Mum of Jack O’Sullivan says police are ‘dismissing’ reports of sightings of her son

Catherine O’Sullivan said police have ‘made up their minds about where he is’

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The mother of missing student, Jack O’Sullivan, says that the police are “dismissing” any reported sightings of her son, claiming that “they have totally made up their minds on where Jack is.”

She affirms that the police have failed to follow up on reported sightings after he went missing on a night out earlier this year.

The 23-year-old Bristol student was last seen at 3:15 am on Saturday 13th March in the Brunel Lock Road/Brunel Way area after attending a house party in the city.

Despite the fact that Jack O’Sullivan has remained missing now for eight months, his mother stated that the family has received “no support from the authorities that should be helping” find him.

Speaking on the “Find Jack” Facebook page on Sunday 24th November, Catherine O’Sullivan posted: “It had been brought to my attention tonight that some of the reported sightings have not been followed up on

“The police have dismissed most of them as they have totally made up their minds on where Jack is.

“If Jack is found somewhere they have not considered then it’s a total disaster for them!

“As for our own email – [email protected]. If you have not had a response from me then could you please resend any information just in case it has fallen through the loop.”

She urged anyone with information to get in touch and said: “I will respond personally to any information. Many thanks for all your continued support and help. Together we will bring my boy home!”

She added: “It has been suggested many times to increase the reward so that someone comes forward.

“For me, I find it so hard that someone with information would not come forward regardless of a reward.”

Catherine emphasises that however small the information may seem, anything will be appreciated in aiding their search for her son. She is desperate for anyone with any knowledge of his disappearance to come forward saying: “I would give all the money we have for someone to tell me where Jack is!”

Avon and Somerset Police previously said this year that more than 20 different teams and departments have been involved in the investigation.

It said more than 100 hours of CCTV have been reviewed, 200 hours of searches on the river and the surrounding banks, mounted police searches from Bristol city centre to Flax Bourton, 40 land searches, and 16 drone deployments.

Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall, of Avon and Somerset Police, said then: “Our staff and officers remain committed to doing everything we can to find Jack and we do not underestimate what a distressing time this has been, and continues to be, for his family.

“Throughout our investigation, we’ve been open-minded about what happened to Jack, considering different possible outcomes and scenarios following his last sighting.

“We have sought reviews from independent agencies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA) and experts such as oceanographers and independent Police Search Advisors.

“Sadly, despite the efforts carried out to date, we have been unable to find Jack and we fully appreciate the anguish this is having on his family and our thoughts remain with them during this hugely difficult time.”

A police spokesperson said: “We remain open-minded about what happened to 23-year-old Jack O’Sullivan after he went missing on Saturday 2nd March in the Cumberland Basin area of Bristol and our investigation is continuing.

“Since Jack disappeared, we’ve received more than 130 calls in our contact centre with information, as well as receiving weekly updates from the family’s representatives.

“Each report is carefully assessed and triaged by detectives from our investigation team. They consider the information provided, the evidential value and the relevance to the investigation. Wherever necessary they follow-up the report by contacting the informant and conducting further enquiries.

“On several occasions, we’ve received a single-call report where someone who looks like Jack has been seen elsewhere in the country. Officers will use a probability scale to make a proportionate judgement about the information provided based on the information and evidence available. This allows us to focus the resources we have available on the reports which present more meaningful lines of enquiry.

“We’re always grateful for the public’s continued and ongoing support of this investigation. Our priority remains focussed on finding out what happened to Jack and giving his family the answers they desperately need.”

Featured image via SWNS

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