Boy From the Woods

[mysteriew]

Still the bit about fearing authorities is confusing too. Especially since the first place he went was to city hall. How did he know that that is where he should go?

 

[CarrieBean]

Maybe it was the first big building he came across.

 

[~n/t~]

I'm pretty skeptical on this one too. While some things are convincing, others are confusing. It is said he was clean and well kempt when he appeared. How did that happen? Where did he wash, how did he get his hair cut? If he was in the woods from the age of 12 to the age of 17 he would have needed different clothes sizes. Where did they come from? Not speaking German in a German speaking country is a sure way to get opportunities for delay in answering questions. You could always pretend you didn't understand the question. He appeared well nourished. If he spent the last 5 years out in the forest, scavenging for food and fighting the weather I would expect more gauntness. Winter time for instance food would be very scarce.

I would think that severe long term abuse might cause a child to lose his memories of things like surname, previous address and etc. Esp. if the father told him he had to forget them. But for that type of abuse I would expect to see some evidence of broken bones and scarring.

I am wondering about sexual abuse. If the child was taught to hide everything about himself, if he was taught to fear authorities and told what would thought of him if the world knew what happened to him, he would lie. And if he was stolen that would be a reason to go on the run and hide identity. Also if abuse was suspected and maybe beginning to be investigated, that too would be reason to run and hide identity.

I am concerned that they haven't been able to find any evidence of his "father's" grave nor evidence of where they had "burrowed" in. When humans inhabit they tend to leave traces. Why don't they take the kid for a ride and try to trace where he came from?

I believe they said they will retrace his steps and also get DNA, fingerprints, etc.

I agree with you. Some of the things just don't add up. Was he being held captive by the "father" in a bunker and they had all the necessities? Water from a lake or river for bathing (?) Did they hunt for food ? Was the bunker so well hidden that it was unnoticeable?

FWIW.... some skeptics think his story is similar to a recent movie Hanna and they think he's making it all up based on the movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993842/

 

[marycarney]

The German authorities said his story was 'credible' (in German, I'm guessing). Well, IMHO 'credible' is not the same as 'verified' 'true' or even 'plausible'.
Just sayin.........

 

[mysteriew]

I believe they said they will retrace his steps and also get DNA, fingerprints, etc.

I agree with you. Some of the things just don't add up. Was he being held captive by the "father" in a bunker and they had all the necessities? Water from a lake or river for bathing (?) Did they hunt for food ? Was the bunker so well hidden that it was unnoticeable?

FWIW.... some skeptics think his story is similar to a recent movie Hanna and they think he's making it all up based on the movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993842/

In some online articles some people are also comparing him to Kaspar Hauser.
Kaspar Hauser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[~n/t~]

Why was he wearing winter clothing? This part of the world including Europe, we are in summer season going into fall.

However, in Australia, it is the opposite. They're just coming out of winter months heading into spring.

Could he be Australian? If so, how in the world did he get to Germany?:waitasec:

This is like watching a real life episode of the Amazing Race or Survivor. Not that I watch those shows. :innocent:

 

[For The Kids]

Why was he wearing winter clothing? This part of the world including Europe, we are in summer season going into fall.

However, in Australia, it is the opposite. They're just coming out of winter months heading into spring.

Could he be Australian? If so, how in the world did he get to Germany?:waitasec:

This is like watching a real life episode of the Amazing Race or Survivor. Not that I watch those shows. :innocent:

n/t I dont know what the weather is like in Germany but here in England i have been wearing a jacket for quite some time now..sure it may be summer but...our summers arent like yours Actually not sure we even had a summer..

I did ask Kerry Needham this afternoon if there was a possibility that the boy in Germany was Ben. She said in her opinion no but that it WAS being checked out. She also said to tell people thank you for thinking of Ben

 

[~n/t~]

n/t I dont know what the weather is like in Germany but here in England i have been wearing a jacket for quite some time now..sure it may be summer but...our summers arent like yours Actually not sure we even had a summer..

