Italian hikers had no idea what they were about to discover when they decided to venture off the marked trail. Frustrated, they decided to go into the wild in hopes of finding their prized fungi.
But instead, they ended up solving one of Europe's most mysterious cases.
Going On A Foraging Trip
It was an ordinary day for two hikers as they searched the woods near Italy's Maremma Regional park for edible mushrooms. But luck wasn't on their side that day as they couldn't find any fungi along the marked trail.
So, they decided to expand their search and go deeper into the woods. Little did they know that their lives would be soon changed forever.
Miles Away From Civilization
The two men found themselves miles away from civilization as they continued searching for fungi. There were no roads or houses in sight.
As they trekked deeper into the woodlands, they would soon come across something strange and unexplainable.
They Weren't Alone There
Although the hikers were far away from the nearest town, for some reason, there was a lot of garbage on the floor, like empty bottles and food wrappers.
It was apparent to them that someone had been living there. As the men continued walking, they saw a tarp and a make-shift tent.
Mysterious Stranger
There was a lot of debris and jugs of water near the tent. Confused, they approached the strange tent thinking it was abandoned. But then they suddenly heard a rustling noise behind them.
They turned around and saw a figure approaching them from the bushes.
Who Was He?
In front of them was a middle-aged man with a long unkempt beard who looked like he hadn't showered in years. The foragers were afraid to move, fearing the man would go after them.
After a few seconds of looking at the forest dweller, the two men turned around and ran as fast as they could back to civilization. They decided to meet with the Italian park rangers and tell them what happened.
"My Name Is Carlos"
Park rangers were baffled by their story, and together with the foragers, they decided to go back to where they saw the man. But this time, they would bring local authorities.
There they saw the strange man again. When asked about his identity, the man spoke, "I am Spanish, my name is Carlos, and I have lived here for 20 years." He was clearly upset that his secret home had been discovered. So what was he doing there?
In Shock
The authorities, foragers, and park rangers were all confused after hearing that he had been living in the woods for years.
Carlos didn't want to be photographed, but he agreed to show his identity document. Their jaws nearly dropped to the floor when they realized who they were talking to.
His Past Life
The man had two documents on him, the only proof of his former life. Although they were covered in dirt and dust, they could still make out what was written.
One document was a school ID, and the other was a library card. Both cards were issued by the University of Seville. According to these documents, the man in front of them was a medical student named Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar. The foragers were shocked - why was he living in the woods in Italy?
He Didn't Want To Be Found
Carlos was clearly not happy that he had been found. After showing them his documents, he shouted at the men, "You found me, now I'm leaving, leave me alone!"
Carlos' photo from his ID card was posted online. And soon, the foragers would unveil the mystery of the Spaniard.
In 1996
In 1996, a man with the same name from Seville was reported missing and was never found. He would have been around the same age as Carlos.
After hearing this information, the authorities went back to where Carlos was staying, hoping that they could connect the missing man to this stranger. But when they arrived, Carlos was already gone. But it wasn't long before they would get to the truth.
He Was Gone
The foragers remembered how upset Carlos was when they found him, saying how he would have to move again.
Everyone wanted to know why this man chose to live like a hermit and didn't want to be found. Who was he hiding from?
Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar
Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar was born in Bilbao, but lived most of his life in Cazalla de la Sierra, Seville. He had four siblings - two sisters and two brothers.
Carlos was an intelligent kid, but he didn't have any friends. After graduating from high school, he chose to study medicine at the University of Seville as he was interested in the fields of psychiatry and psychology. So what happened after?
Hiding A Secret
After graduating from the University of Seville, Carlos became a licensed psychiatrist in Spain. His patients knew him as a highly professional, attentive doctor.
Many considered him a "gifted doctor" who truly cared about his patients. He was also a very private person and didn't share much information about his personal life. And all these years, he had been hiding a dark secret.
Suffering From Depression
Carlos had been suffering from depression ever since he was a little child. Yet, despite having a degree in mental health science, he chose to hide his problem from the outside world rather than treating it.
One day, Carlos realized he couldn't keep it up any longer. And in November of 1996, he disappeared.
He Disappeared
Carlos was 26 years old when he had gone missing. His disappearance perplexed his colleagues and family. When the young doctor didn't show up for work, they instantly knew something was wrong.
Carlos wanted to escape from his life and start over. Over the next few years, he visited several countries on his favorite bike and occasionally updated his family on his whereabouts. But everything changed when he made a strange call from a city in Russia.
Everything Is "Fine"
Carlos used to tell his parents that everything "was fine" and that they shouldn't look for him. But they never heard from him again after he made that last call from Russia. This was the last time they heard his voice.
