The final episode of the hit podcast from RTÉ and Icelandic broadcaster RÚV will take listeners back in time and behind the scenes of the search for Icelandic poker player Jón Jónsson.
Mr Jónsson, 41, disappeared in Dublin while attending the Dublin Poker Festival. He was last seen exiting the Bonnington Hotel and walking down the Swords road on 9 February 2019.
There is no further public information about his whereabouts.
Remember, this is a live investigation, and since the podcast launched in late January, the producers have been flooded with tips, some of which could break open this case and maybe even name the alleged killer we've heard so much about…
After six years of searching, 18 months of research and six episodes later, the Jónsson family are still trying to answer the question behind the series name - Where is Jón?
Will the seventh and final episode bring them closer to finding out?
To learn more, keep reading, but I truly implore you to listen above...
And while the series might be drawing to a close, if you know anything about the whereabouts of Mr Jónsson, no matter how small, please contact the authorities or documentaries@rte.ie.
You might change a family's life.
Breakthrough
Day two of the search for Mr Jónsson’s remains took place on 14 February 2024.
It’s rare for anyone outside of the authorities to get up close to an investigation like this, but with the agreement of the gardaí and the Jónsson family that’s exactly what producer Liam O’Brien was able to do.
He was permitted to go inside the search and send information back to the family.
Meanwhile, other members of the press had started to circle the park in Santry Demesne, waiting for a breakthrough. It did not take long for them to get just that…
By the afternoon, three cadaver dogs had independently indicated to their handler that human remains were nearby. The area was sealed off, and experts from the garda technical bureau moved to conduct a further search using expert equipment.
The gardaí quickly reached out to the Jónsson family to ensure they heard the news from the authorities, not the media.
Mr Jónsson’s sister Anna Hildur Jónsdóttir, was the family point of contact for the gardaí; she was the person who received the news that the cadaver dogs had positively indicated the site of human remains.
But it’s important to say that human remains could just mean a vile of blood or something inconsequential to the investigation.
By the time the third day rolled around, a garda crime scene photographer was brought on board.
The cadaver dog's indication was pretty specific - within a radius of 15-20 feet of the point the gardaí were focusing on…
We need that relief. We need him to be found there
- Anna Hildur Jónsdóttir, sister
Cadaver Dogs
Paul Murphy is the specialist cadaver dog handler who took part in the search for Mr Jónsson’s remains.
He broke down how his dogs can detect human remains buried up to 15 feet below the surface, as well as underwater.
It helps that they have a sense of smell roughly 1,000 times greater than the average human.
He used three dogs during the search, almost like getting a second and third opinion. Once one dog indicates human remains might be present, the others are sent out to back up the findings.
The animals are trained to only look for human remains, such as blood, bone, teeth, hair and tissue.
Mr Murphy often pushes steel rods into the ground to open it up slightly so if remains are below the surface odours will rise and help the dogs with their search.
When a dog thinks they’ve found something, they will bark and run back and forth between Mr Murphy and where they’ve detected odour, like they did in the search for Mr Jónsson.
The reason I use multiple dogs is as a backup. If a dog makes an indication, and a strong indication, I like to get a second opinion and maybe a third
- Paul Murphy, cadaver dog handler
Day Four
By day four, a forensic anthropologist appeared at the scene as gardaí believed they were edging closer to finding something, especially when what appeared to be a plastic sheet was discovered…
It was on this day that Mr Jónsson’s sister texted the producers a photo of the drawing made by the English man in Thailand who had a vision about where Mr Jónsson’s remains were hidden.
If this doesn't make sense, you need a serious episode recap and should stop reading now.
The podcast told the authorities about the drawing that contained two trees and a body of water, similar to the area they were now searching. But the gardaí made inquiries and ruled out a connection.
By the evening of 16 February, nothing had been found, and the guards pulled back.
If somebody wants him to be found because we had these two letters and the first letter said where he could be found and the second one more specific, so this person must want him to be found
- Anna Hildur Jónsdóttir, sister
Tip line
Throughout the series tips, emails, and potential sightings of Mr Jónsson have poured in.
The team was contacted by a member of an Icelandic biker gang. He came to Ireland a month after Mr Jónsson went missing to meet his Irish counterparts as the group had links to the criminal underworld.
Those Irish bikers did some digging and said it appeared Mr Jónsson got into a taxi the morning he disappeared.
