Family of missing Bristol student Jack O’Sullivan still searching after ‘year from hell’

The mother of missing Bristol student Jack O’Sullivan said she desperately hopes 2025 brings information on what happened to her son who went missing last March.

Extensive search efforts were carried out, including the creation of a “Find Jack” Facebook page, where one member has claimed to know where Jack is.

Catherine O’Sullivan, Jack’s mother, says she craves closure after a “year from hell” and is desperate to find out what happened to her son.

via SWNS

Jack, a 23-year-old student, vanished without a trace after being last seen at 3.15 am on Saturday, March 2nd in the area of Brunel Lock Road/Brunel Way after a house party in Bristol. Multiple searches and a high-profile campaign have failed to produce a single lead, with Catherine saying they are “no closer” to finding out what happened to him since the day he disappeared.

Find Jack is a Facebook group of 88,000 members that is run by Jack’s friends and family. Catherine says a member of the Facebook group knows where he is. Writing in response to a post, mum Catherine says she has been repeatedly told that one of the group knows what happened to him.

”I get continual messages telling me the person who has the answers as to what has happened to Jack and where he is, is in this group. If that is true please come forward and let someone know. You can share this information anonymously if you prefer.”

She expressed disdain towards an alternative Facebook group called Finding Jack.

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“There has been an alternative Facebook group set up called Finding Jack – discussions and theories, which is pretty harsh and grim. People feel the need to express opinions. I know I don’t need to look at that but sadly I do.

“People contact me and ask for justification and challenge us on decisions. People forget I’m Jack’s mum. We have had ransom demands and trolls but you quickly realise they have no substance. But it is hard to ignore people saying ‘I’ve got your son, I know where he is.'”

She added: “We are a desperate family and we just need answers.

via SWNS

“Please help us! The bottom line is ‘Someone knows’ what has happened to Jack. We ask please just come forward with information that could help us.

“We are desperate and we are in the hands of the public for support. Stop for a minute and think- this is a family in the worst pain imaginable. Please do anything that you can to help. Any information you have is greatly appreciated. Thank you.”

Aside from these comments about false claims on Facebook groups, Catherine also expresses that the police have been unresponsive in the case.

Since March, countless searches and a high-profile campaign has failed to produce a single lead, bringing the family no closer to an answer on his disappearance.

She said she will continue spending “all day every day” hunting for Jack in the new year.

Catherine has criticised police attempts, saying “The police don’t tell us much at all – all other experts find it really strange. There are no leads and it is as we were on 2nd March. Such little information, nothing found, no possessions discovered. We’ve had numerous reported sightings – but nothing has led to anything.”

The leading theory is that Jack drowned in the River Severn, Catherine argues otherwise, saying, “We don’t have any evidence to suggest anything. But all the experts we’ve spoken to said if Jack was in the water we should have discovered him a long time ago.”

However, Avon and Somerset Police say that since Jack’s disappearance, over 20 different teams and departments have been involved in the investigation. A spokesperson 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.

Catherine recently won a battle with the company EE in November to access data about her son’s missing phone. This prompted a new search programme involving metal detectorists looking for his phone and other clues, which will continue in the New Year when they can.

People can report anonymously at [email protected] or contact the Missing People charity which will pass information on to the police.

A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police 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.”

All images via SWNS