Police suspect foul play in German teen’s death at Dingli cliffs

The police are suspecting foul play in the death of a German teenager, whose body was found at the foot of Dingli cliffs last July.

Mike Mansholt, 17, was found dead on 26 July at the foot of Dingli cliffs, with an autopsy ruling that he had been dead for around a week. He had been reported missing a few days earlier after missing his flight back home to Germany.

However, the Times of Malta reported today that Mansholt’s body did not suffer any fractures, all but ruling out the possibility that he had fallen off the cliffs. Also, a bicycle he had rented that was found a few metres away from his body did not sustain any damage “compatible with a fall from a height”.

The police are reportedly not yet treating the case as a homicide, instead suspecting that Mansholt had been exploring the cliff edge with his bicycle, when he fell down, survived, but lacked the energy to climb back up.

Mike Mansholt was described as an avid traveller, who had travelled to Malta on holiday with the express aim of partaking in extensive outdoor activities. He was last seen leaving the Sliema hotel he was staying at, wearing a backpack and riding his bicycle. However, police are scratching their heads as to the whereabouts of his backpacks – that, according to his relatives, contained his mobile phone and camera. Investigators suspect that Mansholt had left the bag somewhere before he died, and that it was stolen either before or after his demise.