Plenty of rumours circulated in the Icelandic poker scene about what happened to Mr Jónsson.
A member of the Icelandic poker community approached the podcast but asked to remain anonymous as he believed Mr Jónsson was killed and was afraid to speak publicly.
The series gave him the pseudonym Viktor. He alleged a group of dangerous people in Iceland wanted to take revenge on someone they felt wronged them.
That individual was on a poker trip to Dublin at the same time as Mr Jónsson. It is believed Mr Jónsson was mistaken for that person and killed.
While Viktor did not recognise the name of the suspect identified in previous episodes, he was not surprised.
He said the alleged killer was not likely connected to the Icelandic poker world as everyone knew Mr Jónsson and would not have mistaken him for someone else.
Another tipster said they received a threatening call in July 2019, apparently intended for Mr Jónsson’s former partner, Kristiana Guðjónsdóttir.
A woman reported that a man called and berated her, saying that if a certain family member of hers did not fall in line, he would end up like Mr Jónsson.
She was perplexed as the named family member was long deceased before the caller hung up he addressed her by Ms Guðjónsdóttir’s name.
Moreover, the call came from a convenience store on the same street Ms Guðjónsdóttir lived with Mr Jónsson.
The store was also in the same building as a poker club Mr Jónsson used to frequent.
Thing is, if it had been someone from the poker world who had taken on the job, the mistake wouldn’t have been made. Because everybody knew Jón - and knew he was the least likely guy to get in trouble
- Viktor, anonymous source
Anonymous caller
Ms Guðjónsdóttir revealed to the series producers that she was directly threatened multiple times.
Her car tyres were slashed on four occasions. It happened twice in 2019 when she appeared on Irish and Icelandic media appealing for information about Mr Jónsson’s disappearance.
Nothing happened again until 2024 after the search for Mr Jónsson’s remains renewed media interest in the case.
During this time, her tyres were slashed twice in three weeks.
This would strongly imply that someone in Iceland does not want this case to be brought to public attention, but why?
She also received two anonymous calls in June 2019 from an Irish number. The first time she was in Ireland to appear on Crimecall, but on the second occasion, Ms Guðjónsdóttir was home in Iceland.
The caller did not speak, but she could hear someone on the receiving end.
The gardaí followed up with the owner of the number who claimed they did not remember making the calls.
But to make an international call from an Irish number, you have to enter a country code…
To make matters more suspicious the gardaí told Ms Guðjónsdóttir that the owner of that phone number lived close by to where Mr Jónsson was last seen.
I answered this phone call and just said hello and nobody said hello back, just breathe loudly in the phone. And I got in panic… hello, hello, who is it?
- former partner, Kristiana Guðjónsdóttir
Next steps
The person various sources claim murdered Mr Jónsson reportedly flew to Dublin a few days before him.
While he was previously in prison, he has now been released. Since then, he has gone off the grid, and nobody, not even the authorities, can find him.
From what the podcast makers have heard, he is known for using creative methods to alter his appearance.
Right before the last episode went live, Ms Jónsdóttir received a call from a friend who knew the true identity of 'Alex’.
The friend was told that ‘Alex’ was a hitman who owed a lot of money to the Lithuania Mafia in Iceland.
He is dangerous and reportedly has killed before…
In October 2024, the gardaí conducted another search in Santry Demesne after a trainee cadaver dog gave a positive indication for human remains, on further inspection, this small area was ruled out.
To date, the authorities have only searched a fraction of the park, there are areas matching the description in the two anonymous notes - between trees, near water - that have never been examined.
Six years into the investigation, the Jónsson family still longs for answers. In the concluding episode of the series, they appeal to the gardaí to do two specific things: Finish searching Santry Demesne Park and upgrade the case to a murder or criminal case to free up resources for the investigation.
The family will return to Dublin in March to meet with the new garda investigative team leading the case and go on RTÉ’s Late Late Show.
The family still hope Mr Jónsson will be found and brought back home.
We were under the impression that they searched the whole park with dogs. I believe they did not. We were under the impression that divers went into the lake. I believe they did not, so in my opinion and I believe most of us feel the same way, we want and we need the park searched thoroughly
- David Karl Wiium, brother
If you have any knowledge or information on the disappearance of Jón Jonsson, please contact us immediately and in confidence via documentaries@rte.ie
Þú getur líka sent okkur línu á hvarerjon@ruv.is
You can also send us anonymous information or tips via a link on our website
