Olivia Newton John's missing man spotted

06-06-2006 11:40

Olivia Newton John's missing boyfriend has apparently been spotted in Mexico.

Patrick McDermott - who was believed to have drowned during a fishing trip last year - has reportedly been sighted by three separate witnesses.

The 48-year-old cameraman disappeared on June 30, 2005, after falling overboard during a trip out to sea from San Pedro, California.

After his disappearance, McDermott - who met actress Newton-John in 1996 and was with her for nine years - was revealed to have mounting debts and speculation was rife that he had "faked" his own death to escape bankruptcy and avoid the likelihood of a prison sentence over unpaid child support to ex-wife actress Yvette Nipar.

According to Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper, McDermott has been seen on a number of occasions in Mexico's Baja Peninsula over the past three months.

One witness even claims to have spoken to him. American businessman John Brown claims he shared a brief conversation with McDermott at a bar in the north Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas.

He said: "I'm positive it was him. He was sitting in a corner by himself drinking beer."

Newton-John admitted she was stunned when she heard the news last year.

She said at the time: "I was just kind of frozen."

At present, a US grand jury is preparing to investigate the cameraman's mysterious disappearance.