There are many stories and theories surrounding late Olivia Newton-John’s former boyfriend, who went missing in 2005. Her on-again-off-again boyfriend Patrick McDermott mysteriously vanished into thin air from a fishing boat. There have been so many speculations regarding his disappearance over the years. Here’s what has been reported on this freaky incident.
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The disappearance of Patrick McDermott
Newton-John’s ex-boyfriend boarded a fishing boat called Freedom in the year 2005 off the coast of California, and that is the last anyone has seen of him. He was not dating the Grease star at that point. Patrick, who was a cameraman, often went on these solo one-night fishing trips. And this time, it was with 22 strangers on board, as per Marie Claire.
The strange incident
Patrick was last seen paying his food bill just half an hour before they were due to reach their final destination. He allegedly left his passport and other belongings onboard before disembarking the boat. Many co-passengers have claimed to have seen him disembark the boat, although his car was still parked near the dock where he had left it.
Events after his disappearance
Patrick's disappearance went unnoticed for a month until he didn’t make it to a family event. Almost a year after that, the Coast Guard investigated the disappearance by looking into the fishing vessel. They reported that there was no foul play regarding his absence and concluded that he was most likely lost at sea.
However, several people have allegedly spotted Patrick at different locations, particularly in Mexico, over the years. People are speculating that he faked his own death to avoid paying child support, as he was bankrupt. Various people are currently still investigating his disappearance. In 2018, Newton-John addressed the situation by saying:
He was lost at sea, and nobody really knows what happened
The presenters of the podcast 'Pseudocide: The Disappearance of Patrick McDermott' agree. They told FEMAIL that after their investigation, they are convinced Patrick really was lost and passed away at sea andthe so-called 'sightings' of the cameraman were hoaxes. They said:
In the faked-death version of the story, Patrick is a fraud mastermind. The real answer to the mystery – that he died at sea – is comparatively simple, and incredibly tragic.
Sources used:
- Marie Claire: 'What Happened To Olivia Newton John's Partner Who Was Declared Lost At Sea?'
- Daily Mail: 'Olivia Newton-John's missing boyfriend who vanished at sea 17 years ago DID NOT fake his own death to escape debts, podcast claims'
