Kevin McGeever and his wife, Siobhan O’Callaghan.
Kevin McGeever, an Irish millionaire who went missing eight months ago, showed up on the side of a road out of nowhere on Friday.
Barefoot and 70 pounds lighter, McGeever said he had been kidnapped by the Russian mafia and the IRA. The word “thief” was gruesomely carved into his forehead.
Here’s what you need to know about McGeever and his bizarre disappearance.
1. Kevin McGeever is a Millionaire Irish Property Developer
McGeever’s home in Craughwell, Galway.
2. He Went Missing in May 2012
McGeever was reported missing in May 2012 by his wife, Siobhán O’Callaghan.
Catherine Vallely found McGeever on the side of the road.
McGeever was spotted on the side of the road at night by Catherine Vallely. He was barefoot and looking disheveled. She describes the discovery:
There was this person in the middle of the road who had a flashing light. He had red trousers that made me think it was a cone, at first, in the middle of the road. He said three men threw him out of a van.
4. The Word “Thief” Was Carved into His Forehead
When Vallely found the wandering man, the most shocking aspect of his appearance was the word “thief” carved into his forehead.
5. He Said He Was Kidnapped & Tortured by the Russian Mafia & the IRA
McGeever told police that he had been kidnapped by the Russian mafia. Apparently, Russian gangsters kept him in a darkened container for the eight months and carved “thief” into his forehead because he owed the mafia and the IRA money. They demanded a ransom for his safe release, although it is unknown whether any money was paid.
6. He Had No Memory of His Time in Captivity
The millionaire told police he had no idea what happened to him while he was held by his captors, and his sense of time was completely out of whack. He did not know what day, month or even year it was.
McGeever in front of his private helicopter.
McGeever, who weighed 224 pounds before he was kidnapped, returned 70 pounds lighter, weighing in at roughly 154 pounds. When he got to the police station after his discovery, he drank tea and ate biscuits, telling a female police officer that he could not remember the last time he had eaten.
8. Most Residents of His Town Had No Idea Who He Was
One resident of Craughwell, the town McGeever lives in, said most locals were oblivious to McGeever’s disappearance — and even his existence — because he kept to himself behind the gates of his mansion:
We had no idea who he was until this week. I don’t know anyone who knew of him.
9. He is the First Millionaire to be Kidnapped in the Irish Republic in Years
Apparently in the 1970s and ’80s, the Provisional IRA frequently kidnapped millionaires to raise finances from ransoms. In 1983, the IRA kidnapped supermarket boss Don Tidey and demanded a ransom of over $8 million.
10. McGeever is Recovering in a Hospital in Mullingar in County Westmeath, Ireland