In a bizarre case of wilderness survival, a man who went missing 17 years ago may have been found alive in Pirin National Park, located about 70 miles south of Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia.

Per Turkiye Today, authorities report that the man who was found in the national park is presumably a Bulgarian man described as a ‘state and internationally wanted individual’ in 2008, later declared deceased in 2013 after he was still missing and search efforts were exhausted. A development in the case, however, came near the end of October 2025, when park rangers spotted a tent that had been set up in a remote area of Pirin Natinoal Park outside of designated camping zones.

When confronted, the man reportedly reacted with aggression and police were called to the scene, ultimately revealing that he did not have an identification card. Once the man’s identity is officially confirmed, he will likely face fines for unauthorized camping activities.

What resulted in the man who the person is believed to be being defined as ‘wanted’ was not addressed, and may have simply been due to his status as a missing person. A report from Turkiye Today did not address any sort of potential crimes aside from unauthorized camping.

“This case demonstrates the challenges of monitoring remote areas of the park and the determination of individuals who choose to live in seclusion,” park director Rosen Banenski told BNT.

Pirin National Park is known for its remote and rugged glacial terrain. It spans about 155.8 square miles, which makes it about 37 percent the size of Rocky Mountain National Park. That said, it’s far less trafficked – a reported 1.06 million people visited Pirin National Park in 2018 compared to Rocky Mountain National Park’s visitation of 4.6 million visitors that year.

Authorities did not address how the man was able to survive undetected in the park for so long, but it has been reported that an investigation will look into that.

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