Three theories about what happened to the missing Denver Broncos fan

It's a Mile High mystery: Paul Kitterman, a 53-year-old Denver Broncos fan, attends his first game with his son. They meet up with two friends at halftime, then Kitterman's son goes to the bathroom. When he returns, his father is missing.

Paul Kitterman, second from the left, stands next to his son and friends at the Denver Broncos game Thursday. He went missing during halftime. (Image source: KUSA-TV)

This happened Thursday night. It's now Tuesday and no one has seen or heard from Kitterman. The police are investigating, but don't seem to suspect foul play. What could have happened in this bizarre disappearance? Here are three theories:

1. He is still in the stadium — and sadly, probably not alive. This wouldn't be entirely unprecedented: Earlier this year, a man died at a concert inside a stadium in Cleveland. Cory Barron had somehow fallen down a trash chute five stories to his death. The circumstances were murky, but he was found four days after he went missing. We're on day five since Kitterman vanished. Is it possible? Yes, but would seem like an odd occurrence.

2. He left accidentally and was abducted. Kitterman was apparently traveling without a cellphone and without credit cards. He was two hours from home and didn't have his own car there. So it's certainly possible he wandered outside, was denied re-entry, and then was somehow abducted outside the stadium, in the parking lot or beyond. There would be very few means to track his movement. I think it's safe to rule out an abduction inside the stadium; how realistic could that be at a sporting event attended by 76,000 other people?

3. He has purposely disappeared. If he somehow ended up outside the game, he could have found his way to the car he came in, or even if he was so lost he couldn't reconnect with his group, he could have borrowed someone's cellphone or asked a police officer for help. We don't know much about his family situation, or any other circumstances before he attended the game. But if there was an orchestrated attempt to disappear on purpose, somehow two hours from his house, it isn't an impossible task. Again, without a cellphone (that we, or apparently his family, know of) it would be impossible to track where he may have gone.

Whatever the bizarre circumstances of the Mile High mystery may be, we'll likely be hearing a lot more about it. And for the sake of his distressed family and friends, it's important we get answers sooner than later.

If you have any information related to the case, you can contact Denver police at (720) 913-2000.