DAUGHTER RECEIVES A MYSTERIOUS LETTER FROM A HOMELESS MAN 23 YEARS AFTER HER DAD VANISHED INTO THIN AIR

 

Most of our lives revolve around the people we love the most. Anything happens to them, and it directly affects our peace of mind. Some people mean the world to us and we will happily do anything to keep them safe. God forbids something happens to anyone close to us, it will definitely affect us terribly. The worst moments are when people are left behind without any sort of closure and one such incident destroyed the life of a perfect family.
The Nagy family lived a happy life for many years like any ordinary family. They had no idea how short-lived their happiness was going to be.

The Beginning

Two people of German origin met, became friends, fall in love, got married and had a baby named Gabriel. All of this happened during the post Second World War era. People who witnessed even the slightest of events that took place during those dark years lost a part of their mental peace to it. The world was different after the war and a large number of people around the world were deeply affected by it. 

The Drastic Effects

The war was over but it left long-lasting effects on the people. This couple was also suffering from negative emotions of war. While everyone was trying hard to look ahead in life, it seemed impossible for this couple to forget about all that they have witnessed during the war and live a simple life. They would have still adjusted if it was just about the two of them, but they couldn’t ask their little one to settle for less.

Limited Options

No matter how hard this couple tried, as long as they were in Germany the war memories wouldn’t go away. Also, their country had very limited options to offer and the couple knew they have to relocate in order to give their newborn a normal environment to grow. For the sake of their newborn, the couple started to look out for better options to live a regular life. 

Better Options

After learning about many countries, the couple eventually agreed on moving to Australia and try their fortune in the farthest possible option from their native country. Soon after the decision was made, they completed all the formalities and were all set to restart their life on the smallest continent of our world.

Life In Australia

So, when Gabriel was a very young boy, his parents settled in Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Unfortunately, the emotional wounds of the war were so severe that they never succeeded in giving Gabriel the ideal type of childhood he deserved. The boy had many issues during his childhood, both in his neighborhood and his school. 

An Outsider

Although Gabriel felt like Australia was his native country, he was teased by other kids of the same age group for being an outsider who took shelter in their country. As time passed all those bullying faded away, but Gabriel never forgot those experiences.

Parents’ Hard Work

Far from their homeland, Gabriel’s parents were working hard to earn a stable living in the new country. His father used to visit them once in every couple of months as he was usually posted for work on the outstations, meanwhile, his mother was working parttime at two places every day even on weekends.

Neglected Child

As both of his parents were busy earning, Gabriel was often left at the daycares or with a baby sitter. Without any other sibling to share his feelings, Gabriel felt neglected throughout his childhood. Life as a child was tough for him yet he grew up to be a wise and sensible man.

The Choice To Stay

After graduating from an Australian University, Gabriel always had the choice to move to back to Germany, his homeland. However, he chose to stay in Australia as this country started to feel like home. He didn’t want to spend a life struggling to settle like his parents. 

The Woman Of His Life

Gabriel was confused about his future prospects when he met a woman named Pamela. She was the one who made him bury will his childhood grudges and look past it. Her glowing smile made it all easier for Gabriel and her wise suggestions showed him the right direction. Gabriel finally made up his mind to study further and become an accountant. 

Keeping Her Forever

During the late 1970s, Pamela and Gabriel decided to get married. Gabriel started to work as a shopfitter and continued his studies at the same time. No matter how much he loved his newlywed wife, he quickly understood that he got into marriage at a very young age. At times, he got this feeling like marriage was a huge mistake for them, he continued with marriage life calmly though. 

Paternal Instincts

Pamela and Gabriel soon became the parents of two kids; Stephen and Jennifer. It was with the birth of their kids, that the Nagy family felt complete and peaceful. Yes, they too had their ups and downs which they learned to handle easily now. Gabriel was hopeful about his family’s future but least aware of the actual incident that was about to change the Nagy family’s life completely. 

The Year 1987

In January 1987, Gabriel was living in his newly bought house in Sydney with his wife Pamela and his two children Stephen and Jennifer who were now eleven and nine years old. Gabriel was just a few months away from being qualified to apply for the designation of an accountant. He was working extremely hard with his hopes high.

Evening Classes

On January 21, 1987, Gabriel left from home for his work and as usual, he called his wife around lunch hours that he will be joining her for lunch once he finishes errands on the way back to home. Gabriel was attending evening classes for accountancy which meant he reached home late on a daily basis. Still, the good family man made sure to have at least one meal of the day with his wife and kids.  

Waiting And Waiting

Pamela set the table but Gabriel didn’t return home by the time of lunch. The kids had lunch but Pamela waited for her husband to return. Hours passed by but he never made it to home and this was very unlikely of Gabriel. She waited the entire day for his call but there was no clue of Gabriel.

