Alex Carson
Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar
Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar had a bright future ahead of him. He was a licensed physician in Spain, and he had a degree in psychology. He also spoke multiple languages. He had the reputation of being a gifted doctor, polite, studious, and responsible. What people didn’t know was that Carlos was secretly suffering from acute depression.
The Disappearance
One day, in 1996, Carlos disappeared. He didn’t show up for work, and his family and friends hadn’t heard from him. His family and friends refused to give up on him, and for 14-years, they continued their search. Finally, with no leads and no information, the authorities finally announced that they were going to label Carlos as, “presumed dead.” Even though the authorities decided that Carlos was dead, his family refused to give up.
A Break In the Case
Five years after the authorities declared Carlos dead, there was a lead in the case. It was discovered in the lush wilderness of Italy’s Maremma region. In November 2015, a group of hikers was out in the woods just outside Tuscany. They were searching for edible mushrooms. They heard that in this area, edible mushrooms grew in great abundance. They weren’t having much luck finding mushrooms so they decided to head out into the forest to see what they could find. They never expected to find a campsite. 20 years after doctor vanishes, mushroom pickers make a strange discovery.
The Campsite
When the hikers went out into the forest, they saw garbage. At first, they thought that the trash was left behind by irresponsible campers. They followed the trail of trash, and it led them to a campsite. They saw a tent, tin cans hanging from the trees to catch rainwater, and the camper’s belongings.
A Man Appears
While the hikers were looking around the campsite, they were shocked to see a man emerge from the tent. He had a dirty face and a very long beard. They didn’t know if the man was dangerous, so the hikers returned to the trail to head home. When they got to the beginning of the trail, the hikers decided that they had to say something to somebody. They found a forest ranger and told him what they saw out in the forest.
Questioning the Man
When the forest ranger went out to the campsite, he saw the man for himself. After questioning the man, he found out that his name was Carlos and he was Spanish. He added that he had been living there since 1997. The forest ranger wasn’t sure if this was the doctor who had disappeared all those years ago. The man assured him that he was who he said he was, and he offered ID. He had several pieces of identification that said he was, in fact, Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar.
Ready To Run
Carlos wasn’t happy that he was discovered. He told the forest ranger that he didn’t need to worry about him remaining in the forest. He said that since he had been found, he would be getting out of there as quickly as possible. Before the ranger left, he took photos of the man’s identification. He was going to pass it along to the authorities.
Contacting Carlos’ Family
With this new information, the authorities tracked down Carlos’ family. They wanted to share the good news that he was still alive. As soon as his family was contacted, they got on a plane to Italy. Carlos’ mother, Amelia, said that it was as if her son was born again. She understood that just because she found her son, it didn’t mean that he would be willing to be part of their lives again. Amelia said that just one hug from her son would be more than enough.
Another Search For Carlos
Local law enforcement gathered a search party and went out to where the mushroom pickers had first encountered Carlos. Unfortunately, he was gone. His camp was abandoned entirely. They found a pile of trash, his tent, and other survival tools, but there was no sign of Carlos.
The Mayor’s Announcement
Marcello Stella, the Mayor of Scarlinosays that they will keep an eye out for Carlos, but they won’t start an active search. This man left on his own and didn’t want to be found. They couldn’t waste valuable resources on someone who chose to stay in hiding. His family hopes that one day, they will lay eyes on Carlos again, even if just for a minute. His family says that they don’t want to hold him back or try to talk \him into going home. They just wanted to see him again to give him a hug.
