On July 18, 2016, 17-year-old Mike Mansholt walked into a bike rental shop in Malta with plans for his first real solo adventure. He wanted to explore the island by bicycle, visit its ancient catacombs and ride along its scenic western cliffs.
Before leaving, Mike sent his father a voice message. He said he was heading out on his bike and would send pictures during the day.
Those pictures never came.
Mike was later found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Authorities officially ruled his death an accident caused by a fall. But several details surrounding the case left his father, Baron Manshold, convinced that the official explanation was incomplete.
Mike’s backpack was missing. His rental bicycle appeared undamaged. Grass near the place where his body was reportedly found appeared to have been recently cut. And years later, a second autopsy in Germany raised an even more disturbing question about what happened to Mike’s body.
Here’s what is known from the account of Mike’s disappearance and death.
Mike Mansholt’s Trip to Malta
Mike was a 17-year-old from a small town in Germany. He had traveled to Malta about 10 days before his disappearance to visit his girlfriend, who was studying abroad.
The trip had gone well. Mike spent time with his girlfriend, but he also wanted to do something on his own before returning home.
He had traveled to different places with his father before. But this was different. It was going to be his first major solo adventure.
Mike checked into a hotel near the harbor and planned to spend the remaining days exploring Malta by himself.
The Bike Ride That Changed Everything
On the morning of July 18, Mike went to a bike rental shop near the harbor.
He saw rows of mountain bikes and decided to rent one for the day. His plan was to cycle across the island and visit some of the historic sites and countryside.
While the clerk prepared the bike, Mike took a map from the counter.
He began marking places he wanted to visit.
The first stop he chose was the catacombs in the center of Malta. From there, he planned to travel toward the western side of the island, where he wanted to see the cliffs and explore further.
After paying for the bicycle and map, Mike walked outside.
Before starting his ride, he removed his backpack and checked that he had everything he needed. He then put the backpack back on.
He also took out his phone and sent his father a voice message.
Mike told his father that he was about to begin his solo adventure and would send pictures throughout the day.
Then he put his phone away and started cycling.
That was the last known communication from him.
Mike Stops Responding
That evening, Mike’s father, Baron Manshold, was in Croatia on his own vacation.
He expected to receive photographs and updates from his son.
But nothing came.
Mike also did not answer his phone.
At first, Baron tried not to worry. Mike was traveling alone and could simply have been busy exploring. But the lack of communication was unusual.
Baron contacted Mike’s mother in Germany. She had not heard from him either.
Mike’s girlfriend, who was still in Malta, had also not heard from him.
The situation became more serious when Mike failed to return as expected.
Mike Misses His Flight Home
On July 22, Baron learned that Mike had missed his flight back to Germany.
Mike’s mother was preparing to report him missing to the police.
Baron immediately decided to travel to Malta himself.
By then, several days had passed since Mike’s last known communication.
When Baron arrived in Malta, he learned that local police had already begun searching for Mike. According to the account, staff at Mike’s hotel had reported him missing before the family was contacted.
Baron found this troubling, but his priority was finding his son.
He joined the search efforts and tried to help in any way he could.
Mike’s Body Is Found
Several days later, Baron held a press conference in Malta.
He appealed to anyone who might have information about Mike’s disappearance to come forward.
After the press conference, Baron returned to his hotel.
While he was walking toward the elevator, his phone rang.
It was the local police.
The call brought devastating news.
Mike had been found dead.
A few hours later, Baron went to the local medical examiner’s office. There, he was asked to formally identify his son’s body.
According to the medical examiner, Mike had been found in a rocky crevice at the bottom of a cliff on the western side of Malta.
The initial explanation was straightforward.
Mike had been riding his bicycle, apparently went over the cliff and fell to his death.
The medical examiner estimated that Mike had been dead for about eight days.
That would place his death shortly after the last voice message he sent to his father.
But for Baron, the discovery raised more questions than answers.
The Missing Backpack
Mike had been wearing a backpack when he left the bike rental shop.
Baron remembered that his son normally carried important belongings in it, including his phone and wallet.
So after identifying his son’s body, Baron asked about the backpack.
The medical examiner told him there was no backpack.
Only Mike’s body had been found.
This immediately bothered Baron.
