Unsolved Mysteries [Weekly Discussion]

[LoopyPanda]

C'mon gang! We've got mysteries to solve.​

This is a weekly discussion thread inspired by r/UnresolvedMysteries on Reddit.​

Sometimes, things happen that we can't find answers to. Be it ongoing missing persons cases with strange circumstances, natural phenomenon, strange events with no conclusion or explanation to what happened, or even murder cases that became dead ends. These events all are considered unsolved mysteries.

Some of us here on the web are curious people who are not satisfied with never knowing the truth, so we seek to theorize and draw our own conclusions in hopes to piece together the clues a mystery has left behind (if any). Others are more content with never knowing the truth to the mystery at all. For you amateur sleuthers who like to make theories about the unknown, this thread is just the right place to tease your brain.

How this works: Every Friday at 3:00 p.m. CST, I will post a new mystery with the required information available on the internet. You, the detective, post a response detailing your idea that can explain or debunk the mystery. It can be backed up with further research on the mystery at hand, or remain solely based on your available knowledge. It is a mystery after all, so there is no correct answer until the truth is actually confirmed. As always, your posts must adhere to the rules of this forum. Once the full week is up, a new mystery will be selected for discussion.

Of course, I will offer my own theories, but most likely I will withhold my thoughts until someone else replies so that I may refute it or not. Well-crafted posts will be rewarded with Reputation points and perhaps more bragging rights down the line if the thread is successful.

You will receive your first mystery to solve tomorrow, so keep an eye out!

 

[ShineCero]

Huh.. that's actually a sweet idea! I can get behind this fun little game. My binge watching of Law and Order: SVU will come in handy :wagh:

 

[LoopyPanda]

Your first mystery is....

The Disappearance of Lars Mittank​

(Archived) Missing Persons poster​

​

Name: Lars Mittank
Age at time of disappearance: 28 (DOB: February 19, 1986)
Last seen: July 8, 2014, near Varna Airport in Varna, Bulgaria.
The Circumstances of his disappearance:
Lars is a German who went vacationing with his friends to a seaside resort Golden Sands in Bulgaria, arriving in June 30th:

Mittank was on vacation with four friends at Golden sands, a sea side resort on the coast of the black sea in Bulgaria, a popular and relatively low cost holiday destination for those in nearby European countries who want to take a break and soak up the sun.  They arrived at their destination on the 30th of June 2014, after a 2 hour plane ride, and checked into their hotel (Hotel "Viva Club"), which was all inclusive, with food and drinks provided. The place is described as a sort of party resort popular amongst Germans- think Ibiza.

On July 6th, the group of five went to a local bar (The Rock Bar). Apparently, they had gotten into an altercation with other bar attendees over a football dispute-- it was cited to be nonviolent at this time, but for context, Lars was a Werder Bremen fan, whereas the others (presumably other tourists or unidentified locals) were fans of the rival team Bayern Munich. The trip hadn't suffered any issues until later that night;

Although there was no violence inside the bar at the time Lars went missing later that night when he was waiting for his friends to purchase food from a nearby McDonald’s fast food restaurant on the way back to the hotel. 
They looked for him to no avail, and eventually decided to go back to the hotel expecting him to be there. Unfortunately he was not, but he returned the next morning claiming to have been accosted by a group of men that he believed were sent for him by the group they had an altercation with earlier in the night. He claimed that the group had hired a bunch ofeither locals or Russians to rough him up.
Apparently his friends weren’t convinced by the story, but let it go.
He had walked away from the beating with a ruptured ear drum and injured jaw. (This wasn't known until he had visited a physician)

Where exactly was Lars Mittank between waiting outside of McDonalds for his friends to order and returning to the hotel in the morning?
Was he unconscious? If so for how long?

[There are] conflicting reports on the severity of the ear injury. Some reports say that he was actually good to fly, but didn’t want to.
Other reports state that the ruptured ear drum was an injury that wouldn’t allow him to fly back to Germany on schedule with his friends.
Although they wanted to stay with him until he was fit to fly, Lars Mittank insisted that he was fine and would find a hotel to stay at until he was well enough to return home.