The State Of Panic

In the state of anxiety, Pamela called in Gabriel’s office, his evening classes, all of his friends and family members where he could have been. She didn’t find any whereabouts of him, at last, the distressed mother of two called 911. When neighbors saw the cops arriving at the Nagys’ house, they too went to investigate what the matter was.

The Negative Result 

Gabriel’s absence and Pamela’s heartbreaking condition moved Stephen and Jennifer. The two kids were trying to console their mother who was unable to get a hold of the situation. Gabriel’s disappearance was just the beginning of the Nagy family’s endless struggle.

The Search Operation

“It was very soon after that everyone started rallying around and started putting out the big alarm bells,” remembered Jennifer of the search operations which were initiated by their neighbors, friends, and family. For two weeks, there was no clue in the case and then the cops found Nagy’s car.

The Shocking Discovery

Initially, Pamela was in a state of shock when the cops informed her of the recent discovery they made related to the case. She couldn’t hold back her tears while the investigators went on explaining the disastrous condition in which they found Gabriel’s car. She didn’t know what to expect out of it.

Burned-Out Shell

So far, Gabriel was worried and confused but listening to the cops, she could feel her family breaking apart and her life shattering. The cops found the burned-out shell of her husband’s car. The only thing relieving about this was the fact the Gabriel was nowhere to be found. This kept the family’s hopes alive.

The Constant Question

Clearly, his car had a serious accident as it was just a rusty shell now and the most important question still remained as it is was, where was Gabriel? The family felt abandoned without any closure and to add up to this emotional burden and constant worries, the biggest revelation broke them once and for all. 

The Final Information

Evidently, a few days after his disappearance, Gabriel walked into a bank branch of Newcastle, a city approximately 100 miles from the north of Sydney, where his home was located and withdrew all the cash which was in there. What was he even doing in Newcastle? What was going on with him? Each question raised by Pamela received a more disturbing answer than the previous one. 

Camping Equipment

Furthermore, the cops got the information from the bank that Gabriel was planning to use this money to buy camping equipment. Now, this part of the story broke Pamela completely. She wasn’t getting any of this, it just wasn’t making sense to her and she was at the verge of a breakdown. 

Financial Crisis

Back then, Pamela recently bought a house with her husband and they were still to pay more than half of its loan installments. Her husband’s car crashing, he himself disappearing and then withdrawing their savings just like that didn’t look like the actions of the man she fell in love with.

The Little One’s Agony

Was Gabriel always living a dual life? Or was he in need of help? Was someone else using his name? Or was he even alive? These questions remained unanswered. Jennifer was very young for all that was happening and kids use to tell how her father abandoned her and along with her mom and brother. “It was just so traumatic for everyone. It really affected me emotionally. People would ask, ‘Where’s your dad?’ It was too much – too painful,” remembered Jennifer.

Contradictory

“He’d never been away from home without telling anyone,” Jennifer recalled her father’s behavior. She further added, “nobody had any answers to explain the sudden disappearance of a dad who was a loving, caring father. I thought he was my world, and all of a sudden it’s taken away from me.” 

Shifting Places

Tired of all the taunts and questions, Pamela, Stephen and Jennifer moved to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, approximately 500 miles from Sydney. They left the house but never lost the hopes of Gabriel’s return. They kept their details updated in case he changed his mind and wants to return.

A Breakthrough

Gabriel went missing 23 years ago and the cold case investigators trying to get to the bottom of this weird case failed each time. Senior Constable Georgia Robinson was in charge of submitting the documents during the hearing at the coroner’s court so that the authorities could legally declare him deceased.

The Last Attempt

When Georgia tried to make one final attempt to track down Gabriel before submitting the documents, she found out a strange piece of information just a couple of weeks before the hearing. In her search, she discovered that the documents of Australia’s health authority Medicare mentioned a man named Gabriel Nagy in their records who underwent an eye surgery recently.

A Different Name

Georgia further checked the reports at Medicare and realized that this man also went by the name of Ron Saunders, and lived in Mackay, in the east Queensland, located more than 1,000 miles away from Jennifer’s dad’s missing location.

Moving Step By Step

Finally, Georgia got a hold of this man named Ron’s number. The man remembered the call as “[Georgia] wanted to come up and talk with me.” Ron couldn’t answer Georgia’s questions. He was confused and baffled by all that Georgia was trying to know from him. Understanding the critical situation, Georgia requested the man to meet her in person.

A Homeless Man

When Georgia contacted Ron, he was working at the Mackay’s River of Life church. He explained to the senior constable that he was living on the street from as long as he could remember. “There was something in the back of my head there that I must have done something wrong to have been living the way I was,” he remembered.

