From Amsterdam to Canada: Where efforts to identify ‘Lucky’ stand

Police in Amsterdam continue to try to identify a man found three years ago whose identity remains unknown, but has come to be referred to by authorities as “Lucky.”

Internet sleuths led police in the European city and British Columbia to investigate whether Lucky was John Russell Kenny, who went missing in 1994. Police eventually concluded the two men were exactly that: two different people.

May 10, 2023: A man collapses on a street in Amsterdam. He is taken to hospital, where it’s determined he either suffered a brain hemorrhage or a stroke. Police say he had no identification on him.

He is later determined to have aphasia, which can affect how people speak, read, write and understand what others say.

May 2023-August 2026: The Amsterdam-West detective unit takes on the case and launches an investigation to determine the man’s identity. There is no criminal element to it, but Amsterdam police say members wanted to help.

Police begin exploring various options, speaking with people in the city, but hit a dead end.

At an unannounced time, police say “Team Cold Case” takes over the investigation as detectives in Amsterdam-West must move on to pursuing criminal cases.

Two retired detectives, only identified as Ruud and Nel, volunteer with the team taking on the case as a “social investigation.”

The two detectives try to map out his social circles, speaking with people in the community about whether they know him. This leads them to a Buddhist community on Middenweg in the city. Members there tell Ruud and Nel that the man goes by the nickname Lucky.

Detectives have interacted with Lucky periodically, but said he currently only speaks a few words, mostly “definitely,” “nonsense,” and “positive,” which he uses to agree or disagree when asked questions.

But while they’ve asked him questions about himself, including verbally, by speech computers, or pointing at letters on a map, they’re not sure how much he actually understands.

Through contacting other people and making their way through the city, investigators discover Lucky would occasionally visit Soep en Zo, a restaurant in Waterlooplein or Waterloo Square, for a drink. In speaking with people there they find out he’s known as “Chris the Canadian,” due to his accent.

Despite no consensus regarding his real identity, police say the detectives believe Lucky likely does not have Dutch roots.

Some of the people who spoke with police said he might be Canadian or American due to his accent, which prompted some of the nicknames he was given.