Missing Pilgrim.

[wayfarer]

This popped up in Facebook and I thought I would share it in case any of you had any info.

URGENT!!!!!
A walking friend of mine has been contacted by a German friend who is concerned about the wellbeing of her father Bernhard (aka Alf). He set out on the Camino in April sometime and she hasn't heard from him since. We're trying to establish which route he is on but as some of you are regulars on the Camino I thought you might have done some networking and established some contacts along the way that you may be able to ask. We do know he travels light and prefers to sleep outdoors.

Even if you think you can't help please share this as we can't underestimate the power of FB

 

[amancio]

Are you sure this is current, and not from a different year? It rings a bell about a pilgrim who fell down a cliff in the Norte last year (or maybe two years ago)

EDITED : please disregard this post by myself, I am not deleting it because that might create more confusion on the thread, but please do consider it to be VOID

 

[dougfitz]

Are you sure this is current, and not from a different year? It rings a bell about a pilgrim who fell down a cliff in the Norte last year (or maybe two years ago)

The plea for help appears to be current. It appeared on a Meetup site on 17 Jul 17, where it was stated that it would also be pasted on Facebook.

 

[MinaKamina]

Are you sure this is current, and not from a different year? It rings a bell about a pilgrim who fell down a cliff in the Norte last year (or maybe two years ago)

This is a different person. The German pilgrim who fell off a cliff had started in Switzerland (if I remember well) and he was in regular contact with his family. They missed him within the week.

The disappearance of Bernard aka Alf is strange. If he left in April, he should have arrived by now, no matter where he started in Spain. But did he start in Spain? Or simply left home in Germany and walked on?

I assume that he is the man with the dark hair in the pictures on FB?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I am not trolling the concept of being helpful, but I believe it is important to consider the point of view of the pilgrim. He may be doing what he wants and have no interest in being found. I say this because an aging mother had not heard from her son in months and started a search in this Forum. By coincidence I encountered him shortly thereafter at the Formiga Albergue before Palas de Rei. I asked him if he was himself, and he said he was. I told him his mother was concerned. He was a bit surprised, but promised he would call her the next day. He did. She reported the contact back to the Forum. At no time was it my role to tell her about him regardless of how concerned she obviously was. He had become a permanent denizen of the Camino, was happy in his role, and was not lost at all. He also was a caring son who was happy to ease his mother's worries, but if he had not wanted to be found, it would have been my responsibility to let him live his life as he saw fit.

There are many facets to meddling!!

 

[wayfarer]

Pretty much every time we are asked to look for someone on this forum we get the same response's from some members, do they really want to be found, is it really a family member who is looking for them or someone who they are trying to avoid, on two occasions the search did not end well, in one case the pilgrim had fallen to his death, in the other the pilgrim had been murdered. I think that when a plea for help is posted we should help if we have information that the person is ok. Anyone who has ever had a family member missing will understand the anguish this family is going through.
Please keep posts to any information you have on this missing pilgrim and if you have met or seen him, and not on speculation.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Wayfarer - what isn't clear is who is searching for the pilgrim and how any information about the "missing" person is to be communicated to them.

Do you know?

 

[wayfarer]

The post came up in the Forum Facebook page so I can check and post.
Edit:
Its the mans daughter who is looking and I'm sure any info can be passed on via the forum Facebook page.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Can you post a link to the forum Facebook page please?

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I found it - thanks.

 

[SYates]

I just found the post in the FB group and contacted the poster with an offer to help, at least language-wise. In all cases, it would be really helpful if we had some firsthand information, from the daughter or another family member/close friend. Hope all is well with this pilgrim, SY

 

[SYates]

I am now in contact with the daughter and will get more info this evening and will try to help. SY

 

[wayfarer]

Thank you SY.

 

[SYates]

Update: He was definitely seen beginning of July by another pilgrim crossing the Pyrenees via Saint Jean Pied de Port and he said that he wanted to go to Finisterre. This evening his daughter will send me bigger photos than those she has on FB and I will post them here and send them to hospitalero friends I have alongside the way. Please keep your eyes open for him if you are at the moment on the CF (his most likely route) BC SY

 

[Anemone del Camino]

His picture is already on a number of Frech speaking Camino FB pages.

60-70 perhaps, white hair, white beard, glasses, lovely smile.

Grey and black backpack. Large front pack in same colour, royal blue tshirt, black short, walking poles silver and royal blue.

 

[MickMac]

Well said wayfarer straight to the point.

I remember that dismissive attitude before on this invaluable source, can we ask contributers to refrain from dismissing worried families and friends plea,s for help.

