A Toronto firefighter who vanished while on a ski trip in upstate New York and then mysteriously resurfaced more than 4,500 kilometres away in Sacramento, California has agreed to speak with local authorities investigating his disappearance.
Constantinos ‘Danny’ Filippidis, 49, made contact with police in the California capital on Tuesday afternoon upon reaching out to his wife.
Filippidis had been reported missing on Feb. 7 after last being seen skiing on Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid.
New York State Police have said that Filippidis has little knowledge of what happened to him in the six days between his disappearance and him contacting his wife from California. They have also said that it remains unclear how he got from Lake Placid to Sacramento.
It is unlikely that Filippidis would have been able to fly to California as he did not have identification on him at the time of his disappearance, according to union officials.
“Danny really doesn’t know what happened in the last five-and-a-half or six days of his life. We have asked for him to come in and speak with us and he has agreed to do so,” New York State Police Commander John Tibbits told reporters on Wednesday. “He is telling us that he really doesn’t have a clear picture of what has happened and I don’t have any reason to disbelieve him.”
Filippidis en route to Lake Placid
Filippidis was found in California still wearing his ski gear and appearing “dazed and confused,” according to the president of the Toronto Professional Firefighters’ Association.
Sacramento police have said that Filippidis believes he “suffered a head injury at some point” but is unsure when that may have happened.
Tibbits said that Filippidis is expected back in Lake Placid later today, at which point he will meet with investigators.
Meanwhile, New York State police are urging anyone who may have seen him in the last week to contact their office.
“At this point we want to assist Danny in getting back the last six days of his life and we ask that no one jump to any conclusions. The circumstances surrounding this case are still under investigation,” Tibbits said.
At the height of the search for Filippidis more than 140 forest rangers, state police officers, members of Homeland Security, area ski patrols and Toronto firefighters were scouring Whiteface Mountain and the surrounding area for signs of him.
Tibbits said that Filippidis will not face any charges and “will be able to go home” as soon as he speaks with investigators.
