deposited his key at reception. He left one of his original bags – a purple plastic "bag for life" – and what appeared to be a new black luggage case. He took a circuitous route to the bus station; at one point he stopped in the doorway of a shopping precinct and waited, poised like a man about to turn back. Instead, he made his way to the bus station and, on arriving, read notes on scraps of paper he'd picked out of his pocket, before tearing them up and depositing them in a nearby bin. The bus to Rosses Point departed at 2:20PM.
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The next morning, not long after 6AM, a local man and his son were jogging along the sand, amid the last remnants of a sea fog. They were the first to find the washed up body of a thin, middle-aged man with closely-cropped grey hair. Peter Bergmann was dead, but the mystery that has since surrounded his story was only just beginning.
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Peter Bergmann's body had been taken to post mortem. He had been found naked, his clothes scattered across the shore. The pockets were empty. No money, no wallet, no forms of ID. It was quickly established that he'd drowned, though there wasn't any hint of foul play. His teeth were in good condition, excluding a few fillings. It was his body that drew attention. It was battered and wrecked. The tests revealed advanced prostate cancer and bone tumours. He had suffered previous heart attacks and was missing a kidney. The toxicology report returned no evidence of medication in his system, despite the intensity of the pain he must have been suffering.
The Man Who Deleted His Past Before He Was Found Dead
In June of 2009, a man calling himself Peter Bergmann was found washed up on an Irish beach. Ten years later, police, journalists and internet sleuths are still trying to work out what happened.
One June afternoon in 2009, a thin man dressed in black boarded a bus to Sligo, a small coastal town not far from the Irish border. Three days later, after a quiet weekend spent largely alone, the man was dead – his passing the first act of a mystery that has now baffled and compelled police forces, journalists, film-makers and internet sleuths for over a decade.
The beginning of this story is the earliest known point of the man's journey: Derry, in northern Ireland, where he boarded a mid-afternoon bus over the border to Sligo.
Arriving at 6:28PM, as the evening sun warmed the water of Sligo Bay, the man took a taxi to the centre of town. In the years since, some have offered this as proof of his unfamiliarity with Sligo: to walk from the station takes just over ten minutes at an ordinary pace. That said, he did also have two bags to carry, and his greying hair and slight frame suggested he could have done with the help.
---
The first hotel the man tried was full – it was a Friday night at the peak of the summer tourist season – but he had more luck at the Sligo City Hotel on Quay Street, where he paid for three nights upfront. Writing in the register, he put down his address as Ainstettersn 15, 4472, Vienna, Austria, which matched his Germanic accent. With the same pen he gave his name as Peter Bergmann. At no point was he asked for identification.
---
Just after 1PM on Monday the 15th of June, Peter Bergmann checked out of the hotel and deposited his key at reception. He left one of his original bags – a purple plastic "bag for life" – and what appeared to be a new black luggage case. He took a circuitous route to the bus station; at one point he stopped in the doorway of a shopping precinct and waited, poised like a man about to turn back. Instead, he made his way to the bus station and, on arriving, read notes on scraps of paper he'd picked out of his pocket, before tearing them up and depositing them in a nearby bin. The bus to Rosses Point departed at 2:20PM.
---
The next morning, not long after 6AM, a local man and his son were jogging along the sand, amid the last remnants of a sea fog. They were the first to find the washed up body of a thin, middle-aged man with closely-cropped grey hair. Peter Bergmann was dead, but the mystery that has since surrounded his story was only just beginning.
---
Peter Bergmann's body had been taken to post mortem. He had been found naked, his clothes scattered across the shore. The pockets were empty. No money, no wallet, no forms of ID. It was quickly established that he'd drowned, though there wasn't any hint of foul play. His teeth were in good condition, excluding a few fillings. It was his body that drew attention. It was battered and wrecked. The tests revealed advanced prostate cancer and bone tumours. He had suffered previous heart attacks and was missing a kidney. The toxicology report returned no evidence of medication in his system, despite the intensity of the pain he must have been suffering.
