THE mum of missing Jack O’Sullivan says she’s convinced cops are wrong and he isn’t in the water – and claims new CCTV backs her view.
Catherine O’Sullivan says she clings onto belief the 23-year-old is alive as she “hasn’t been shown any evidence” to prove he isn’t – and feels police have been focusing on the wrong areas.
Catherine says she has now lost total confidence in the police and been forced to take matters into her own hands
Jack vanished without trace after being last seen at 3.15am on Saturday March 2 in Bristol
Catherine claimed the police have been fixated on the idea that Jack had fallen into the water on the way home from a party
Catherine said the family had already used a specialist dog search team
Jack vanished without trace after being last seen at 3.15am on Saturday March 2 in the area of Brunel Lock Road/Brunel Way, in Bristol.
Catherine, 52, of Flax Bourton, Somerset, claimed police had been “fixated” on a theory that Jack had fallen into the water on the way home from a party.
But she said there has been no evidence to suggest this – and divers have found an array of items including football boots and a wedding ring – but not a single trace of her son.
And she says she has now lost total confidence in the police and been forced to take matters into her own hands – employing the services of a specialist dog team..
She said: “If he had gone into the water, people with experience have told us ‘you should have found him by now.’ Or found something at least – some evidence he was in the water. However there has been nothing.
“You can see from the CCTV it is not possible he fell into the floating harbour. The footage is quite good. Beyond where he was seen there is a lock but the harbour master has told us if he had fallen in there, they would have found something.
“They don’t have anything and police divers have been in on many occasions. They have found a wedding ring, glasses, football boots so it feels like they have worked through it in good detail – but they’ve found nothing that belongs to Jack.
“The police seem to have based all searching on looking where his phone was last used. It does not mean to say he was with his phone.
“There is a huge suggestion he was not with his phone – and they have got to look everywhere.”
“We feel the police have not put any effort into anything that was not around their water theory. We firmly believe any opportunity to search should have been done.
“Recently a carrier bag was found floating in the water so a team was sent to check it out.
“Anything on land seems to be a lot harder and has to be ‘put for consideration.’”
Catherine said she spends every waking moment hunting for Jack and has come up with her “most likely theory” of what has happened.
She added: “My theory, although I must stress there isn’t any firm evidence to substantiate, is that he got into a car, knowing or unknowingly. A taxi, or maybe a car he thought was a taxi, has taken him out of the immediate centre – and dropped him somewhere.
“It is really hard for me – this is the only thing I do. Every minute of the day when I am awake I am looking for Jack, trying to make sense of it all and keep the momentum going.
“I am not prepared to accept Jack is not here until someone gives me evidence of where he is.
“I know that might sounds crazy but the facts are not here. Where is he?
“Until I get some further information – for me Jack is somewhere and I just have to keep looking.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Catherine said they had lost trust in the police when they realised vital CCTV clues had been missed and not followed up.
She added: “At the very start we had no idea what we were dealing with or what to expect and were in the police’s hands. We would hang on every word they told us and listened to every bit of information.
“We had no reason to doubt or mistrust anything. It was only as we were progressing and kept asking questions – it started to dawn on us this does not make sense.
“I wanted to see CCTV footage and was given some to review myself at home. I found Jack walking along the top of a bridge that had been completely missed by the police.
“Everything changed from that point onwards. The police seemed to close ranks and communication changed.
“For us the fact it was missed was a huge mistake and so detrimental. It was over three months and the search lost such vital signs and opportunities to secure more CCTV.
“It was then I started to doubt what I had been told. I hoped it raising it would see police increase efforts but it had the opposite effect. Things moved to email correspondence only and it really felt like they were closing ranks.”
Catherine has since made a formal complaint to the IPCC which remains ongoing.
Catherine said the support from the community had been “overwhelming”
Avon and Somerset Police say more than 20 different teams and departments have been involved in the investigation
Divers found an array of items from the river but no trace of Jack
She added: “We wanted help but that was not what we got when we needed it most.”
Despite the occasional troll, including one individual she has reported to police for demanding money in exchange for information, Catherine said the support from the community had been “overwhelming.”
She added: “The support has been unbelievable -people are contacting me personally and on the Facebook group daily.
“It is overwhelming how generous people can be and that is so supportive. People have been offering to put together huge search teams.
“It is hard to get the balance doing things safely – we are not trying to aggravate the police. But we also really need to do our searches and do anything we can get the message out.
“I felt really strongly we should spread the message further than just Bristol.
“We lost so much time and he could easily be further afield.”
Catherine said the family had already used a specialist dog search team they were waiting for more searches to be done as they retrace the spot where Jack was last seen to his family home six miles away. This included a search after an ‘area of interest’ was discovered on the A370.
She added: “We are in the hands of the search team when they can come next.
“We are also still trying to pursue phone data so we can see ourselves. After the mess with the CCTV we can not leave anything to chance and want to make sure everything is looked at properly.
“We are having to get a court order to get our hands on it and it is taking a while.
“We will just keep going and look into every possible sighting. We know police aren’t taking a lot of them seriously so we have to follow up ourselves.
“If there is anything significant our first port is to ring the police, but we just don’t feel assured they would respond the way we want them to.
“I hope they are still taking it with the seriousness it deserves but we have doubts.”
Avon and Somerset Police say that since Jack’s disappearance, more than 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.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “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.”
The force said a dedicated officer is in regular contact with the family but said “in investigations of this nature, there tends to be periods which are more dynamic and fast-paced and others which are longer-running.”
A spokesperson added: “Where the investigation has progressed and activity becomes more prolonged, or there are fewer updates to give, the communication flow will not be to the same extent. However, whenever there are any significant updates, we will always make direct contact with them.”
In response to the rejection of the family’s request for phone data, ACC Joanne Hall added: “We have taken time to carefully consider the data request to see if there was any way we could agree to it in order for Jack’s family to get the answers they deserve following his disappearance.
“However, on this occasion, we are restricted by law and have been unable to identify a clear legal basis which would allow for the disclosure to take place.”
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