Italy - Liam Biran, 32, Turin, 9 May 2019

[ZaZara]

Video with parents and sister of Liam Biran in the woods where his belongings were found.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1593275981615202305

Missing Sommelier: Liam Biran's parents from the US in the woods of the Aosta Valley where his belongings were found. above #SaintPierre. Where is he? And where are his wallet, papers, glasses, watch, shoes and black trolley?

BBM


Could they be walking a different trail? (So they don't have to cross the waterfall for instance.) Or maybe higher up the mountain?

 

[ZaZara]

Liam Biran, segnalazioni da Nus dell'americano scomparso nel nulla

Within last month, there would have been three sightings in the Aosta area of a person looking like Liam Biran reported to Chi l'ha visto. The most recent one would have been on November 13 when a person, possibly LB crossed the road with a lowered head and a couple stopped their car to let him pass.

More news in the programme of Chi l'ha visto coming Wednesday.



HUGE if true. (If so, why didn't he clean up his belongings?) IMO first check those teeth, and then we're talking.

 

[ZaZara]

Liam Biran, segnalazioni da Nus dell'americano scomparso nel nulla

Within last month, there would have been three sightings in the Aosta area of a person looking like Liam Biran reported to Chi l'ha visto. The most recent one would have been on November 13 when a person, possibly LB crossed the road with a lowered head and a couple stopped their car to let him pass.

More news in the programme of Chi l'ha visto coming Wednesday.



HUGE if true. (If so, why didn't he clean up his belongings?) IMO first check those teeth, and then we're talking.

No news in tonight's broadcast about those possible sightings.

The parents and sister hike to the spot where the tent and other belongings were found. They find it hard to believe that this is an area where someone would like to camp. The father says he cannot imagine Liam crossing the waterfall with his trolley and everything.
They search the spot where the belongings were located, but nothing new is found.

The next day, they walk the main road in the area. They speak with the locals. No one remembers seeing Liam. They also speak in Sarre with the man who directed Liam to a B&B.

Before the family returns home in the US, the mother calls on the people of Aosta and the surrounding regions to come forward. 'Every little detail counts,' the father says.

Chi l'ha visto? 2022/23 - Puntata del 23/11/2022 - Video - RaiPlay

The part about Liam starts at 1.58.

 

[ZaZara]

Chi l'ha visto?, l'appello disperato della mamma di Liam: "Dov'è mio figlio?"

"We have travelled a long way to get answers. What happened to our son? We are relieved because at least his belongings have been found, a sign that he was there. Liam loves nature, but why were his possessions here? He would never have left his stuff in the middle of nature,' his family members say. They cannot explain why Liam chose such an inaccessible place to stay.

The search continues in the village. They ask the locals, but no one has seen Liam.
'I ask people in Val d'Aosta and Italy to help us, please. Have you seen my son? If you have seen him, please contact 'Chi l'ha visto?' or the police: even a small detail can make a difference'. This is the appeal of the family.


BBM


One would hope and expect that the Biran family also had the opportunity to speak with the Police while they were in Italy. The reports of Chi l'ha visto? are interesting, and they contribute a lot to the solution of cases, but they are not the formal investigation. Chi l'ha visto is reality tv, Keeping Up with Chi l'ha visto so to speak.
An update by LE would be most welcome IMO. Has the iPad been examined and what were the results?

 

[ZaZara]

No updates about Liam Biran that I can find.

I would really love to get an update about the investigation. Did the iPad yield any new info or insights? Did the mother connect with Liam's iPad at the time when that unknown woman answered? Did Liam keep a diary, did he plan his trip, did he look up places to stay in the Aosta area? So many questions. But no news.

 

[ZaZara]

On March 15, 2023 Chi l'ha visto broadcasted a short video, footage taken by the station cameras, of Liam Biran walkimg around in the Posta Susa station on the day he disappeared. Liam is believed to be carrying a tent in the bag around his shoulder. He is also pulling a trolley.

Viedeo here:


Chi l'ha visto? 2022/23 - Sommelier scomparso: le ultime immagini di Liam Biran a Torino, poi cosa è successo? - 15/03/2023 - Video - RaiPlay


This is a picture from November 3, when the tent was discovered:

IMO the backpack (open, with part of the handle in the image) in the middle of the picture is the same as the trolley that is seen in the video. Yet in the press, this is usually described as a backpack, and not as a trolley. The trolley, a black case, apparently remains missing. If indeed there was another trolley. And if there was, he did not have it with him on the day he disappeared.