Intrigued And Curious

The man was scared to meet her, afraid of the fact that he might get caught for a crime he couldn’t even remember committing. Yet Georgia somehow convinced the curious man. “The first thing she said when she arrived was, ‘You haven’t killed anybody. You’re not wanted by police. You’re a missing person, and that’s not a crime,’” Ron recalled.

Were These Two The Same Person?

So, was the search for Gabriel over? Was Gabriel Nagy living under the name of Ron? If yes, then why? “She asked me a lot of questions and started showing me photographs,” recalled Ron. And these photos proved to be of great help.

Flashbacks And More

“It was like a cartoon where flashbulbs go off on top of people’s heads. [Georgia] gave me a letter from Jennifer, a letter from Pam and letters from my dad and stepmom,” recalled Ron. And that’s when Ron started to narrate an unbelievable story. He was indeed Gabriel Nagy!

What’s Wrong With Me?

On the evening of January 21st, 1987 Pamila was calling her friends and family, Gabriel woke up in the crashed car, covered with blood and with no previous memories. And suddenly he was a stranger in his own city. He couldn’t recollect anything that happened before it.

A Big Blank

On one hand, Gabriel’s family was searching for him, while on the other hand, he had no clue about his past. He said in an interview, “it was just a big blank in the back of my mind, and every time I tried to think about it, it just made me wonder, ‘[Am] I crazy? What happened to me?’ And then I’d think to myself, ‘What have I done to be in such a position?’”

Must’ve Been Something Terrible

The confused man started to think of the possibility that he might be some criminal. He recalled, “I’d just feel guilty and think, ‘Maybe I’ve committed murder or a bank robbery or something,’ then I’d occasionally jump inside a bottle, and that’d help me really forget stuff.”

The Accurate Explanation

The condition that Gabriel suffered from was Dissociative Fugue.  As per the Cleveland Clinic, “Further, quick intervention following a traumatic event or emotionally distressing experience might help reduce the risk of developing dissociative disorders.”

Living Like A Mess

Gabriel didn’t make any contacts and did odd jobs to fill his stomach. He was scared of getting caught which kept him from approaching the cops. For over two decades he lived as a homeless man without any memory of his past.

Whatever It Takes

Tired of living on the streets, Gabriel immediately accepted the offer of Barry Hayhoe, a pastor of the River of Life Church, a man who offered him food every other day. They gave him work and a small space to live in and as Gabriel explained, “I jumped at the chance and it kept me off the streets.”

Looking Like A Greyhound

“Apparently, back then I looked like a greyhound. All ribs, skin and bone,” remembered Gabriel. After a couple of months, he was working at the church as a caretaker. He was rewarded for being grateful.

Living Under A Pseudonym

“I’d been living under a pseudonym for a long time, but I’d been having flashes of my proper name; things were slowly returning,” said Gabriel in an interview. He was about to complete two years in the church when some of the past memories started to appear infront of him.

A Permanent Job

Gabriel’s hard work at the church finally paid off when he was offered a permanent job of working part-time in a nursing home. Although Gabriel’s memories were returning, he wasn’t sure of what he should do with this information. Everything started to fall in the right place when Gabriel had an eye surgery where he mentioned his real name.

The Lengthiest Letter

“I sat down and wrote the longest letter I’ve ever written in my life – seven and a half pages on both sides of the paper,” Gabriel remembered. He quickly dropped the note in the nearest post box and waited for the reply. Within a few days, he received the most awaited letter.

Hi Dad 

“[The message] said, ‘Hi, Dad,’ and that was enough to make me cry,” recalled Gabriel. “[Jennifer] wrote that she’d finished the letter, and she still loved me,” he added. His forgotten daughter wasn’t the only person who was eager to hear from Gabriel.

Old Love Returned

Within a few minutes of reading the letter, Gabriel received a call. He remembered the precious moment as: “Ten minutes later, the phone rang, and it was Pam. We talked until the battery died.” He was overwhelmed by all the love that he was receiving after decades of assuming that he was on his own in the world.

The Emotional Reunion

Jennifer who was 32 years old when Gabriel was identified, immediately booked the tickets to Mackay. “He met me at the airport with a big bunch of flowers. It was like it was all in slow motion, and we ran through the airport into each other’s arms.”

So Unreal

“It was just like in the Bible – the prodigal son coming home. It was unreal,” remembered Gabriel who was able to reunite with Pamila, father and other family members. Although he lives in Mackay only, this reunion helped him a lot. “I’m still a bit crazy at times but in a better way than I was before. At least I’ve grown up a bit. I’m making better decisions,” explained Gabriel, who still struggles with mental health.

Let Them Know

“If you have left home – for whatever reason – ring and let somebody know you are okay. It doesn’t have to be your family. The not knowing can really, really affect you in the end,” said Jennifer who stayed in regular touch with Gabriel ever since he was found.