Danny Filippidis, a middle-aged Toronto firefighter went on a trip with his colleague. They went to the Newyork upstate for skiing as they used to do every year. But this time was different. The days of vacation was about to get over and the man decided to click some pictures of the place. But unfortunately, he had left his phone inside his car and in order to fetch that, he would have to ski down the mountain. He decided to go for it. He asked his friends to wait for him in a lodge until he comes back with his phone.

The day got over but the man does not return. It was then his friends began to worry about him. They contact authorities that in return launches a massive search operation but it does not help. The man had disappeared. Finally, the authorities call the investigation off. It seems that the mystery behind his sudden disappearance would never get revealed until his wife receives a CALL from across the country.

Annual Trip

February had just begun. The town was covered with snow which made it a perfect place to ski around. Danny Filippidis used to go on skiing with his colleagues. He used to work in the Toronto Fire Services. This time too they went on an annual trip. And their trip was going to be closed and Danny a social media follower himself decided to capture some more memories to post on Facebook. It was then the man remembered he had left his cellphone in his car.

Adventurous

The 50-year-old man had undertaken many adventures in his life. Being a firefighter himself, he was used to of unannounced situations and knew how to tackle them. However, this adventurous journey that he had taken to refresh his mind was only going to create more mess, for him, his family and the authorities.

Forgotten Phone

It was too late now. The men already were halfway through the Whiteface Mountain when they realized it. But the man did not want to miss capturing these moments which he knew he was going to cherish all his life. So, he decided to ski down to his car to fetch the phone. He told his friends to wait.

Descending

His friends agreed for that as they knew that Danny is highly skilled in that. In fact, he used to do the best ski among his peer. Moreover, Danny was mature enough to make his own decision and they did not stop him. So, he skied down all alone not knowing what was awaiting him.

Vanished

His decision to ski down to collect his phone was going to turn his life upside down. The man descended the hill after saying that he would be back soon. His friends took to the resort and waited for him. The day turned into the night but the man did not come back.

Nothing About Him

Many hours went by but there was not a word from Danny. He did not even pick their calls. Where was he? Did he reach his car or not? If not, then where was he? Something was off.  They decided to reach out to the authorities. Soon authorities launched a massive ground search.

Never Reached Vehicle

The first place where authorities checked was their car. As suspected, the man was not there. Surprisingly, his phone was in the car which meant the man never reached the vehicle. They also found his boots, skis, identification, and passport but not the man.

Locals Helped

Soon, the news reached to the locals. Even they helped the authorities in the search process. Clearly, there was no trace of Danny Filipiddis. His friends and families too got involved in the investigation. But were they ever going to find Danny?

The Great Search

Whiteface Mountain does have confusing paths so losing the path is not that a big deal. And this was not the first time when the authorities were reported a missing case. But this was the first case that had baffled them completely. The Toronto firefighter had disappeared in the thin air without a clue.

Looking For Him

They went from pillar to post, searched every corner and every terrain multiple times. The locals looked for him at places not even authorities knew about. Family and friends did whatever they could. 

Heavy Snow

There was no way the man would have gone very far as the region was covered with heavy snow. Moreover, on the day of his disappearance, the place was crowded with tourists. And not a single of them saw Danny or any lost man.

Lots Of Resources

Officer said, “There were a lot of resources that New York State put into this search and they’re going to want to make sure that nothing here was done maliciously, as they should. They’ll do a comprehensive investigation.”

Something Is Off

The case seemed unsolvable. A couple of days had passed and still, there was no trace of him. Authorities began to smell foul. They suspected if the disappearance was planned. Perhaps, it was someone’s deed. They turned to his family and friends.

Enemies?

Authorities revealed their suspicion to his family and friends. They asked them if Danny had any enemies or if he had fallen into fights with anyone ever. His wife struck it down. She confirmed that the man had no enemies. He was very friendly by nature. If that was the thing than where was he?

Many People Came Together

Now the search involved the police, Homeland security agents, border officials, fellow fighters, and Danny’s wife. They drew many theories but none of them helped. Every step they took proved to be counterproductive.        

No More?

It was then the authorities alluded towards something worse. Perhaps, the man had died. Perhaps, his body lay frozen under the sheets of ice. No one had seen him nor did he try to contact. This seemed the only possibility. But even if he was dead where was his body?  Was this case going to perish into a dead alley? Not before the authorities and everyone involved finds another twist in the story.

Best Foot Forward

Five days had gone by and still, this case remained a mystery to the world. Now the authorities had even included dogs in their search. However, they too did not prove to be much of help. The authorities had never felt so helpless before. They were not even sure if they should consider the person dead or alive.

Calling It Time

Finally, the authorities called off the investigation. They had found nothing significant about him since the day they had started the investigation.

Where Was He?

His family was drowned in sorrow and grief. Despite countless efforts made by his family and friends, the man was still missing. They wondered what disastrous fate had befallen on him. Was he even breathing or not?

A Call

Six days had gone without him. The case was closed and the family and friends had returned to their respective places. His wife who was still struggling to accept the reality got a strange call from Sacramento, California. The person on the other end seemed disoriented.

Her Husband?

It was a man who called himself her husband. Surprisingly, the call came from the other side of the country. This really confused her. Initially, she felt happy but then she suspected if someone was tricking her. The biggest question was if the person was truly him, how did he end up in California?

A Nickname

The man spoke just the way her husband does. Her doubt further clarified when the man used a nickname that only he knew. So, was the person calling her from over 2,500 miles away was really her husband? She was soon going to find out.

Contacting Police

His wife immediately contacted the police and told them about the phone call. Authorities got back into the form. They traced the call and figured that it had been made from a rental-car area that was located in the Sacramento International airport.

She Recognized

Ramagnano recounted, “He had phoned (his wife) and called her by a nickname. She quickly recognized the voice and that it was him.” “Then they lost contact and he contacted her again and they kept him on the phone and asked him to call 911 to get him help as soon as possible.”

It Was Danny

Authorities did their investigation in the place and learned that the call was indeed made by Danny. Eyewitnesses told the police that the man was wearing ski costumes and had tousled hair. He looked dirty.

Medical Assistance

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department’s Sergeant Scott Swisher said, “On our end as well it left a lot of unanswered questions. It was apparent there were a lot of issues going on with the gentleman—very disoriented, obviously needing some medical assistance.”

Kidnapped

Authorities suspected if he had gotten kidnapped from the spot. Because there was no other way he got drifted to California. But the man had not mentioned anything related to kidnapping with his wife. The only way they can solve this mystery is by finding the man, at least that is what they thought.

Calling His Wife

The police finally managed to locate him. He was in his ski costume and had got a hair cut. He looked confused. He had an iPhone in his hand that he had purchased from somewhere only to call his wife. Fortunately, the man was doing fine but the question still lingered on. How did he reach California?

Why California?

Everyone wanted to know how and why did he come to California? Authorities asked him the same question but his answer put them even in more confusion. He replied that he does not remember how did he reach California and that all he could remember was that he had been “dropped off by a big rig truck” in Sacramento.

Officer Says

Hampton said, “Our officers felt that he had potentially some medical health issues, maybe did sustain some head trauma or did have a medical emergency, and they were adamant that he be transported to an area hospital,”