(Wiki blurb: At the end of his trip, due to the ruptured ear drum, a doctor advised him not to fly and prescribed an antibiotic named Cefuroxime (500 mg) and later referred him to a hospital. His friends wanted to stay with him, but Mittank insisted he was fine on his own... but there is no supported citation or footnote for this statement)


On July 7th his friends left the hotel in one taxi, and he left in another in search of medical attention. After refusing surgery (he did not want to get surgery outside of Germany), which the local doctor insisted Mittank needed, he was instead prescribed 500mg of  Cefuroxime / “cefzil”- a type of cephalosporin  antibiotic sold under the name of “Ceftin / Zinacef” by Glaxo smith Kline in the UK, commonly used to treat bacterial infections.

The antibiotics were prescribed by a Dr. Boris Najdenow and Mittank obtained the medication from a local pharmacy. He walked around the local area looking for a new place to stay and eventually decided on a place named “The hotel color” in Varna, which costs around $25 a night and is reviewed as average on trip advisor.  One user comments that the hotel is just a 15 minute walk from the bus stop, and another describes it as a “friendly, family run hotel”. Some complained of outdated interior and stained sheets. 

The following day (July 8th) Lars started acting strangely. [His friends had departed from Bulgaria about a day before his behavior became erratic]

At 11:50 p.m. July 7, Lars called his mother using his cell phone and told her that he felt scared. He asked her if she would contact his bank and freeze his credit card. He also called her again at 3:00 a.m. and told her in a low whisper that he was hiding from a group of men who had been following him.

Lars had left the hotel with his things in the middle of the night, staff said. He texted his mother asking her what “CFC 500” was. CFC500 is the abbreviation for the anti-biotics he had been prescribed earlier for his ruptured eardrum. He would have most likely been prescribed this to prevent an ear infection.

At 6:00 a.m. Lars was dropped off at the airport in a taxi. He had apparently shared the cab with another passenger after waving it down in the street. They supposedly described him as having Mydriasis. Although most people's first thought when they hear someone has “large” or “dilated” pupils is drug use (such as amphetamines), mydriasis can also be caused by trauma, including head injuries, although the trauma usually has to be quite severe.

Once at the airport, he called his mother who booked him a flight home and advised him to drop in on the airport doctor before boarding. He still believed that the group of men (four individuals) were chasing him and would refuse to let him leave Bulgaria by bus or plane.

Who were these 4 men? Did they actually exist? Did Lars possibly attempt to get back to Germany by another method of transport? It’s possible to drive from Bulgaria to Germany. It would take a full day but maybe Lars thought he could hitchhike back home if he was afraid of being found by these 4 mystery men on the scheduled buses and trains.

Lars managed to locate the airport doctor who examined him and would later describe him as being emotionally depleted.
The examination was momentarily disturbed by an airport employee who wanted to chat to the doctor about doing some work on her office.
This set Lars off and he jumped up, fleeing the airport. Eventually he found his way out and witnesses say he managed to climb over a fence and jump into a field on the other side. The barbed wire wrapped around the top of fence did little to prevent his escape. (This is not shown on CCTV footage, however)

This entry is a compilation of different news sources, but is the best one I've found that explains things better than the wiki.

The aforementioned CCTV footage was obtained and showed Lars fleeing the airport, and running through the parking lot into woodland, never to be seen again. It is considered to be the last concrete evidence of his existence.
[align=center][video=youtube]

He has essentially vanished without a trace. No updates have come up other than unproved claims:​

• In April 2015, a truck driver claimed to have given him a ride, but this has not been confirmed.
• A redditor posted 8 months ago about having sighted him in Canada speaking only German, but many have doubted the validity of this encounter as they have no picture of the man, nor would it be very likely Lars had gotten into Canada without any documentation (unless he had obtained falsified papers).

Mittank's mother has previously said that the family has no medical history of mental illness.

So, what happened to make Lars take off like this? what type of surgery did Dr. Boris Najdenow suggest that Mittank needed? There are surgeries with low risk to repair ruptured ear drums, but it can also heal on its own given time (usually a month or so). Surgery would have allowed Mittank to leave the hospital within a couple of days and be on his way, so maybe it was offered so he could get back to Germany more quickly? 
Who were the four men Lars claimed attacked him? Do they actually exist?
​

 

[ShineCero]

This was an engaging read; the disappearance of Lars Mittank (not a Pokémon folks!) is definitely a strange one.

