Episode 153: Mike Mansholt - The Final Solo Ride

Episode 153: Mike Mansholt - The Final Solo Ride

From The Dark Oak by Just Us Gals Productions

May 13, 2026 · 1h 13m · Episode 161

About this episode

The episode discusses the mysterious case of Mike Mansholt, a young adventurer who disappeared in Malta during his solo trip.

Seventeen-year-old German adventurer Mike Mansholt arrived in Malta in July 2016 for his first solo trip. After a week with his girlfriend, he stayed on alone, rented a mountain bike in Sliema on 18 July, sent a cheerful voice message home, and pedalled off to explore. He was never seen alive again. Days later searchers found his body lying peacefully in a small, sheltered rock hollow thirty metres below the Dingli Cliffs, with his bike and shoes nearby but his backpack, phone, and GoPro missing. When the sealed zinc coffin reached Germany, the remains weighed only sixteen kilograms and showed no signs of embalming. A second autopsy revealed nearly all internal organs were gone. Maltese officials called it an accidental fall with the organs lost to animals and heat; German investigators found the explanation implausible, ruled out a high-impact fall, and could not exclude third-party involvement. Ten years on, the backpack, GoPro, and organs have never been recovered, and the case remains open with conflicting accounts between the two countries. Branch of Hope: Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation is a UK-registered charity founded in 2002 by the family of Caroline Ann Stuttle, a young…

Topics covered

  • true crime
  • missing person
  • adventure
  • international investigation
  • travel safety

Keywords

  • Mike Mansholt
  • missing person
  • Malta
  • Dingli Cliffs
  • Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation
  • adventure
  • true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation

Places: Malta, Germany, Dingli Cliffs

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