Jack O’Sullivan missing – latest: Investigators probe data spike on Bristol student’s phone after disappearance
The search continues for Jack O’Sullivan who went missing after a night out in Bristol four months ago
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The mother of a missing Bristol student last seen after a night out says a specialist company is investigating data usage on her son’s phone after he disappeared.
It’s now been more than four months since Jack, who was 22 at the time, was seen walking home from a party in the Hotwells area of the city on 2 March, at 3.13am.
According to Avon and Somerset Police, he attempted to call a friend after the last confirmed sighting - but when the friend called back, Jack answered before the call was cut off.
Detectives also told Jack’s family that his phone had data usage equivalent to a nine-minute video between 4.39am and when the device was last active on a network at 6.44am,
Mother Catherine O’Sullivan said a replacement SIM had been created and now sent off to a cyber specialist company in Manchester to analyse usage in the hope it’ll offer clues on his disappearance.
Money for the work is partially being paid from a GoFundMe page that has raised almost £30,000, with £20,000 of it already going toward a reward for information on where Jack went.
The public is urged to contact the family’s campaign with any information on findjack23@gmail.com, or police on 101 or 999 quoting reference 5224055172.
Frustrated at authorities a mother turns detective
Catherine O’Sullivan said she would never give up the fight to find out what happened to his son.
She told The Independent: “Jack is a very determined, strong young man. He loves getting to the bottom of everything. If it was his brother who went missing he would be moving heaven and earth to do the same. So we owe this to Jack, as hard as it is.
“There are days where I can barely put one foot in front of the other but what do we do? It is down to us. It does feel very much just down to us.”
Police seeking guidance from oceanographer in hunt for Jack O’Sullivan
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said: “We’re continuing to seek further guidance and support from national experts, including an oceanographer, and we’ll be following any advice they offer.
“Sadly, despite the efforts carried out to date, we’ve been unable to find Jack. We fully recognise the distress and anguish this has had on Jack’s family and our thoughts remain very much with them.
“We’re determined to do all that we possibly can to find the answers they so desperately need. We’ll continue to keep them updated on any progress in our investigation.”
‘Why isn’t Jack as important as anyone else?’
Family and friends are attempting to keep Mr O’Sullivan’s story in the public eye by launching their own website, fundraising, and changing their Facebook profile pictures to his missing poster.
But as the days turn into long sleepless nights, his mother Catherine O’Sullivan told The Independent: “You just wonder what you have to do to keep Jack’s name out there. I just feel why isn’t Jack as important as anyone else?”
When asked about missing Mr Slater, she said: “I feel desperately sorry for any family going through what we have. I haven’t followed Jay Slater’s case, but I’ve seen the headlines.”
Jack’s brother keeps visiting spot he was last seen
Jack hasn’t been seen since 2 March, when he was pictured walking across a grassy area near Brunel Lock Way in Hotwells Bristol.
His older brother Ben’s trying to imagine what Jack might have been doing and where he might have gone after leaving a party.
“We know he went to a pub in town and then went on with a few friends to house party in Hotwells,” Ben, 27, told the BBC.
“There’s been a lot of unanswered questions since then.
“But going down there has provided us a way of trying to get to the bottom of everything.
“So this has become a daily routine almost.”
Jack’s mother criticises police after she found another sighting of missing son
Catherine O’Sullivan said it was only when she received more CCTV from the council that she reviewed it and spotted her son in a different section at a later time than Avon and Somerset Police had told her.
Ms O’Sullivan said: “They just completely and utterly missed him. They didn’t find him on the footage for 12 weeks.
“I’ve been contacted by families all over the country in a similar situation - they say it’s a mirror of ours. They say there’s a golden 48 hours of securing evidence that you need to gather.”
Timeline of Jack’s last movements
01:00 AM: Mr O’Sullivan messaged his parents with plans to get a taxi.
03:17 AM: Last confirmed sighting of Mr O’Sullivan on CCTV walking onto the grass area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way
03:24 AM: Mr O’Sullivan attempted to call a friend who was still at the party.
