Found Alive! Olivia Newton John's 'Drowned' Boyfriend Located In Mexico
Jan. 4 2019, Updated 10:27 a.m. ET
Olivia Newton John's mysterious ex Patrick "Pat Kim" McDermott, who is believed to have faked his own death in 2005 amid money problems, is living the life of a fugitive on the high seas off the coasts of Mexico and South America, RadarOnline.com has discovered.
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Olivia Newton John's mysterious ex Patrick "Pat Kim" McDermott, who is believed to have faked his own death in 2005 amid money problems, is living the life of a fugitive on the high seas off the coasts of Mexico and South America, RadarOnline.com has discovered.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
At first, it was believed McDermott, who was in an on-off nine-year relationship with Australian singer and actress Newton John at the time, fell overboard and drowned. But as more details came to light, it quickly became one of America's most intriguing mysteries that has yet to be solved. Not one of the 22 passengers on board the recreational fishing boat Freedom recall seeing McDermott fall, and he — or someone — settled his food and drink tab on board the vessel 30 minutes before it docked back into California's San Pedro harbor.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
Well-connected sources in the Mexican boating community, where it's believed McDermott has spent the last several years jumping from ship to ship in a bid to avoid being identified, tell RadarOnline.com he's working on a luxury boat for a wealthy Mexican family who is aware of McDermott's past and has offered him protection. McDermott was last reported to have been working on the catamaran Humu-Humu. However, the luxury vessel is now believed to be moored in Mazlatan, six hours north of Nuevo Vallarta.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
RadarOnline.com showed a picture of McDermott posing on the red carpet with Newton John to Nuevo Vallarta port officer Emilio Oyarzabal Garcia, and his eyes immediately lit up with recognition. "Yes I saw him. He walked past my office window. He has shorter, darker hair now though," he revealed. When pressed on what made him so sure it was McDermott, who has Korean heritage, Oyarzabal Garcia responded, "Because no one looks like him around here. Sometimes tourists from Asia arrive on boats in groups, but he was alone."
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
Nuevo Vallarta Harbour Master Hector Medina told RadarOnline.com that it's easy for people who don't want to be found to work on the boats that tail the storm seasons. In summer, it's common for Mexico-moored boats to make for Brazil via the Panama Canal, returning for the cooler months that commence from October. Medina searched the entire Mexico ports database for McDermott or his other known name, Pat Kim, with no results. "Maybe he has a different name now," Mr. Medina conceded, adding that it would be very easy to hide by skipping from port to port.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
McDermott is currently believed to be sailing through the Panama Canal headed for Belize, where he will dock before moving down the South American coastline in August to avoid the deadly hurricane season.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
Insiders say he will likely not return to the Mexican Riviera, where he has been seen several times in the past, until well after October when the dry season begins.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
A recent report suggested he was living in the sleepy beach town of Sayulita, where several locals reported seeing him. Many said he would attempt to hide behind a baseball cap and sunglasses. "It was big news – we'd all seen him, he ate lunch in town every day," confirmed Suzanne Poulsen, a longtime Canadian resident of Sayulita, who owns the Buddha Gallery and Day Spa. "But after that story was published, he was never seen again."
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
"He's been able to hide for so long because there are many people willing to protect him," a source in Mexico told RadarOnline.com. "Lots of Americans come down here to hide, and it doesn't take long for you to meet the right people who are willing to help you. For a price, of course, but the US dollar goes a lot further down here."
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
In his book Lost at Sea: The Hunt for Patrick McDermott, private investigator Philip Klein, who spent years tracking McDermott's movements, claims a pattern emerged of the father-of-one sails down the Mexican coastline from Cabo San Lucas down past Puerto Vallarta in the later months of the year, before heading for South America via the Panama Canal to avoid the perilous hurricane season. He says that witnesses also reported sightings of McDermott in Belize.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
RadarOnline.com spoke to the boy McDermott left behind, his son Chance, who is now approximately 22 and the frontman of up-and-coming jazz band Groove Sauce in L.A.'s Studio City. While blue-eyed Chance looks incredibly similar to his mom, the actress Yvette Nipar, he bears little resemblance to his father. Chance politely refused to comment on reports that his father was still alive. Chance was just 11 when his mom reported McDermott missing when he failed to show up for a weekly visit with his son 11 years ago. Her hysterical phone call came just over a week after McDermott left on an overnight fishing trip off the coast of California with friends, which he never returned from.
Patrick McDermott update in Mexico
After RadarOnline.com spoke with several people in Mexico who have seen McDermott alive, renowned forensic sketcher Gil Zamora was able to create an incredible likeness to what the 59-year-old, who vanished from California's San Pedro harbor in 2005, looks like now. "He's more weathered — more than 10 years of basically living on the ocean will do that to a guy, even one as chiseled and concerned with his looks as Patrick was back in his Hollywood days," noted a source.