Hope

You would need a heart of stone to not feel his mother’s pain and while we might not all share the view that the police investigation has been a “total disaster”, how would you feel if this was your son? It seems incredible to think that apart from a couple of sketchy CCTV images, there was no other sighting of this young man on the night, nor has any evidence been recovered since his disappearance, including personal items relating to him. How can this be?

The Facebook group includes all manner of theories from well-meaning people who have suggested that Jack was kidnapped, despite there being no evidence in that direction. A common comment is: someone must know something and is holding back. That is a possibility but it is not a fact. There is no evidence. Many people think he inadvertently entered the water which, in the grand scheme of things is the most likely explanation for his disappearance, but again there is no evidence. There is a huge rise and fall on the tide of the river under the Bristol Suspension bridge and the police were right to search the area extensively the day after he disappeared, not because there was any evidence but on the balance of probabilities this was a likely occurrence. Nothing was found and despite a vast number of enquiries by the police and other bodies, it seems they are no nearer to finding Jack than we were the day he disappeared.

I know the area in which he disappeared very well and indeed have driven through it in the early hours, usually on airport runs. You will see other vehicles and perhaps the odd straggler perhaps going to or coming from work, or even after having attended a party. But you will see that anywhere along the way. It’s not unusual. You have your eyes on the road. The encounter is over in  the blink of an eye, maybe less. The best part of 18 months on and you do begin to feel the worst. Maybe, we’ve all suspected the worst from day one.

The Facebook group has been, in terms of finding the boy, completely useless. Photos have been shared far and wide, advice has been proffered from people all over the world, many of whom have never been near the area, some have even suggested employing psychics and mediums who, it should be added, have no proven skills at finding anything or anyone. Above all, prayer after prayer has been made, not one of which has yet been answered. It’s almost as if there’s no one listening to the prayers. Since 2nd March 2024, the family is in the same place.

Later on today, we are headed to a place near where Jack was last seen and of course a part of me hopes that, as if by magic, I can find some clue was to what happened, to help end the sheer hell his family are going through. That’s hope for you. Hope without evidence, for sure, and you wouldn’t want to unearth a vital clue for personal gratification, but anything to bring this living nightmare to an end.

Jack’s mother says: “We know someone out there knows what has happened to Jack.” We don’t actually know that someone knows what has happened to Jack, but this is a desperate mother who wants her son back. That’s hope, too. And hope should never be denied.

I find the Facebook group, as I find many Facebook groups, deeply depressing. It’s touching that people care about something they have never met but equally the kind words and deeds, as well as the more disturbing theories, are leading us nowhere. The truth regarding investigations is that they follow the evidence and if there is no evidence, then what? We flail about hoping for the best, going nowhere fast.

More than anything, there will be a need for some kind of closure. You can fill in the spaces yourself for what that entails. What’s happening now is suffering without end, the worst of all worlds. We end up hoping because hope is all we have. And sometimes even hope is not enough.