Family of Cork man found dead in London after 34 years say they now have closure

Cork man Patrick 'Patsy' O'Sullivan, who disappeared from Mallow in 1992.

The family of a Cork man who has been found dead in London after going missing 34 years ago have paid tribute to gardaí and said it has given them the “closure we needed”.

Patrick ‘Patsy’ O’Sullivan was 35 at the time of his disappearance. He was last seen by his family in Lombardstown, Mallow, Co Cork, over the Easter bank holiday weekend in April 1992.

He was working as a chef in Killarney and was due to return home for a Christening a few weeks later, but the alarm was raised after he failed to turn up at the event.

Mr O’Sullivan was known to travel for work for weeks at a time, but would always maintain contact with his family.

Over the course of the last three decades, throughout the years following his disappearance, efforts were made collaboratively by members of An Garda Síochána and Mr O’Sullivan’s family to locate the Mallow native.

His brother Jerry O’Sullivan said on Tuesday that his brother disappeared willingly in 1992 due to being a gay man.

Homosexuality was only decriminalised in Ireland in 1993.

Jerry told the Irish Examiner that he and his family were shocked after being notified of his brother’s death in August and learning that he had moved to London to start a new life.

Jerry said his brother changed his name in 1995 to Patrick Aldridge, which contributed to a lack of leads provided on his missing person’s case over the year.

Aldridge was the surname of Patrick’s partner, who predeceased him in 2022.

Jerry revealed that Patrick had been ill for a number of years prior to his death on July 5, 2024, having gone partially blind before dying as a result of urinary sepsis.

“I haven’t been able to say this previously, but my brother was a gay man, and back in the early ‘90s, it wasn’t really accepted — so that’s why he left and started a new life.

“I’m not ashamed of him in any way, we as a family never had any issue or argument with him about it,” he added.

“I take solace in knowing that he did actually live a good life, his life — one that he didn’t have here in the ‘90s due to the hatred people had for who he was.