If Mike had fallen from the cliffs while wearing his backpack, where had it gone?
The missing backpack became one of several details that made him question the accident theory.
The Undamaged Rental Bicycle
Baron later went to the area where Mike’s body had been found.
The cliffs were more than 100 feet high.
Near the police-taped area, Baron noticed a bicycle stuck in a bush.
He assumed it was Mike’s rental bicycle.
But there was something strange about it.
The bicycle appeared to be in pristine condition.
Baron could not understand how the bicycle could have gone over a high cliff and ended up nearby without obvious damage.
If Mike had fallen from the cliff while riding the bicycle, Baron expected the bike to show signs of the fall.
Instead, it appeared undamaged.
That became another unanswered question surrounding the case.
The Recently Cut Grass
Baron also noticed something unusual near the location where Mike’s body had reportedly been found.
The grass appeared to have been recently cut.
This confused him because authorities had reportedly said Mike’s body had remained there for about a week.
Baron’s question was simple: if Mike’s body had been lying there for days, how had the grass been cut without the person mowing it discovering the body?
The missing backpack, undamaged bicycle and recently cut grass all added to Baron’s doubts.
He began to believe that the circumstances surrounding his son’s death deserved a closer examination.
A Second Autopsy in Germany
Baron arranged for Mike’s body to be returned to Germany.
A second autopsy was carried out at the University of Hanover.
The German doctor already knew the findings from the original examination. Mike had suffered fatal blunt-force trauma, which was consistent with a fall from a cliff.
At first, the doctor expected the second examination to confirm the original conclusion.
But during the examination, he reportedly discovered something unexpected.
When the doctor opened Mike’s abdominal cavity, he found that the internal organs were missing.
The discovery shocked him.
He contacted the Maltese medical examiner who had conducted the original autopsy and asked for an explanation.
According to the account, the explanation given was that rodents had eaten Mike’s organs while his body was outside.
The German doctor reportedly questioned this explanation.
The Missing Organs
The most disturbing part of the case concerns the condition of Mike’s body.
According to the transcript, the German doctor found no bite marks that would indicate rodents had removed the organs.
Instead, the doctor reportedly observed clean, precise incisions inside the body.
This led to questions about whether the organs had actually been removed after Mike’s death rather than eaten by animals.
However, the transcript does not provide a definitive explanation for who removed the organs, why they were removed or when it happened.
These details remain part of the mystery surrounding the case.
What Did the Investigation Conclude?
Despite the questions raised by Mike’s father and the second autopsy, the official conclusion remained unchanged.
Mike’s death was ruled accidental.
Authorities concluded that he died after falling from the cliff.
The case was closed.
According to the account, officials never provided a clear explanation for the missing backpack, the apparently undamaged bicycle or the recently cut grass.
The circumstances surrounding the missing internal organs also remained disputed.
Baron Manshold’s Search for Answers
Baron did not accept the conclusion that everything had been explained.
He believed there were unanswered questions surrounding his son’s death.
In 2021, he filed a criminal complaint against the medical examiner who had conducted the initial autopsy.
According to the transcript, Maltese public prosecutors rejected the complaint.
Baron has continued to believe that someone may know more about what happened to Mike.
His hope is that anyone with information will eventually come forward.
What Happened to Mike Mansholt?
Officially, Mike Mansholt died in an accidental fall from a cliff while cycling in Malta.
But several details continue to raise questions in the account of his death.
His last known message told his father that he was beginning a solo bike trip. His body was later found near the cliffs he had planned to visit.
His backpack was missing.
His rental bicycle appeared undamaged.
The grass near the reported location of his body appeared recently cut.
And a second autopsy reportedly found that his internal organs were missing, with the German doctor questioning the explanation that rodents had removed them.
None of these details, on their own, proves that Mike was murdered or that another person was involved. The transcript does not establish who was responsible for his death or what happened to his belongings.
The official ruling remains that Mike died accidentally.
For his father, however, the unanswered questions have never gone away.
Mike left the bike rental shop expecting to spend the day exploring Malta. Instead, his final journey ended with his death and a series of unanswered questions that his family has carried for years.
The full truth about what happened to Mike Mansholt remains unresolved in the account provided here.