Declared dead January 5, 1939; case remains unsolved
Echoes Over the Lagoon: The Enduring Enigma of Amelia Earhart
In the vast, unforgiving expanse of the Pacific, where turquoise waters conceal secrets deeper than human ambition, a set of coordinates—-4.66841519780626, -174.52850413338288—pinpoints a shimmering lagoon on Nikumaroro Island. This remote atoll, once known as Gardner Island, has long whispered possibilities about one of history's most tantalizing missing persons cases: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. As of October 2025, with Purdue University's expedition poised to probe these very waters for her Lockheed Electra's wreckage, the mystery feels tantalizingly close to resolution—or eternal evasion.
Born in 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart shattered skies and stereotypes, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. A feminist icon and aviation pioneer, she championed women's rights amid the era's rigid norms.
Yet, on July 2, 1937, during her bold bid to circumnavigate the globe, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished en route from New Guinea to Howland Island. Radio crackles hinted at fuel woes and navigational fog, then silence. The U.S. Navy's frantic 16-day search yielded nothing. Officially declared dead in 1939, Earhart's fate spawned theories: a watery grave, Japanese capture as a spy, or castaway survival on Nikumaroro.
The "Nikumaroro Hypothesis" grips imaginations here. As Donald Trump's declassification order make news, likely an attempt to deflect attention from the Epstein Files dominating public gossip, Earhart's story once again is poised to take center stage.
Christine Linda Longino: Missing From Sandy Springs, GA Since 2005 After Flight to London
Case Form
This goes by Case Form A:
(1) Missing Person Travels Abroad
(2) Missing Person Does Not Check-in For Return Transportation
The latter event triggers or is an important part of the missing person designation.
Case Details: Enhanced from NamUs
Category
Details
Demographics
Legal Name: Christine Linda Longino
Chosen Name/Nickname/Alias: None
Missing Age: 31 Years (DOB: ~1974, may be October 14th, 1974)
Current Age: 50 Years
Biological Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
Height: 5'1" - 5'3" (61-63 inches)
Weight: 125-150 lbs
BMI: 21.4-23.8 (avg. 22.9, normal range)
Circumstances
Date of Last Contact: November 1st, 2005 to November 11th, 2005?
October 14, 2005 (Friday) is listed at NamUs but she appears to have been dropped off somewhere between November 1st and November 11th, 2005 at a MARTA station. She had a return flight from England to the USA booked for November 12th so she must have taken her flight there before that date (but Nov. 9-11th would be a very tight window for a trans-Atlantic trip).
Last-known Location: Gatwick Airport in London, England?
Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328 (Fulton County) is her listed last-known location as per NamUs but it seems like her last location was actually the Gatwick Airport in London, England. Her NamUs description says she boarded the plane from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Gatwick Airport in London. If she did board that plane and it was a safe flight, then her last-known location should be treated as the Gatwick Airport.
I think her address was on Longwood Chase at the time of her disappearance in Canton, Georgia.
Circumstances of Disappearance:
According to NamUs, Christine was dropped off at a MARTA Station near GA-400 (first or second week of November 2005) (the MARTA Station would probably be the North Springs or Sandy Springs station). She then took a MARTA train to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and flew to Gatwick Airport, in London, England. Her scheduled return flight on November 12th, 2005, went unconfirmed.
Description
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown
Commentary on the Case
At first glance, there is a lot that does not make sense about this case. Firstly, she is associated with Georgia, USA, but I noted above that this missing person seems likely to be missing with a last-known location of Gatwick Airport in London.
That would be the case simply if she is known to have boarded her flight at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport bound for that airport. Presumably, the flight would have been a safe one, otherwise this wouldn't be much of a mystery (ie. she didn't just board the plane but arrived at Gatwick).
The last-seen date of October 14th, 2005, presumably, represents when someone who knew her last saw her. I think this may have been Christine's 31st birthday, suggesting that she was last seen by some at a related event. I did look this person up on ancestry and did some corroboration work between hits.
One thing that doesn't make sense with this case is if she was known to get on a flight in the first or second week of November 2005, then that would be reliable information about her whereabouts after October 14th, 2005. By this time in aviation history, you are not boarding a flight without proving who you are, so there's no way she's on that plane without presenting convincing ID. That being the case, why is October 14th considered her last-seen date as opposed to when she boarded the plane?
Confusing Double 'Last Seen' Event in Description
Her NamUs description says she was dropped off at a MARTA Station (Atlanta transit). Who dropped her off? And wouldn't that mean she was last seen well after October 14th, 2005 by this person?
