Peter Bergmann case
Unidentified man | |
|---|---|
 Morgue photograph of the man | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Status | Unidentified for 15 years and 26 days |
| Died | 16 June 2009 |
| Cause of death | Unknown |
| Resting place | Sligo, Ireland |
| Other names | Peter Bergmann |
| Known for | Mysterious death |
The Peter Bergmann Case is the mystery of an unidentified man found dead on 16 June 2009, at Rosses Point beach, Sligo, Ireland. The man's true identity remains unknown. Notably the case became the subject of an award winning documentary film entitled The Last Days of Peter Bergmann directed by Ciaran Cassidy.[1][2][3]
Description
The man appeared to be of 55-60yrs of age, white, slim, and with short grey hair. He was described as possessing a Germanic accent. He was wearing a black leather jacket (C&A brand), blue trousers (C&A brand) size 50, black shoes size 44, black leather belt, and blue socks.
His height was 5’10½”, hair neatly groomed, tan skin colour, blue eyes, with dark eyebrows. His teeth were well maintained. Bridging, root canals and crowns appeared to have been carried out within the last 10 years of his life. He had a full gold tooth on upper back right side of mouth and small silver filling along the gum of a tooth on the left side of the lower jaw.[4]
Autopsy
The body was found washed up on a beach, the autopsy showed evidence of drowning. There was no sign of foul play. The autopsy demonstrated that the man had advanced cancer of the prostate, bone tumours, and had suffered previous heart attacks. Toxicology tests showed no evidence of any painkillers or even aspirin in his system. He also previously had one kidney removed.[5]
Timeline
12 June Friday. The man is at the Ulster Bus depot in Derry between 14:30 and 16:00.
12 June The man alighted from bus that arrived at Sligo Station at 18:28. The man carried a black shoulder bag and a larger luggage bag.
12 June The man took a taxi to the Sligo City Hotel where he paid €65 per night in cash. He checked in giving the presumed false name 'Peter Bergmann' with an address Ainstettersn 15, 4472 Wien, Austria which turned out to be non-existent. The receptionist recalled the man had a deep Germanic accent.
13 June Saturday. At 10:49:01, the man purchased eight 82-cent stamps and airmail stickers, from the General Post Office, Wine Street, Sligo.
14 June Sunday. Between 11:00 and 11:30 the man left the Sligo City Hotel and asked a taxi driver where there was a nice quiet beach where he could swim. The man was told that Rosses Point would be the best place to go and drove him there. The man returned with the same taxi, which dropped the man at the bus station in Sligo.
15 June Monday. The man checked out of the hotel at 13:06, and handed in his room key. He left with a black shoulder bag, a purple plastic bag, and a dark coloured carrier bag. He did not have the dark coloured luggage bag he had first arrived in Sligo with. He walked to the bus station via Quay Street, Wine Street and stopped at Quayside Shopping Centre and then waited in a doorway for a number of minutes. At 13:16 he left the Quayside Shopping Centre and walked along Wine Street in the direction of the bus station, still carrying all three bags. At 13:38 he ordered a cappuccino and a ham and cheese toasted sandwich at the bus station. While eating his food, he looked at pieces of paper that he kept in his pocket. He then mounted a bus that departed at 14:20 for Rosses Point. There were 16 sightings of the deceased on the beach that day.
16 June Tuesday. Arthur and Brian Kinsella were walking on the beach and found his body at 6:45 in the morning.
16 June The man was officially pronounced dead at 8:10 by Dr. Valerie McGowan.[6]
Purple Plastic Bag
During his stay at the hotel, the man is seen on security camera footage leaving the building with a purple plastic bag full of items or personal effects. However, when he returns from his long walks he is no longer carrying the bag. It is presumed that he was disposing of his belongings throughout the City of Sligo and then folds the bag and puts it in his pocket. We are unable to identify what he was throwing away in the public trash bins as the man used the blind spots of the surveillance cameras throughout the city to his advantage. His movements were very meticulous and methodical as if he knew where to hide his personal belongings that could have identified him.[1]
Funeral
After a five-month investigation the body was finally buried in Sligo. The funeral was attended by four Gardaí.[7]
Developments
In 2015, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that they had contacted the Austrian police about the case, and that the Austrian police commented that the Irish police had never contacted them.[8] Le Monde also reported that there is no Interpol notice for the unidentified man, stating that as the body is actually recovered he does not fall into the two Interpol categories of 'missing person' or a 'wanted person'. It is up to his country of origin to report him as missing.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Last Days of Peter Bergmann (2013)". IMDb. 1 September 2013.
- ^ "'The Last Days of Peter Bergmann' at Melbourne". filmireland.net.
- ^ "In 2009, a man arrived in an Irish town with a plan ..." Aeon Videos. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "RTÉ Television - Ear to the Ground". rte.ie. 15 May 2009.
- ^ http://www.bka.de/nn_198456/DE/Fahndungen/Personen/UnbekannteTote/IrlandMann/IrlandMann.html
- ^ "Unidentified man had been seen walking beach the night before his body was found". Independent.ie.
- ^ "News RTÉ TEN'S TV picks for Tuesday January 6 - News TV Genre". News TV Genre. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ a b Julien Guintard. "L'homme qui voulait effacer sa vie". Le Monde.fr. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
External links
- Mystery man's last surprise
- Last Days of Peter Bergmann
- German police website on the case
- Beach body unidentified
- Interpol list of missing persons