Who are you Mr. Bergmann: the mystery of one of the most mysterious deaths in history

On the foggy morning of June 16, 2009, a resident of the Irish county of Sligo, Arthur Kinsell, came to the beach, near the village of Rosses Point. Together with his son, he was going for a run, but he saw the body of a man on the shore, which was carried out by the sea tide. It turned out that the drowned man's name was Peter Bergmann, and the circumstances of his death still concern the Internet community. The last days of the man were restored thanks to CCTV cameras, but what he saw on them raised even more questions.

On June 12, 2009, surveillance cameras of the coastal Irish city of Sligo recorded how at 18:28 a gray-haired, thin man arrived by bus from Ulster. He had a shoulder bag and a sports bag with him. The man took a taxi and went to the hotel "Sligo City Hotel", where he rented a room for 65 euros. At the registration, he called himself Peter Bergmann, who lives in Vienna at Einstettern 15.

Peter Bergmann at Sligo Bus Station

The next day he went to the local post office, where he bought eight stamps and airmail stickers. On Sunday, June 14, Peter caught a taxi and asked to take him to the nearest beach where he could swim. The taxi driver took him to Rosses Point. After examining the area, the man returned to the same car Sligo.

Peter Bergmann checks in at the hotel

On June 15, cameras filmed Peter Bergmann going outside at 13:06 with a black bag and a purple plastic bag. At 13:38, he arrived at the mall on Quayside Street, where he had lunch. From his pocket, the man took out several crumpled pieces of paper, which he read, tore into pieces and threw into the trash. An hour later, Peter arrived at Rosses Point Beach, where 16 people saw him.

Peter Bergmann in the hall of the Sligo Shopping Center

Eyewitnesses said that the man stood at the water's edge and just looked at the sea until it got dark. On Tuesday, June 16, at 6:45 a.m., Arthur Kinsell and his son Brian found the body of Peter Bergmann. The Irish police investigated the case for five months and found out several details, thanks to which this death acquired the status of a mysterious and cult.

Peter Bergmann had almost no contact with others, but eyewitnesses recalled that he spoke with a slight German accent. The body was found naked, and clothes were scattered on the shore. There were no documents and money with the drowned man. All the tags and barcodes from the clothes were roughly cut off with scissors. Pathologists have revealed that the man is 55-65 years old, he has advanced prostate cancer and a bone tumor. No traces of violent death were found.

Peter Bergmann's surviving belongings

He had suffered several heart attacks and had only one kidney. Peter did not take any medications, although he was in severe pain. It was also not possible to identify his identity by fingerprints. It turned out that Peter Bergman had not registered at the border and could not legally enter the country. The police checked the Vienna address of the drowned man, but on Einstettern 15 turned out to be a vacant lot instead of a house.

Peter Bergmann goes outside with a purple bag

The cameras showed that in recent days he left the hotel 13 times and always held a purple bag in his hand, and returned without it. In all these days, the camera has never taken a picture of where Bergman put its contents. The police assumed that the man knew where the cameras had "blind spots". Sergeant Terry McMahon, in charge of the case, said:

Rosses Point Beach, where Peter Bergmann's body was found

The police checked the garbage dumps, but did not find anything. Another mystery is to whom Bergmann sent the last eight letters for which he bought stamps. In an interview, Inspector Ray Mulderrig, who was on the team of investigators, said:

The story of Peter Bergmann became known thanks to Reddit, where many posts are dedicated to him, in which people share their versions and assumptions. The most popular ones are that the man was an employee of the special services, a bandit hiding from enemies, and even a time traveler.

Peter Bergmann on Sligo Street

In 2013, Irish director Kieran Cassidy made a documentary film "The Last Days of Peter Bergmann", which examined all the details of the strange case. After that, numerous Internet investigations and podcasts appeared on the network, in which people wondered who Peter Bergmann was. The tragedy of the situation is added by the fact that Bergman did everything to quietly leave and remain in the shadows, but still became known.

Peter Bergmann's grave in Sligo City Cemetery

Despite the resonance that the story caused in Ireland, and then in Europe, the relatives and friends of the deceased did not make themselves felt. Interpol was looking for Bergmann's contacts, but no information was found. Where this man came from, and what was in his purple bag, remained a mystery.