Midleton man David O'Sullivan is missing in California. He was last seen in April.

Midleton man missing in California not heard from in four months

A young Midleton man has been reported missing on a popular hiking trail in the United States after losing contact with his family at home.

David O’Sullivan, 25, left Ireland on March 20th to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a five-month hike from Southern California to Canada.

He has not made contact with family since April.

Mr O’Sullivan has now been reported as a missing person with Interpol, the Gardai and both the American and Irish embassy, as well as police departments and search and rescue departments throughout California.

Before setting off on this trail, he had no previous experience in alpine conditions so chose to set off on the trail in a northbound direction, avoiding deep snow.

As he has no data plan for his phone, he has been relying on WiFi in towns to keep in contact with his family.

Mr O’Sullivan arrived in Campo, San Diego County on March 22. By early April he had arrived in Idyllwild, California.

He last made contact with his family on April 7th when he sent them an email detailing his hike.

“This was our last contact with him. We knew that weeks might pass without contact but no more than 2 or 3,” a missing person Facebook page set up reads.

Mr O'Sullivan was scheduled to meet a friend in May but did not show up.

After the family was unsuccessful in making contact with Mr O’Sullivan online, they contacted the Gardai.

“Inquiries were made which led us to believe that his bank account was recently active. While not happy, this satisfied us that he was OK, spending money on food, etc and that he was simply unable to charge his tablet or get WiFi access. We waited for an email from him. On June 30th, after more weeks without contact, we went back to our local police, asking them to officially report him as a missing person.”

“The Search And Rescue teams are actively searching for him and we are hoping that people may have encountered him at any stage of his hike. If you met David, please let us know. Anything could help.”

Mr O’Sullivan is approximately 5’10” and wears glasses. He has a bright blue rucksack, hiking gear, a non-smart phone and a tablet in his possession.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Murietta Police Department on 001 951 6963615.