One of the strangest thing I came out of this is him bolting the fuck out of there when he went to the nurse office. You would think someone would call security if some guy suddenly dropped his belongings on the ground like that and start running for the hills.

I think that, based on what is described here, he was hit super duper hard in the head during the supposed fight and his brain is now a jumbled mess. Does the medicine he was prescribed have any effects on his mental status? 

Another thing that comes arise is how he would call his mother at such odd hours—I feel like there were so many opportunities to avoid this and had him examine a bit more. His friends should’ve stayed to make sure his ass was in check if he was that afraid of his life, but that’s another story.

No idea if he’s still alive though; most likely dead if he’s under such mental distress.

 

[LoopyPanda]

The doctor in Bulgaria prescribed him Cefuroxime 500mg: this antibiotic is used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, and the side effects for the most part aren't anything crazy aside from the usual "vomiting and runs" deal. Here is a blurb from a Rx site I found:

It is used in the treatment of conditions such as acute or chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, Lyme disease, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, pneumonia, laryngitis, sinusitis and urinary tract infections. This drug is also used to treat bacterial infections of the throat, cervix, pelvis, urethra, skin, middle ear and nasal passage.

While taking Cefuroxime, the common side effects that could occur include nausea, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, rashes, fever, chills, muscle aches and diarrhea. These side effects might resolve themselves within a few days, and hence, it is not a major cause for concern. Some of the major side effects that could occur are severe stomachaches, mood swings, fatigue, jaundiced eyes or skin, yeast infection, inflammation of the bowels, bloody stools and dark urine. You should call for medical aid as soon as you detect any of these side effects. You could have an allergic reactionfrom taking Cefuroxime. An allergy to this anti-biotic will result in symptoms such as hives, rashes, swelling of the tongue, throat, face, hands or feet, itchiness and difficulty in breathing. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should discontinue the usage of this drug and contact a medical health professional immediately.

Nothing about delirium or psychosis until I look at the Drug Interactions section:

"Central nervous system disorders [MAJOR]

You may experience tremors, restlessness, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations if you suffer from CNS disorder and use {levofloxacin}} or other fluoroquinolones. Avoid using caffeine-containing products like coffee, chocolates and energy drinks.
 
Colitis [MAJOR]

Avoid if you experience severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, and blood in stools after taking Cefuroxime. Inform the doctor if you have any gastrointestinal diseases. Drink adequate amount of water to prevent dehydration

...

Aspirin [MODERATE]

You may experience tremors, involuntary muscle movements, hallucinations, or seizures if these medicines are used together. This interaction is more likely to happen if you have a history of seizures or family history of seizures. Appropriate dose adjustment or replacement of the medicine should be made under the doctor's supervision."

I have read on Reddit that Cefuroxime is banned from usage in Germany particularly because of the hallucinogenic side effect, but I've yet to find a proper source for that.

Aspirin is a fairly common thing to use, so it's very likely Lars may have developed a headache or felt discomfort even while taking the antibiotic and mistakenly took some aspirin and this ended up interacting with the antibiotics (let's be real, most people don't typically thoroughly read the warnings onnthe prescription paper unless it's a daily medication, not a temporary one). He was perfectly normal up until after his friends left and he got the medicine from the pharmacy (which could have been anywhere between the early afternoon and before 11:50 pm when he began to call his mother). He said he was attacked by 4 men, so why would a woman coming into the office freak him out if he had never seen her before?

His friends probably didn't think he was beaten too badly, or may have thought he was just drunk (it doesn't say whether anyone became inebriated after going to the bar or not). Heck, maybe THEY were drunk and just didn't want to admit that to the police. There's a lot of possibilities to consider.

 

[ShineCero]

You're right that the friends considering the condition of Mittanks, but still, I felt like they should've stay behind for extra measures. 

He said he was attacked by 4 men, so why would a woman coming into the office freak him out if he had never seen her before?

