Jack O'Sullivan’s disappearance has haunted his family and the city of Bristol for more than 18 months. Now, as the search stretches into its second year, a dramatic new development has brought a glimmer of hope: an anonymous benefactor has stepped forward, offering a staggering £100,000 reward for information that leads to Jack being found and reunited with his loved ones. The announcement, made public on September 9, 2025, has reignited public interest and cast a fresh spotlight on one of the UK’s most perplexing missing persons cases.
Jack, who was 22 at the time he vanished, was last seen in the early hours of March 2, 2024, after attending a house party in the Hotwells area of Bristol. According to BBC News, he had told his mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, that he would take an Uber home after the party. But Jack never made it back to his family’s home in Flax Bourton, just three miles away. His last known movements were captured on city CCTV cameras, showing him walking across the Junction Swing Bridge and turning down Brunel Lock Road. The final likely sighting placed him near Brunel Lock Road and Brunel Way at around 3:15 AM, wearing a quilted green or brown Barbour jacket, a beige woollen jumper, navy chinos, and brown leather trainers.
In the hours after leaving the party, Jack tried to reach a friend by phone at 3:24 AM, but the call ended abruptly. When his friend called back ten minutes later, they only managed to say “hello” before the line went dead, as reported by BBC News. Oddly, Jack’s phone remained active on the Find My Friends app until 6:44 AM, pinging just a few streets away from where he was last seen. Despite this digital trail, no further sightings or evidence have emerged.
The O’Sullivan family’s ordeal has been relentless. Catherine O’Sullivan, Jack’s mother, has spent every day since his disappearance searching for answers. “We think of Jack every day but it is totally unbelievable that so much time has gone past. It doesn’t feel real. We still have no idea what happened to him. We are still completely none the wiser,” she told Wales Online. The emotional toll has been immense, but Catherine remains determined: “It would be unforgivable to even think about stopping. It wouldn’t be fair to Jack until we know what happened or where he is. If I am not going to do it as his mum then no-one else will.”
The family’s efforts have been bolstered by a high-profile campaign, including support from The Missing People charity, which has displayed digital posters across Bristol to keep Jack’s case in the public eye. The Find Jack Facebook page now boasts more than 99,000 members, a testament to the widespread concern and solidarity that Jack’s story has inspired.
Yet, alongside messages of support, the O’Sullivans have also faced a barrage of hoaxes and abuse. Catherine described the torment of receiving messages from strangers, some of whom have claimed to be holding Jack and demanded ransoms. “We get all sorts of peculiar messages and nasty information... it is incredibly hard to deal with but we are just doing what we can to try and understand what’s happened,” she explained to BBC News. Her son Ben echoed the family’s desperation: “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.”
The £100,000 reward was first revealed by Catherine on the Find Jack Facebook page, accompanied by a flyer that read: “Find Jack. Reward: £100,000.” The poster clarified that the reward, verified as genuine, would be payable to anyone (excluding police officers) who provides information leading directly or indirectly to Jack being physically reunited with his family. The family initially doubted the offer’s authenticity, having previously been targeted by hoaxes. “Once we established that it was real, we were overcome by the generosity... it was a lot to take in. If it does help us get some answers or find out where Jack is, we will be eternally grateful,” Catherine said, as quoted by BBC News and Wales Online.
The reward will be administered by solicitors should any information lead to Jack being found. Those with information are urged to contact [email protected], The Missing People charity, or the police, quoting reference 5224055172. The family and police hope that the unprecedented sum will encourage anyone with knowledge—no matter how small—to come forward.
Avon and Somerset Police have been under intense scrutiny throughout the investigation. More than 30 police teams have participated in the search, conducting extensive CCTV trawls, house-to-house enquiries, and deploying specialist dive teams to search the River Avon basin, as Jack was last seen near the water. Police have not ruled out the possibility that Jack may have fallen into the river, but no evidence has confirmed this theory. “Our staff and officers remain committed to doing everything we can to find Jack and we do not underestimate what a distressing time this has been, and continues to be, for his family,” Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall told BBC News. She emphasized that missing persons cases remain open and active, with authorities refusing to “close the door.”
On September 9, 2025, Avon and Somerset Police announced a further review of their investigation. “So we can be certain we’ve done everything possible to find Jack, a senior investigator in Avon and Somerset Police is carrying out a further review of the investigation,” a spokesperson said, reiterating the force’s “evidence-led, open-minded, and transparent approach, with the shared aim of finding Jack.”
Despite the exhaustive efforts, the O’Sullivan family remains trapped in uncertainty. Catherine described the past 18 months as “being stuck in a nightmare” and likened the experience to “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.” Yet, hope persists. “Living with hope is something that I still take as a positive, and that hope won’t diminish,” she told BBC News.
Jack’s disappearance has resonated far beyond Bristol, reflecting a national crisis in missing persons cases. According to Assistant Chief Constable Hall, Avon and Somerset Police have dealt with around 5,500 missing persons investigations in the past year alone. Each case is a family’s private agony, and the O’Sullivans’ story is a stark reminder of the enduring pain of not knowing.
As the search for Jack O’Sullivan enters a new phase, the family’s determination remains unbroken. The record-breaking reward stands as a beacon of hope—and a challenge to anyone who might hold the key to solving this heartbreaking mystery. For the O’Sullivans, and for all those following Jack’s story, the longing for answers and reunion remains as urgent as ever.
