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Olivia Newton-John's boyfriend living in Mexico

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Jun 05 2006 08:58

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Mystery surrounding the disappearance of Australian entertainer Olivia Newton-John's longtime boyfriend Patrick McDermott deepened on Monday following a report he was alive and living in Mexico.

McDermott, who had been Grease star Newton-John's partner for nine years, disappeared off a boat while on an overnight fishing trip off the California coast a year ago.

His body has never been found and authorities have not determined whether the 48-year-old walked off the boat when it docked back at San Pedro, was murdered at sea or faked his death to escape mounting debts.

As a United States grand jury prepares to investigate the disappearance, a report in Sydney's Daily Telegraph said that McDermott had been identified by three separate witnesses as hiding out on Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

"I've definitely seen him," Manuel Valdez, a bar owner in Todos Santos told the paper. "He was here for just one drink, it was a beer and he sat at the end of the bar."

American businessman John Brown also said he had seen McDermott last month in a bar in Cabo San Lucas, about 80km from Todos Santos.

I've seen this guy. I'm positive that's him. He was sitting on the corner of the bar by himself drinking beer," Brown said.

Brown said he became suspicious about the man, who had told him he planned to lead boat tours to nearby waterfalls, when he refused to give him a business card.

"He wouldn't give me a card and said he was planning on keeping fishing for a while," he said.

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A third witness at a surf camp near Todos Santos also said he had seen McDermott.

McDermott, who worked as a cameraman, was thousands of dollars behind in child support when he disappeared and faced the possibility of going to jail over the debt to his ex-wife. - AFP

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