That's the thing I never understood myself. Perhaps he saw some connection between her and them?  Maybe he recognized her at the bar during the fight (I know, I know, big leap of logic here), and made some connection between her and the rest of the four men. Otherwise, it would like he had a mental breakdown and started hallucinating like crazy. It's possible that even though he has no history of mental illness, the symptoms of the head injuries was not apparent until several days after the fact.

However, I found this bit after a bit of digging:

An unknown male walked into Medical Services dressed like a construction worker. When Lars saw this man, he became anxious, mumbled something to the doctor, then sprinted out of the airport leaving his luggage and backpack behind. He lightly jogged across the parking lot and scaled a fence. He continued running out of camera’s view. Lars disappeared after that, and has not been seen since. Lars had no history of mental illness.

So maybe it's not the nurse, but rather, he recognized this guy as one of the four men?

 

[LoopyPanda]

Possibly-- if the body type is similar, and he was indeed hallucinating at the time (along with delirium induced from a likely head injury), he easily could have thought it was one of his assailants.

If the men were gang members or part of some kind of criminal organization, something had to happen aside from a relatively small altercation at the bar. But either way, it's likely he died from exposure out in the woods after getting lost in them. If he was hallucinating, along with an untreated traumatic head injury (based on the dilated pupils), it probably didn't help his condition. The men may also have been human traffickers, but they typically don't go after young men, I think.

 

[ShineCero]

Possibly-- if the body type is similar, and he was indeed hallucinating at the time (along with delirium induced from a likely head injury), he easily could have thought it was one of his assailants.

If the men were gang members or part of some kind of criminal organization, something had to happen aside from a relatively small altercation at the bar. But either way, it's likely he died from exposure out in the woods after getting lost in them. If he was hallucinating, along with an untreated traumatic head injury (based on the dilated pupils), it probably didn't help his condition. The men may also have been human traffickers, but they typically don't go after young men, I think.

Honestly, if he got into some kind of mess with a gang member, he would've been killed right then and there. I personally don't see any good reason for a gang member to follow someone after kicking their asses. Not saying that he wasn't followed (it may or may not be true), but I highly doubt they would just stay their distance for three days, then suddenly show up to kidnap/kill them later.

I'm definitely leading towards him being dead at this point; untreated head injury, possible hallucinations and irrational fear may have drove him. Bad enough that he was alone and had nothing to rely on aside from his mother (and the sudden cancellation of his card).

 

[LoopyPanda]

There's also an extremely slim possibility he resembled someone they believed to be a related persons they should be following/targeting. As slim as it may be, it happens. Not long ago there was a double murder of 2 film students in a warehouse that a drug ring used, and they had no idea. The gang members thought they belonged to a rival gang by accident. But I feel like a murder would have turned up a body by now, or at least a few clues.

 

[~ Z ~]

Gonna jump in this mystery!

I have seen this mystery before but I never got all the details in full. If he got into a fight/ruffed up, perhaps the injuries were more serious than initially diagnosed? If he had no history of mental illness in his family, then the only thing I could rile up is that his injuries were worse than what was recorded. I would think that it takes a lot of force to rupture an eardrum with just your hands (or maybe not, I'm not a doctor.) Maybe he fell and hit his head and that's why he might be having hallucinations? 

What intrigued me was when he bolted out of the airport. He must have seen something that literally scared the hell out of him. I wouldn't exactly agree that it was these mysterious 4 men Lars mentioned (It could have all been in his head) but whatever he saw that day was enough for him to fear for his life. All I can honestly say is that his injury might have been worse than people thought. As for the drug he took... worse case scenario, he might have mixed it in with another prescription we are unaware of or he might have been under the influence of other drugs right before he went to the airport (Though I doubt they would've let him on the plane high as a kite.) All we can say is that Lars saw something that we didn't/couldn't, and whatever it was, was enough for him to run for his life or express fear for his safety.

As for his current whereabouts? I HOPE he's okay, but like Shine said: He might be dead at this point. If someone REALLY wanted to hurt/kidnap/kill him they would have done it the moment he was all alone, not in an airport where dozens of people can see them unless he was being hunted by 4 members of the Bulgarian/German Government, AND EVEN THEN, I doubt they would strike in broad daylight. All in all, I doubt this poor man is alive at this point and if he is, he clearly hasn't returned home which might prove that he is not in the right state of mind.