Search Underway For Icelandic Poker Player Missing In Dublin

While on a trip to Dublin, Ireland, with his fiancee, 41-year-old poker player Jon Jonsson left his Bonnington Hotel room on February 9 and then seemingly vanished without a trace. 

Jon is a father of two, a cab driver and a regular player in the Icelandic poker scene. He frequently travels for poker tournaments with his fiancee, Jana Guðjónsdóttir. They were in Ireland to take part in the Dublin Poker Festival, which began on February 10 at the Bonnington Hotel.

The day before the tournament, CCTV shows Jon playing poker in the hotel’s casino, it was a losing session but well within his bankroll. 

He’s then seen leaving the Bonnington Hotel at 11:05 am. Jana came back to the hotel room to find that he had left without his hat, coat, passport, wallet, and cellphone. According to his brother, he was carrying his tournament buy-in with him.

CCTV then sees him at McGettigan’s bar at 11:07 am before going to Swords Road, and then was last seen at the exit of Highfield Hospital, heading towards Collins Avenue. It was his first time in Dublin and he had no familiarity with the area.

Twenty-four hours later, Jana filed a missing person’s report.

Jon has no history of mental health issues and is described as a “big family man” by those who know him. He is the father of two girls and stepfather to Jana’s children. He calls his family daily to check up on them and vanishing without a trace is out of character for him.

A big search party consisting of his friends and family has flown to Dublin from Iceland to look for him. The Irish poker community has rallied around the cause and is organizing a donation drive to help with the search efforts. You can see the details on the embedded Facebook post below. 

Additionally, a charity poker tournament has been announced for February 27 at the Village Green Card Club. All tournament registration fees will go to help the search effort.

Jon was last seen wearing a black padded jacket. He is six feet tall with short brown hair, of medium built and has a dragon tattoo on his upper left arm. If you have any information that can help with this case please contact Ballymun Garda Station on 01-6664400 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.