Please do not say " maybe they do not want to be found " think first before contributing, if it was you looking for help for a loved one . Safety first then worry about privacy afterwards.

Pretty much every time we are asked to look for someone on this forum we get the same response's from some members, do they really want to be found, is it really a family member who is looking for them or someone who they are trying to avoid, on two occasions the search did not end well, in one case the pilgrim had fallen to his death, in the other the pilgrim had been murdered. I think that when a plea for help is posted we should help if we have information that the person is ok. Anyone who has ever had a family member missing will understand the anguish this family is going through.
Please keep posts to any information you have on this missing pilgrim and if you have met or seen him, and not on speculation.

 

[jouffroy47]

This is the photo I saw posted in another forum

 

[MinaKamina]

This is the photo I saw posted in another forumView attachment 35062

No white hair, white beard or glasses. Maybe 60, but not 70.

Would be helpful to know WHO is missing...

 

[angelab]

Update: He was definitely seen beginning of July by another pilgrim crossing the Pyrenees via Saint Jean Pied de Port and he said that he wanted to go to Finisterre. This evening his daughter will send me bigger photos than those she has on FB and I will post them here and send them to hospitalero friends I have alongside the way. Please keep your eyes open for him if you are at the moment on the CF (his most likely route) BC SY

Do you have a clear photo of him from his daughter. I'm in Santa Marina at moment on way to Finisterre. May recall seeing him.

 

[SYates]

Do you have a clear photo of him from his daughter. I'm in Santa Marina at moment on way to Finisterre. May recall seeing him.

No, not yet, we 'spoke' on Facebook and she was not at home at her main computer. The one posted above with the child is the clearest one I do have apart of this one:



Tomorrow I should have hopefully better pictures. BC SY

 

[angelab]

No, not yet, we 'spoke' on Facebook and she was not at home at her main computer. The one posted above with the child is the clearest one I do have apart of this one:

View attachment 35063

Tomorrow I should have hopefully better pictures. BC SY

Thanks. Would be good to see a more recent pic.

 

[SYates]

Thanks. Would be good to see a more recent pic.

As far as I know these are recent. BC SY

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Sibylle - we are in touch. It is very important that this is reported to the police as for example the Pilgrims Office will only search their arrival records if they request it.

 

[SYates]

His picture is already on a number of Frech speaking Camino FB pages.

60-70 perhaps, white hair, white beard, glasses, lovely smile.

Grey and black backpack. Large front pack in same colour, royal blue tshirt, black short, walking poles silver and royal blue.

Are you sure we are speaking about the same pilgrim here? The photos his daughter sent me show a man around 45 years old, no glasses and no beard and his hair is certainly dark brown or black. Also the photo I saw on the French FB group had little resemblance with those I know. BC SY

 

[Anemone del Camino]

No white hair, white beard or glasses. Maybe 60, but not 70.

Would be helpful to know WHO is missing...

Guess there are two German men missing. The older one is called Helfried Hiltsch.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Confusing.......

 

[MinaKamina]

Confusing.......

Agree.

While I do not doubt that the gentleman is missing, I'm having some problems the way this is 'organized'.
If someone goes missing, ideally there should be one central point with all the info. A simple FB page will do, and all it takes is a link in the message.
Now we are faced with vague connections like a friend of a friend, and someone in Scotland (?) who calls for action but keeps his privacy on FB at the highest levels.
Plus the confusion that stems from this thread, leading posters to think that the pictures of the missing man are not recent, because he allegedly has aged some decades and grown a white beard in the meantime.

That said, I hope he is located soon and in good spirits.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The Police in Spain should be that central point and concerned relatives must contact them as well as their own embassy or consulate - in that way enquiries can be coordinated and accurate information shared. It is understandable that relatives and concerned friends use the social media to spread the word when they think someone is "missing". The reality is that the Police are the appropriate authority to take any search forward - alerting the network of albergues, asking the Pilgrims Office to search their files of arrivals, checking hospitals and hotels as well as mobile phone and bank use etc etc. Imho there is no harm done posting on Facebook and so on but we should always advise relatives to contact the Spanish police.

 

[SYates]

I forwarded all the info regarding the need of filing a missing person report to the police in the home country and in Spain, contacting their embassy in Spain etc. to the daughter of the missing pilgrim, unfortunately she hasn't come back to me yet. I can only offer my help with language issues etc., all the rest is up to the family. Buen Camino, SY

 

[wayfarer]

I have locked this thread for the moment while we wait for updated information.