Psychic Tips Among New Leads in Search for Missing Icelander, Jón Jónsson
Disappearance
Yesterday
4 minute read.
Gardaí have carried out further searches in Dublin in connection with the disappearance of Icelandic man Jón Jónsson, following new information received after the airing of a podcast series about the case.
Mr Jónsson, a 41 year old father of four and a taxi driver, went missing on the 9th of February 2019 while attending the Dublin Poker Festival with his partner, Kristiana Guðjónsdóttir. He was last seen leaving the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin and walking along the Swords Road past Highfield Hospital, heading towards the junction at Collins Avenue.
The renewed searches were prompted by tip offs received as a result of the Where is Jón? podcast series, co-produced by Irish public broadcaster RTÉ and its Icelandic counterpart RÚV. Several areas in Dublin were examined last month with the assistance of cadaver dogs trained to detect human remains.
According to Mr Jónsson’s brother, David Karl Wiium, the family remains committed to pursuing all leads. "It's really important to basically leave no stone unturned and always look into every possibility at any given time. So that's very optimistic and it fills us with hope", he said.
Last year, gardaí searched Santry Demesne park after receiving two anonymous letters – one sent to a Garda station and another to a priest’s residence in north Dublin. These searches were unsuccessful.
Recent searches have included areas in Santry Demesne and near Collins Avenue, prompted in part by information from two psychic mediums. One clairvoyant claimed Mr Jónsson was buried near a tree in Santry Demesne, while another suggested he had experienced a medical episode near a farm in the Collins Avenue area. Neither search yielded any discoveries. Two additional locations were also searched for unrelated reasons.
While Garda sources acknowledged that tips from psychics are not uncommon in high-profile missing persons cases, they noted that such information has not previously led to a breakthrough. One source stated: “People may come to you with information they say they got in a vision. But who’s to say they didn’t come across it in some other way which they may not want to disclose? You have to chase everything down.”
Despite extensive efforts, including more than 270 lines of inquiry since Mr Jónsson's disappearance, his case remains unresolved and has not been upgraded to a homicide investigation.
In March, Mr Jónsson’s family met with members of An Garda Síochána to discuss the investigation. Mr Wiium described the meeting as positive: "This visit was different, and I could feel it. We were all there, the siblings, our mother, we could just feel the energy was right, and we could really, we really believe, and we can really feel that the gardaí are really trying our best, and they're really on our side in this so yes, 100% and how they have kept up the communication with myself and the family since we left, it's really it's good indicator of what is to come."
The family has welcomed recent cooperation between Irish and Icelandic authorities, including a meeting in The Hague involving Gardaí, Europol and Icelandic police.
"Basically, we have been fighting for the Icelandic police and the gardaí to work closer together throughout the years. So, for us, it's a huge victory that they have already met and that they have already established more personal connections and cooperation. And what I've been told by the gardaí, the Icelandic police were very cooperative," said Mr Wiium.
It is understood that Gardaí have identified individuals they wish to interview and that plans are in place for an Garda Síochána team to travel to Iceland shortly. The Icelandic authorities have offered assistance, including interpreters, police personnel, and transport.
Mr Jónsson was last seen just 1 kilometre from the hotel where he had been staying. He had travelled to Dublin for the poker tournament and disappeared without trace shortly after leaving the premises.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Mr Jónsson, a 41 year old father of four and a taxi driver, went missing on the 9th of February 2019 while attending the Dublin Poker Festival with his partner, Kristiana Guðjónsdóttir. He was last seen leaving the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin and walking along the Swords Road past Highfield Hospital, heading towards the junction at Collins Avenue.
The renewed searches were prompted by tip offs received as a result of the Where is Jón? podcast series, co-produced by Irish public broadcaster RTÉ and its Icelandic counterpart RÚV. Several areas in Dublin were examined last month with the assistance of cadaver dogs trained to detect human remains.
According to Mr Jónsson’s brother, David Karl Wiium, the family remains committed to pursuing all leads. "It's really important to basically leave no stone unturned and always look into every possibility at any given time. So that's very optimistic and it fills us with hope", he said.
Last year, gardaí searched Santry Demesne park after receiving two anonymous letters – one sent to a Garda station and another to a priest’s residence in north Dublin. These searches were unsuccessful.
Recent searches have included areas in Santry Demesne and near Collins Avenue, prompted in part by information from two psychic mediums. One clairvoyant claimed Mr Jónsson was buried near a tree in Santry Demesne, while another suggested he had experienced a medical episode near a farm in the Collins Avenue area. Neither search yielded any discoveries. Two additional locations were also searched for unrelated reasons.
While Garda sources acknowledged that tips from psychics are not uncommon in high-profile missing persons cases, they noted that such information has not previously led to a breakthrough. One source stated: “People may come to you with information they say they got in a vision. But who’s to say they didn’t come across it in some other way which they may not want to disclose? You have to chase everything down.”
Despite extensive efforts, including more than 270 lines of inquiry since Mr Jónsson's disappearance, his case remains unresolved and has not been upgraded to a homicide investigation.
In March, Mr Jónsson’s family met with members of An Garda Síochána to discuss the investigation. Mr Wiium described the meeting as positive: "This visit was different, and I could feel it. We were all there, the siblings, our mother, we could just feel the energy was right, and we could really, we really believe, and we can really feel that the gardaí are really trying our best, and they're really on our side in this so yes, 100% and how they have kept up the communication with myself and the family since we left, it's really it's good indicator of what is to come."
The family has welcomed recent cooperation between Irish and Icelandic authorities, including a meeting in The Hague involving Gardaí, Europol and Icelandic police.
"Basically, we have been fighting for the Icelandic police and the gardaí to work closer together throughout the years. So, for us, it's a huge victory that they have already met and that they have already established more personal connections and cooperation. And what I've been told by the gardaí, the Icelandic police were very cooperative," said Mr Wiium.
It is understood that Gardaí have identified individuals they wish to interview and that plans are in place for an Garda Síochána team to travel to Iceland shortly. The Icelandic authorities have offered assistance, including interpreters, police personnel, and transport.
Mr Jónsson was last seen just 1 kilometre from the hotel where he had been staying. He had travelled to Dublin for the poker tournament and disappeared without trace shortly after leaving the premises.
The investigation remains ongoing.
