RACING through the airport screaming “I don’t want to die”, Lars Joachim Mittank looked like he was running for his life.
The 28-year-old’s chilling last movements were caught on CCTV at Varna Airport in Bulgaria after his bachelor holiday.
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Lars Mittank was seen running from the airport in 2014
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Since then, the 28-year-old has not been seen
Lars was seen jumping over a two-meter fence before disappearing into the woods next to the highway.
Unfortunately, he was never seen again.
The mysterious circumstances of Lars’ disappearance have led to the dubious title of “YouTube’s Most Famous Missing Person”.
His chilling case has also spawned dozens of conspiracy theories as detectives sift through disturbing footage in an attempt to solve the mystery.
But no one has ever been able to determine whether Lars was the victim of a gruesome murder or was simply suffering from the effects of a head injury he sustained before the horror.
The disturbing story began in July 2014, when Lars, from his native Germany, traveled with five friends on a bachelor holiday to Bulgaria.
But the day before the group was due to fly home, he got into an argument with some other German nationals while drinking in Varna.
Lars left his friends outside the bar and disappeared into the night.
He did not return to the hotel until the next morning where he claimed he was beaten by four men – leaving him with an injured jaw and a ruptured eardrum.
As a result, Lars was given antibiotics and advised by his doctor not to fly home with his friends.
Although they insisted on staying with him, Lars assured them that he was fine alone and later checked into Hotel Color Varna near the airport for one night.
But that’s where his behavior began to spiral after he made a chilling phone call to his mum Sandra.
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Lars calmly entered the airport
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He ran towards the forest before disappearing
Lars whispered to his mom that he was being followed by people who wanted him dead as he urged her to cancel his credit cards.
Sandra later revealed: “I thought, oh my god, my son is in danger. I could hear his heart beating over the phone.
“He said people were trying to rob him or kill him.”
At 1 a.m., he was seen on the hotel’s CCTV cameras pacing up and down the corridor, hiding in the elevator and peering through the windows scattered along the long corridors.
Lars also randomly left in the early hours before returning an hour later, but there is no sign of where he went.
He called Sandra again the next day to tell her that the men hunting him were closing in before he left for the airport.
This is where the strange case really came to a head after Lars met with a doctor at the airport to check on his injuries.
Despite being told he was fit to fly, Lars’ bizarre antics were caught on camera as he was heard saying: “I don’t want to die here.
“I have to get out of here.”
He then dropped the bag with his passport, phone and wallet on the floor and ran as fast as he could down the hall and out of the airport.
After jumping over the fence, Lars disappeared into the nearby woods and was never seen again.
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No one knows why Lars disappeared that dayCredit: Facebook / Findet Lars Mittank
It was never determined what caused his paranoia—drugs, a reaction to medication for his eardrum, or a head injury in combat.
Bulgaria is also a country with high levels of human trafficking and organized crime – leading some to speculate that he was indeed being hunted.
The police launched an investigation into Lars’ disappearance, but never discovered any concrete leads.
Lars was interested in the outdoors and had previously gone hunting and fishing, but experts say it is unlikely he could survive that long in the wild.
His grieving family even hired a private investigator in hopes of finding answers, but the search is on.
Mom Sandra confirmed that Lars had no history of mental illness and believed he was still alive, but that he may have lost his memory.
A potential breakthrough came in 2016 when police in Brazil tweeted a photo of a bearded man they found walking barefoot on a highway.
The image matched Lars’ aging image, but the man was later identified as the missing Canadian aid worker.
A timeline of horrors – how Lars vanished into thin air
February 9, 1986: Lars was born in Berlin, Germany
June 30, 2014: The 28-year-old travels with five friends to Varna, Bulgaria, on a bachelor’s holiday.
July 6: The day before the group was to fly home, Lars gets into a fight with rival soccer fans.
July 7 morning: He goes to the doctor for an injured jaw and a ruptured eardrum. Lars was advised not to fly and prescribed the antibiotic Cefprozil.
July 7, afternoon: Lars’s friends fly home at his insistence and he checks into Hotel Color Varna for one night. That evening he calls his mother Sandra and tells her that people are planning to kill or rob him.
Lars was seen on video surveillance walking up and down the corridors, looking through windows and hiding in the elevator.
July 8, 1am: He leaves the hotel before returning an hour later. It is not clear where he was.
July 8: Lars makes his way to Varna airport to fly back to Germany. He texts his mom to say he’s arrived before going to the airport doctor. Lars is “fickle and nervous” but is advised he can fly home.
A construction worker then entered the doctor’s office causing Lars to shout, “I don’t want to die here. I have to get out of here.”
He was then caught throwing his belongings and running from the terminal.
When he goes outside, Lars is seen climbing the fence and running towards the woods where he disappeared.
Then, three years later, a German truck driver came forward to transport the hitchhiker from Dresden to Brandenberg.
He discovered that the man resembled an older version of Lars, but again the potential development didn’t pan out.
Lars would now be 38 years old and despite dead ends and increasingly twisted theories, Sandra remains committed to finding her son.
Mom continues to post news on the ‘Find Lars Mittank’ Facebook page and prints thousands of missing person leaflets.
Speaking earlier, Sandra said: “There’s a good chance he’ll come back. He just needs my help.”
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Lars’ mom never lost hope of finding her son
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The investigation into his disappearance is still openCredit: Facebook / Findet Lars Mittank
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