Did Olivia Newton-John\u2019s Former Boyfriend Fake His Own Death?Faking your own death is almost always a bad idea. Hear the story of Patrick McDermott, Olivia Newton John\u2019s boyfriend, who many believe staged his own death.\xa0\nThe wrong way to disappear\nPeople have been playing dead since the beginning of time. There\u2019s really no way of knowing for how long this has been going on. But I can imagine that the illusion of dying is closely correlated with the concept of debt. If you owe someone lots of money, you have two options: either pay it or run away.\xa0\nPatrick McDermott, Olivia Newton-John\u2019s missing boyfriend, had every reason to run away. His film work had dried up and he owed his ex-wife thousands of dollars in back child support.\nIt took 10 days for anyone to realize he was missing. Olivia Newton-John wasn\u2019t looking for him because they had just recently broken up. It wasn\u2019t until he didn\u2019t show up to pick up his son that his ex-wife noticed something was wrong.\xa0But people can\u2019t just run away without leaving behind clues.\xa0\xa0\nPatrick McDermott was last seen after going on an overnight fishing trip. Was McDermott lost at sea or was he just on the run? The truth is, no one wanted to find out. His ex-wife filed a claim on his life insurance. And Olivia Newton John wanted the whole thing put behind her.\nWhen the manager of the marina was asked about McDermott\u2019s whereabouts, he said that Patrick McDermott\u2019s name was indeed on the ship\u2019s manifesto. And there was something else. He left behind his tackle box. Inside, they found his wallet, driver\u2019s license, and car keys.\xa0\nWhy would anyone want to fake their own death?\nI haven\u2019t seen any real study on this topic but I can imagine that there are many reasons why someone would want to leave their own life behind and start fresh. It could be forbidden love like in Romeo and Juliet. Or it can be greed\u2014like someone trying to cash in on their own life insurance policy. When it comes to dying, people have many different motivations.\xa0\nHow to disappear with Michael Bazzell\nThis series is a collaboration with Michael Bazzell, a privacy consultant and host of\xa0The PRIVACY, SECURITY, & OSINT Show.\xa0We\u2019re going to show you the wrong way and the right way to disappear.\xa0\nBuy the book: Extreme Privacy: What it takes to disappear by Michael Bazzell:\nhttps://amzn.to/2XFm4of\nA special thanks to Philip Klein. If you want to read more about Patrick McDermott\u2019s disappearance, check out the book \u201cLost at Sea: The hunt for Patrick McDermott.\u201d\nBuy the book: Lost at Sea\nhttps://amzn.to/3ihMjcf\n\nAffiliate link disclaimer.\n\n-------\nStory idea? \nIf you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org.\n\nFor more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org.\n\nTo get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices