Amsterdam police have released video and information in an effort to identify a man who has been unable to communicate his name or background since 2023.
The man collapsed in the street on May 10, 2023, and was taken to the OLVG hospital. Doctors determined he had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke, which left him with aphasia and unable to speak.
He has since been moved to a care home in Zuidoost. Initial inquiries by detectives in West yielded no results, so the case was passed to two retired volunteers with the Cold Case Team.
Known by Different Names in the City
Investigators discovered that the man was a member of a Buddhist community on Middenweg in Oost, where he went by the nickname ‘Lucky’.
He also occasionally bought drinks at the Soup en Zo shop on Waterlooplein, where people knew him as ‘Chris the Canadian’.
Acquaintances reported that he always spoke English with an accent suggesting roots in Canada or the United States. Today, some of the few English words he can still say are ‘nonsense’ and ‘definitely’.
Public Appeal for Information
Police believe he may have lived unnoticed in the Netherlands for up to twenty years without an official record.
Anyone who recognizes the man or has information about his identity is urged to contact the police.
The police have published the footage on their own Instagram account, and it is worth a look if you have lived in the city for any length of time: watch the appeal from Politie Amsterdam.
