Peter Bergmann case

On Friday 12 June, the man was first spotted at the Ulster Bus Depot in Derry between 14:30 and 16:00. He boarded a bus headed to Sligo carrying a black shoulder bag and a standard carry-on luggage bag. He arrived at 18:28 at 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." He had a slender build, stood , had short grey hair, blue eyes, a tan complexion, and appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s. According to staff and tenants at the Sligo City Hotel, the man was of Germanic descent and spoke English 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, 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. During his stay at the hotel, the man was seen on several occasions on CCTV 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. The Gardaí concluded that he had gradually 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. On Saturday 13 June, the man was seen walking to Sligo post office at 10:49 and purchased eight 82-cent stamps and airmail stickers. The following day, the man left the 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 drove the unidentified man to the beach. After briefly looking at the beach, the man returned with the same taxi and was dropped off at the bus station in Sligo. ==Monday 15 June==

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 bag that he had had when he first arrived in Sligo. He walked to the bus station via Quay Street and Wine Street, then stopped at Quayside Shopping Centre and waited in the doorway for a number of minutes. At 13:16 he left the 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 boarded a bus that departed at 14:20 for Rosses Point. It was reported that he had been seen by sixteen people while walking on the beach, casually greeting the passersby. ==Discovery of the body==

At 06:45 on Tuesday 16 June, Arthur Kinsella and his son Brian, who was training for a triathlon, found the man's body lying on the beach. He was wearing purple striped Speedo-type swimming trunks, with his underpants over the top and a navy T-shirt tucked into them. Arthur and Brian called the Gardaí. At 08:10, Dr Valerie McGowan officially pronounced the man dead. Following the discovery of the man's body, a five-month investigation into his identity was conducted by Gardaí. ==Investigation==

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. 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 ischaemic heart disease. 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 pathologist noted that, due to the man's health status, he would have been in significant pain and would have required prescription pain medicine or at least over-the-counter pain relievers. Police searched databases for photographic, fingerprint, and DNA matches, but none matched. After a five-month investigation, the body was buried in an unmarked grave in Sligo. The funeral was attended by four Gardaí. Some sources say that during the police investigation following his death, it was discovered that the address he gave at the hotel belonged to a vacant lot. Additionally, Vienna post codes begin with the number 1, rather than 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. The man remains unidentified. No relatives or friends have come forward, despite public appeals in Austrian and German newspapers. ==See also==