I wanted to write about this case even though not much is really known. I saw this a few years ago on a compilation of missing person cases on YouTube and for some reason, out of all the people in the video, Lars Mittank stood out to me. Maybe it was the odd way he was acting prior to his disappearance or maybe it's because I don't often hear the stories of those who go missing outside of the U.S. Whatever the case, I hope that one day his family and friends find the answers they're looking for.
This story starts with a trip that Lars (28) took with a group of his friends to Varna, Bulgaria. The trip was supposed to be fun and although short (1 week), they were planning to make the most out of it. Naturally, there was drinking involved and on the night of July 6th, 2014 things got a little out of hand when Lars was involved in a fight over a dispute with a rival sports team. Lars mentioned to his friends that during the fight, he had been punched in the ear but his friends later said that he did not appear to be physically harmed in any way. Unfortunately, none of his friends were around at the time of the fight so it's hard to say what really happened.
Shortly after, Lars went to a doctor where he was told that he had a ruptured ear drum and due to this, he would not be able to fly home at the same time as his friends. The doctor prescribed an antibotic (Cefuroxime) and suggested that he go to a hospital to get further tests. Knowing that the change in pressure would have caused him severe pain, Lars decided to follow the doctors instructions and stay behind for a few more days. Before his friends left, they offered to stay behind with him but Lars refused. He didn't want to be the reason that they were late getting back to their lives. He convinced them to leave and reassured them that he would be okay on his own and would return home before they knew it.
After his friends left, Lars checked into a cheap hotel and just a day later, the hotel security cameras captured him behaving strangely. He only stayed one night and according to his mother, he called her and asked her to cancel his credit cards and told her that he felt very unsafe. He seemed paranoid and didn't trust anyone or anything; including the doctor who had prescribed his medication as he asked his mother about the Cefuroxime that was given to him. He made plans with her to catch the next flight available and gathered all of his stuff in preparation to head home.
The next morning, Lars headed to the airport with his suitcase and headed towards the airport infirmary. The doctor who attended him recalls Lars behaving strangely. He appeared very nervous and remembers seeing him jumping up suddenly and screaming that he did not want to die [in Bulgaria] and that he needed to get out of there. Lars can be seen running outside with nothing but the clothes he was wearing. He left behind his luggage, wallet and passport. The CCTV footage outside the airport shows him frantically running through the parking lot, jumping a barbed-wire fence and continuing to run towards the woods.
This is the last known footage of Lars Mittank alive.
There are a few theories as to what could have really happened. The first one is that he could have had a head injury that was not diagnosed which caused him to behave this way. Though most doctors state that symptoms usually take more time to show up so that isn't really a possibility. The next theory is that maybe the antibiotic he was given had strange side effects, but none of the known and listed side effects include anything Lars was exhibiting. The last theory I have heard is that Lars was targeted by a group of men who seek out tourists and force them to smuggle drugs to different parts of the country. This is theorized due to a comment that Lars had made to his mother the night before he vanished. When he called to tell her to cancel his credit cards, he also mentioned that he was being followed by 3 men. This could explain the paranoia, but none of the footage captured shows him being followed. Since his disappearance, there have not been any sightings of him and it is believed that he most likely has died.
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