THE FAMILY of a London Irishman who has been missing for over 36 years have made an emotional appeal for help to find him.
Thomas Gerry Redmond, known to friends as Gerry, was last seen at his home in Moyser Road, Tooting in the summer of 1979.
The 26-year-old was a popular tattoo artist who worked at the Barry Louvaine tattoo shop on Garratt Lane in Earlsfield.
The shop remains at the site in Wandsworth although it is under new ownership.
The exact circumstances of his disappearance are unknown, although the Redmond family say they fear it may have been drug-related.
Speaking to The Irish Post, Gerry’s brother Darren Redmond, 52, said: “My brother just vanished off the face of the earth. He had a few problems, he got into drugs through his girlfriend. He tried to get her off drugs but he couldn’t, then he had a breakdown.
“My mum sent him to live with my dad in Roscommon, but life was too slow for him there and he came back. It was soon after he came back that he disappeared. I’ve gone back to Ireland to search for him but we just don’t know where he is.
He added: “He was such a nice guy, it’s such a waste of a life. I used to have dreams where I’d wake up really happy thinking he was home. It’d take me an hour to realise that he wasn’t and that it was just a dream.”
Mr Redmond said that close to the time of his disappearance, Gerry started having flashbacks and believed that people were out to get him.
“He had a black briefcase under his bed and someone came looking for it,” he said. “There were drugs in it, so my mum gave it to a man that knocked on our door asking for it.
It is believed that Gerry’s older sister Margaret was the last family member to see him.
Gerry – whose mother hailed from Co. Roscommon and father from Co. Wicklow – was seen packing items into black bin bags in the hallway of his home in either 1978/79, according to his brother.
Another potential sighting soon after his disappearance was at Clapham Junction Station.
The family are now seeking closure after almost four decades.
“We need to get some closure, both my parents have died and so did my older sister,” Darren Redmond said.
“There’s just a few of us left. We need to create some sort of memorial for him otherwise there’ll be no trace or history that he ever existed.”
Gerry Redmond would now be 62 years old.
He has tattoos including an eagle, pirate and rose and the words 'Rob Tattoo' on his right forearm.
On his left forearm were tattoos of two birds, a rose, a horse's head and the words 'Gerry and Darren', in reference to his brother.
There have been previous appeals to trace Gerry, including a television appeal on Carlton TV's Missing on July 11, 1995.
Wandsworth Police Sergeant Tony Rutland said: "Gerry's disappearance has been a tragic mystery to the family for well over 30 years.
"People may have had information about Gerry which they were previously unwilling to share, but I would hope that given the passage of time - and the family's obvious desire to know what happened - anyone with information may now feel able to come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to call PS Tony Rutland of Wandsworth police via 101 or the charity Missing People on 116000.
