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Talk about a lack of closure! Olivia Newton-John, 61, dated lighting technician Patrick McDermott for nine years. The day after he broke up with her in 2005, he disappeared on a fishing trip and was presumed drowned. As it turns out, McDermott, 48, is just fine: Investigators announced on Thursday that he's been hiding out in Mexico for the past five years.
The news that McDermott faked his own death is startling, but it doesn't come entirely out of the blue. Many found his disappearance suspicious, seeing as he owed his ex-wife thousands of dollars in child support -- and his "death" would have enabled his teenage son to receive a $150,000 life insurance payment. In 2006, Dateline NBC sent investigators to Mexican hot spot Cabo San Lucas, where multiple witnesses reported seeing McDermott. In 2009, the investigators behind the website findpatrickmcdermott.com offered Dateline further proof that he was alive. Now those same investigators have received documentation and voice imprints from McDermott himself -- sent on the condition that they agree to leave him alone.
So the question on everyone's mind is: Did Olivia Newton-John know that her long-time boyfriend was alive? The statement she released upon his disappearance begged that anyone with information to "please, please come forward." But that statement was made two months after his disappearance -- rather a long wait to address an urgent situation. The singer says she didn't make an immediate statement "out of respect for his family," and told the media that her ex wouldn't have abruptly gone into hiding, because it would have hurt his son too much.
Well, that's one thing she definitely wasn't lying about: now that his dad has been discovered, McDermott's son won't be the recipient of his child support or his life insurance payout. And his dad can't return to the States to visit without ending up in handcuffs. So even if this news does finally provide some relief to Newton-John and McDermott's family and friends, it's certainly no happy ending.
Plus: Olivia vs. Britney: Who's a Bigger Pop Star?
Do you think Olivia Newton-John was covering up McDermott's disappearance? Chime in below!
