An unidentified man who’s been in an Amsterdam care home for three years may be John Kenny, who went missing from Vancouver 33 years ago
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In May 2023, an unknown man suffered a stroke and collapsed on the streets of Amsterdam. It left him in hospital with severe aphasia — reportedly unable to speak beyond the words “nonsense” and “definitely.”
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He had no ID, no bank or credit cards, leaving hospital staff and police with few avenues to identify him, let alone find his home address. For more than three years, the man’s identity has remained a mystery as he languished in a bed at a long-term care home outside Amsterdam.
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The only clues: His accent, which sounded Canadian or American. He was known in the local Buddhist community which he frequented only as “Lucky.” At a nearby market, or local restaurants, he was known by several other names: Louis, Lee, Ponytail, Sonny, Chris the Canadian, and John.
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Dutch police resorted to posting a video on social media earlier this week, and soon the viral post had people commenting on his stunning resemblance to a Vancouver man missing since 1993.
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John Russell Kenny was 34 when he was reported missing by his family after disappearing from Vancouver. The Vancouver Police Department missing person cold file said he “suffered from mental health issues and was transient in nature.” He would be 67 today.
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Anton van Straten, who posted side-by-side videos of Kenny and “Lucky” side-by-side told Dutch media that he was struck by the resemblance.
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Sunrise
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“The missing persons department of the Vancouver police just contacted me,” Van Straten he told the website RTL news. “They are taking my tip very seriously and have since contacted the police in Amsterdam to investigate the possible match further.”
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The VPD issued a statement on Wednesday, saying: “The Vancouver Police missing person unit is actively collaborating with Netherlands police and Interpol to determine whether John Russell Kenny and the individual known as ‘Lucky’ in the Netherlands are the same person. The investigation remains ongoing, and if a positive identification is made, we will provide an update as soon as appropriate.”
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It isn’t clear if DNA tests against those in the missing persons network have been conducted, or if Kenny’s relatives had contributed their own as a baseline.
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