Mystery of FL man who awoke speaking Swedish, claims no memory of documented past

[txsvicki]

Does he look old enough to have been in Vietnam? He looks younger and would have to be at least 64 years old, imo. I wonder if some people just think he's someone they knew years ago.

 

[Donjeta]

The Department of Veteran Affairs confirmed he had served from 1971 to 1973 in the U.S. Navy but no word where he served.

 

[wfgodot]

Up-to-date Hink-o-Meter™

valid illness ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... eccentric ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... fabulist ..... ..... ..... ..x.. ..... fraud

 

[Abigail]

Does he look old enough to have been in Vietnam? He looks younger and would have to be at least 64 years old, imo. I wonder if some people just think he's someone they knew years ago.

I believe he is 61. Although the US was beginning to pull soldiers out of Vietnam, there was still a US military presence in Vietnam during the time Boatwright served in the Navy (71-73).

Those dates would have had Boatwright in the Navy when he was around 18-20. I wonder if he then went to college (U of Mich accdg to him) on a GI bill?

 

[Abigail]

I really don’t know if he is a kind man, or a great con man. NO CLUE...
I can reference my won Dad who would say he was a Taylor, but he was a real jack of all trades....
He never told people he can build furniture, build a house, electrically wire it, and do the plumbing and gardening too.
His income came from cloths business, and he never bragged about ALL he can do....what he really did and could do
was TRULY another story, Some friends did know, most had no clue.

So it is totaly possible this man was a jack of all trades,
maybe this guy only told what people needed to know at the time.
UNLESS HE DID SOMETHING REALLY BAD I cant see why he would pretend to NOT know who he is?

I have no doubt he has a wide range of skills...but I do question why this man would tell people in Asia that he was from Sweden, when, in fact, he was American. And why he would claim to hold degrees in various disciplines, but never apparently work in any of the fields for which he says he was educated (except probably graphic arts).

My vote: con man

 

[Mels3kidz]

Have they ran his fingers prints? Surely the Navy would have them on file or on his passport.

Mel (a little late to the story and trying to get caught up.)

 

[Abigail]

Have they ran his fingers prints? Surely the Navy would have them on file or on his passport.

Mel (a little late to the story and trying to get caught up.)

I don't think there's any doubt as to his real identity -- except perhaps in his own mind.

I've been over at Dave's ESL Cafe, where lots of expats in China and other Asian countries have forums, to see if he ever posted there. Just did a quick search for "Ek" and "korstemplar" and didn't get anything, and then did a search for "swede" and found one guy claiming to be a Swede who says he went to China to teach in 2009. He's kinda snotty about Americans in the same way that we've seen Michael posting in other places. Interestingly enough, he also uses words (slang and such) that I wouldn't expect from a European.

 

[legalmania]

I put a link up on our website. We have listeners from around the world, hopefully someone will recognize him. If he is up to no good he better fess up now because if he has something to hide they will find out and it won't be good for him.

 

[mysteriew]

I don't think there's any doubt as to his real identity -- except perhaps in his own mind.

I've been over at Dave's ESL Cafe, where lots of expats in China and other Asian countries have forums, to see if he ever posted there. Just did a quick search for "Ek" and "korstemplar" and didn't get anything, and then did a search for "swede" and found one guy claiming to be a Swede who says he went to China to teach in 2009. He's kinda snotty about Americans in the same way that we've seen Michael posting in other places. Interestingly enough, he also uses words (slang and such) that I wouldn't expect from a European.

BBM

I agree, I think they know who he is. Which leads me to wonder why they have publicized this. They can use more official channels to find out where he has been and who he is associated with. So why make it public?

Are they thinking he is using this new ID to hide from something he did in his old identity?

 

[Abigail]

BBM

I agree, I think they know who he is. Which leads me to wonder why they have publicized this. They can use more official channels to find out where he has been and who he is associated with. So why make it public?

Are they thinking he is using this new ID to hide from something he did in his old identity?

It could be that. I'm finding that "lost year" in China a bit interesting. But, I'd have thought that if he were really trying to hide, it wouldn't make sense to have his American passport and other ID with him.

Or...maybe they're hoping to find some family or friends who will take him in. He's already no doubt racked up a huge hospital bill after all these months (and probably will never pay) - I think they'd like to get him off their hands, but with the assurance that (just in case his "fugue" is for real) he won't be wandering around the streets not able to communicate with anyone.

 

[Donjeta]

BBM

I agree, I think they know who he is. Which leads me to wonder why they have publicized this. They can use more official channels to find out where he has been and who he is associated with. So why make it public?

Are they thinking he is using this new ID to hide from something he did in his old identity?

