A year after Jack vanished after a party in Bristol, his family still searches for answers. They are grappling w anxiety and doubt.
Jack was a proud Welshman. He was a normal guy with goals, and his disappearance shocks everyone who knew him. The 23-year-old vanished March 2nd after attending a party in Hotwells, Bristol, near his home in Flax Bourton.
Extensive searches found no trace of him. His family seeks answers and feels pain. Before he vanished, Jack met new friends through a law course he was taking.
They initially met at a Wetherspoons pub and stayed there a couple of hours. Later, they went to a flat in Hotwells, close to the harbor. Jack’s parents were also out in Clifton and asked if he wanted a ride home. He declined so he could stay out longer.
Catherine last messaged Jack at 1:52 am. He said she did not need to wait up and that he would take a taxi home. He left the party around 3 am. At 3:24 am, he called a friend who was still at the party.
The friend called back quickly, but the phone call disconnected right away. Jack only said hello during the quick call. CCTV last saw him at 3:40 am on Bennett Way. This is the last known sign of Jack O’Sullivan.
Catherine woke up at 5:24 am that morning and felt like something was wrong. She checked his room and saw that the light was on. He didn’t message, which was unusual because he would message if he stayed out late.
The Find My iPhone app showed his phone was active in Granby Hill, so his parents went to look for him there. Catherine knew something was wrong. She felt she had to go and search for him.
Jack’s parents went to the location found with the app. The area was maze-like and hard to navigate. They rang his phone, hoping to hear it ring out. Soon, his older brother joined them, along with his girlfriend.
After lunchtime, they reported Jack missing and searched for him until evening. The family felt dazed and confused by it all, unsure of what had happened.
Around 10 pm, the police called and shared information with them then. Catherine wanted to know via phone and didn’t want to wait. Police said CCTV showed Jack near the river and thought he fell in and drowned.
Catherine was very upset and distraught. “What do you do?” she asked about this news. She felt this was one of the worst things to hear. The police based this on theory, not facts. It was bizarre and cruel, she thought.
Catherine said the investigation took off on Tuesday, two days after Jack disappeared. As time passed, she lost faith in the police and doubts grew about what they were doing.
Police searched the area, she stated, focusing on the water theory. They put many hours into the water search, using different teams to search the water.
They drained Cumberland Basin, too. They found a wedding ring, glasses, and a boot there. They found nothing belonging to Jack when they searched. She doesn’t accept the water theory. To her, there is no concrete proof to back it up at all.
She says if they found something of his in the water, they’d consider it, but it is not as simple as just finding a random item. This is a devastating situation with few signs.
Three months after Jack vanished, she got access to CCTV; police said the CCTV was no longer useful. But she found Jack walking away from the river at 3:17am, and she also found the last sighting at 3:40am. The police had missed both of these.
They were looking at the wrong angle in the footage. He was on the screen in front of them. They focused on railings at the other end, and not even at him.
Police made assumptions based on national statistics. The statistics focused on men falling into water at night. There is still no proof he was near the water, and this remains true even a year later.
Catherine has her own theories about her son’s case. She has felt this from the start; it is her gut feeling. Jack planned to get into a taxi that night and approached a taxi, but it was seemingly booked. Could he have flagged down the wrong car? Was he in a car with someone with bad intentions?
Their private investigator heard Jack fell and “smashed his head in” at the party. This theory feels unlikely after a year. If this were true, someone would have found him by now. The family currently just does not know what to do.
They have nothing concrete to base things on ever. One minute Jack was walking around. Then, he suddenly disappeared altogether. She thinks he got into some vehicle, and could have driven away with his belongings on him.
His family describes Jack as quiet and reserved, but cheeky. He loves sports very much. He’s a big fan of Man United, and is also an avid Welsh rugby fan.
Though born in England, he is very passionate about his Welsh roots. He wrote on his CV, stating he was a “proud Welshman”. His family have not given up hope of a positive outcome.
Catherine still hopes Jack is out there somewhere. But that hope has been tested significantly. Nine months after Jack’s disappearance, a body was found in Swansea, and it ended up being an incredibly difficult moment.
