Tourist's Selfies Help Solve His Odd Disappearance

Polish paddleboarder who went missing on Lake Tahoe turns up in Missouri
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 19, 2015 10:17 AM CDT
Tourist's Selfies Help Solve His Mysterious Disappearance
No worries: Zbigniew Moryn is safe and sound.   (South Lake Tahoe Police Department, via the San Francisco Chronicle)

In what the Nevada Appeal calls "a good example of the public working in partnership with local law enforcement for the best of all possible outcomes," a paddleboarder who went missing on Lake Tahoe has turned up safe and sound—in Missouri. South Lake Tahoe Police say his name is Zbigniew "Zibi" Moryn, he's from Poland, and he had no idea that the whole country was looking for him since he fell off his paddleboard last Wednesday, leaving his life jacket, selfie stick, and GoPro camera behind, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

So what the heck happened? A police statement explains that a "personal water craft" got close to Moryn on the paddleboard and caused a "significant wake," which, "combined with strong winds," pushed him off the board. He then decided to swim to shore rather than try to follow the board and go about his travels, the statement adds. Thanks to selfies on the camera, social media posts, and public tips, officials were able to track down his American travel companion in Arizona, who filled them in on Moryn's whereabouts. (A woman got on a selfie kick after her mom died.)

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