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

[william tell]

I don't just mean other opportunities along that path. There's massive areas down Glen Orcy, Glen Lochy, Loch Tulla, etc which are equally as plausible.

yes i agree with you but because his body has not been found. I can only think he is under water.

 

[missstery]

I live in England and hadn't heard about Tony Parsons and his disappearance until last month on TV. I only really caught the bit about missing around Bridge of Orchy and as this is an area that interests me, I decided to look in to it a bit more. A few times a year my partner and I travel through the main A82 route from Glasgow up to Fort William and beyond. We are actually going up there next week, possibly along Glen Orchy so will keep an eye out around River Orchy. I think him being underwater, re the theory about him travelling along the WHW and falling in to the river some how seems possibly one of the most likely explanations.

I have read this entire thread with interest today (I only joined today) and also read something on another forum a few days ago which has been bugging me since as well as some other thoughts I had which I thought were at least worth a share to at least get them off my mind. Sorry it is so long. Some of them might be a bit "out there" but I suppose anything is possible as it's been so long since he actually went missing. I can't imagine the pain his family and friends are going through and feel so sorry for the poor man, however he met his end. I hope it was quick and painless, so no suffering.

These were my thoughts:


<Modsnip we do not allow links to other forum, no way to confirm what they are posting>
- Why did anyone only seem to miss him around day 4? Surely after 24hrs of no contact, anyone embarking on this adventure alone would have aroused some concern for not getting in touch. Even if you were estranged from your family, surely a friend or a family member would have been all over the media trying to get him found? I did see a person who was obviously connected to him on a FB police post thing but I got the impression she didn’t seem that upset and when I had a quick nosey at her FB wall, there was no mention of him on there even around the time he went missing. They must be related as they had the same surname too.

- If he was estranged from his family, did he quite like the idea of going off grid and living in the wild? No responsibilities and full freedom. It would appear to be an area he likes as he has revisited it in the past [the WHW]. He could be up in the mountains somewhere in a tent (wishful thinking I know)

- Even if he had good bike lights, surely he would have had trouble seeing out of his glasses as it was raining. That would have given him poor visibility too.

- Someone mentioned that he went out of his way (if he was going to end his life), passing Bridge of Orchy area to get up to Fort William and then cycle back down again but what if he wanted one last cycle ride along his favourite stretch of scenery before ending his life in an area where he knew he would never be found? It has been 19 months since he disappeared and there has been no trace of him yet so he could be well hidden. Although the accident of ending up underwater could explain why he is so well hidden too. But that extreme heatwave we had last year, would that have not allowed any stretch of water around there to become more shallow and easier to see through perhaps?

- Insurance fraud?

- Sat down in an exposed spot to shelter from the weather conditions for the night and got attacked by an animal. Are there wild boar around there? Big cats perhaps? I know many big cats have been sighted in Scotland. But if this were the case, his remains would surely be scattered around and his bike obviously wouldn’t have been eaten unless it was stolen. Or could an animal have got to him later.

 

[missstery]

Also as he liked doing the WHW, I wonder if he had undertaken the same route before in daylight and then it was his personal challenge to take it in the dark. I wonder why his friend didn't tell the media the exact route he wanted to take. Also if he was having trouble with his lights, they might have become faulty anywhere and he would have been trying to navigate the WHW in pitch blackness, falling anywhere.

Where are you Tony?

 

[william tell]

I live in England and hadn't heard about Tony Parsons and his disappearance until last month on TV. I only really caught the bit about missing around Bridge of Orchy and as this is an area that interests me, I decided to look in to it a bit more. A few times a year my partner and I travel through the main A82 route from Glasgow up to Fort William and beyond. We are actually going up there next week, possibly along Glen Orchy so will keep an eye out around River Orchy. I think him being underwater, re the theory about him travelling along the WHW and falling in to the river some how seems possibly one of the most likely explanations.

I have read this entire thread with interest today (I only joined today) and also read something on another forum a few days ago which has been bugging me since as well as some other thoughts I had which I thought were at least worth a share to at least get them off my mind. Sorry it is so long. Some of them might be a bit "out there" but I suppose anything is possible as it's been so long since he actually went missing. I can't imagine the pain his family and friends are going through and feel so sorry for the poor man, however he met his end. I hope it was quick and painless, so no suffering.