It's also a little weird that the description of her disappearance time frame doesn't list an exact flight date. The vague reference to the first or second week of November suggests that this is not a case that has drawn much professional attention. If there was, I would think her flight date would be known. There are a lot of questions about this case and part of the job in getting answers may be to promote the case in London, England.
Efforts on Ancestry Website for this Missing Person: Christine Longino
While looking at Ancestry, first I found what appeared to be her high school yearbook, where she used the name Christine Longino. If the Christine Longino is the yearbook is the same one as our missing person (faces look alike), then that almost proves that Longino was her birth name, unless she married into the name very young (ie. before the print of her high school yearbook).
I tried to authenticate different search results as her but couldn't do that conclusively. Yet, I did achieve high confidence. For some reason, this missing person, if the profile below is hers, was associated with another name.
I wondered if that was a name she married into, if it was a user or system error, or if it meant something else (ie. name change not related to marriage). If you work on this case and that last name pops up, it's something to look at.
Similar Cases: Missed Return Flight
Missing a scheduled return flight while abroad is a significant clue that something may have happened to an individual, as it often signals an unexpected disruption in their plans. In the case of Christine Linda Longino, who flew from Atlanta to London’s Gatwick Airport in November 2005, but did not board her return flight on November 12, the absence of confirmation suggests she may have faced foul play, an accident, or chosen to stay abroad without notice.
With regard to this latter point, if she married into a new name somehow, then that would complicate finding her. You couldn't simply search for her name in social media or online forums because her name would now be different. You could look for a Christine Wilkins in London, but that could be an empty rabbit hole as well.
But on this matter, if Christine wanted to stay in England or planned to, then why book the return flight? That too is complicated to speculate on.
Her return flight suggests that she was planning to return to the USA. But sometimes when you enter a country, the customs agents will want to see your plan to leave. Someone experienced in travel might book a return flight with plans to no-show it for this reason, despite the cost. It's a way of misleading the customs agents.
There have be en cases where someone's missed flight has been part of the investigation into their disappearance. Natalee Holloway’s failure to board her May 30, 2005, return flight from Aruba sparked a massive search.
Help Identify UK Jane Does from November 2005
You can help bring closure to Christine Longino’s case by checking UK databases for unidentified females (Jane Does) who died or are believed to have died around November 2005, particularly near London or Gatwick Airport. You need to cross reference Christina's case details to the Jane Doe, both in terms of demographics and timeline considerations.
Visit the UK Missing Persons Unit at missingpersons.police.uk and filter the unidentified persons section for females, aged 25-35, with brown hair/eyes, 5'1"-5'3", and 125-150 lbs.
Alternatively, explore Doe Network’s Europe section (doenetwork.org) or INTERPOL’s Identify Me (interpol.int/en/What-you-can-do/Identify-Me). If you find a potential match and don't want to report it directly, then feel free to include it in the comments at this blog post as I do look at them.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Lars Mittank: Unraveling the Varna Airport Enigma
On July 8th, 2014 (Tuesday), Lars Joachim Mittank, a 28-year-old German tourist, vanished under bizarre circumstances near Varna Airport in Bulgaria. He left behind a mystery that continues to captivate and confound.
However, I think this is a case where some sense can be made. My explanation of what I think happened to Lars Mittank will involve an analysis of both known facts regarding the case and some assumptions that I will bring into the mix.
Lars Mittank: German on Vacation in Bulgaria
Lars Mittank was on vacation. I think that is very relevant to this missing persons case, a point that I will return to later.
But what began as a typical vacation with friends at the Golden Sands resort turned into one of the most perplexing missing persons cases of the modern era. This is thanks to enigmatic behavior that was caught on security footage that captured his final known moments. In a way, that makes this case similar to the Elisa Lam mystery from Los Angeles, another strange missing persons case from the 2nd decade of the current century.
Before Lars disappeared, he had been enjoying a week-long trip. This trip took a turn for the worse when he had one of those altercations at the bar involving a sports team debate. Reportedly, a football rivalry in a barroom setting led to a beating, and this beating was bad enough that it left him with a ruptured eardrum.
Personally, I had a major ear clog at one point in my life, one that lasted three weeks. I was advised not to swim and not to hike to a significantly high elevation until it cleared up. This was because diving underwater or going to high elevation causes changes in air pressure.
The ears are a major point in the body where changes in air pressure matter. If Lars had a ruptured eardrum, then flying was off the table for him, surely because the changes in pressure might have made his injury worse.
Advised against flying, he stayed behind as his friends returned to Germany. On Monday, July 7th, he checked into a hotel near the airport, where his behavior took a troubling turn.