Carlos' family was concerned for his safety, so they contacted the local authorities.
The Sad Truth
The police declared him a missing person. And without any leads or communication from Carlos, the grieving parents were forced to declare him dead.
However, his mother still had a feeling that he might be alive, and she never stopped looking for him. Then, in 2009, she requested his case to be reopened.
Hiding In The Woods
No one had any idea where Carlos went after he made that last phone call. Some people believed that he traveled to Italy and set up a camp in the Maremma forest, near Cala Violina and Scarlino.
According to the director of the nearby complex, "If you up there the woods, you become invisible." Carlos knew what he was doing. But it wasn't until park rangers discovered something peculiar on his campsite that they realized the horrifying truth behind his disappearance.
Surviving In The Wildness
Park rangers were impressed by Carlos's ability to survive in the woods using the barest supplies for so long. He used three buckets to collect rainwater, a wooden pantry for storing canned food, and a tarp.
They suspect that Carlos visited populated areas during the night to collect canned food and used other natural food resources such as berries, mushrooms, and boars.
Dangerous Activity
The foragers who found Carlos were searching for edible mushrooms, an activity that worries many medical professionals around the world. Many people have poisoned themselves and even died after eating wild mushrooms.
Others got injured or lost in the forest. While the two men who met Carlos were able to find their way back out of the woods, other foragers haven't been so lucky.
Many People Go Missing
Each year, people from different parts of the world go missing after entering the wild forest. Fortunately, many forests are now equipped with trained search and rescue teams who can quickly locate missing people.
In 2019, one woman from Washington had gone missing after going foraging by herself.
Searching For His Family
Jung VanAtta spent three days in the forest alone before she was rescued. The people who found Carlos in the woods knew that something was off about the medical professional living there alone.
After his photos were uploaded online, a Spanish organization called SOS Desaparecidos quickly reached out to a similar organization based in Italy. Together, they were able to find Carlos' family.
They Were Shocked
Carlos' family was shocked to the core when they heard that he had been living in the forest alone for 20 years.
They immediately flew to Italy, where they were greeted by the director of the Penelope Association, Antonio La Scala.
Missing Persons Cases
The Spanish nonprofit organization SOS Desaparecidos had marked Carlos' case as a top priority. The organization has been helping families of missing people since 2007 by spreading information and photos of the people across several platforms.
According to an article in a Spanish newspaper, El Pais, more than 800 people go missing in Spain every year. Carlos's parents were happy to hear that their son was alive. They were brought to see the tent where he had been sleeping for the last two decades.
Searching For Carlos
His parents were both nervous and "very excited" to know that their son was alive. But, sadly, he wasn't there when they arrived. Carlos had disappeared again and hadn't been seen in the area for over two weeks.
Still, his family was determined to find him and investigate the strange circumstances involving his disappearance.
They Hoped To Speak With Him
Carlos' parents spent over twenty years grieving his disappearance. After they were told that Carlos may have run away on his own, they said they "…only want to see him and that they will leave him quiet."
His sister thanked both organizations for helping them reunite with Carlos saying it gave “hope to the families suffering from these tragedies.” Meanwhile, his mother was begging Carlos to speak to her.
Choosing To Run Away
"…then if he wants, we will never see him again," she said. Carlos'case had received a lot of attention from social media and news outlets.
According to an article in the SC times, "Missing children are almost always considered endangered due to their age and vulnerability, adults of sound mind and body may legally decide to disappear."
Christopher McCandless
While some people go missing against their will, others, like Carlos, decide to disappear and never speak to their loved ones again.
Carlos's case is somewhat similar to the tragic story of Christopher McCandless. He, like Carlos, was also an intelligent young man who decided to leave his family behind and relocate to the remote forest of Alaska.
Lack Of Communication
But unlike Carlos, Christopher passed away from hunger, and his body was found in an abandoned bus a few months after he disappeared.
However, finding a missing person in Europe is more difficult than in the U.S. Before the Amber Alert was implemented in 2019, the communication between European police forces was poor.
He Kept To Himself
The lack of cross-border communication may have helped Carlos to escape and stay hidden for so many years. When the world heard about the Spanish hermit, some loclas began sharing how they had seen someone occasionally go through the garbage bins.
“He was shy and wasn’t happy that someone had interrupted his loneliness," one biker described Carlos. Some park rangers also said they had seen him before , saying he was “quiet person, who did not want to talk.”
Not Losing Hope
As of today, not much is known about Carlos' whereabouts, but his family is still hoping to meet him.
They are still in touch with the Spanish authorities and simply happy knowing he is alive after all these years of living in the wild.