If you are interested in true crime stories while doomscrolling through YouTube’s true crime algorithm, you have probably heard of Lars Mittank’s case at least once. Lars Mittank’s case was covered multiple times in social media platforms due to its eerie and mysterious nature.
Mittank was a German man traveling through Varna, Bulgaria with his friends when he suddenly disappeared near the airport. Mittank was an adventurous man who was reported to have good relationships with his family and friends. His friends recall that during the trip, they had a fun time with Mittank also being in a good mood. But the problem started the day before they left Bulgaria. A night before Mittank and his friends were supposed to leave the country, he allegedly got into a fight at a bar with a group of other men over football, which left his jaw and eardrums injured. Due to his injuries, he wasn’t able to fly back to Germany, so his friends left first while Mittank stayed at a nearby hotel, waiting for recovery.
The problem started there. Mittank started acting paranoid, and according to Mel Magazine, he called his mother telling that people were trying to kill him. His paranoia began to be reflected in his actions as well, as footage of Mittank pacing around hotel hallways and hiding in elevators were spotted in CCTV cameras. This left his family, especially his mother, extremely worried, urging him to come back home. On July 8, 2014, Mittank left his hotel for about an hour before returning. A few hours later, he called his mother again, telling her that the people trying to kill him were getting closer. Paranoid than ever, he left to go to the Varna airport to return to Germany, where he was seen arriving with a suitcase in the CCTV. Afterwards, he went to his doctor and was soon prescribed fit for flying. Soon after being cleared, he suddenly yelled that he didn’t want to die and had to get out of this place. This was the last sighting of him, where he was seen running through the airport exit, going outside the terminal and reaching a forest, vanishing into the dark woods.
There are several theories about this case, as some people think he was actually chased by the people he fought with at the bar, which left him paranoid and threatened. Another theory is that he was not actually chased by a gangster; rather, he got extreme paranoia due to his injuries, leaving him deranged. Despite several theories, the police weren’t able to track his location. Even today, Mittank has not been found, making it an unsolved case. Sending prayers to his family, we hope the case will be solved one day.
