Ireland Case No. 2138Missing person (suspected murder) · Co. Dublin · 9 Feb 2019
Gardaí travel to Iceland in Dublin missing man suspected murder inquiry
Jón Jónsson, a 41-year-old Icelandic man and father of four, disappeared in north Dublin on 9 February 2019 after attending the Dublin Poker Festival, and Gardaí now suspect he was killed that day after a meeting over money went wrong. His body is believed to have been dumped in Santry Demesne Regional Park, where a 2024 search involving cadaver dogs and a digger found no remains. A suspected hitman from an eastern European criminal organisation is alleged to have killed him by mistaken identity, but neither Irish nor Icelandic police have interviewed him and no arrest warrant has been issued. The case remains a missing person inquiry, and in June 2025 five Gardaí from Ballymun station travelled to Iceland to interview 45 citizens and appeal to the public for help.
- Reported9 Feb
4 reports - Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Jón Jónsson, a 41-year-old Icelandic man and father of four, disappeared in Dublin on 9 February 2019 after attending the Dublin Poker Festival.
- Gardaí suspect he was killed on the day he vanished after a meeting he had organised went wrong, and officers believe he had lost thousands of euros playing poker and was meeting someone for more cash.
- Where
- He was last seen on CCTV around 11am near the Bonnington Hotel on Swords Road in Whitehall, north Dublin, and his body is believed to have been dumped in Santry Demesne Regional Park in Dublin 9.
- When
- He arrived in Ireland on 8 February 2019 and was last seen alive on 9 February 2019.
- Cause
- A suspected hitman from an eastern European criminal organisation is alleged to have killed him by mistaken identity, having intended to murder someone else.
- Investigation
- Over 270 lines of enquiry have been pursued, and a 2024 search of Santry Demesne involving cadaver dogs, divers, and a digger found no remains.
- Two anonymous letters received in 2022 and 2023 indicated his remains were in the park, and DNA and fingerprint tests from the notes yielded nothing.
- In June 2025, five Gardaí from Ballymun station travelled to Iceland to interview 45 Icelandic citizens and appeal to the public for help.
- Other details
- The case remains classed as a missing person inquiry, and neither Irish nor Icelandic police have interviewed the suspected hitman or issued an arrest warrant.
- The suspected hitman is not from Ireland or Iceland, has serious convictions for drugs and extreme violence, and is not believed to be in either country.
67 statements extracted from the articles
- whatJon Jonsson, a man from Iceland, disappeared in Dublin five years ago. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGardaí suspect Jon Jonsson was killed on the day he vanished. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatJón Jónsson is a 41-year-old Icelandic man who went missing on 9 February 2019. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHis partner Kristiana Guðjónsdóttir arrived on 9 February 2019. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe left his passport, wallet and room key at the hotel before departing. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA source in Iceland told podcast producers that a man claimed to have killed Jón Jónsson, having intended to murder someone else. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe suspected hitman is not from Ireland or Iceland and has serious convictions including for drugs and extreme violence. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe suspected hitman is not believed to be in Ireland or Iceland. (irishtimes.com)
- whatGardaí have travelled to Iceland as part of the investigation into Jón Jónsson's disappearance. (rte.ie)
- whereJon Jonsson was last seen in Whitehall. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereHe was last seen in Whitehall, Dublin, around 11am. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereHis body is believed to have been dumped in a park in Santry, north Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereHis body was allegedly dumped in a park in Santry, north Dublin. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe search focuses on two areas of the park, also known as Santry Demesne. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe search is taking place in Santry Demesne Regional Park in Dublin 9. (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe poker festival was held at the Bonnington Hotel in Whitehall, north Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
- whereJón Jónsson vanished after leaving the Bonnington Hotel on Swords Road in north Dublin. (rte.ie)
- whenJon Jonsson was last seen around 11am on Saturday, 9 February 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenJon Jonsson was last seen alive on 9 February 2019. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenJonsson was last seen in Whitehall around 11am on 9 February 2019. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenJon Jonsson vanished in February 2019. (dublinlive.ie)
- whenHe arrived in Ireland on 8 February 2019 to attend a poker festival. (irishtimes.com)
- whenHis last confirmed sighting was on CCTV at 11am, a few hundred metres from the hotel. (irishtimes.com)
- whenJón Jónsson disappeared on 9 February 2019. (rte.ie)
- causeGardaí suspect the meeting became violent and Jon Jonsson was killed. (irishmirror.ie)
- causeSuspected killing followed a meeting that went wrong. (dublinlive.ie)
- causeOfficers suspect Jon Jonsson was killed on the day he vanished. (dublinlive.ie)
- causeOfficers believe the killing followed a meeting Jon Jonsson had organised that went wrong. (dublinlive.ie)
