Aspiring lawyer Jack O’Sullivan was last seen 18 months ago
An anonymous donor has put forward a £100,000 reward for information about the whereabouts of missing 22-year-old aspiring lawyer Jack O’Sullivan.
Jack, who studied history at the University of Exeter and was in the process of completing his law conversion course at BPP University, disappeared in the early hours of 2 March 2024 after leaving a house party in Bristol’s Hotwells area.
The last confirmed sighting was at 3:13am, when CCTV captured him walking across a grassy area near Brunel Lock Way. Police believe a further “likely” sighting followed at 3:38am on Bennett Way slip road near Cumberland Basin, but since then his trail has gone cold.
His mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, admitted she initially questioned whether the reward was genuine. “Once we established that it was real, we were overcome by the generosity… it was a lot to take in,” she told BBC News. “If it does help us get some answers or find out where Jack is, we will be eternally grateful.”
Jack’s brother Ben added: “We’re in a position where we’ll take any help we can get… any chance of being able to get the answers we require, we’ll take.”
Despite extensive searches — including more than 200 hours of diving in the river, over 100 hours of CCTV footage reviewed, and over 40 hours of land searches — the family remain without answers.
The case has attracted major public attention. The ‘Find Jack’ Facebook group now has nearly 100,000 members, while posters and digital billboards across Bristol continue to appeal for information.
But the family have also faced distressing challenges. Since his disappearance, they have received abusive and threatening messages from strangers — some falsely claiming to be holding Jack and demanding a ransom. “We get all sorts of peculiar messages and nasty information… it is incredibly hard to deal with,” Catherine said.
Avon and Somerset Police launched an “extensive” investigation the day Jack went missing, involving more than 30 specialist teams. The force has since referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following a formal complaint by the family, and has now commissioned a senior investigator to conduct a further review.
Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said the force “appreciates the anguish this is having on his family” and “remains committed to doing everything it can to find Jack”.
Jack’s mother remains determined. “It still dominates my thoughts, that’s why we’re so eager to get some answers and get Jack home. Living with hope is something that I still take as a positive, and that hope won’t diminish,” she said. “It’s like being on the worst roller coaster ride of your life… you’ve got constant anxiety but without an explanation for it, that’s the hardest thing to deal with.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Avon and Somerset Police, the Missing People charity, or the family’s dedicated webpage.
