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After Olivia Newton-John’s death WILD theories about ‘vanished’ Patrick McDermott resurface

Patrick McDermott disappeared while onboard the boat but his absence was noticed only after his boat returned to dry land

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The mysterious disappearance of Olivia Newton-John's former partner, Patrick McDermott, still baffles the world. The movie cameraman dated Olivia for nine years and was last seen alive in June 2005. He went on an overnight fishing trip with 22 other people when he vanished. 

‘Grease’ star Olivia Newton-John died on August 8, at 73 at her Ranch in southern California, surrounded by family and friends. "We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time," her husband John Easterling wrote in a statement on the singer's Instagram account.

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Patrick disappeared while onboard the boat but his absence was noticed only after his boat returned to dry land. He was 48 at the time. Among many theories that surrounded his disappearance is that he may have faked his death for a new life in Mexico in an attempt to avoid paying taxes. "I don't think I will ever really be at peace with it," Newton-John told Women's Weekly magazine in 2009. "I think there will always be a question mark."

Olivia and Patrick began a nine-year on-off romance after her 1995 divorce from her first husband Matt Lattanzi. Olivia was on a promotional tour in Australia when Patrick vanished. The crew on his fishing boat 'Freedom' found his car keys, passport, and wallet on board the boat. His car was found parked at the San Pedro marina in Los Angeles. People realized he was missing only after he failed to show up at a family event on July 6. Police were finally called on July 11. 

Patrick had been married and had a son before dating Olivia. He had been court-ordered to pay $8000 in backdated child support. People began speculating that he faked his death to escape after he had filed for bankruptcy with debts of more than $30,000. A Coast Guard inquiry admitted that they "did not find any evidence of criminal action, suicide, accident or hoax in the disappearance of McDermott."

After a three-year probe into the boat, it was concluded that it did not carry out any head counts on the day of the trip, which is why Patrick's disappearance went unnoticed. Both the probes concluded that he was possibly lost at sea during the night and ultimately drowned. He has been presumed to be dead ever since.

However, a manager at the San Pedro marina where Patrick boarded the boat said he does not believe he died. "I believe the guy got off the boat, but I could be wrong," he told the Herald Sun in 2005. "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. Meanwhile, a fisherman from the trip claimed he met Patrick on board just 3.5 hours into the trip. However, he never saw him again. "I kept an eye out for him all day long, but never saw him," fisherman Tony Mayo reportedly said. 

At least six witnesses later came forward within a year after Patrick's disappearance to claim they had seen him alive in Mexico. He then resurfaced in Mexico in 2010. Pictures of a man and a woman that were published in 2017 by New Idea magazine were said to be those of Patrick and his new lover in Mexico. However, a Canadian couple later came forward and said they were the ones in the picture. CBS reported at the time that a private investigator said he found Patrick. "Patrick's probably now working in the yachting industry for a high-profile family down there," he said. 

Olivia later went on to marry John Easterling at an Inca ritual in Peru in 2008. She told 60 Minutes in 2016, "He was lost at sea, and nobody really knows what happened." She added, "It's human to wonder. Because whenever you go through difficult times, there are always those concerns. Those are the things in life you have to accept and let go of. Of course, questions always come up and that's human. But you know, I live on." 

Meanwhile, Olivia found a unique friendship as she bonded with Patrick's ex-wife after he disappeared. Yvette Nipar even paid tribute to Olivia after her death, writing, "My sweet friend--I will miss you forever." She wrote this caption re-sharing a photo of herself and Olivia that she had originally posted in 2019. 

Patrick, who had been married to Nipar for two years, had a son, Chance, together. Back in 2012, Nipar campaigned for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to stop selling a book that promoted Patrick was still alive. "My son has been through enough emotional torment over this," Nipar wrote the billionaire about the "well-known serial liar" Philip Klein for his book titled 'Lost at Sea'. Nipar, who is a former actress, has shared posts on social media suggesting she is writing a book about the incident, titled, 'What Are The Chances?'