03:25 AM: Likely sighting of Mr O’Sullivan on the Plimsoll Bridge heading towards Bristol city centre.
03:30 AM: Friend called back but the call was disconnected after Mr O’Sullivan said “hello.”
03:39 AM: Mr O’Sullivan seen walking along Bennett Way.
03:40 AM: Mr O’Sullivan seen on CCTV walking up Bennett Way slip road heading towards Hotwells.
05:00 AM: Mr O’Sullivan’s parents noticed he wasn’t home.
05:40 AM: Mr O’Sullivan’s phone placed him at an address in the Granby Hill area.
06:44 AM: Mr O’Sullivan’s phone remained active on the network until this time.
Jay Slater’s headlines brought everything back to missing Jack O’Sullivan’s mother
Jack O’Sullivan, 23, has been missing from the Hotwells area of Bristol since March.
His mother Catherine, said she empathised with Jay Slater‘s mother Debbie, who yesterday said words could not describe “the pain and agony” she was feeling.
“My heart goes out to anybody in this situation, it’s unimaginable,” Mrs O’Sullivan told Sky.
“From a mother’s perspective, that poor lady in Tenerife, she must be in hell because I know I am.”
Last messages sent to mother
Jack’s mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, has revealed the last message her son sent her before he went missing more than four months ago.
Jack had been at a house party with friends in Bristol when he left in the early hours of 2 March.
CCTV showed the student, then aged 22, at three locations nearby, but despite a major search operation and a police investigation, it’s still not known where the Manchester United supporter went.
Catherine said: “I messaged because he was at a party with people he only recently knew, and he replied to say he was okay. At 1.52am, he messaged to say he was leaving shortly to go home, he said he was going to get an Uber.”
But after the hours passed at the family home in Flax Bourton, a village around six miles from Bristol, Ms O’Sullivan was anxious when she woke up and he wasn’t there.
She said: “I woke up at 5.20am and called several times and it rang for four or five tones before going to voicemail. The phone was still on.
“I sent him a WhatsApp at 5.30am, asking “where are you?”. It delivered at 5.40am, but I heard nothing back. We then know his phone stopped working on the network at 6.44am.”
She added: “It gets harder everyday not knowing what’s happened, we all just want Jack to come home, we’re desperate.”
Latest statement from Avon and Somerset Police
The police have come under criticism from the family of Jack over its handling of the investigation, and a formal complaint has been lodged.
Here is the latest statement: “Detectives have carried out an extensive investigation since Jack O’Sullivan went missing. He was last seen in the Cumberland Basin area of the city in the early hours of Saturday 2 March after leaving a house party in nearby Hotwells.
"This investigation has included reviewing and re-reviewing more than 100 hours of CCTV footage, carrying out expert-led searches by land and water involving multiple teams, including the dog unit, drone unit and specialist dive team, proactively seeking and acting on advice from national policing specialists, and issuing multiple appeals to the public and media for information.
“We’re continuing to seek further guidance and support from national experts, including an oceanographer, and we’ll be following any advice they offer.
"Sadly, despite the efforts carried out to date, we’ve been unable to find Jack. We fully recognise the distress and anguish this has had on Jack’s family and our thoughts remain very much with them.
"We’d like to reiterate our appeal to anyone who was travelling in or walking around Cumberland Basin on Saturday 2 March, anytime between 2.30am and 5.30am, to contact us on 101 if you haven’t already spoken with the police and give the reference number 5224055172."
GoFundMe fundraiser in Jack’s name nearly at £30,000
Just a month ago a GoFundMe page was launched to raise money for a reward for information on Jack O’Sullivan’s disappearance.
It now stands at £29,586.
A total of £20,000 will go toward the reward, but the surplus will go toward search efforts, said a famiyl friend on platform.
They added: “There has been a remarkable response from friends, family and many others such that the target of £20,000 has been exceeded... words can not express how much this means.
“For many people we are hearing that they want to be able to support and help and money is the only way they can practically do that. As a result we feel it is appropriate to keep the fundraising open... but the use of it will now change.
“Any money subsequently donated will now be used to help publicise the reward and contribute to any costs associated in the search for Jack.”
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