A helicopter circled, dogs took in the weather, buildings were combed - all in vain: the 61-year-old, who the care facility Regens Wagner reported as missing ten days ago, was seen on Tuesday near Föching.
But Sebastian M. couldn't be found.
Föching
- There was probably a little argument, Sebastian M. was pissed off.
The bad mood grew so bad on the morning of May 30th that M. got on his special tricycle and kicked away.
The hope of those responsible at Regens Wagner in Erlkam (market town of Holzkirchen) to see the mentally handicapped protégé again soon was deceptive.
The 61-year-old has been missing for ten days.
There was great concern that his self-chosen independence would be overwhelmed and that something would happen to him.
For days there was no sign of life.
Despite public calls: Nobody had seen the tall man with his eye-catching bike.
That only changed on Tuesday (June 8th).
As Matthias Büch, spokesman for the Holzkirchen police, reported on request, a witness reported in the afternoon that he had seen a man on the tricycle described on a field path between Erlkam and the Mölgg-Aberg farm;
a little later, around 4.30 p.m., a walker discovered the bicycle and helmet, hidden in a small wood to the west of the homestead - and obviously deliberately deposited.
"The bike was locked," says the police spokesman.
Fire brigade combed all rooms at Regens Wagner
The police quickly organized a major search operation, in which the Föching fire brigade also took part with 15 active members. The assumption was that Sebastian M. wanted to go home for at least a while. Supported by the police and those responsible from Regens Wagner, Föching's commander, Martin Fischhaber, divided three squads. "We searched all rooms for possible hiding places for an hour, from the basement to the attic," reports Fischhaber, "unfortunately without success."
In the area, three specially trained person tracking dogs (mantrailers) of the Oberland rescue dog squadron recorded the weather.
Their fine noses promptly found the tracks of the missing person in the adjacent wooded area of the Teufelsgraben, in the border area between the communities of Holzkirchen and Otterfing.
"The traces went all over the place," says police spokesman Büch, "the mantrailer teams were amazed at how much movement there was."
Missing is very knowledgeable about the terrain
The missing person, however, remained undiscovered.
The police assume that the 61-year-old, who is considered shy of people, also wants that.
“He knows the area very well,” says Büch, “he is probably there somewhere.” The fact that Sebastian M. is still limping after a knee operation apparently hardly slows his mobility.
A police helicopter circled over meadows and clearings until late at night.
Its thermal imaging camera does not penetrate through the forest roof.
"The treetops shield objects underneath," explains Büch.
The question of how the missing person supplies himself with food and drink puzzles the police.
Does he have outside help or secret access to food?
In any case, the witness stated that the 61-year-old was doing well, at least not looking battered.
Sebastian M. seems to get along well in the great outdoors.
“We assume that we will be able to pick it up soon,” says Büch.
There is certainly no danger from the missing person: "He won't harm anyone."