World exclusive! Olivia’s missing ex-lover has been found
YES, HE’S ALIVE
Sensational new ‘proof of life’ evidence appears to finally confirm Olivia Newton-john’s missing lover is alive and well – 12 years after he faked his own death.
In a world exclusive, New Idea can reveal a crack team of Us-based investigative journalists have tracked down Patrick Mcdermott to a small town in Mexico – providing picture proof that leading private investigators claim is the missing man.
It’s been more than a decade since the La-based cameraman vanished at sea during a fishing trip off the coast of California, leaving many to speculate he had orchestrated the elaborate charade to escape mounting debts.
The 2005 disappearance has long haunted Olivia, who once tellingly revealed it had been ‘very hard’ and ‘human to wonder’ about what really happened to Patrick.
Now it seems the legendary Aussie performer can breathe a sigh of relief with this latest development and finally move on from the mystery that has no doubt played in the back of her mind for years.
News agencies, including Coleman-rayner – who’ve been tracking Patrick for five years as part of a gruelling investigation – tell New Idea they first uncovered the undated photograph of Patrick one month ago in the sleepy Mexican fishing town of Sayulita. The image shows a man who bears a striking resemblance to Patrick and appears to be around 60 years old – the age Patrick would be if he did not drown 12 years ago – lounging with an unidentified woman,
soaking up the beachfront view.
Top Texas-based private investigator Charlie Parker, who appeared in the 2012 movie The Imposter after exposing con man Frederic Bourdin for impersonating missing teen Nicholas Barclay, confirms it’s highly likely to be Patrick
INSIDE THE BOMBSHELL SEARCH THAT HAS FOUND PATRICK MCDERMOTT ALIVE AND WELL IN MEXICO – AND THEY HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO PROVE IT
– even though authorities officially closed the case and declared him dead in 2008.
‘The widow’s peak is exact. The eyes are very similar and the ears extend down on the head the same distance. I believe it is him,’ Parker says, adding he determined a 90 per cent match between the recently uncovered picture and old photos of the former cameraman.
There have been several reported sightings of Patrick in Sayulita since he vanished from an overnight fishing trip just 30 minutes before the boat was due to return to shore, leaving his bill fully paid and personal belongings stacked neatly on his bed. Making the photograph all the more intriguing is that it was found just last month on a noticeboard at the run-down El Palmar del Camaron beach campsite, where locals believe Patrick first stayed when he made his daring escape from the US more than a decade ago.
‘People return to this campsite all the time, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it was this man,’ says a local worker, who declined to be named and could not recall the pictured guest’s name.
American real-estate agent Rod Rosile, who has lived in the town for 20 years, said the campsite was notorious for drifters – especially back in 2005, when the town was less touristy.
‘Almost everyone like that starts at the Camaron campsite because it’s so cheap – back then it would have been less than $3 per day. And if you want to keep to yourself, you can,’ he reveals. ‘Plus, it’s right on the beach, so if you have to live rough then it’s a beautiful place to do it. People like him would then usually take up with a local woman, or put word out that they’re available to house sit, so they have a place to stay but can keep costs down.’
Mr Rosile says the Mexican government is cracking down on American illegal immigrants and workers – but suggested that Patrick would be able to get away with it.
‘He looks like he could pass as Mexican, so he can probably still work as long as he’s careful,’ he says. ‘Especially if he’s not staying in one spot all the time.’
Mr Rosile’s remarks echo an interview last year with Emilio Oyarzabal Garcia, a long-time port officer at nearby Nuevo Vallarta, who recalled seeing Patrick just four years ago.
‘He walked past my window,’ Emilio had recalled at the time.
Another source added that Patrick – who also goes by his Korean name Pat Kim – may have been able to keep his identity a secret by making friends with powerful Mexican families who’d be willing to protect him.
The question of whether Patrick died, or wanted people to believe he was dead, has baffled authorities and family members for years – leading many determined investigators, such as Coleman-rayner, to search for the missing man.
Most notable was Philip Klein, hired by leading US TV show Dateline to track Patrick down. Philip claimed they had ‘concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Mcdermott is alive’, tracking him to the town of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. But there had never been photographic evidence – until now. The bombshell will no doubt close the book on the mystery for 69-year-old Olivia, with friends of the star revealing she’ll be rocked by the new photo – but is ready to move on.
‘Olivia will be shocked that it’s finally come to an end, and that she can finally say: “Yes, he’s alive,”’ says a source. ‘But in saying that, she has her own battles to fight at the moment – she’ll want to just forgive him and move on.’
In an interview with Australian 60 Minutes last year, Olivia said: ‘It was very hard. He was lost at sea and nobody really knows what happened. It’s human to wonder [if he’s alive]. Those are the things in life you have to accept and let go, because whenever you go through difficult times, there are always those concerns, but... I live on...’ By Karleigh Smith
and Iona Kirby Photos: Jeff Rayner/ Coleman-rayner NI
‘Olivia will be shocked that it’s finally come to an end, and that she can finally say: “He’s alive”’