Peter Bergmann case

Unidentified man
Morgue photograph of the man
Born	Probably between 1949 and 1954 Unknown, possibly Austria
Status	Unidentified for 15 years and 26 days
Died	16 June 2009 Rosses Point, Sligo, Ireland
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.

Physical Description

The unknown man had a slender build, short grey hair and appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s. He stood five feet and ten and a half inches tall with blue eyes and a tan complexion. From witness reports, the man was from Germanic decent and spoke with a thick German accent. He was neatly groomed; his face was shaven and his hair was clean and combed. The man was well dressed wearing a black leather jacket, blue pants (size 50), blue socks, a black leather belt and a pair of black shoes (size 44). His clothes were from C&A, a popular fashion retail store in Europe with most of the stores being located in Germany and Austria. From the man’s appearance you could assume he was professional working male. He was a frequent smoker and several surveillance videos show him smoking outside often.

Timeline of Events

On Friday June 12th, the unknown man is first spotted at the Ulster Bus Depot in Derry between the time of 14:30 and 16:00. He then boarded a bus headed to Sligo Station, carrying a black shoulder bag and a standard carry-on luggage bag. He arrived at 18:28 at the Sligo Bus Station and took a taxi to the Sligo City Hotel where he paid €65 per night in cash. While checking in, he gave the false name of “Peter Bergmann” and listed his address as Ainstettersn 15, 4472 in Wien, Austria. Upon the police investigation following his death, the address he gave belonged to a vacant lot. This implies that the man wanted to remain unknown and he preemptively planned his moves so he couldn’t be identified.

On Saturday June 13th, the man is seen walking to the General Post Office at 10:49 and purchases eight 82-cent stanps and airmail stickers. Presumably, he was writing final letters to loved ones or sending his personal affects away so they wouldn’t be discovered.

On Sunday June 14th, between 11:00 and 11:30 the man left the Sligo City Hotel and asked a taxi driver recommendations for a nice quiet beach where he could swim. The taxi driver stated that Rosses Point would be the best place and proceeded to drive the unknown man to the beach. The man returned with the same taxi, and was dropped off at the bus station in Sligo. The next day on Monday June 15th, 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 different black luggage bag. He did not have the same black carry-on luggage bag he had when he first arrived in Sligo. Then he proceeded to walk to the bus station via Quay Street, Wine Street and stopped at Quayside Shopping Centre and awkwardly waited in the 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. After reading the pieces of paper, he tore the paper in half and threw it way in a nearby trash bin. He then mounted a bus that departed at 14:20 for Rosses Point. It was reported that he was seen by sixteen different people while walking on the beach, casually greeting the passersby.

The following morning on Tuesday June 16th, Arthur and Brian Kinsella, a father and son training for a triathlon, found his naked body lying on the beach at 6:45 in the morning. At 8:10, Dr. Valerie McGowan officially pronounced the man dead. Following the discovery of the man’s dead body, a five month investigation was conducted by the Sligo Police.

Timeline

12 June Friday. The man is at the Ulster Bus depot in Derry between 14:30 and 16:00. This is the first known sighting of the man.

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.

Funeral

After a five-month investigation the body was finally buried in Sligo. The funeral was attended by four Gardaí.

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. 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.

See also

• List of unsolved murders and deaths
• Isdal Woman
• Taman Shud Case

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