I did ask Kerry Needham this afternoon if there was a possibility that the boy in Germany was Ben. She said in her opinion no but that it WAS being checked out. She also said to tell people thank you for thinking of Ben

Thanks. That was very sweet of you to ask Kerry.

When they said winter clothing...I assumed heavy coat and even a hat. It's getting colder here in Canada also and I wear a jacket but it's not a winter coat, KWIM? LOL...hope I'm making sense.

 

[belimom]

Not sure if this has been reported in this thread before or not. I think at the time, it was a dead-end, but in light of this 'boy from the woods', I thought I'd post it (ETA: not trying to get in a discussion about gypsies, etc - I just think the possible link to Germany is interesting):

Is Ben Needham alive and in Germany?
Tuesday, 6 May 1997

...The latest suggestion is that Ben is in Germany. The Foreign Office said it had passed "certain information" to the German authorities and was keeping in close touch with them.

The source of the fresh information is a Greek citizen serving a prison sentence for armed robbery. He contacted Ben's grandparents, Eddie and Christine Needham, after seeing an appeal by them on Greek television. The man told the Needhams that the boy had been abducted by a gypsy gang, taken to northern Greece and then on to Germany.

....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/is-ben-needham-alive-and-in-germany-1259957.html

 

[belimom]

Not sure if this is the same reference to Germany or German involvement, but just something else I found when googling (bbm):

...On 4th September 1997, Gordon Bernard from the British Embassy in Athens was given telephone instructions from Bedzios (in prison) regarding the location of Ben. He was instructed to go to a certain street in Larissa where he would find a Mercedes with German number plates. This was mediated through Bedzios' lawyer. Numerous destinations were given to Mr Bernard by telephone, and each time he arrived at one location, more instructions were given. He had obviously been watched. Ben was never handed over. Mr Bernard did, however, find the car, fitting the description given in the place he was informed it would be. There was no-one in it.

Bedzios gave the police a sworn statement naming the man directing him and his telephone number. To our knowledge, this man was never questioned.

...

http://www.helpfindben.co.uk/investigation.html

 

[chasing.halos]

He smokes? :waitasec:

 

[Lera213]

I know Germany has some forest but for him to have traveled that far he would have had to be close if not out in the open next to houses and other buildings. I suppose he could have bathed in a natural spa. Germany does have some natural hot springs/spa's.

It doesn't sound like Ben's mom is hopeful at all this is him.

If you lived in the woods for 5 years you are going to know those woods pretty dang well. All the Germany authorities have to do is get him in the general area and he should be able to identify exactly where he buried his dad.

 

[wfgodot]

Guardian checks in with a thoughtful....

Why we're wild about forest boy

---
In the 18th and 19th centuries people seem to have been especially keen on hearing about forest boys and such like because they promised an answer to the question of whether human beings are fundamentally good or evil. Are people born pure and decent before being messed up by our despicable society? Or born full of wickedness, which is then tamed by our marvellous civilisation?
---

more at links

Telegraph follows along with a dutiful....

Berlin forest boy adapts quickly to city life

---
Despite claims that he spent the last five years living rough in the forest with his father, before burying him after a fatal fall last month, the boy soon adapted to life in a hostel with other youngsters.

"He had moments where he appeared uneasy but generally he settled in well and appeared comfortable," said Berte Kohn, the manager of the Jugendnotdienst youth shelter, in Berlin's Charlottenburg district.
---

 

[belimom]

He smokes? :waitasec:

If this is not a hoax (I'm still on the fence about that), then I do think it's possible that he would be fairly accustomed to modern-day life. Five years isn't that long, kwim? And if he was raised by this "father", the "father" may have smoked, etc. I don't think they lived as other feral children have, but more in touch with society. Perhaps the man would leave him there while he went "to town" to get supplies periodically, etc.

I don't really know - just trying to look at it from both sides - hoax vs not hoax.

 

[wfgodot]

Perhaps the German forest is stocked with cigarette machines for just this contingency.

 

[Lera213]

One thing that kind of sticking out for me too is the part where Ray stated that his dad said English was important language. Most German's wouldn't make a statement like this however an eastern block country would.

