Olivia Newton-John: Patrick McDermott 'Was Killed'

Olivia Newton-John remained haunted by the unresolved disappearance of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Patrick McDermott. McDermott vanished on July 1, 2005, after boarding a charter fishing boat off the California coast, and was never seen again. The U.S. Coast Guard officially concluded in November 2008 that McDermott most likely drowned.

However, according to a new biography, Newton-John herself expressed a persistent belief that McDermott was murdered. She reportedly told a close friend, "I believe he was killed. I think he drowned." This conviction meant she never truly made peace with the circumstances of his vanishing.

Further complicating the mystery, secret government documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the Coast Guard kept McDermott's case open. State Department records indicated he was on a "Deadbeat Parent Lookout" list, suggesting he might have faked his drowning to evade financial obligations, including $35,000 in debt and child support.

Despite numerous reported sightings in Mexico and Canada between 2005 and 2009, the case remained officially closed. Newton-John herself acknowledged in 2009 that there would always be a "question mark" and she might never be at peace with the event.