Dutch police have ruled out a theory that a man discovered collapsed on an Amsterdam street three years ago is a Canadian who disappeared from British Columbia in the 1990s.
The man, whose identity remains unknown and who has come to be known as “Lucky,” was found on May 10, 2023, before being taken to a nearby hospital, according to police.
He still cannot tell authorities who he is or where he came from. Doctors have diagnosed him with aphasia, a language disorder believed to be linked to a possible brain hemorrhage or stroke.
In recent days, the case drew intense attention from online investigators and private investigator Anton Van Straten after a striking possibility emerged: that the mystery patient might be John Russell Kenny, a Canadian man who vanished in 1993.
The apparent physical resemblance was compelling enough to spark an international inquiry, with authorities in the Netherlands and Canada making contact as they explored the potential link.
That lead has now been closed. After comparing Lucky’s fingerprints, Dutch and Canadian police confirmed to City News that he is not Kenny.
Other attempts to identify the man have also stalled. Searches using DNA databases and facial recognition tools have produced no match, while strict privacy laws limit investigators’ access to broader data sources that might otherwise help crack the case, a police spokesperson told DutchNews.
For now, the mystery surrounding Lucky’s identity remains unresolved.
Amsterdam police are requesting the international community’s help in identifying a man with aphasia who cannot communicate his name or his past
Instead investigators are now following a series of fresh leads after more than 500 tips poured in following a public appeal to identify the man.
Police say at least nine of those tips have developed into specific possible identities, as per City News.
However police have warned that photographs can be deceptive and urged people not to assume that physical resemblance proves an identity.
Amsterdam police say two retired officers who are now volunteers with the department’s cold case team took over the case and have discovered Lucky had been a member of an Amsterdam Buddhist community.
Members there told the cops he went by the name ‘Lucky,’ but they did not have any information about his actual identity.
The man had also been known to frequent a public square, at which he would buy items from shops and market stalls.
He was known by a variety of names at the square, police said, including Lucky, Louis, Lee, John, Ponytail and Sonny.
Authorities were further told stories that the man was extremely wealthy, but also that he had been seen wandering the streets of Amsterdam.
Some of the man’s personal belongings are pictured, however authorities previously stated he did not have anything on him that could help provide an identification
Employees at Soupenzo, a cafe in Amsterdam, theorized the man was ‘Chris the Canadian’ who used to frequent the spot
A breakthrough may have finally come when officers learned that the man would occasionally have a drink at the Soupenzo cafe on Waterlooplein, where workers identified him as ‘Chris the Canadian.’
An employee at the cafe told DutchNews how the mystery man would frequently visit the shop, often looking shabby and seemingly mentally unwell.
He always carried a suitcase with him and would ask for very particular variations of soup, which the employees would always accommodate – noting that the man always had money on him despite his appearance.
Investigators were also told that he spoke English with an accent they believed to be American or Canadian.
The man is said to use English words to deny or confirm things, but cops said he is unable to communicate much beyond that.
It is now believed that the man has spent some time in North America and Nepal, but it remains unclear how long he has been in Amsterdam.
He is now being held at a care facility where police say he spends his days lying in bed as experts involved in his care say he lacks the capacity to make decisions for himself.
As authorities continue their investigation into the man’s identity, members of the cold case team have been left wondering whether his family members may be worried about him, not knowing where he ended up.
‘I simply cannot believe that nobody knows who this man really is,’ retired cop Nel said in the initial news release.
Ruud added that: ‘Every person has the right to an identity, and that includes this man.’
Anyone with any ideas of who the man could be are encouraged to reach out to the Amsterdam police.
