Missing Drunk Man Spent Hours Helping a Search Team Look for Him
In September 2021, a search team fanned out across a wooded area in western Turkey after a man failed to return home following a night of drinking with friends. The operation moved forward like any other missing-person case, with volunteers calling out his name and scanning the terrain. Hours later, the situation took an unexpected turn when it became clear that the man they were searching for had been walking alongside the group, helping with the search without realizing he was the missing person.
A Night Out That Turned Into a Search Operation
The incident took place in İnegöl, a district in Turkey’s Bursa province. Beyhan Mutlu, a 50-year-old local resident, had been drinking with friends earlier in the evening. At some point, he wandered off into a nearby forest and never returned home.
As the hours passed, concern grew. His wife and friends tried calling his phone but couldn’t reach him. Eventually, they contacted local authorities, who organized a volunteer search-and-rescue effort. The terrain was wooded, visibility was low, and no one knew exactly where Mutlu might be.
The Missing Man Joins the Search
Image via iStockphoto/Yuri_Arcurs
As volunteers moved through the forest calling out his name, another man joined the group. He appeared visibly intoxicated but cooperative. He responded to instructions, listened closely, and helped search alongside everyone else.
No one questioned his presence. For hours, the group continued calling out “Beyhan Mutlu!” into the trees. Then, something finally clicked. The man who had joined the search reportedly asked a simple question: “Who are we looking for?”
When the group answered with his name, the situation suddenly became clear. “I am here,” he said. The missing person hadn’t been deeper in the forest. He had been walking with the search party the entire time, unaware that he was the reason they were there.
An Ending Without a Rescue
Once authorities realized what had happened, the search was immediately called off. Police took a brief statement, confirmed that Mutlu was unharmed, and drove him home. No injuries were reported, and there was no indication that he was fined or charged.
Afterward, Mutlu reportedly downplayed the incident, saying there was “no need” for his friends to have reported him missing and describing the entire situation as something like a joke in hindsight.
While the story sounds unbelievable, it isn’t without precedent. Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere, including a case in Iceland where a missing tourist joined her own search party after failing to recognize her description.