The mother of missing student Jack O’Sullivan says she has spent “every day for a year” tirelessly searching for her son and vows to never give up until he is found. This Sunday (March 2) will mark a year since his disappearance after he went to a party in the Hotwells area of Bristol.
Jack, 23, was last seen heading towards the city centre from the Bennett Way slip road at 3.38am.Despite numerous searches and a high-profile campaign, not a single lead has emerged, leaving Catherine to admit they are “no closer” to discovering what happened to him.
She said there would be no special commemoration of the anniversary but she would persist in spending “all day every day” searching for Jack as the hunt enters its second year. The past year’s ordeal has taken a heavy toll on the family, Catherine admits, but insists they have no choice but to press on.
One of the most challenging moments so far was when police informed them that remains matching her son’s description had been discovered. After an agonising week-long wait for confirmation, she received a phone call revealing it wasn’t him.
Catherine, 53, from Flax Bourton, said: “Early in the new year we had a phone call to say some remains had been found on a beach in Wales and we strongly felt they were leaning towards this being Jack. It felt very significant. It was six days of utter torture while they tried to work out if it was Jack before it turned out it was obviously not.
“It was the worst six days so far. It was positioned and explained to us in such a way we could not see how it could not be Jack.
“We were given a description and it fitted everything – height, age, range – that Jack fitted into but they said the could not be conclusive until DNA analysis. We found out after a few days the process had not even started.
“That was pretty grim. We were hanging on every hour of the day for an update – and two to three days in they hadn’t even started. I think the communication was pretty shocking.
“The day they phoned us with the initial info the said they wanted to check how we would like to be told. I was so distressed I could barely hold the phone and said just said tell us anyway you can.
“I then got an email to say we had agreed to a phone call for news of Jack. It was such a difficult and traumatic time and to date is the worst six days so far. People asked me would it be better if it was him and did you want closure. I said no – when I heard it was I was totally relieved.”
Catherine said the were first told on Saturday, January 4 but were not given the follow up news until the following Friday. She said they are now continuing doing searches when they can and have a private investigator that is in contact with the police.
But so far they have found no trace or clues to shed light on Jack’s disappearance. And Catherine said they were treating the anniversary of when he was last seen on Sunday as “just another day.”
She added: “For me it is just another day – now every day for us is hell and it won’t be any more significant from the first day he went missing. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention or be out having vigils – I don’t want to do that.
“We think of Jack every day – so Sunday is not a huge milestone for us. But it totally unbelievable that 12 months have gone by. It doesn’t feel real.
“It has been a whole year and we have no idea what happened to him. We are still completely none the wiser. We get messages of hoaxes, ransoms, people telling me the have got him – but nothing has ever been proven. It is totally unbelievable all that time has gone by. For me every day is consumed by it. My husband and son have tried to work and go back to relatively normal lives – but for us as a family nothing is normal or even close to it.
“It has been incredibly difficult to focus on anything else. It is hard to think beyond today and I never plan too far ahead now. I take every day as I can. It would be unforgivable to even think about stopping. It wouldn’t be fair to Jack until we know what happened or where he is. If I am not going to do it as his mum then no-one else will.”
Avon and Somerset Police said: “We contacted Jack’s family on Saturday 4 January to inform them that a body had been located at Stout Bay, in Wales. Detectives worked with colleagues at South Wales Police to fast-track the DNA process to identify the remains and provide answers to the family.
“We were able to provide an update to the family on Friday 10 January in which we were able to confirm the remains were not Jack’s. During this six-day period, the Superintendent overseeing the investigation made contact with the family on several occasions to give what update we could.”
To mark the anniversary, police have also issued a fresh appeal and asked the public to think back to where they were a year ago and to recall if they saw anything which could help its investigation. The last likely sighting of Jack was at 3.38am walking along Bennett Way slip road, heading in the direction of Bristol city centre.
He had earlier been spotted on CCTV walking around the Cumberland Basin and below the Plimsoll Swing Bridge. Avon and Somerset Police said around 20 police departments had been involved in the search over the following weeks and months that Jack went missing.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said: “It has been one year since Jack’s disappearance, and I want to recognise the pain his family continues to go through. Our collective thoughts remain with them during this very difficult time.
“Anniversaries provide an important opportunity to look back and reflect. A lot can happen in a year and things which may not looked significant at the time may look different with the passage of time.
“Do you remember what you were doing that cold, snowy day in March 2024? You may recall seeing something which, on the surface, seemed unimportant, but may be an important piece of information for us to know. Do you remember seeing anything on your journey, whether you were walking in the area or travelling on the roads.
“Our investigation has been extensive, with resources utilised from more than 30 different teams and organisations, including support from colleagues within the fire service, HM Coastguard and the National Police Air Service (NPAS). This includes seeking independent advice, support and guidance from experts at the National Crime Agency, an experienced Police Search Advisor from a neighbouring force and an independent oceanographer.
“Our dive team has searched the river from Avonmouth through to Conham River Park. Officers, including those with our mounted team, dog unit and drone unit, have searched in water and on land, especially in the wider area where Jack was last seen, including the Hotwells, Ashton and North Somerset areas.
“We have kept an open mind throughout this investigation and regularly review our various hypothesis around Jack’s disappearance.
“As the year has progressed, we’ve exhausted multiple lines of enquiry and we’d like to thank the public for their help so far in coming forward with information. We ask you again to please, cast your mind back to this time last year and think about any detail which may help us.”