The Man Who Deleted His Past Before He Was Found Dead
First off, I don't know if their is another forum on here for Peter Bergmann, so I apologize if there is (If I tried looking, it would take a while) Second of all, I understand if some people might get upset at me for trying to help ID Peter, as he clearly didn't want to be ID'd, but you have to remember, while it's quite unlikely (He sent letters, we think) Peter's family may be totally unaware he has passed away. Anyways, this happened in June of 2009. On June 16 of that year, his body washed up on Rosses Point Beach. It was discovered he had checked into a hotel in nearby Sligo, under the name Peter Bergmann. He also listed his address as Ainstettersn 15, 4472, Vienna, Austria. These were both proven to be aliases. He was given room 705, and left the hotel 13 times within his 4 day stay in Sligo. Everytime he left the hotel, he was carrying a purple plastic bag, that has never been recovered. It's presumed he was disposing of his personal items throughout Sligo. He may have sent letters at one point, he bought 8 82 cent stamps and air mail stickers, meaning he wanted to mail something out of Ireland. He may have asked friends or family to never come forward. He had been to Rosses Point before the night he died, as he took a taxi there, and after looking at it for a while, he quickly got back inside. After he was discovered, a lot of weird things were realized. It seemed as if he hadn't died of drowning, but rather a heart attack, possibly coincidentally. He also was discovered to be in VERY poor health. He was in the final stages of prostate cancer, had multiple bone tumors, and showed signs of past heart attacks. What's strange is that he had Aspirin in his belongings, yet no medication was found in his system. He is believed to have taken his own life, but it's bizzare because if he swam out into the ocean planning to drown, it seemed while trying to commit suicide, he had a random heart attack. If he hadn't done what he did, he would have had just weeks to live. My only hope is at least his relatives and friends know he is deceased, but if not, they need closure. If they ID him, It may be a better idea to keep his name withheld.
Hello my dear Sleuthers,
I submitted a tip on the Dutch police site about Peter Bergmann possibly being Johannes Huibert Kwist. There is very little information about mr. Kwist, so I couldn’t do a lot of digging myself. I will definitely let you guys know when I get a response from the police.
I’m Dutch, so if you ever want me to translate or if you have further thoughts about this case (and the possible connection between mr. Bergmann and mr. Kwist) please let me know! I’d be happy to help.
I submitted a tip on the Dutch police site about Peter Bergmann possibly being Johannes Huibert Kwist. There is very little information about mr. Kwist, so I couldn’t do a lot of digging myself. I will definitely let you guys know when I get a response from the police.
I’m Dutch, so if you ever want me to translate or if you have further thoughts about this case (and the possible connection between mr. Bergmann and mr. Kwist) please let me know! I’d be happy to help.
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Welcome @Rootje. For convenience Johannes Huibert Kwist This is an English version of the missing persons case. Sorry, this was already posted....
Welcome @Rootje. For convenience Johannes Huibert Kwist This is an English version of the missing persons case. Sorry, this was already posted....
Sorry, I totally forgot to attach the link indeed! Thank you
It was already posted, but that was a while ago. This is easier for those who don’t want to scroll back
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Somehow I can't get this out of my mind. It's so very much symbolic in this case.
"Waiting On Shore" Rosses Point a sculpture of Niall Breton....unless this was an aka...I couldn't find nothing about him before or after. Unveiled in 2002.
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Somehow I can't get this out of my mind. It's so very much symbolic in this case."Waiting On Shore" Rosses Point a sculpture of Niall Breton....unless this was an aka...I couldn't find nothing about him before or after. Unveiled in 2002.
Wow! Very symbolic indeed!
“The sculpture reflects the anguish of seafaring people who watch for the safe return of loved ones.”
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My point is....unless others can find out more about the person who made this sculpture....there is IMO a possibility John Doe is Niall Briton or this could be a reason he went up there.
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Considering "Peter's" illness(es) wondering if as a younger and healthier man, he looked quite different, or at least was much heavier than he appeared to be just prior to his death? imo.
It is a possibility, but don’t you think the government would know if he was? I don’t think they let a random person build a statue. I’d say they know who Niall Briton is, and if he were P.B. they’d tell the police.
But you have a sharp eye! How did you find out about the statue?
He probably did, but then again, his illnesses were in a late stage. He probably looked like this for quite some time.
This page is made by a certain Bob Embleton. File:"Waiting On Shore" Rosses Point - geograph.org.uk - 242932.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
When you look him up you find a lot of photographs of statues etc. Do you think it’s worth digging into? Or is he just fond of statues and likes to photograph?
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Forget the sculptor Niall Bruton, I think he is alive and kicking. Here is a picture of him. Donegal Craft Village
Still the question: What made that "Peter" traveled to Sligo or was this purely a random choice.
Still the question: What made that "Peter" traveled to Sligo or was this purely a random choice.
I feel you don’t just randomly choose Sligo. I could be wrong, but it is not a very popular place. I’d never heard of it before this case. My guess is that he had some sort of connection with the place.
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