‘No chance whatsoever’ missing Bristol student fell into river

Jack O’Sullivan was last seen leaving a party in Hotwells in the early hours of 2 March 2024.

The 22-year-old was studying a law conversion course in Bristol and living at home with his family.

Former deputy harbourmaster Mike Ferguson, speaking about the case for the first time, has told the family of missing Bristol student that it is impossible that Jack could have entered the river and not been found.

When asked about the likelihood that Jack entered the water on 2 March, Ferguson said: ‘If I’m being honest, no, none whatsoever.’

Ferguson served as deputy harbourmaster for eight years, during which he was responsible for the search and recovery of bodies in Bristol’s waterways.

He said any bodies washed around the Avon tend to become caught at ‘seven well-known points between Avonmouth and Hanham’.

He added: ‘I think every body that we’ve ever found that hasn’t been floating or hasn’t been under the water has been found in one of these catchment points’.

Avon and Somerset Police detectives say they have reviewed all third-party submissions of evidence and ‘fed this into our inquiries’.

Following Jack’s disappearance, it was assumed by police that he fell into the water, walking along Bennett Way slip road.

CCTV captured Jack unsuccessfully attempting to hail a taxi, with police reporting his last likely sighting at 03.38 am GMT.

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Jack’s mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, said: ‘The narrative was set very early on by the police, in our opinion.

‘The attention has always [been based] around the harbour… But when you have a piece of information that categorically tells you that’s not possible, then that’s really important for people to understand’.

She said Ferguson’s report had given the family a renewed focus.

She added: ‘We do our best, because anything else, for us, we’d be giving up on Jack and we’re not prepared to do that’.