Mum of missing student Jack O’Sullivan, 23, desperate for answers a YEAR since he vanished in ‘complete mystery’
THE mum of missing student Jack O’Sullivan is desperate for answers a year since he vanished in a “complete mystery”.
The 23-year-old disappeared on March 2 last year after attending a house in Bristol with some pals.
The last known activity on his mobile phone was 6.44am – and his bank account has not been accessed since.
Jack messaged his mum Catherine at 1.52am the day he went missing to confirm he was safe and was planning to get a taxi home.
The student lived at home with his mum and dad Alan in Flax Bourton, around 10 miles outside the city.
He left the party an hour after sending the text but failed to say goodbye to his friend who was having a smoke outside.
He was later seen on CCTV walking near The Cumberland Basin, a stretch of water near Bristol Harbour.
Catherine told The Mirror: “Every day is hell,” says Catherine. “We have no evidence to suggest Jack is no longer with us and no information to say where he is.
“I’m stuck on March 2 2024. It’s hard to explain how we are feeling. The world stops – and it only gets more painful, not less.”
Jack had moved back to Bristol after studying history at Exeter University and was looking forward to starting a law placement.
Catherine had messaged her son to ask if he needed a lift home from the party when he assured her he’d get a taxi.
She alerted the police when he didn’t appear back at the house.
Cops focused their searches around the Basin and informed Jack’s family, which also includes older brother Ben, 28, he likely fell into the water.
However, without a body, they cannot accept he has died.
“I’m convinced he never fell into the water because the police never found anything,” said Catherine.
She has previously told how she has lost confidence in the police and believes they “fixated” on a theory that Jack fell in a river.
She has also claimed officers missed vital CCTV clues – including a sighting of Jack.
Catherine has hired a team of private detectives who unearthed more CCTV footage appearing to show Jack walking away from the water and back towards the city centre at 3.38am.
She believes “someone knows something” and said she is convinced her son got into a car as he tried to flag down a taxi.
Catherine has also been battling with police to get her son’s phone records released.
As reported in October last year, operator EE has now been in touch with the family and it is hoped a breakthrough could be reached soon.
A family statement said: “We are confident that EE are treating this with both the respect and urgency that we need and while we don’t have an outcome yet, they are doing all the right things.”
His phone pinged at an address in the Granby Hill area at 5.40am and remained active for a further hour and four minutes.
Catherine had originally gone to Avon and somerset Police to request the information but was turned down due to data protection laws.
Officers also said the information had not taken the investigation any further in terms of being able to locate Jack.
The family then took their fight to EE as they believe police could have missed something.
Last month, a body washed up on a South Wales beach but DNA testing confirmed it wasn’t Jack.
Jack's final movements before vanishing
These were Jack O’Sullivan’s movements on the night of March 1-2.
- 6pm – Jack leaves his flat in the village of Flax Bourton to meet his friends.
- 8.20pm – Jack travels by bus to a Wetherspoons in Bristol city centre.
- 10.45pm – Jack texts Catherine saying he has gone to a house party in Hotwells and his keys are safe.
- 1.52am – Jack texts Catherine saying he is fine and will get a cab home.
- Just before 3am – Jack leaves the house party.
- 3.13am – last confirmed sighting of Jack walking onto a grassy area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way.
- 3.24am – Jack tries to call a friend who was still at the party.
- 3.25am – possible sighting of Jack heading towards Bristol city centre.
- 3.34am – Jack’s friend tries to call him back but he only says ‘Hello’ before breaking up.
- 3.38am – Footage shows a person who could be Jack walking along the Bennett Way slip road
- 6.44am – Jack’s phone still active on Find My Friends