- causeGardaí fear the meeting erupted into violence and Jon Jonsson was killed. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe Garda investigation into Jon Jonsson's disappearance has continued for five years. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationMore than 270 lines of enquiry have been pursued and numerous statements taken. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationHours of CCTV footage from the local area have been reviewed. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí decided to search for his body after receiving two anonymous letters saying his remains were in the park. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe search began and was set to continue into the following day. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe search focuses on a heavily wooded area and a deep lake in the park. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe Garda Water Unit's divers are scouting the lake for signs of his remains. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationMore than 270 lines of enquiry have been pursued in the investigation. (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí decided to search the park after receiving two anonymous letters saying his remains were there. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe search began on the day the article was published and was due to continue the next day. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí from Ballymun called in specialist units, including divers and dog handlers. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationSpecialist gardaí were expected to start digging in the park for the remains of a missing man. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationCadaver dogs indicated something might be buried at a wooded spot close to the lake. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe site was preserved overnight and Garda Technical Bureau officers were to start digging. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí searched a section of Santry Demesne in February 2024 and found nothing. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationDNA and fingerprint tests from the anonymous notes yielded nothing. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationNeither Irish nor Icelandic police have interviewed the suspected hitman and no arrest warrant has been issued. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGarda cadaver dogs indicated the possible presence of human remains near the lake in Santry Demesne during the 2024 search. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA digger was brought in to evacuate a small area but nothing was found. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGarda divers were at the scene but were not deployed as the sniffer dog failed to alert. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe family is due to meet senior gardaí on Saturday to set out their case for upgrading the investigation. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationFive gardaí from Ballymun station will spend a week in Iceland interviewing 45 Icelandic citizens. (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí made a fresh appeal for information about the disappearance. (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí said they believe what happened to Jón Jónsson happened in Dublin. (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí appealed to the Icelandic public for help in finding Jón Jónsson. (rte.ie)
- investigationSeveral fresh searches were carried out with cadaver dogs after new information came to gardaí. (rte.ie)
- otherGardaí received two items of anonymous correspondence, which have been assessed. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGardaí are appealing to the author of the anonymous letters to contact them in confidence. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherJon Jonsson has not been located. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherJon Jonsson had a hotel room key card from the Bonnington Hotel when he went missing. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherJon Jonsson was 41 years old. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherOfficers believe he had lost thousands of euros playing poker in Dublin before his disappearance. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherOfficers believe he was meeting someone to get access to more cash. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe case is still classed as a missing person's inquiry. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGardaí say Jonsson has not been located. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherOfficers believe Jon Jonsson had lost thousands of euros playing poker in Dublin before he disappeared. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherJón Jónsson was 41 and was in Ireland to attend the Dublin Poker Festival. (rte.ie)
- otherThe investigation into the disappearance has stepped up in recent months. (rte.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 23 Jun2025Gardaí travel to Iceland over Jón Jónsson disappearance
Gardaí have travelled to Iceland to interview 45 Icelandic citizens and appeal for help. The article says the investigation stepped up after new information followed an RTÉ podcast series and that several fresh searches were carried out.
victim, Jón Jónsson, 41, male, Icelandic, non-irishJón Jónsson - 7 Mar2025‘I’m almost certain something happened’: Family fear missing Jón Jónsson was killed by hitman in case of mistaken identity
Family returned to Ireland to push for case upgrade to criminal inquiry; new leads from RTÉ/RÚV podcast; anonymous notes point to Santry Demesne; suspected hitman from eastern European criminal organisation allegedly killed him by mistaken identity; family due to meet senior gardaí.
victim, Jón Jónsson, 41, male, Icelandic, non-irishJón Jónssonsuspect, male, non-irish (judged from name) - 15 Feb2024Specialist garda begin to dig Dublin park for remains of missing man
Search for remains of Jon Jonsson in Santry Demesne after cadaver dogs indicated a possible burial spot. Gardaí suspect he was killed on the day he vanished in February 2019 after a meeting over money went wrong; no arrests are mentioned.
victim, Jon Jonsson, 41, male, Icelandic, non-irishJon Jonsson - 13 Feb2024Gardai fear missing man was killed before being dumped in Dublin park
Reports that gardaí suspect Jon Jonsson was killed and his body dumped in Santry Demesne, and that a search for his remains has started. Also gives details of the poker losses, the anonymous letters and the search units involved.
victim, Jon Jonsson, 41, male, Icelandic, non-irishJon Jonsson - 13 Feb2024Gardai fear missing Icelandic tourist was killed and dumped in Dublin park
Reports that gardaí suspect Jon Jonsson was killed after a meeting went wrong, that a search of Santry Demesne has started following two anonymous letters, and that the case remains a missing persons inquiry.
victim, Jon Jonsson, 41, male, Icelandic, non-irishJon Jonsson - 9 Feb2024Renewed appeal for info on Icelandic man's disappearance in Dublin 5 years ago
Fifth-anniversary appeal for information. Gardaí say over 270 lines of enquiry have been pursued and that they want to contact the author of two anonymous letters received during the investigation.
victim, Jon Jonsson, 41, male, Icelandic, non-irishJon Jonsson