Sunday 14 August 2022 09:22 AM What happened to Olivia Newton-John's ex-boyfriend Patrick McDermott who ... trends now

Sunday 14 August 2022 09:22 AM What happened to Olivia Newton-John's ex-boyfriend Patrick McDermott who ... trends now
Sunday 14 August 2022 09:22 AM What happened to Olivia Newton-John's ex-boyfriend Patrick McDermott who ... trends now

Sunday 14 August 2022 09:22 AM What happened to Olivia Newton-John's ex-boyfriend Patrick McDermott who ... trends now

Mystery still surrounds the shocking disappearance of Olivia Newton-John's former partner, Patrick McDermott, 

The cameraman, who dated the late singer for nine years, was last seen alive in June 2005 when he went on an overnight fishing trip with 22 other people.

He disappeared while on board, and his absence wasn't noticed until the boat returned to dry land. He was 48. 

Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of Patrick McDermott, who dated Olivia Newton-John for nine years. Both pictured

Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of Patrick McDermott, who dated Olivia Newton-John for nine years. Both pictured

Many questions still surround McDermott's disappearance, with wild theories he may have faked his own death for a new life in Mexico to avoid paying taxes. 

'I don't think I will ever really be at peace with it,' Newton-John admitted to Women's Weekly magazine in 2009.

'I think there will always be a question mark.'

The Grease star began a nine-year on-off romance with McDermott following her 1995 divorce from her first husband Matt Lattanzi. 

The mysterious fate of Olivia Newton-John's on-off lover Patrick McDermott haunted the singer in her later years after he disappeared without trace amid claims he faked his own death

The mysterious fate of Olivia Newton-John's on-off lover Patrick McDermott haunted the singer in her later years after he disappeared without trace amid claims he faked his own death

Newton-John was on a promotional tour in Australia when McDermott disappeared.

Crew on his fishing boat 'Freedom' had found his car keys, passport and wallet on board the boat and his car was found parked at the San Pedro marina in Los Angeles.

But still no-one realised he was missing until he failed to appear at a family event on July 6, with police finally called in on July 11.

Olivia Newton-John (seen here with her daughter Chloe Lattanzi) dated Patrick after her 1995 divorce with Matt Latanzi

Olivia Newton-John (seen here with her daughter Chloe Lattanzi) dated Patrick after her 1995 divorce with Matt Latanzi

By then though the trail had gone cold - and investigators turned up nothing.

Prior to dating Newton-John, McDermott had been married and fathered a son, and was court-ordered to to pay $8000 in backdated child support. 

He had filed for bankruptcy with debts of more than $30,000, prompting speculation he'd faked his death to escape and start anew.

A Coast Guard inquiry admitted at the time they 'did not find any evidence of criminal action, suicide, accident or hoax in the disappearance of McDermott'.

Patrick McDermott, 48, went on an overnight fishing trip with 22 other people on June 30, 2005, but vanished before the boat 'Freedom' returned to dry land

Patrick McDermott, 48, went on an overnight fishing trip with 22 other people on June 30, 2005, but vanished before the boat 'Freedom' returned to dry land

Patrick is rumoured to be in hiding in Mexico, on the run from crushing debts and said to be living on a yacht off the coast at Sayulita

Patrick is rumoured to be in hiding in Mexico, on the run from crushing debts and said to be living on a yacht off the coast at Sayulita

A three-year probe into the 'Freedom' fishing boat found it didn't carry out any head counts on the day of the trip, causing McDermott's disappearance to go unnoticed.

Both probes concluded McDermott was likely lost at sea during the night and had likely drowned. He has been presumed dead ever since.

However, a manager at the San Pedro marina where McDermott boarded the boat is convinced he did not die on the fishing trip.

'I believe the guy got off the boat, but I could be wrong,' he told the Herald Sun in 2005.

Eye witnesses reported seeing Patrick McDermott around Mexico, including around Acapulco

Eye witnesses reported seeing Patrick McDermott around Mexico, including around Acapulco

'He might have been kidnapped by aliens in the parking lot, but he got off the boat.'

'Look, if you really want to jump, you jump when someone is not looking and you'll never be seen,' he added.

The mystery took another turn when a fisherman from the trip, said he met McDermott on board and just 3.5 hours into the trip, never saw him again.

'I kept an eye out for him all day long, but never saw him,' fisherman Tony Mayo said.

A Coast Guard concluded at the time that McDermott had likely drowned. He has been presumed dead ever since

A Coast Guard concluded at the time that McDermott had likely drowned. He has been presumed dead ever since

Since the incident, there has been speculation by conspiracy theorists that he staged his own death amid financial troubles and to free himself from child support payments.

At least six witnesses came forward within a year after McDermott's disappearance to say they had seen him alive and well in Mexico. Meanwhile, he reportedly resurfaced in Mexico in 2010.

Photographs of a man and a woman said to be the Hollywood crew member and his new lover in Mexico were also published in 2017 by New Idea magazine.

'He was lost at sea, and nobody really knows what happened,' Newton-John told 60 Minutes in 2016. 'Those are the things in life you have to accept and let go. Of course questions always come up and that's human'

'He was lost at sea, and nobody really knows what happened,' Newton-John told

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