Search canines discover ‘space of curiosity’ in hunt for Jack O’Sullivan
The mother of missing Jack O’Sullivan has revealed private search dog teams have found an ‘area of interest’ on the route the 23-year-old could have taken home.
The university student vanished without trace after a night out in Bristol on Saturday, March 2 and was last seen at 3.15am in the area of Brunel Lock Road/Brunel Way.
After claiming the police had not done enough to hunt for her son, Jack’s mother Catherine O’Sullivan instead decided to take matters into her own hands.
She enlisted the services of a specialist dog team to retrace the areas where Jack was last seen to the four miles back to the family home.
And she said a report has been filed after three dogs all got ‘agitated’ at one location on the A370 bypass.
She said she had to wait a week for Avon and Somerset Police to ‘consider’ the report until they finally said they would follow up.
But she hasn’t been told what form that would take and said the area should have been checked out immediately.
Catherine O’Sullivan, pictured next to her son Jack (right), has revealed private search dog teams have found an ‘area of interest’ on the route the 23-year-old could have taken home
The last confirmed sighting of Jack O’Sullivan is at 3.13am as he walks onto the grass area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way
Catherine, 52, said: ‘What we did ourselves a couple of weeks ago is we got in touch with specialist search dog teams.
‘They have visited Bristol now three times – we put in a plan based on where Jack was last seen with the limited amount of information we have got from police.
‘It has been really difficult getting them to share information and we did not want to waste time going over the same areas. But police would not tell us where they had looked so we started from scratch.
‘The dog teams have searched logical areas on Jack’s route home. An area was identified during the search. It was an area of concern and the dogs were a bit agitated. We went to the police with the information but still don’t know if they have investigated it.
‘It is the maddest thing. The police are not helping us so we have to do things ourselves.
‘The team we are using are accredited and police use them. They are working their way through from the centre of Bristol to where we live four miles away.
CCTV shows Jack at one end of the Cumberland Basin – the main entrance to Bristol Docks, which is not tidal – using Junction Swing Bridge
‘This process is ongoing. What they did was put a report together to suggest police officially go there. It has taken us a week to get that recognised by police and they only sent an email two days ago saying they should have completed the review by today. (Wed)
‘I can barely believe we are having a conversation about something, even a suggestion and a small chance Jack might be there and we are not being taken seriously. I want them look immediately.’
Catherine said the area was between where Jack was last seen on the bridge and the family home on the A370 bypass. She described it as ‘really hard to access and the traffic is fast flowing.’
She added: ‘It is one route home that Jack potentially could have tried to walk. My suggestion on the first day was police go and search that area – but they were just convinced he did not get that far.
‘I have suggested throwing myself in a bush just to raise awareness.
‘Three police dogs all indicated an area. The search team said it wouldn’t be enough to immediately plough in and tear apart – but the suggestion was to go in there and look – could be item of clothing.
‘There was enough to make them want to report it. Police told us they had to put it to the review team. But it was a full week before they came back. They said they had put it up for consideration and were going to look into it. But it was all really vague and they won’t say when or how it is being done.
Jack O’Sullivan, 23, went missing six months ago after a night out in Bristol
‘I am aghast we have had to wait so long. An hour is a long time in my book..’
Catherine also said that while the scale of the support from the community is overwhelming, she is continuing to be targeted by a troll who is ‘blackmailing’ her and demanding a ransom for information.
She has reported the individual to police but says she received another message from him just this morning. (Wed)
She added: ‘I have forwarded the details to the police. I don’t believe what they are say but he is demanding money for answers. That is blackmail and extortion.
‘It seriously needs looking at. Not that they know anything but what they are doing is so bad.
‘He told me today he was not happy I had gone to the police. So they must have contacted him but he still feels the need to contact me again. I’ve blocked his phone number but he is sending me stuff via Facebook again.
‘I am half leaving open the lines of communication to gather evidence against him.’
At 3.13am, CCTV footage shows Jack walking under the Brunel Way flyover, having apparently walked there along Brunel Lock Road
Avon and Somerset Police say that since Jack’s disappearance, more than 20 different teams and departments have been involved in the investigation.
They have been supported by other agencies and emergency services, such as the fire and ambulance service, National Police Air Service, and RNLI.
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.
The force says it has received almost 100 calls from the public with possible sightings, and eight media appeals have been issued.
A shadowy figure with Jack’s ‘walk and gait’ is seen crossing the Plimsoll Swing Bridge at around 3.25am
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall 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.
‘When I look at missing persons investigations [in Avon and Somerset] over the last year, we’ve had around 5 and a half thousand.
‘Missing people are somebody’s loved ones, they’re somebody’s family, and we don’t close the door on that.’
Avon and Somerset Police has been contacted for comment on the latest appeal to search the bypass.
It comes as Catherine has opened up about being constantly contacted by ‘mediums’ offering information about her son in return for large sums of money.
She recently shared an update on the family’s investigation on Facebook, in which she opened up about persistent £1,000 ‘blackmail’ offers.
She said: ‘I personally have mediums constantly contacting me and a very persistent person that feels the right to be able to suggest that he could give me the answer if he gets £1,000 up front (blackmail).
‘The police don’t feel the need to take such situations seriously as we’ve been told to ‘expect these things when you put yourself in the public eye’!
