Presumed dead for 18 years, he is found in grotesque circumstances

He had decided to leave everything behind. Missing in action for 18 years in Germany and Spain, a man finally reappeared in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland, where he led a quiet life, report the German newspaper Südkurier and 20 minutes in Switzerland.

The disappearance dated back to 2004. The man and his wife had moved to Spain a few years earlier and had opened a car business together. But during a business trip to Munich in Germany, the husband suddenly gave no sign of life. His wife, worried, then decided to report his disappearance.

The investigators in charge of the case have managed to trace the route of the disappeared to the city of Constance, on the Swiss border, explain our colleagues. But beyond that, nothing. So they have thought the man might have been killed or committed suicide.

The man was found thanks to a police check

But many years later, the man was finally found in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. After a police controla link has been established between the individual who has been missing since 2004 and one of the people checked. Information transmitted to the Spanish authorities, but it was only a few years later that the German police confirmed the identity of the man, on the occasion of the creation of a “cold cases” pole.

The Swiss authorities then confirm that he still resides in Schwyz. However, he will never be worried, says Südukurier. The former disappeared simply gave his authorization for his wife to be informed that he is still alive. “If someone leaves their old life behind, it doesn’t concern us, it’s private and we don’t ask questions”explained the German commissioner in charge of the investigation.