Since he's volunteering for interviews t makes more sense for him to be an attention seeker than a fugitive from justice imo. I tend to think that if it's a hoax it's more lke "hah, wouldn't it be funny if I could fool them into thinking that I have amnesia and get free board and food for a few months and maybe become famous and trick some rich old lady into feeling sorry for me, taking me under her wing and showering me with her love."

Or maybe "I'm in dire straits and need to be united with my family again but it's too embarrassing just to call them after whatever happened since the last time so I'll just pretend that I don't remember anything so I won't have to explain myself and they'll pity me and don't scold me too bad."

If it was "I did somethng really bad so no one can know my real identity" then having all that real identification with him would defeat the purpose. Although I suppose he might have woken up in the hospital confused and panicked about being dscovered and forgot about the passport and the other id's for a moment. But why give interviews?

 

[Abigail]

Since he's volunteering for interviews t makes more sense for him to be an attention seeker than a fugitive from justice imo. I tend to think that if it's a hoax it's more lke "hah, wouldn't it be funny if I could fool them into thinking that I have amnesia and get free board and food for a few months and maybe become famous and trick some rich old lady into feeling sorry for me, taking me under her wing and showering me with her love."

Or maybe "I'm in dire straits and need to be united with my family again but it's too embarrassing just to call them after whatever happened since the last time so I'll just pretend that I don't remember anything so I won't have to explain myself and they'll pity me and don't scold me too bad."

If it was "I did somethng really bad so no one can know my real identity" then having all that real identification with him would defeat the purpose. Although I suppose he might have woken up in the hospital confused and panicked about being dscovered and forgot about the passport and the other id's for a moment. But why give interviews?

Yeah, think you've got it right -- maybe a mix of scenario one and two. I think he probably was in dire straits -- he left Hong Kong on the last day before his visa expired -- this hints that he probably didn't have a job (and thus couldn't get his visa renewed). He'd probably run through most of his money, and didn't have anywhere to go once he got back to the States, and not enough money for food and shelter. Maybe he didn't even know where his sister was (she said he usually only showed up when he needed money and that she hadn't seen him in 10 years), and his mother had died the year before (but he didn't know that), so maybe he tried to call her, but her number would have been disconnected.

ETA: well, whaddaya know? His neice just saw the story and wants to get in touch with him. See comment from SBW under this article: http://voices.mydesert.com/2013/07/...ight-who-woke-up-in-palm-spring-with-amnesia/

So...maybe he hit upon this scheme as a way to survive for a little while -- the hospital won't dump him out because he supposedly can't speak English and he's not yet in his "right mind." And yes, I do believe he's hoping an attractive and/or rich Swedish lady will take pity on him and take him in (note who the several friends are on his new FB account; also note all the time he's spending working out to get really buff, and not minding photos and video taken of him doing so).

ETA: I note that his dates are all off for his life story (his semi-fake one he told folks in China). He said he arrived in Japan in 2000 and taught there for 9 years (after he *cough* worked as an archaeologist at U of Stockholm in 1989-2000), and then came to China where he taught for 4 years -- so a total of 13 years). But Swedish records have him leaving Sweden in 2003. So that would have left only 10 years to teach in Asia. He did apparently really teach at TPR in Zhuhai for the 4 years, so I guess he was only in Japan for 6 years. And arrived 3 years later than he said. Why would he lie about a detail like that? Well, apparently the Stockholm U gig was fabricated as well, since his friends in Sweden mention him working as a personal care assistant, not a university professor.

 

[Donjeta]

The Swedish publc records said that he periodically lived somewhere else during his time in Sweden so the time in Asia and the time in Sweden might have overlapped a little I think.

No one from Japan has chimed in... and where was he after leaving the Chinese teaching job?

But yeah, I dn't think that I'll believe the archaeologist part of hs resume until someone from the university comes forward but suppose he could have been employed as an assistant on some dig. Sometimes they take untrained volunteers to carry shovels and to shift mountains of sand with tea spoons and the other boring tasks.

 

[Abigail]

The Swedish publc records said that he periodically lived somewhere else during his time in Sweden so the time in Asia and the time in Sweden might have overlapped a little I think.

No one from Japan has chimed in... and where was he after leaving the Chinese teaching job?

But yeah, I dn't think that I'll believe the archaeologist part of hs resume until someone from the university comes forward but suppose he could have been employed as an assistant on some dig. Sometimes they take untrained volunteers to carry shovels and to shift mountains of sand with tea spoons and the other boring tasks.

Would love to hear from someone in Japan who knows him. If he lived there for 9 years (or even 6), there's gotta be other expats who know him, not to mention the wife and child! I think I'll go shake some bushes and see what falls out.

 

[Abigail]

Oh my, just found this at Dave's ESL Cafe:

<modsnip>

Guess that answers my earlier question as where the rest of his stuff was.

