Jón Jónsson Podcast Uncovers Fresh Leads in Search for Missing Poker Player

• Podcast uncovers new leads in poker player’s disappearance
• Irish police renew search efforts in Dublin locations
• Family praises cross-border cooperation with Europol and Gardaí

A podcast that delved into the mysterious disappearance of Icelandic poker player Jón Jónsson, who went missing from Ireland’s Dublin Poker Festival over six years ago, has sparked new leads in the case, the missing man’s family said this week.

The Gardaí (Irish national police) are carrying out fresh searches in several locations across Dublin. That’s thanks to new leads generated by the Where is Jón? Podcast series, a collaboration between Irish and Icelandic national broadcasters.

Jónsson, who was 41 at the time of his disappearance on February 9, 2019, was last seen leaving Dublin’s Bonnington Hotel, the venue hosting the poker festival.

Vanishing Point

The father of four had arrived alone in the city from Iceland on February 8. The tournament was due to commence the following morning, when he would be joined by his fiancée, Kristiana Guðjónsdóttir. The couple planned to play in the tournament and enjoy a 10-day stay in the city.

Irish police have pursued over 270 lines of inquiry since the case began. In February 2024, authorities conducted a major search of the city’s Santry Demesne Park after receiving two anonymous letters indicating that the area might be linked to Jónsson’s fate.

One letter was sent directly to Gardaí, while the other was delivered to a local priest. Those searches ultimately proved fruitless.

New Witnesses?

Gardaí have not disclosed specific details about the new leads, but RTÉ reported that investigators have a new list of individuals they want to interview about the case.

A recent meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, brought Irish investigators together with their Icelandic counterparts and Europol, a move praised by Jónsson’s family.

Basically, we have been fighting for the Icelandic police and the Gardaí to work closer together throughout the years,” Jónsson’s brother, David Karl Wiium, told RTÉ this week. “So, for us, it’s a huge victory that they have already met and that they have already established more personal connections and cooperation.”

Theories include the possibility that Jónsson was the victim of mistaken identity or became inadvertently entangled in criminal activity in the area.

In October 2020, The Irish Independent reported that an unnamed man serving prison time in Iceland claimed that Jonsson had been killed accidentally by a fellow countryman after losing cash he had been entrusted with.

Jonsson’s family dismissed this as fake news, stating that neither Irish nor Icelandic authorities had received any such information.