WIFE GETS A CALL FROM CALIFORNIA 6 DAYS AFTER FIREFIGHTER GOES ASTRAY WHILE SKIING ON WHITE FACE MOUNTAIN

 

Danny Filippidis, a middle-aged Toronto firefighter went on a trip with his colleague. They went to the Newyork upstate for skiing as they used to do every year. But this time was different. The days of vacation was about to get over and the man decided to click some pictures of the place. But unfortunately, he had left his phone inside his car and in order to fetch that, he would have to ski down the mountain. He decided to go for it. He asked his friends to wait for him in a lodge until he comes back with his phone.

The day got over but the man does not return. It was then his friends began to worry about him. They contact authorities that in return launches a massive search operation but it does not help. The man had disappeared. Finally, the authorities call the investigation off. It seems that the mystery behind his sudden disappearance would never get revealed until his wife receives a CALL from across the country.

Annual Trip

February had just begun. The town was covered with snow which made it a perfect place to ski around. Danny Filippidis used to go on skiing with his colleagues. He used to work in the Toronto Fire Services. This time too they went on an annual trip. And their trip was going to be closed and Danny a social media follower himself decided to capture some more memories to post on Facebook. It was then the man remembered he had left his cellphone in his car.

Adventurous

The 50-year-old man had undertaken many adventures in his life. Being a firefighter himself, he was used to of unannounced situations and knew how to tackle them. However, this adventurous journey that he had taken to refresh his mind was only going to create more mess, for him, his family and the authorities.

Forgotten Phone

It was too late now. The men already were halfway through the Whiteface Mountain when they realized it. But the man did not want to miss capturing these moments which he knew he was going to cherish all his life. So, he decided to ski down to his car to fetch the phone. He told his friends to wait.

Descending

His friends agreed for that as they knew that Danny is highly skilled in that. In fact, he used to do the best ski among his peer. Moreover, Danny was mature enough to make his own decision and they did not stop him. So, he skied down all alone not knowing what was awaiting him.

Vanished

His decision to ski down to collect his phone was going to turn his life upside down. The man descended the hill after saying that he would be back soon. His friends took to the resort and waited for him. The day turned into the night but the man did not come back.

Nothing About Him

Many hours went by but there was not a word from Danny. He did not even pick their calls. Where was he? Did he reach his car or not? If not, then where was he? Something was off.  They decided to reach out to the authorities. Soon authorities launched a massive ground search.

Never Reached Vehicle

The first place where authorities checked was their car. As suspected, the man was not there. Surprisingly, his phone was in the car which meant the man never reached the vehicle. They also found his boots, skis, identification, and passport but not the man.

Locals Helped

Soon, the news reached to the locals. Even they helped the authorities in the search process. Clearly, there was no trace of Danny Filipiddis. His friends and families too got involved in the investigation. But were they ever going to find Danny?

The Great Search

Whiteface Mountain does have confusing paths so losing the path is not that a big deal. And this was not the first time when the authorities were reported a missing case. But this was the first case that had baffled them completely. The Toronto firefighter had disappeared in the thin air without a clue.

Looking For Him

They went from pillar to post, searched every corner and every terrain multiple times. The locals looked for him at places not even authorities knew about. Family and friends did whatever they could. 

Heavy Snow

There was no way the man would have gone very far as the region was covered with heavy snow. Moreover, on the day of his disappearance, the place was crowded with tourists. And not a single of them saw Danny or any lost man.

Lots Of Resources

Officer said, “There were a lot of resources that New York State put into this search and they’re going to want to make sure that nothing here was done maliciously, as they should. They’ll do a comprehensive investigation.”

Something Is Off

The case seemed unsolvable. A couple of days had passed and still, there was no trace of him. Authorities began to smell foul. They suspected if the disappearance was planned. Perhaps, it was someone’s deed. They turned to his family and friends.

Enemies?

