Olivia Newton-John’s former boyfriend Patrick McDermott, who disappeared 11 years ago after heading out to sea on a fishing boat, has reportedly been spotted alive and well in Mexico.
Private investigator Philip Klein made the bombshell claim, saying he learned McDermott, who was last seen June 30, 2005 on the boat near San Pedro, Calif., is now living in a small village near Puerto Vallarta.
At the time of his disappearance, there was much speculation that McDermott faked his own death to escape financial ruin. He had filed for bankruptcy just before he went missing and owed over $30,000 in debt.
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Klein says that there is no truth to that speculation, citing the complete lack of evidence.
“His lawyer called from Mexico City and said that Patrick didn’t want to be bothered. He hadn’t faked anything. He just wanted to get away from the drama,” Klein told Australian magazine Woman’s Day.
None of the 22 passengers on the fishing boat saw McDermott go overboard, and he was not reported missing until Newton-John contacted authorities a week later, after he failed to show up for a family gathering.
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Allegedly, McDermott has settled down in Mexico with a European girlfriend.
“It’s rumoured he was with a German national. I spoke to people there. The girl he was travelling with was described as having a German accent,” investigator John Nazarian told Woman’s Day. “To come up with the conclusion that he fell off the boat, and allegedly no one saw him fall off the boat, is the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” he said.
The investigators also found out that McDermott secured a second passport in his birth name Patrick Kim, and withdrew his life savings from the bank just before he disappeared.
Klein, working on behalf of investigative show Dateline, ended his search in 2009 after receiving a letter from McDermott’s lawyer.
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“Pat has asked that I portray to you his innocence,” the letter read. “Pat has committed no crime. Pat simply wishes to be left alone. Let him live his life in peace and harmony. He is safe and has started anew again in a new place both physically and mentally. Stop this search immediately.”
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