So, this means he was gainfully employed when his disappeared. I wonder how much time passed between when he disappeared from the school and when he flew to America. The school would have been closed for about a month in late January/February for Chinese New Year (unless they follow a Western academic calendar), but it sounds like he disappeared when classes were in session. Leaving valuable possessions behind does make it sound like he was in some sort of fugue when he left. Wonder how he managed to book a plane ticket and a hotel room in California?

ETA: Aikido is a kind of Japanese martial arts, and a Katana is a special sword used for this sort of fighting.

ETA: Michael's story has been aired on Japanese TV. So far, haven't been able to find anyone who knows him.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=103028&highlight=boatwright

 

[legalmania]

Looks like we're getting more questions than answers. I've been busy and put up the link but you have to cut and paste if for now. Hopefully I'll have it fixed before we find out what really happened to this man.

 

[Abigail]

Looks like we're getting more questions than answers. I've been busy and put up the link but you have to cut and paste if for now. Hopefully I'll have it fixed before we find out what really happened to this man.

I'm still shaking bushes over in China. Wish i knew some bushes to shake in Japan -- just to get some background info.

ETA: only news coverage in China I've found so far is translations of articles that were written in U.S., etc. No new info. http://bbs.tianya.cn/post-worldlook-826953-1.shtml

But...what happened to him in China -- in the period of time between when he disappeared from his apartment in Zhuhai to when he flew out of Hong Kong would probably be most helpful from a medical point of view.

I'm a little surprised (but not very) that Chinese police didn't publish his story when he first went missing in Zhuhai. Lots of foreigners do "runners" from schools that are less than satisfactory, but not foreigners who've been teaching at the same school for years, and not foreigners who leave most of their stuff behind, including their laptop.

 

[Donjeta]

Okay so if he left his laptop in China it may explain why he only had a laptop case in the motel room and no laptop (from the article in which he speculated about being robbed).

I don't believe he was in a fugue state when he left China, not the same kind anyway. He might have been having a mental breakdown or scared witless of something but if he knew when his visa was going to expire and could book a plane ticket in his own name for the previous day he was more on top of things and still in control of his own identity and presumably still spoke something other than Swedish. And he didn't book a flight to Sweden.

I expect the motel staff would have remembered it if he had arrived there unable to get himself understood in anything other than Swedish so that must have started when he was found unconscious.

I wonder who has the laptop now as there might be clues in it.

 

[Abigail]

Okay so if he left his laptop in China it may explain why he only had a laptop case in the motel room and no laptop (from the article in which he speculated about being robbed).

I don't believe he was in a fugue state when he left China, not the same kind anyway. He might have been having a mental breakdown or scared witless of something but if he knew when his visa was going to expire and could book a plane ticket in his own name for the previous day he was more on top of things and still in control of his own identity and presumably still spoke something other than Swedish. And he didn't book a flight to Sweden.

I expect the motel staff would have remembered it if he had arrived there unable to get himself understood in anything other than Swedish so that must have started when he was found unconscious.

I wonder who has the laptop now as there might be clues in it.

All excellent points!! He have needed to go through customs in the US and then check into his hotel. I suppose the TPR school where he taught in Zhuhai still has his stuff.

The kindergarten where he taught in Japan is a Waldorf school (accdg to his write-up for the TPR school). Will try to find someone who knew him there.

 

[Abigail]

Michael's colleague at the TPR school in Zhuhai is questioning the school's story. The school is apparently saying that Michael hadn't been teaching there in a year, but the colleague is saying they were working together less than a year ago. And another colleague said that Michael was headed to a tennis tournament in Florida-- so they're contacting the hospital with that info.

ETA: the colleague has explained that the academic year at TPR school is different than most in China -- it runs from the end of the Spring Festival holiday and goes the whole year until the beginning of the next Spring Festival holiday. Spring Festival starts in last January/early Feb and goes to late Feb/early March (well, that's if you get the whole month off). So...apparently Micheal was teaching this past year. And that would explain why his visa expired the end of February.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=1100873#1100873

It would not be unusual for a foreign teacher in China to travel home during the holiday period. What is odd is that he seemed to have waited until the end of the holiday, and left before renewing his visa. It does sound like he intended to return if he left all his stuff in his apartment, and was traveling light. I'm trying to figure out why on earth he'd take his computer bag without a computer in it. I wonder if it's possible to sort of gradually go into a fugue, because he seemed to do a couple seemingly irrational things before leaving. Or, maybe it was some sort of stroke or something.

I also find it odd that if he were indeed heading to Florida that he would fly into Palm Springs, CA. It would make more sense to fly into LAX -- price would be cheaper by about 25% for the international flight, plus probably considerably cheaper for the domestic flight -- depending on where he'd be flying in Florida.