I find this confusing. Why carry a separate tent all the way to Israel where you plan to stay in a hotel? I looked it up and on this thread, there is no mention that LB had a tent with him, until the tent was found in the woods above St Pierre. The man who found the tent, mentions that he found objects in or near it, that reminded him of Liam Biran. Not so much the tent itself.


BTW this is the most recent news that i could find. Had been hoping for an update about the contents of the iPad at last, but if the results are, LE is not telling.

 

[annpats]

I find this confusing. Why carry a separate tent all the way to Israel where you plan to stay in a hotel?

Perhaps the trip involved a mix of staying in some hotels and campsites?

I have done this type of trip myself. Stay in hotels when near a town but taking a tent for places where there isn't one ( or all the hotels are too expensive.)

Maybe he had planned to do some wild camping at a beach or mountain or even a kibbutz....?

 

[ZaZara]

The most recent news about Liam Biran thet I can find is over one year old.
His belongings were found at the beginning of November 2022.
There have been no updates, apart from a video of Liam walking in the Porta Susa Station in Milano.
But no update about the findings, no update about further searches in the area.

And nothing at all about the iPad ~ surely the iPad would yield info about searches on the internet, notes that LB made, perhaps he even kept a diary? Pings? Tracks? Something about the mystery woman who took the call of Liam's mother?

According to NAMUS and INTERPOL Liam is still missing. He hasn't returned home and IMO it is unlikely that he will. But why?

Can you find more @Romulus ?

 

[StillDiggin]

The FBI's office in Newark is asking for the public's help finding a 36-year-old New Jersey man who was last seen hiking in a remote area of Italy more than four years ago.

FBI seeks info on New Jersey man missing in Italy

The FBI’s office in Newark is asking for the public’s help finding a 36-year-old New Jersey man who was last seen hiking in a remote area of Italy more than four years ago. Liam Biran left his Marlboro home on April 8, 2019, to visit his grandparents in Israel, and from there, he traveled to...

www.nbcnewyork.com

 

[ZaZara]

The FBI's office in Newark is asking for the public's help finding a 36-year-old New Jersey man who was last seen hiking in a remote area of Italy more than four years ago.

FBI seeks info on New Jersey man missing in Italy

The FBI’s office in Newark is asking for the public’s help finding a 36-year-old New Jersey man who was last seen hiking in a remote area of Italy more than four years ago. Liam Biran left his Marlboro home on April 8, 2019, to visit his grandparents in Israel, and from there, he traveled to...

www.nbcnewyork.com

I wonder if the report mixes up a few things?

The last known activity related to Biran was a purchase made on his credit card for a train ticket to Turin, Italy. Italian police detectives have also learned, over the course of their investigation, that Biran was in the Aosta Valley, and stayed in multiple hostels and became friendly with over travelers there.

IMO, the train ticket that we know of was from Torino to Aosta.
Did he stay in multiple hostels in Aosta? Or would that have been in Israel and Greece? Allegedly, he wanted to camp in the Aosta area.

The same news from anothers source with a different wording:

FBI Seeks Public's Help in Locating New Jersey Man Missing in Italy Since 2019

The investigation into Biran’s disappearance revealed that he had traversed the Aosta Valley, staying in multiple hostels and engaging with other travelers. However, his trail went cold after his credit card transaction in Turin. Despite the extensive search efforts by Italian police and the FBI, Biran remains missing.

The way I read this, Liam Biran would have been in the Aosta valley for a longer period of time and after that, he returned to Turin where his trail was lost.

If so, how do they explain that he left part of his luggage, iPad included, in the would in the mountains above Saint Pierre?

Confusing. Please tell us that LE managed to analyze the contents of his iPad.

 

[ZaZara]

FBI gets it right:

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/liam-biran (the full header is Kidnappings / Missing Persons)

Details:​

Liam Biran left the United States on April 8, 2019, to visit family in Israel, then to visit Italy’s wine country, then to visit France. He was traveling alone. Liam was scheduled to take a flight from Paris, France, back to the United States on May 16, 2019, but he was not present on that flight. His last known activity was on May 9, 2019, when a credit card he was known to use was used to purchase a train ticket from Turin, Italy, to the Aosta Valley, Italy. During his travels, Liam stayed in multiple hostels and became friendly with other travelers his age staying at those hostels. Liam’s personal belongings were located in a remote location of the Aosta Valley, but he has not been seen nor heard from since May of 2019.

