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The mother of missing Jack O’Sullivan has spoken of suffering “six months of relentless hell” as she spoke of online taunts from trolls claiming to have kidnapped him and demanding ransom money.
Jack O’Sullivan, 23, was last seen six months ago leaving a house party in the area of Brunel Lock Road and Brunel Way in Bristol at around 3.15am on Saturday March 2.
As the weeks turn into months with no word from Jack, friends of the family have launched their own website, fundraised, and changed their Facebook profile pictures to the missing poster of the student.
Frustrated at lack of leads, the family have also hired a private detective and Mr O’Sullivan’s brother even made a clone SIM card of Jack’s missing phone which the family sent off to be forensically examined by an expert at their own expense.
Six months on his mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, said she still goes out searching every day for her son.
She told The Independent: “It’s been six months of relentless hell but somehow we continue to keep going.
“We just need to keep the awareness going as it’s so hard as time goes by.”
She also told the BBC: “My day is planned around which direction I’m going to look next, until I run out of areas I can feasibly check.
“We basically climb fences, jump into ditches… it gives me the peace of mind that I know that area’s covered.
“I’m Jack’s mum, and my aim on this Earth at the moment is to find Jack.”
The family are unhappy with the way Avon and Somerset Police have handled the search, and have turned to private investigators to help find Mr O’Sullivan.
The mother also revealed she has been battling with online trolls who have pretended to have kidnapped her missing son.
She told the BBC: “I have had messages suggesting that Jack is being held and asking for ransom amounts for him.
“People telling me that awful things have happened to him and where I might find him.
“But what would anybody do in my situation? I have to read them, as bad as I know it is, putting myself through hell at times, but I can’t ignore anything.”
TIMELINE OF JACK O’SULLIVAN’S DISAPPEARANCE
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.
She previously 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.”
Ms O’Sullivan claimed she hasn’t been given a family liaison officer since Jack vanished, and said police have reduced contact with her to a weekly email update.
The family lodged a formal complaint with police after claiming crucial CCTV evidence in the disappearance of their son had been missed.
On Monday, the force made renewed appeals to mark six months since he vanished, calling on any witnesses or anyone with doorbell, dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage from that night which might feature Mr O’Sullivan to come forward.
After 3.15am, there were two further sightings which are likely to be him – on the Plimsoll Bridge at around 3.25am heading back towards the city centre, and on the Bennett Way slip road on the northern side of the River Avon at around 3.38am.
He is white, around 5ft 10in and of slim build, with short brown hair, and that night he was wearing a quilted green or brown Barbour jacket, a beige woollen jumper, navy chinos and brown leather trainers with white soles.
Avon and Somerset Police said that since disappearance investigators have looked at more than 100 hours of CCTV, and more than 200 hours of searches have been carried out on the river and its banks, along with 40 land searches.
More searches are due to be carried out as part of the ongoing investigation.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said: “Our staff and officers remain committed to doing everything we can to find Jack and we do not under-estimate 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 and experts such as oceanographers and independent police search advisers.
“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.”
Anyone who spots Jack is asked to call 999 and give the reference 5224055172 to the call handler.
If you have any other information about his whereabouts, or have some footage which could aid the investigation, call Avon and Somerset Police on 101 or get in touch on the website.
