Jack O’Sullivan’s mother reveals last message she received from her missing son

The distraught mother of a university student has revealed the last message her son sent her before he disappeared more than four months ago.

Jack O’Sullivan was at a party with friends in Bristol when he left in the early hours of March 2.

CCTV cameras showed the student, then 22, at three nearby locations but despite a major search operation and police investigation, it remains unclear where the Manchester United supporter went.

Adding to the mystery, his cell phone displayed data usage equivalent to a nine-minute video after the last sighting, before disconnecting from the network at 6:44 a.m.

Jack’s mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, said The Independent The family have tried everything to get answers about her disappearance, with a £20,000 reward now offered for any information.

She also revealed more information about what happened the night she disappeared, including WhatsApp messages sent to and from Jack’s phone.

She said: “I messaged him because he was at a party with some people he had recently met, and he texted me back saying he was fine. At 1:52am he messaged me saying he was leaving soon to go home, he said he was going to take an Uber.”

But after hours spent at the family home in Flax Bourton, a village about six miles from Bristol, Ms O’Sullivan was anxious when she woke up and he was not there.

She said: “I woke up at 5:20 a.m. and called several times. It took four or five rings before I got voicemail. The phone was still on.”

“I sent him a WhatsApp message at 5:30 in the morning, asking him ‘where are you?’ It was received at 5:40, but I got no response. We then know that his phone stopped working on the network at 6:44.”

She added: “It’s getting harder every day not knowing what happened. We all just want Jack to come home, we’re desperate.”

Avon and Somerset Police have launched an investigation into Jack’s disappearance, releasing CCTV footage and footage that appears to show Jack lost or unsure of where to go as he twice double-crossed in the Hotwells area of ​​the town.

He is first seen walking across the grassy area at the junction of Brunel Lock Way and Brunel Way, before returning in the direction of the group and crossing Plimsol Bridge, before heading back towards the bridge.

“Jack knew a restaurant (Lockside) in the area we were visiting which has since reopened under a different name (Noah’s) so he may have been lost and decided to go back to Hotwells for a taxi,” Ms O’Sullivan said.

Police said they carried out CCTV surveillance, house-to-house enquiries and deployed a specialist dive team to search the pool and wider River Avon near where he was last seen.

But the family believes the police should have done more and filed a complaint last month.

They claim there were mistakes, including the initial disappearance of CCTV footage and the alleged failure to register Jack on the National Missing Persons Register until he had been missing for more than two months.

Ms O’Sullivan said the family were now limited to a weekly email update from police, adding: “We are working on our own now.”

A GoFundMe page, which has already raised almost £30,000, has provided a £20,000 reward, while cash will also be used to help with the search.

Last week, a cloned SIM card from Jack’s phone was sent to a team of cybersecurity specialists to investigate how the data was used after his disappearance. The family is also considering hiring a search and rescue team to investigate inaccessible areas.

She said: “We are desperate for answers and we will never give up on Jack.”

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “This investigation has involved reviewing and re-examining over 100 hours of CCTV footage, expert searches on 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 multiple appeals to the public and media for information.

“We continue to seek further advice and support from national experts, including an oceanographer, and will follow any advice they give us. Sadly, despite our efforts to date, we have been unable to locate Jack. We are fully aware of the distress and anguish this situation has caused Jack’s family and our thoughts are with them.”

The public is urged to contact the family’s campaign with any information on [email protected], or the police on 101 or 999 quoting reference 5224055172.