Who is this man 'Lucky'? - Amsterdam - 10-05-2023
On May 10, 2023, life changed completely for a man known by the nickname Lucky, after he suffered a stroke that left him with aphasia and ended up in a care home. The language disorder — from which actor Bruce Willis, among others, also suffers — makes communication extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the patient. Because the man had no identification or anything else on him that could be linked to his identity, the Amsterdam police launched an investigation. Three years later, the police put out an appeal to the public for help: who is Lucky? The appeal was quickly picked up by the press, and partly as a result, the police received more than 150 tips within 24 hours.
Thanks to police investigation, the nickname Lucky surfaced, along with a number of other names he had given himself.
Police discovered that Lucky was a member of a Buddhist temple, and that he would sometimes have a cup of coffee at the eatery Soep en Zo on Waterlooplein, where he was known as Chris the Canadian. Other names that came up included Lee, Louis, John, Sonny, and 'Ponytail'. He reportedly had a lot of money and often bought things at market stalls around the square.
Over the course of three years, police tried everything to give him back his name. This included consulting experts in the field of aphasia, as well as comparing his fingerprints and DNA against the missing persons database. Unfortunately, none of it helped, and his identity remained unknown. The restrictive privacy law means his DNA cannot be checked against commercial databases. This is why Stichting Coldcasezaken is once again advocating for this law to be relaxed in cases like Lucky's, or in cases of serious crimes.
Tips and information
According to police, it is possible that Lucky came from the United States or Nepal. Canada is also a possibility, since he was known to some as Chris the Canadian. Do you recognize Lucky, have you ever seen him or spoken with him? If so, please let us know. Stichting Coldcasezaken will do everything it can to uncover his identity.