The mother of a young man who went missing in Bristol has called for renewed attention on her son’s case amid the disappearance of Jay Slater.
Jack O’Sullivan, 23, was last seen more than 17 weeks ago after walking home from a night out with friends on 2 March, in a case mirroring that of Mr Slater, 19, who vanished in the early hours after partying in Tenerife.
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.”
She added: “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.”
The family lodged a formal complaint with police after claiming crucial CCTV evidence in the disappearance of their son had been missed.
Ms O’Sullivan said: “In the very first day of Jack not being home we raised the alert as fast as we could.
“We opened a missing person’s file at lunchtime, then we had a call from a senior policeman to tell us they had CCTV of Jack close to the water in the Hotwells area.
“They believe he had been to a party and had been there since 2.30am, and the likelihood was he had been drinking. Their opinion is he was so close to water that he must have fallen in.
“It was so matter of fact, the way he told us over the phone. He just said: the chances are you’re never going to see him again.
“We were completely shattered by this. We didn’t go to bed. We just lay on the sofa together and tried to make sense of what we have just been told.”
She 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 different time.
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.”
Mr O’Sullivan’s brother even made a clone SIM card of his missing phone which the family sent off to be forensically examined by an expert at their own expense.
Police say they have spoken to hundreds of taxi drivers in the area Mr O’Sullivan was last seen, and have launched specialist searches involving drones, sniffer dogs and diving squads.
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.”
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 force said the complaint is being assessed and the family will be updated.
Mr O’Sullivan is white, approximately 5ft 10ins, of slim build, with short, brown hair. He was last seen wearing a green/brown quilted Barbour jacket, a beige woollen jumper, navy chinos, and brown shoes with a white sole.
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.
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.