With no passport, running away from some political or criminal heat could be explain in all this. Why Ray went to City hall instead for if Ray went to a consulate it would have to be from the Country he came from and that was to be hidden.

If you wanted a new identity, new life, a young man under 20 years of age, homeless or a criminal that is scared and running what story would you make up, what country would buy into that store more then any other country? Yep Germany, kinder friendly more so then any other.

 

[mysteriew]

I know Germany has some forest but for him to have traveled that far he would have had to be close if not out in the open next to houses and other buildings. I suppose he could have bathed in a natural spa. Germany does have some natural hot springs/spa's.

It doesn't sound like Ben's mom is hopeful at all this is him.

If you lived in the woods for 5 years you are going to know those woods pretty dang well. All the Germany authorities have to do is get him in the general area and he should be able to identify exactly where he buried his dad.

True. But he had supposedly been walking for two weeks before getting to his destination. How did he find springs/spas in order to clean up before arriving in town?

 

[gitana1]

Yes I thought that too but then if this man abducted him to sexually abuse him then I can see a story had to have been told to him. Perhaps after all the years and with this man dying he told a lot of the truth to the boy. Not who he is but enough to get him to CITY HALL, is that where records are kept too, like Birth Certificates? Suppose the man told him enough truth that the boy did remember some. Or if the sexual abuse persisted as he got older, maybe he has guilt of having sex with who he believed was his father?

However the cigarettes he smoked with another youth just floored me. Someone who lives in the woods for 5 years and someone who doesn't remember anything will not just come out and smoke with another youth! Very strange, they need to find this mans body also. Suppose this is just a homeless kid, and is a criminal trying to make a new identity.

I'm pretty skeptical on this one too. While some things are convincing, others are confusing. It is said he was clean and well kempt when he appeared. How did that happen? Where did he wash, how did he get his hair cut? If he was in the woods from the age of 12 to the age of 17 he would have needed different clothes sizes. Where did they come from? Not speaking German in a German speaking country is a sure way to get opportunities for delay in answering questions. You could always pretend you didn't understand the question. He appeared well nourished. If he spent the last 5 years out in the forest, scavenging for food and fighting the weather I would expect more gauntness. Winter time for instance food would be very scarce.

I would think that severe long term abuse might cause a child to lose his memories of things like surname, previous address and etc. Esp. if the father told him he had to forget them. But for that type of abuse I would expect to see some evidence of broken bones and scarring.

I am wondering about sexual abuse. If the child was taught to hide everything about himself, if he was taught to fear authorities and told what would thought of him if the world knew what happened to him, he would lie. And if he was stolen that would be a reason to go on the run and hide identity. Also if abuse was suspected and maybe beginning to be investigated, that too would be reason to run and hide identity.

I am concerned that they haven't been able to find any evidence of his "father's" grave nor evidence of where they had "burrowed" in. When humans inhabit they tend to leave traces. Why don't they take the kid for a ride and try to trace where he came from?

If this is not a hoax (I'm still on the fence about that), then I do think it's possible that he would be fairly accustomed to modern-day life. Five years isn't that long, kwim? And if he was raised by this "father", the "father" may have smoked, etc. I don't think they lived as other feral children have, but more in touch with society. Perhaps the man would leave him there while he went "to town" to get supplies periodically, etc.

I don't really know - just trying to look at it from both sides - hoax vs not hoax.

This is what I was going to say. If, for example, this was a kid victim of a parental abduction or something, he could have easily been told to stay put while dad went into town for clothes, cigarettes, etc. We'll see. I am very curious.

In some online articles some people are also comparing him to Kaspar Hauser.
Kaspar Hauser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is it about Germany and "wild" people. Kasper Hauser (incidentally, just picked up a book, before this story broke, in which the opinion was that Hauser was telling the truth and was horribly abused, for whatever that's worth), this kid, and wasn't the Piano Man from Germany as well?

 

[CarrieBean]

Caregiver: Forest boy 'like a normal teenager'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44599344/ns/world_news-europe/#.TnkQ_NS_jD4

 

[CarrieBean]

However this turns out, this boy will forever be known as Forest Boy or The Boy From the Woods.