Fingerprint comparison rules out missing Vancouver man as ‘Lucky’

Amsterdam police have ruled out John Russell Kenny as the unidentified man known as Lucky after an investigation that included a fingerprint comparison with the Vancouver Police Department.

Kenny lost contact with his family in 1993 and was formally reported missing in 2018. Online investigators had suggested he could be Lucky, but Amsterdam police said Saturday the comparison definitively showed the men were not the same person.

Lucky has been in care since he was admitted to an Amsterdam hospital in 2023 following a brain hemorrhage or stroke. He had no identification and was diagnosed with aphasia, which can affect a person's ability to speak and understand spoken or written language.

Police have received more than 500 tips and are investigating at least nine more specific possible identities. VPD Const. Megan Lui said Vancouver police are not involved in those inquiries.

Investigators asked the public to keep sharing relevant information through their online tip form, while exercising restraint in posting conclusions on social media. They said photographs alone cannot establish Lucky's identity and premature claims can harm people involved.