On January 4th, Police informed the family that it was “very likely” Jack. It was a devastatingly difficult thing to face. They waited six days to find out the truth.
For those six days, they didn’t leave the house, and they did not tell anyone they knew. They did not have answers to what they were experiencing, placing them in the middle of so much uncertainty.
The person found was shorter and older than Jack. Catherine felt relieved it wasn’t him. Some asked if it would be better if it was Jack, to see if she wanted closure. She directly said no.
They are all stressed by this situation, and she is experiencing post-traumatic stress. She said it has all seemingly been without a reason. A possible explanation or understanding is truly wanted.
There have been very few developments. Catherine said the Find Jack Facebook group paused. It had over 90,000 followers, but things have gone stagnant. She wanted the group to be a communication channel.
The Facebook page gave comfort to people. They got many good and bad messages during it. The facebook page aimed to raise awareness for a long time. Jack’s story was spread nationwide with purpose. But nothing was moving forward. Catherine is now grappling with her anxiety as this anniversary arrives.
Nothing is planned to mark the tragic day. Every day feels the same for Catherine. She follows the same routine repeatedly. She checks emails for any new information, then she asks the same questions and reviews the same theories in her head. She tries to make sense of something senseless.
This situation consumes their lives fully. It’s like they’re stuck in a nightmare. They can’t escape the nightmare they now live. They don’t understand why they are in it, because they don’t understand the explanation.
People want to protest outside the station. They want to hold vigils on March 2nd, they share. The family doesn’t want any of that right now. They simply want to find Jack as quickly as possible.
There’s a worry that awareness will fade away. Jack is a completely normal person, it is stated. He’s never been in trouble with anyone. He has no bad history or rogue background. People may ignore him for that fact alone.
The boy in Tenerife, Jay Slater, went missing. This happened months after Jack went missing. People asked if she felt bitter. She would not mind this getting less attention, but she said no, it doesn’t bother her. They also need any answers that they can get.
Catherine and her family hope to find Jack. They ask anyone with information to email them. The email is findjack23@gmail.com. There’s a £20,000 reward for key information.
If anyone knows anything from that night, reach out. If you’re aware of a situation, send it to the email. The family do not take the investigation into their own hands. Any significant sightings will go to the police. The police think these sightings are not possible currently. She just wants some resolution to this whole tragedy.
Police shared an official statement for the investigation. They have taken an open and transparent approach. They used an evidence-led approach for the whole situation, and the overall shared aim has been to find him.
All lines of enquiry have been pursued equally. Police conducted extensive searches of land and water. Police followed up on sightings from the public. Police reviewed CCTV footage from multiple sources. Police contacted drivers and taxi companies in that area. They thoroughly checked all digital data they could easily find.
The last confirmed sighting of Jack happened at 3:13am on March 2nd. CCTV showed him walking through the car park at that time. He walked onto the green area, below Plimsol Swing Bridge. This is Jack, the police confirmed.
Police found two later sightings of someone. They believed this person to likely be Jack, but the footage was very grainy and not as clear. Distinguishing clothing and features was difficult and hard.
Due to the timing, the location, and their family’s views, it most likely was him. The last sighting was at 3:38 am on Bennett Way. This was near Cumberland Basin, a location from earlier in the day.
Police have contacted Jack’s family regularly. They have done so in person, online, over the phone. They provided regular updates on the investigation, and also provided scheduled next steps planned ahead.
On January 4th, they contacted Jack’s family. They said a body was located in Wales. Detectives worked with South Wales Police. They wanted to fast-track the DNA process. They sought to identify who it could potentially be.
Police contacted the family on multiple occasions during that time, providing as many updates as they possibly could. They confirmed the remains were not Jack’s. The process allowed them to rule out any more concerns.
On the anniversary of Jack’s disappearance, police urge the public to look back. What were you doing a year ago at the time of all of this? Do you remember any detail from recent memory? This could be a key piece of potential evidence. It was a very cold day with snow, and Cardiff beat Bristol 1-0 in football that day.
Report the information to the police through the necessary channels. If you have information or footage, come forward. Call 101 and quote reference 5224055172.