 

[PommyMommy]

Liam Biran left the United States on April 8, 2019, to travel to Israel, Italy, and France. He was last thought to be hiking in a remote area of Italy and has not been seen nor heard from since May of 2019. Help the #FBI find him: https://fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/liam-biran

https://twitter.com/x/status/1788539804780552560

 

[ZaZara]

It's been over 2 years since the belongings of Liam Biran were found near St. Pierre in Aosta. His iPad was also located.
Since then, the only news was that the FBI put him on the Kidnapping / Missings Persons list.
Other than that, silence.

No info about the contents of the iPad. No mention of further searches for Liam's remains. No clarification why he went to the Valle d'Aosta - had he been there before? did someone suggest visiting a winery to him?

IMO Liam Biran came to harm on the last day that he was seen in May 2019 and his belongings were thrown off that mountain by person(s) unknown. I hope Liam is found, soon.

 

[Aurora90]

has anyone heard any online chatter from friends or people he worked with?

He stayed in multiple hostels, and apparently was very friendly with a lot of people during his time there.

Why haven’t we heard one comment from any of those people? I find it odd that the only people that have made comments about him were people that might have seen him in the woods. Especially considering all the stops along the way during his travels.

If I’m mistaken and I missed something please correct me. Because I have one possible theory, but I’m hesitant to mention it because it’s far-fetched and a bit out there.


He also spoke with his brother-in-law on the phone. What was that phone call about? Why the change from Paris to turn?

Someone mentioned earlier in this thread that his parents have pretty high official jobs. In what field? (Not trying to sleuth simply trying to ascertain info)

There are lots of things that make me pause. The tent never being mentioned until found, the reason for the tent in the first place, the location of where he might have decided to put his tent, if he actually did.

…. Hmmm.

 

[ZaZara]

He stayed in multiple hostels, and apparently was very friendly with a lot of people during his time there.

Why haven’t we heard one comment from any of those people? I find it odd that the only people that have made comments about him were people that might have seen him in the woods. Especially considering all the stops along the way during his travels.

RSBM

What we have 'seen' are the broadcasts of the programme 'Chi l'ha visto' on the Italian television. Their focus is on Italy and, in Liam Biran's case, the fact that he disappeared while in Italy. They make their call for witnesses to the Italian public. Had Liam Biran disappeared in for instance Greece, Chi l'ha visto would not pay attention.

This is NOT the formal investigation by LE or the FBI. There is hardly any news about that formal investigation, and no udates that I can find. AFAIK, the family has no 'Help Find Liam Biran' page.

 

[Aurora90]

I guess I’m just wondering if he might’ve been working in espionage? I seem to remember another case where a diplomat got murdered in his hotel room, and upon looking at the CCTV footage of the hotel. He was murdered by Mossad agents who were dual citizens of Ireland and actually flew to the country on Irish passports. It became a very big political debacle.

I’m just curious, do we know if Liam was a dual citizen? I understand it might read as far-fetched, but there is a part of me that is curious if in any way shape or form this might’ve been linked to espionage.

I seem to remember Turin Italy having its own scandal regarding espionage not too long ago.

 

[Aurora90]

Aha I found it. CIA found evidence of soviet spies in Turin Italy, a number of decades ago. I think it’s safe to say where we know that there are Soviet spies there are likely other spies. I know the US has used Mossad for a lot of their own intelligence recognizance if we were to call it that. I think it’s not as far-fetched as maybe I initially thought? To assume that he might be a spy? His blog is very vague and in my opinion, I think everything I’ve learned about Liam looks like a very lazy cover story, but I could be very wrong. I hope to God I am.

 

[Aurora90]

His LinkedIn says that he resided in Washington DC but I can’t find any paperwork or online trail evidence to prove that theory. I don’t know I just find it all very interesting and I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to find this out due to unclassified documents much later down the road.

 

[Aurora90]

ITALY SPY CASE: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP69B00369R000200090035-7.pdf

 

[Aurora90]

I recognize the spy case is from the 60s. But my understanding is Vienna is a hotspot for espionage and Turin is definitely not too far away. Again I recognize that sounds far-fetched, but I also don’t think it’s too outside of the realm of possibility.