He paced the halls, hid in an elevator, and made panic-driven phone calls to his mother. During these calls, he whispered that he felt threatened and unsafe.
His paranoia peaked on the morning of Tuesday, July 8th (the day he was set to fly home). At the airport, he visited a doctor for clearance but fled mid-appointment, abandoning his belongings. CCTV footage shows him sprinting across the grounds, scaling a fence, and disappearing into a field of sunflowers. To this day, he has never been seen again.
Below is the actual security footage capturing Lars Mittank’s final known moments as he flees Varna Airport:
The Infographics Show: Lars Mittank's Case Profiled
On April 9th, 2025, The Infographics Show published a list of haunting disappearances. They include the Lars Mittank disappearance. I embed the video below with starting points and stopping points that isolate only the Mittank disappearance (they covered multiple).
The footage of Lars was widely circulated online. This has made his case a focal point for amateur sleuths and true crime enthusiasts. The theories focus on mental health, medication side effects, foul play, and psychosis.
Despite extensive searches, no trace of him has surfaced. A reported sighting by a truck driver in Germany on an unspecified day in 2019 offered fleeting hope, but it led nowhere. That sighting would be about five years after the disappearance date, making it a really strange tip.
As of April 9th, 2025 (Wednesday), Lars remains missing, his fate a haunting enigma.
Detail
Information
Full Name
Lars Joachim Mittank
Date of Birth
February 9th, 1986
Age at Disappearance
28
Nationality
German
Last Seen
July 8th, 2014 (Tuesday), Varna Airport, Bulgaria
Key Event
Fled the airport on foot, captured on CCTV
Physical Description
Approx. 5'11", slim build, short brown hair, male, caucasian, wearing yellow shirt and blue shorts.
Speculation on What Happened to Lars Mittank
I think the best explanation of what happened to Lars is simply that he suffered brain damage in the beating, which produced erratic behavior. It's known for sure he suffered a ruptured eardrum, so we aren't talking about a minor altercation. Furthermore, brain injuries are thought to cause paranoia, according to some medical experts. This refers to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), damage from a blow to the head—like the beating Lars endured—which can disrupt brain function and trigger symptoms like paranoia or hallucinations, especially if areas near the ears, such as the temporal lobe, are affected.
Beatings between sports fans can be significant. There was a fan at a Major League Baseball game in 2011, Bryan Stow, who suffered brain damage over one of these affairs. His case has stayed in the news over the years, including an article for 2023. I think this ties in because simple sports-fan fights can still produce massive injuries.
Lars was not thought to be on drugs. Meanwhile, his medications, according to The Infographics Show, were not the kind that would commonly cause mental problems. I think that leaves the probabilities of what caused his behavior squarely having to do with the beating he suffered. The YouTube video does delve into this possibility a little bit.
Why Lars Mittank Has Not Been Found
The next question is one that I think most readers will remain perplexed by. Why has he not been found?
On that matter, I will return to the fact that he was a vacationer. Lars Mittank was not a Bulgarian but a German in Bulgaria.
In general, I think countries are less likely to spend public funds searching for missing tourists than their own nationals. I think this could happen in any country.
For example, I suspect something like this may have deflated the Elisa Lam case a little, as she was a Canadian who went missing in the USA. Furthermore, the case of Duncan MacPherson, a Canadian who went missing in Austria, is a striking example. The evidence basically showed that he was in a small area, but it would be over a decade before he would be found. With the MacPherson case, a cover-up, the exact opposite of an investigation, from the authorities has been suggested.
I don't think the police are overly motivated on most days. I think they will be less motivated looking for someone from a country that's not their own. Any excuse to deprioritize will look good to someone who has a budget to think of -- and all police forces have budgets to think of.
Furthermore, police searches fail quite a lot: plain and simple. I don't mean that they fail because the person isn't in the target area. Police searches fail quite a lot, even when they search the right area. If the search starts to get expensive, it gets called off -- it's that simple. Lots of missing people have been found after many years in an area that was supposedly scoured by searchers.
Most Likely Explanation: A Summary
Lars suffered a beating in the days before his disappearance. If he had some kind of hallucination or paranoia due to brain damage, then he probably had a desire to hide. Keeping in mind that he was fit and that mental problems don't limit you physically, he could, in fact, put himself in a really good hiding spot. He could also move quite a long distance on foot.
Quite frankly, he's likely in one of the wooded areas near where he was last seen, with the search complicated by police budgeting, animal scattering, and, presumably, the MP's own brain damage in the time frame leading up to his disappearance. This last point can't be ignored: someone who is suffering mentally but not physically could hide himself quite well.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
