The investigation into the disappearance of Jon Jonsson in Dublin five years ago has been marked by a series of false starts, dead ends and maddeningly vague leads.
Gardaí have investigated 270 lines of inquiry to no avail. All of these have taken a toll on the Icelandic man’s family, who remain committed to the search operation and have been frequent visitors to Ireland in the intervening years.
Now they may have some hope of closure.
This week, gardaí investigating the case began searching in a north Dublin park, known as Santry Demesne, using divers and dog units. On Tuesday, a dog unit directed the search team’s attention to a particular area of the park, which was sealed off and subjected to a more intensive search.
This does not necessarily indicate the presence of a body. The dog may have picked up the scent of blood, or it may just be another false alarm.
The story of Jon Jonsson - how a man vanished in the middle of a city?
Gardaí began the search after receiving two anonymous letters suggesting that Mr Jonsson (41) may have been attacked in the area.
His family has been advised to temper their expectations. The letters were sparse on detail and it remains possible they are a cruel hoax. However, their content suggests the author has at least some direct knowledge of what happened the father of four on the day he vanished. Gardaí have appealed for the sender to make contact again.
Mr Jonsson, who worked as a taxi driver, arrived in Ireland on February 8th, 2019, and booked into the Bonnington Hotel in Whitehall, about 3km from where gardaí are searching this week.
He had planned to travel with his fiancee Jana Gudjonsdottir, but an issue with her passport meant she had to take a flight the next day. The pair intended to take part in a three-day poker tournament in the hotel before embarking on a sightseeing holiday around the country.
The tournament was a big draw for Mr Jonsson. Most forms of gambling, including poker, are illegal in Iceland. However, online poker is popular and Mr Jonsson was an avid player.
On his first night, however, he lost a substantial amount of money at the poker tables. When Ms Gudjonsdottir arrived on the Saturday morning, she spoke briefly to her fiancee in their room before going downstairs to get coffee.
When she returned to the room, he was gone and had left his passport, wallet and room key behind. The only things he had on him were the clothes on his back and a credit card.
CCTV shows Mr Jonsson leaving the hotel in a black padded jacket and a T-shirt with the words “no future” written on it. The last confirmed sighting was on CCTV outside the Highfield nursing home a few hundred metres away at 11am. From there, the trail ran cold.
Numerous people have come forward since to say they saw Mr Jonsson in various locations in the Whitehall area, but none of these sightings has been confirmed. One person told gardaí they spoke to a taxi driver who said he picked Mr Jonsson up in the area but investigators have yet to track the driver down.
There is little to suggest Mr Jonsson intended to harm himself. He had no history of depression or self-harm. As well as planning a wedding, he had recently renewed his taxi licence and had made various plans with his family.
Gardaí have not entirely ruled out the possibility that he left the country but it appears highly unlikely. He had no passport with him and was not picked up on CCTV in any airport or ferry port. While he had a credit card, there is no record of it being used after he disappeared.
Various search operations involving gardaí, local people and the Jonsson family have taken place over the years. At one point, the missing man’s brother Davíð Wiium planned to move to Ireland to devote himself to the search full time.
The family also hired a private investigator with a history of tracking missing persons, although it is understood he is no longer involved in the case. Icelandic police have visited Ireland at least once to assist in the investigation and the case is discussed whenever Irish and Icelandic government officials meet.
“It’s one of the most baffling missing persons investigations in years,” said a garda involved in the inquiry. “People don’t tend to go missing in urban areas in the middle of the day.”
Mr Jonsson’s disappearance officially remains a missing persons investigation. However, gardaí have also not ruled out foul play. One line of inquiry is that he went to borrow money from someone and became involved in a violent argument which led to his death. But at this point it remains no more than a theory.
Gardaí say the search operation in Santry is ongoing and is likely to continue on Friday. It is understood nothing of note has been found so far.
Meanwhile, the family plans to keep the case in the public eye by taking part in a documentary on the disappearance which is being developed by RTÉ and Icelandic State broadcaster RÚV.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here