Peter Bergmann case

The man known as "Peter Bergmann" had a slender build, short grey hair, and appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s. He stood 5 ft 10 ¹⁄₂ in (1.79 m) tall with blue eyes and a tan complexion. From witness reports, the man was of Germanic descent 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 trousers (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 its stores in Germany and Austria. From the man's appearance it was assumed he was a professional worker. He was a frequent smoker and several surveillance videos show him smoking outside often.

On Friday, 12 June, the unknown man was first spotted at the Ulster Bus Depot in Derry between the time of 14:30 and 16:00. He 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 per night in cash. While checking in, he gave the false name of Peter Bergmann and an address that was later reported as "Ainstettersn 15, 4472, Vienna, Austria."[4]

During his stay at the hotel, the man was seen on security camera footage leaving the building with a purple plastic bag full of items or personal effects. However, when he returned from his long walk he was no longer carrying the bag. It is presumed that he had disposed of his belongings throughout Sligo and then folded the bag and put it in his pocket. Authorities were unable to identify what he threw away in the public rubbish bins, as the man used the blind spots of the surveillance cameras 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.[3]

On Saturday, 13 June, the man was seen walking to the General Post Office at 10:49 and purchased eight 82-cent stamps and airmail stickers.[3] The following day, the man left the Sligo City Hotel between 11:00 and 11:30 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.[5]

On Monday, 15 June, 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. He walked 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 toasted ham and cheese 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 away in a nearby rubbish bin. He then mounted a bus that departed at 14:20 for Rosses Point. It was reported that he was seen by sixteen people while walking on the beach, casually greeting the passersby.[1]

The following morning, Tuesday 16 June, Arthur Kinsella and his son Brian, who was training for a triathlon, found the man's body lying on the beach at 6:45 in the morning. He was wearing purple striped Speedo-type swimming trunks, with his underpants over the top and a navy T-shirt tucked into them.[6] Arthur and Brian said the Lord's Prayer for the man, and then called the Gardaí. 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 Gardaí.[1]

Some sources report that during the police investigation following his death, it was discovered that the address he gave belonged to a vacant lot.[1] However, others have pointed out that a street with the reported spelling of "Ainstettersn" does not exist in Austria or Germany.[7] Additionally, Vienna post codes begin with the number 1, rather than a 4, and the post code 4472 is unassigned. It is unclear how police would have been able to establish that the fake address was tied to a vacant lot, or whether they simply determined that it did not exist. What is certain is that the man wanted to remain unknown and he pre-emptively planned his moves so that he could not be identified.[3]

According to the post mortem report, the body of the man was found on Rosses Point beach with most of his clothes left behind on the shore, with no wallet, money or form of identification.[6] Even though the man had been washed up on the beach, Sligo medical examiner Clive Kilgallen found no evidence of "classical salt water drowning", but also no signs of foul play that would give reason to believe the man's death was a homicide.[6] The man's teeth were in good condition and showed signs of frequent dental work in his life. He had bridging, root canals, crowns and had a full gold tooth on the upper back right side of his mouth and a small silver filling along the gum of a tooth on the left side of the lower jaw.

Despite his well-groomed and dressed exterior, the man was in very poor health. The post mortem showed that he had advanced stages of prostate cancer and bone tumours. His heart showed signs of previous heart attacks and he possessed only one kidney, the other having been removed. Notably for a man who had serious health conditions, the toxicology report stated that he had no medication of any sort in his system. The medical examiner noted that, due to his heart attacks and health status, the man would have been in significant pain and would have required prescription pain medicine or at least over-the-counter pain relievers.[8]

After a five-month investigation the body was buried in Sligo. The funeral was attended by four Gardaí.[9]

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 Gardaí had never contacted them. Le Monde also reported that there is no Interpol notice for the unidentified man, stating that as the body did 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.[2]

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• Joseph Newton Chandler III
• List of unsolved deaths
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• Lyle Stevik
• Tamam Shud case

• Mystery man's last surprise
• Last Days of Peter Bergmann
• German police website on the case
• Beach body unidentified
• Interpol list of missing persons