The Vanishing of Lars Mittank at Varna Airport

On July 8, 2014, German tourist Lars Joachim Mittank vanished from Varna Airport in Bulgaria under circumstances that would baffle investigators and captivate true crime audiences worldwide. The 28-year-old Berliner, holidaying with five friends in the Black Sea resort of Golden Sands, fled the terminal with nothing but the clothes on his back, climbing a fence and disappearing into the woods beyond—never to be seen again.

The days leading up to Mittank's disappearance paint a picture of mounting distress. On July 6, 2014, during what should have been a relaxing beach holiday, Mittank became involved in an altercation with Bayern Munich supporters at a local bar. The confrontation left him with a ruptured eardrum—a serious injury that would set the stage for everything that followed.

By July 7, 2014, his condition had deteriorated enough that his friends made the difficult decision to return to Germany without him. A local doctor prescribed Mittank Cefruxime 500, an antibiotic, and explicitly warned him against flying due to the risks cabin pressure posed to his injured ear. He was admitted to a hotel near the airport to recover and rebook his flight.

That night, Mittank called his mother, Sandra Mittank, in Berlin. The conversation was troubling. He spoke in whispers, claiming that people were after him and wanted to kill him. His mother could hear his rapid heartbeat through the phone—a sign of extreme panic. The next morning, he sent her a text message saying he was heading to the airport for a medical check before his rebooked flight.

What happened next, captured on airport CCTV, revealed a man in acute psychological distress. Mittank entered Varna Airport calmly enough, but his demeanor changed dramatically during a consultation with airport doctor Kosta Kostov. The physician described him as "nervous and unpredictable." When offered medication to calm his nerves, Mittank refused.