Authorities revealed their suspicion to his family and friends. They asked them if Danny had any enemies or if he had fallen into fights with anyone ever. His wife struck it down. She confirmed that the man had no enemies. He was very friendly by nature. If that was the thing than where was he?

Many People Came Together

Now the search involved the police, Homeland security agents, border officials, fellow fighters, and Danny’s wife. They drew many theories but none of them helped. Every step they took proved to be counterproductive.        

No More?

It was then the authorities alluded towards something worse. Perhaps, the man had died. Perhaps, his body lay frozen under the sheets of ice. No one had seen him nor did he try to contact. This seemed the only possibility. But even if he was dead where was his body?  Was this case going to perish into a dead alley? Not before the authorities and everyone involved finds another twist in the story.

Best Foot Forward

Five days had gone by and still, this case remained a mystery to the world. Now the authorities had even included dogs in their search. However, they too did not prove to be much of help. The authorities had never felt so helpless before. They were not even sure if they should consider the person dead or alive.

Calling It Time

Finally, the authorities called off the investigation. They had found nothing significant about him since the day they had started the investigation.

Where Was He?

His family was drowned in sorrow and grief. Despite countless efforts made by his family and friends, the man was still missing. They wondered what disastrous fate had befallen on him. Was he even breathing or not?

A Call

Six days had gone without him. The case was closed and the family and friends had returned to their respective places. His wife who was still struggling to accept the reality got a strange call from Sacramento, California. The person on the other end seemed disoriented.

Her Husband?

It was a man who called himself her husband. Surprisingly, the call came from the other side of the country. This really confused her. Initially, she felt happy but then she suspected if someone was tricking her. The biggest question was if the person was truly him, how did he end up in California?

A Nickname

The man spoke just the way her husband does. Her doubt further clarified when the man used a nickname that only he knew. So, was the person calling her from over 2,500 miles away was really her husband? She was soon going to find out.

Contacting Police

His wife immediately contacted the police and told them about the phone call. Authorities got back into the form. They traced the call and figured that it had been made from a rental-car area that was located in the Sacramento International airport.

She Recognized

Ramagnano recounted, “He had phoned (his wife) and called her by a nickname. She quickly recognized the voice and that it was him.” “Then they lost contact and he contacted her again and they kept him on the phone and asked him to call 911 to get him help as soon as possible.”

It Was Danny

Authorities did their investigation in the place and learned that the call was indeed made by Danny. Eyewitnesses told the police that the man was wearing ski costumes and had tousled hair. He looked dirty.

Medical Assistance

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department’s Sergeant Scott Swisher said, “On our end as well it left a lot of unanswered questions. It was apparent there were a lot of issues going on with the gentleman—very disoriented, obviously needing some medical assistance.”

Kidnapped

Authorities suspected if he had gotten kidnapped from the spot. Because there was no other way he got drifted to California. But the man had not mentioned anything related to kidnapping with his wife. The only way they can solve this mystery is by finding the man, at least that is what they thought.

Calling His Wife

The police finally managed to locate him. He was in his ski costume and had got a hair cut. He looked confused. He had an iPhone in his hand that he had purchased from somewhere only to call his wife. Fortunately, the man was doing fine but the question still lingered on. How did he reach California?

Why California?

Everyone wanted to know how and why did he come to California? Authorities asked him the same question but his answer put them even in more confusion. He replied that he does not remember how did he reach California and that all he could remember was that he had been “dropped off by a big rig truck” in Sacramento.

Officer Says

Hampton said, “Our officers felt that he had potentially some medical health issues, maybe did sustain some head trauma or did have a medical emergency, and they were adamant that he be transported to an area hospital,”

Purchased A Phone

After that, he got himself a haircut. He then purchased a phone as he had to reach to his wife to let her know about his whereabouts. The man just could not remember what had happened to him in the past six days. Or was he lying?

Trucked Up

The man did not even know who dropped him off or the name or number of the truck. When asked he could not describe the trucker or even the truck nor did he remember when and where was he picked up from. Moreover, none of the tourists on the ski resort saw any truck plying around.

