UK - Anthony Parsons, 63, charity cyclist, found deceased, Argyll, Scotland, 29 Sept 2017 *Arrests*

[Taskforce88]

I'm glad to see people are still taking an interest in this case.

I don't know the area but surely he would have been found by now if he had taken the WHW?

Maybe he did get a lift, left his bike and some scroat helped themselves to it? Maybe they haven't come forward because they don't want to get done for theft. But that still doesn't explain where Anthony is...

He may have fallen into a deep body of water or simply went off the beaten track to find shelter beyond the search area. He may have got a lift from someone or is lying somewhere unfound. Perhaps the sighting at the Bridge of Orchy hotel was false and the last confirmed sighting was Glencoe village on camera.

It's an intriguing case for me as I am often in the area.

 

[Aescwynn]

At the risk of stating the obvious, IMO, foul play or suicide should be seriously considered here. If it was the latter, he would have had to have spent a lot of time planning how to hide his bike and his body. If it was the former, then both he and the bike could be literally anywhere.

 

[Taskforce88]

I can't see it being suicide. He went to an awful lot of trouble to just cycle back to the spot where he passed through earlier in the day on the train.

Foul play, certainly a possibility.

 

[JustJo]

Hard to believe it's nearly a year since he went missing. I really thought he'd have been found by now.

If he was picked up by someone and he came to harm, what would the motive have been?

Where are you Anthony?

 

[touch]

If he was picked up by someone and he came to harm, what would the motive have been?

If that was the case, I would think it's because a vehicle hit him and removed the evidence.

IMO he is not 'accidentally' missing - somebody intended for him not to be found. Maybe that was himself and he wanted to disappear or maybe somebody else has caused him to disappear, I think the possibility of him having had an accident in a remote location and not yet been discovered is very small.

 

[Sjm_qc]

He may have fallen into a deep body of water or simply went off the beaten track to find shelter beyond the search area. He may have got a lift from someone or is lying somewhere unfound. Perhaps the sighting at the Bridge of Orchy hotel was false and the last confirmed sighting was Glencoe village on camera.

It's an intriguing case for me as I am often in the area.

New to the thread.

BBM: as I’ve read through the whole thread, this has been my main thought/theory.

From looking quickly (and I’ll go back and look more thoroughly) at maps, I can see a couple of places where he could have a) left the most obvious route accidentally (this was mentioned early on); b) gone off his route voluntarily to try & shelter for the night through fatigue.

It’s possible (speculation & a little bit of experience) that we may be under-estimating the possible - cumulative - effects of fatigue, disorientation, inexperience, fitness level etc. in regards to how far away from the road he could be.

 

[dalsglen]

I can't believe he's still not been found, I know these roads fairly well but this man was not a fit man so he shouldn't be too far off road, unless he was hit and panic hidden. I don't think he did this himself, but his family has been fairly quiet so who knows really.

I hope for a resolution for his family one way or the other.

 

[Taskforce88]

Next month will be a year since Tony went missing. So there will be an appeal on the year anniversary. I wonder if we will hear from family?

 

[Taskforce88]

I have been doing some research and photography on possible battle sites in the Black Mount area for publications I run online. This has involved me moving around on the ground in the area around Bridge of Orchy Hotel and just to the north of it. The woodland area to the rear of the hotel, while not a vast area, is certainly a fair size, and quite thick, tight woodland. It would offer good shelter from rain and wind, boggy in parts, drier on higher ground. Certainly a lot of water around, fast flowing river Orchy with deep pools in parts. If Tony even just went a hundred yards off the beaten track he could be anywhere. SAR teams were parked up on the opposite side of the road in the week after his disappearance but no extensive searches appear to have been carried out on the opposite Glen Orchy side. The off-road tracks are more extensive that I realised in this particular area. I will be back up again in the near future.

 

[Legally Bland]

New appeal by police Scotland.

Appeal to end missing cyclist mystery

 

[silverjug]

I have been doing some research and photography on possible battle sites in the Black Mount area for publications I run online. This has involved me moving around on the ground in the area around Bridge of Orchy Hotel and just to the north of it. The woodland area to the rear of the hotel, while not a vast area, is certainly a fair size, and quite thick, tight woodland. It would offer good shelter from rain and wind, boggy in parts, drier on higher ground. Certainly a lot of water around, fast flowing river Orchy with deep pools in parts. If Tony even just went a hundred yards off the beaten track he could be anywhere. SAR teams were parked up on the opposite side of the road in the week after his disappearance but no extensive searches appear to have been carried out on the opposite Glen Orchy side. The off-road tracks are more extensive that I realised in this particular area. I will be back up again in the near future.

Thank you for all that you are doing to help find this man.

 

[Taskforce88]

Thank you for all that you are doing to help find this man.

I wish I could do more, I will be back up in the area in the coming weeks, not that I think I can be of any real help, other than giving others an idea of the area. More info on the areas searched would help greatly.

Today marks the year anniversary of Tony's disappearance.

 

[Taskforce88]

Interesting bit from the BBC article today:

"We have traced his movements from Fort William, through to Glen Coe, through to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, and then an unconfirmed sighting about a half mile south of the hotel from another lorry driver."

This may have been in the vicinity where Tony could leave the main road and head off-road towards Glen Lyon.

 

[jiminy]

This is the first I've heard the ride was for charity.

It's baffling that no trace of him has been found.

 

[Taskforce88]

This is the first I've heard the ride was for charity.

It's baffling that no trace of him has been found.

First I have heard about it being a charity ride and first I have heard about the unconfirmed sighting by a lorry driver.

 

[jiminy]

It was definitely painted as a kind of spur of the moment thing, initially. If it was a fundraiser, surely he'd have specified a route? That said, lorries passing in the dark would make anyone re-think and take an off-road diversion.

It was such a nice summer that there'll have been even more walkers, cyclists, wild campers, twitchers etc than usual passing through the area. The bike should have been found at least.

 

[bluebird69]

I was not aware this was a charity cycle either. I would imagine that initially a yellow framed bike would have been easier to spot. My oh has four different bikes (keen cyclist) and the yellow one always sticks out

 

[Legally Bland]

Video appeal posted yesterday.

 

[Taskforce88]

So if the sighting at Bridge of Orchy was correct - along with the unconfirmed sighting just down the road by the lorry driver - and if the area from Bridge of Orchy to Tyndrum was searched thoroughly along with police ruling out criminality, then that leaves us with two options:

1. Tony cycled down towards Tyndrum and then cut off towards Auch, onto the West Highland Way which then took him through Tyndrum, bypassing the CCTV at the petrol station.

2. Tony cut off towards Auch and then took the route over towards Glen Lyon.

 

[Taskforce88]

The only other theory is that Tony took the Oban turn off onto the A85 just before Tyndrum, or he may have continued down the A82 to just before the petrol station and joined the West Highland Way there, again bypassing the CCTV. That path would continue to the south of Tyndrum to Lower Tyndrum Station. That would be an option if he was seeking a quieter route home. We know he didn't pass through Tyndrum on the main road but that doesn't mean that he didn't pass through on an alternative route.