German police baffled by case of English-speaking boy with no identity

[Ulysses31]

Sad if true, hope there is a happy ending for this young lad if what he says turns out to be a true account

German police baffled by case of English-speaking boy with no identity

The teenager, who says his first name is Ray, wandered out of a forest claiming he had been living wild for years with his father

He walked out of a German forest, speaking English and knowing only his first name. Police in Berlin are trying to unravel the mystery of a teenager who says he has no idea who he is or where he comes from.

The boy presented himself to the Berlin authorities last week saying all he knew was that his first name was Ray, he was probably 17 years old and he and his father had roamed through the woods for about five years.

"He speaks fluent English and very broken German," the Berlin police spokesman Michael Maaß told the Guardian. The police have not yet determined if his accent is American, British or that of some other English-speaking nationality.

He told youth workers that his father, whom he called Ryan, had died two weeks ago and he had buried him in a shallow grave covered with stones. The boy then walked north, following instructions his father had given him should anything happen to him.

The pair's odyssey started after his mother, who he said was named Doreen, died. He says that he and his father never set up home but kept moving, staying in tents and huts in the woods.

It is not clear what they ate or how they survived the often harsh German winters. "He doesn't show any signs of abuse and he is in good shape physically and psychologically," Maaß said.

The boy says he cannot remember anything about where he lived before the five-year journey began. "We have nothing more to go on than what he told us. We don't have any other clues as to his identity," Maaß said.

The Berlin police have appealed for help to all European countries via Interpol to see if any outstanding cases of missing persons might match the boy's description. They have not released a photograph of him at this stage.

He is currently in the care of Berlin's youth services and they will decide what happens to him next if his identity is not established.

The boy's story recalls European folk tales of feral or wolf children being brought up in the forest or in isolation. One real case was that of Kaspar Hauser, a teenage boy who appeared suddenly in Nuremberg in 1828, claiming to have been raised in a darkened cell without any human contact.

It is also not the first time an English-speaking stranger has turned up in Germany. In 2006 an English-speaking man in his early 60s appeared in Mannheim train station saying that apart from his first name, Karl, he had no idea who he was or where he came from.

The police concluded he was suffering from amnesia and while they never discovered his identity, they believed he was genuine.

That was not the case, however, with the so-called piano man, who turned up on a beach in Kent in 2005, seemingly unable to speak and only capable of communicating by drawing and playing the piano. For months his true identity was a matter of intense speculation. Finally he broke his silence, revealing that he was in fact a 20-year-old from Bavaria, called Andreas Grassl.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/16/german-police-english-speaking-boy

 

[Mayhem]

There is an underground bunker somewhere in Europe called......The Dollhouse.

 

[mrtrebus]

They could do with more english speaking people in Germania

 

[Vanilla Bear]

Wow I'm from Berlin and this is the first time I hear about that. Thanks for providing me with news, Uly. Interesting story.

 

[Spleen]

Probably a hoax.

 

[LukeEl]

Was his name Jason Bourne?

 

[tartanterrier]

The Venus fairs can do strange things to young men

 

[mrtrebus]

Was his name Jason Bourne?

No, Tom McNair

 

[Ulysses31]

Is the boy who lived in German woods for five years British? Interpol called in to investigate identity of Ray

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...oods-mothers-death-5-years.html#ixzz1YGvSKIlN


I would've thought that distinctive black square across his face would make it easier to ID him :dunno:

 

[meesterperfect]

Wait a minute.
Yes, That's it!
I think I know who he is.
Does his shirt say AC/DC ?
Uh huh huh huh.

 

[Ravenholm]

I'm still waiting on Hollywood buying up the movie rights to this one.

It would make a change from the shitty remake hell and the needless prequel and sequel hell the industry is in just now.

 

[Rane1071]

It will be interesting to find out the truth about this.

This story's got me hooked a bit.

 

[Supafly]

I have been reading about this, yesterday.

It is astonishing that things like this are still possible.

On the other hand, it's great that there still is enough nature around to live in.

 

[Hot Mega]

It will be interesting to find out the truth about this.

There is a purpose for everything. I suppose everything will be 'right as' rane when we do.

 

[Rane1071]

I have been reading about this, yesterday.

It is astonishing that things like this are still possible.

On the other hand, it's great that there still is enough nature around to live in.

That's what I was wondering, with large populations and shrinking wild places you would think someone would've spotted them sooner or later.

There is a purpose for everything. I suppose everything will be 'right as' rane when we do.

:1orglaugh

 

[Ulysses31]

Police say they believe 'forest boy' as they retrace his steps to find father's shallow grave

* Ray could have criss-crossed Europe with father
* Baffled detectives carrying out further DNA tests
* They have found nothing to disprove claims
* Linguistic experts have been assigned to case

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...lice-fathers-shallow-grave.html#ixzz1YRVnEWgE


The boy, known only as Ray, arrived in Berlin earlier this month carrying a rucksack

 

[Jane Burgess]

It's strange he doesn't know his last name or where he is originally from. At 17, he should know that information.

 

[meesterperfect]

Jane Burgess[/URL][/B], post: 6083333, member: 201847"]It's strange he doesn't know his last name or where he is originally from. At 17, he should know that information.

He Tarzan. You Jane.

 

[Ulysses31]

'I'm alone in the world. I don't know who I am': The first words of 'forest boy' who now wants to go back to live in the wild

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ruggles-adjust-normal-life.html#ixzz1YW9RrQ95

 

[Ulysses31]

Forest boy Ray is a 'normal boy who uses cutlery, takes showers and even enjoys bowling'

* Heartbreaking story of mystery boy who is 'happy to be inside and sleep in a comfortable bed'
* Kindly and normal 17-year-old enjoys spending time with other teenagers but speaks little
* Search for his background moves to Czech Republic

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...kes-showers-enjoys-bowling.html#ixzz1YccxOx5w