Jack O’Sullivan missing – latest: Investigators probe data spike on Bristol student’s phone after disappearance
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.
Key points
Frustrated at authorities a mother turns detective
Jack’s SIM card investigated over data usage after disappearance
Timeline of Jack O’Sullivan’s disappearance
Jack in his mother’s words
Disappearance of Jay Slater ‘brought everything back’ for mother
08:49 , Alex Ross
Jack O’Sullivan’s mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, has said the recent coverage of Jay Slater vanishing in Tenerife “brought everything back”.
The 19-year-old’s disappearance on the Spanish island has been widely reported over the past two weeks.
Jay went missing after going to rave - while Jack vainshed after attending a house party.
Talking to Sky News, Mrs O’Sullivan said: “My heart goes out to anybody in this situation, it’s unimaginable
“From a mother’s perspective, that poor lady in Tenerife, she must be in hell because I know I am.”
Jack O’Sullivan last moments seen on CCTV before going missing
06:00 , Barney Davis
Frustrated at authorities a mother turns detective
04:00 , Barney Davis
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
02:00 , Barney Davis
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?’
Wednesday 3 July 2024 23:57 , Barney Davis
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 22:00 , Barney Davis
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 20:00 , Barney Davis
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 19:15 , Barney Davis
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:00 , Barney Davis
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 16:00 , Alex Ross
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 15:34 , Alex Ross
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
Wednesday 3 July 2024 14:00 , Alex Ross
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.”
Possible explanation for Jack’s last movements
Wednesday 3 July 2024 13:21 , Alex Ross
Following Jack’s disappearance, Avon and Somerset Police released CCTV images and footage appearing to show Jack lost or unsure where to go as he walked back on himself two times in the Hotwells area of the city.
He was first seen walking onto the grass area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way, before going back in the direction of the party and over Plimsol Bridge, before walking back toward the bridge.
“Jack knew a restaurant [Lockside] in the area we’d been to which has since reopened as something else [Noah’s], so he might have been lost and decided to head back to get a taxi from Hotwells,” his mother Catherine O’Sullivan said.
Family contact with Avon and Somerset Police
Wednesday 3 July 2024 12:45 , Alex Ross
Jack O’Sullivan’s mother says since the family lodged a complaint they only receive weekly email updates from Avon and Somerset Police.
The family worked with police after student’s disappearance but have since said they’ve lot trust in the force over alleged mistakes in the investigation.
The issues include CCTV footage of Jack, the family say, was looked at but missed on the day after he went missing.
Mother Catherine O’Sullivan said: “We’re on our own it feels like - we’re looking for new leads and missing information.”
Last month a police spokesperson said: “We fully recognise the distress and anguish this has had on Jack’s family and our thoughts remain very much with them,” they added.
“We’re determined to do all that we possibly can to find the answers they so desperately need.”
Specialist search and rescue support looked into - family
Wednesday 3 July 2024 12:00 , Alex Ross
One area the family is looking at is Granby Hill in Clifton, close to where Jack was last seen on CCTV, as a Find My Phone app showed up an address on the steep residential street for where his phone was last located.
The family have been to the address, and police have also searched the property and garden, they have said.
But there locations off the road which are not easily accessible, and Jack’s mother Catherine O’Sullivan has said they family is talking to specialist search and rescue groups on the potential of them joining the search.
“There are one or two areas which are not safe for us to search,” she said. “We want every location checked.”
Jack’s SIM card
Wednesday 3 July 2024 11:41 , Alex Ross
Jack’s mother Catherine O’Sullivan has today revealed more on the specialist help the family is receiving, with a clone of her son’s SIM card being sent to a Manchester-based cyber security firm for investigation.
It’s already been reported that that Jack’s phone was active on a network until 6.44am - but now it’s emerged that there was data usage equivalent to a nine-minute video from 4.39am to that time.
Jack was last seen seen on CCTV at 3.39am.
The family had given Avon and Somerset Police the SIM card, but say the force did not send it to the National Crime Agency for further analysis.
So, Mrs O’Sullivan said they were hiring a specialist firm to take a look at the apps he might have been using and any potential location traces.
“It was a few weeks after he went missing that I realised the phone was in my name so we had access to the SIM card - we now hope to find more information on how the phone was used after he went missing,” she said.
Who was Jack? In his mother’s words
Wednesday 3 July 2024 11:25 , Alex Ross
On Tuesday, Jack’s mother penned an emotional description of her son in the hope it’d help the search for him, while also adding a picture of him.
She wrote: “Jack outwardly would appear to be quiet and reserved but not at home. Jack is the life and soul, full of cheeky banter ( especially with his dad).
“Always has to have the last word Jack is a football fanatic - Man U are his team and his fantasy football is his pride and joy.Jack loves golf and tennis and his idols are Tiger & Rafa.
“Jack is a very clever, ambitious young man who is so determined to do well and achieve. His ambition to be a lawyer was just coming in to focus with exams going well and summer law placements all arranged.
“All in all Jack is a kind, caring, happy chap who loves his family - especially Mabel so much! Where on earth are you Jack?”
What Jack looks like and what he was wearing
Wednesday 3 July 2024 10:40 , Alex Ross
Police describe Mr O’Sullivan as white, about 5ft 10ins (178cm) tall, of slim build and with short, brown hair.
He was last seen wearing a quilted green/brown Barbour jacket over a beige woollen jumper, navy chinos and brown leather trainers with white soles.
The reward posters put up around Hotwells in Bristol
Wednesday 3 July 2024 10:10 , Alex Ross
Avon and Somerset Police statement following complaint and update on search
Wednesday 3 July 2024 09:45 , Alex Ross
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.”
Family lodge complaint against Avon and Somerset Police
Wednesday 3 July 2024 09:18 , Alex Ross
The family lodged a formal complaint with police after claiming crucial CCTV evidence in the disappearance of their son had been missed.
Mother Catherine 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.”
CCTV sightings of Jack O’Sullivan
Wednesday 3 July 2024 09:16 , Alex Ross
Police say they have reviewed more than 100 hours’ worth of CCTV footage in the search for Jack O’Sullivan.
Here is the last confirmed sighting of Jack is at 3.13am as he walks onto the grass area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way, Bristol.
Timeline of Jack O’Sullivan’s disappearance
Wednesday 3 July 2024 09:13 , Alex Ross
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.
Family to employ a specialist firm
Wednesday 3 July 2024 09:09 , Alex Ross
The search is continuing for Jack O’Sullivan, who has now been missing for four months.
Just last weekend, crowds gathered to look around places in Bristol and speak to people in the hope someone might know where the 23-year-old is.
Others have handed out leaflets with the £20,000 reward being offered for information.
Almost £30,000 has been raised in a GoFundMe page for the reward, and leftover cash will be used for the search and to hire a specialist firm, said a family friend in an update on the page.
They wrote: “Following a meeting with the family and a missing persons advisor it was agreed that some of the donations above the reward amount will now be used to employ a specialist firm to advance the search for Jack as well as to cover some other marketing costs incurred in the huge effort that has gone on at a local level to spread awareness.”