Big Rig

Officer explained, “After speaking with him (Filippidis) it sounds as if he may have gotten a ride in a big rig – he was unable to provide us with a description of the big rid or a description of the driver of the big rig – but he was found with cash in his possession and a Visa card and a cell phone he had recently purchased.”

Last Remembered

Hampton further said, “When we asked him how he got here, he couldn’t remember much.” “He was skiing and that’s what he last remembered. He had a significant amount of trouble remembering what occurred over the last few days.”

Cooperative

The man stayed cooperative at the time of questioning. He did not hesitate from giving his bank and cell phone data to the police. However, they were of no help. Nothing looked suspicious there.

Have Him Treated

A spokesman clarified, “He was very nonchalant, and kind of out of it.” “Our officers were adamant to take him to the hospital to have him treated.”

Cash And Belongings

Moreover, the firefighter had all his cash and other belongings with him. Clearly, the man was not robbed at all. The man had also stated during the investigation that he had gotten a severe head injury. Contrary to that, there was not any severe physical injury on his body. No injury was that intense to cause him memory loss.

No Health Problem

Not only that, they did not find any mental disturbance or psychological problem in him either. The man had no history of any mental disturbance. He was a loving husband and a very responsible father. Also, the man had a very good reputation in his surrounding and was very honest about his work.

Mystery To The Man

Along with the police, it was a mystery to the man himself. How the man got transported to Sacramento from New York. Major John H. Tibbitts Jr., New York State Police describes the case as “a head-scratcher.”

Under Investigation

Frank Ramagnano, president of Toronto Professional Firefighters Local 3888, “I don’t know how he got there or why he got there.” “Rightfully so, it is under investigation. … No matter what they discover, it doesn’t take away from the nearly 200 people who came together to help.”

Memory Loss

Filippidis still don’t know how he got in the Sacramento. He still is adamant that he doesn’t remember anything about how he reached the city. As mentioned earlier the only thing he remembers is being dropped off at Sacramento by an unidentified truck.

Six Days

It was difficult to believe that the man remembered nothing about those mysterious six days. the police even distributed his pictures among the public to see if anyone would have anything to add to the investigation but unfortunately, it too did not yield any positive result.

Side Of The Road

Maj. John H. Tibbitts Jr. stated, “He ended up on the side of the road, the only one we’ve got there is [Route] 86. We don’t have a lot of interstate truck traffic coming up 86. Perhaps an independent trucker offered a ride. He can’t describe the trucker or the truck or anyone.”

Not A Cold Case

“It may be a mystery. I don’t want to say it was a cold case. It was a missing person’s case. We found him; technically, he found himself. He wants to find out where he was as badly as we want to find out where he was. If we could have somebody call that we can prove actually met Danny on his journey across the country that would be tremendous help to us,” Tibbitts concluded.

Across The Country

The man has no idea what did he do in those six days. He does not remember how he reached all the way across the country. Did someone take him there? Was he kidnapped or did he plan all this? The answers are still unclear.

Speculations

Ramagnano asserted, “We understand that there will be speculation and many questions at this time, however, please appreciate that authorities will be conducting a full and thorough investigation into what transpired.”

Fortunate Enough

Danny said, “I feel fortunate that I’m here talking today because of all the potential things that could have resulted.” He remembers the wrong turn he took while going back to his car. After that, he remembers nothing.

Not Familiar

“I’d never been out that way,” he added. “It kind of added to my confusion and feeling of not really knowing what was going on because I’m not familiar with that part of the country.”

Returning Canada

So how is he doing now? “He returned to Canada, was reunited with his family, and began the process of healing and trying to recover his memory of the incident. Since that time, he has fully recovered and returned to work,” Toronto firefighters’ union president said.

Unresolvable

This mystery is perhaps going to stay a mystery. What do you think must have happened back then? There is no theory explaining this.