These were my thoughts:


- This is one that confused me a lot. Something mentioned on another forum (see link below). If you Ctrl & F and type in ‘Ben Lawers’ it should pop up the post I am talking about – someone had spotted him later that night on the A827 near the Ben Lawers Hotel in Aberfeldy but the police didn’t take this person seriously even though he seemed adamant. If this sighting was correct, he would be miles away from where anyone thinks he is. Tony Parsons set out on a 170 km bike ride across Scotland during the night despite being 63 and having no apparent experience. He was spotted near midnight and has not been seen since (one year). : UnresolvedMysteries

- Why did anyone only seem to miss him around day 4? Surely after 24hrs of no contact, anyone embarking on this adventure alone would have aroused some concern for not getting in touch. Even if you were estranged from your family, surely a friend or a family member would have been all over the media trying to get him found? I did see a person who was obviously connected to him on a FB police post thing but I got the impression she didn’t seem that upset and when I had a quick nosey at her FB wall, there was no mention of him on there even around the time he went missing. They must be related as they had the same surname too.

- If he was estranged from his family, did he quite like the idea of going off grid and living in the wild? No responsibilities and full freedom. It would appear to be an area he likes as he has revisited it in the past [the WHW]. He could be up in the mountains somewhere in a tent (wishful thinking I know)

- Even if he had good bike lights, surely he would have had trouble seeing out of his glasses as it was raining. That would have given him poor visibility too.

- Someone mentioned that he went out of his way (if he was going to end his life), passing Bridge of Orchy area to get up to Fort William and then cycle back down again but what if he wanted one last cycle ride along his favourite stretch of scenery before ending his life in an area where he knew he would never be found? It has been 19 months since he disappeared and there has been no trace of him yet so he could be well hidden. Although the accident of ending up underwater could explain why he is so well hidden too. But that extreme heatwave we had last year, would that have not allowed any stretch of water around there to become more shallow and easier to see through perhaps?

- Insurance fraud?

- Sat down in an exposed spot to shelter from the weather conditions for the night and got attacked by an animal. Are there wild boar around there? Big cats perhaps? I know many big cats have been sighted in Scotland. But if this were the case, his remains would surely be scattered around and his bike obviously wouldn’t have been eaten unless it was stolen. Or could an animal have got to him later.

Also as he liked doing the WHW, I wonder if he had undertaken the same route before in daylight and then it was his personal challenge to take it in the dark. I wonder why his friend didn't tell the media the exact route he wanted to take. Also if he was having trouble with his lights, they might have become faulty anywhere and he would have been trying to navigate the WHW in pitch blackness, falling anywhere.

Where are you Tony?

in the river...

 

[missstery]

He might not be in the river if that person was correct about seeing him in Aberfeldy. If that wasn't a genuine sighting, I really hope the police took the forum members on here seriously [who reported online to the police that he might be along the WHW] and set about searching the river around there. How would anyone know?

 

[william tell]

He might not be in the river if that person was correct about seeing him in Aberfeldy. If that wasn't a genuine sighting, I really hope the police took the forum members on here seriously [who reported online to the police that he might be along the WHW] and set about searching the river around there. How would anyone know?

The police have conducted a search along with the mountain rescue team of the WHW area but obviously not everywhere....I can tell you from first hand that the police are no longer interested in this case and last year after 6 months of being missing they put it to bed. I was involved in this case and was interviewed in Alloa police station. The police woman assigned to this case had a broken hand so couldn't do anything else. It was so obvious that they were only making a token gesture to appease the press.

 

[Taskforce88]

I am interested to know more about the Aberfeldy sighting. I seem to have missed that.

 

[william tell]

I am interested to know more about the Aberfeldy sighting. I seem to have missed that.

me too.

 

[missstery]

The police have conducted a search along with the mountain rescue team of the WHW area but obviously not everywhere....I can tell you from first hand that the police are no longer interested in this case and last year after 6 months of being missing they put it to bed. I was involved in this case and was interviewed in Alloa police station. The police woman assigned to this case had a broken hand so couldn't do anything else. It was so obvious that they were only making a token gesture to appease the press.

That's terrible that the police are no longer interested in finding him. Is 6 months normal for the police to no longer try to find out what has happened to a missing person? Or do they know something we don't, ie did he have a lot of debt or owe a lot of money. The poor man, he deserves to be found. He looked such a kind hearted soul on his photo and the fact he has done charity bike rides in the past gives me the impression he's a kind, generous person so how can the police / people who know him not bother to find out where he is after 6 months. It breaks my heart.

I am interested to know more about the Aberfeldy sighting. I seem to have missed that.

I read that somewhere else. A man had reported to the police twice that he was sure he had seen him cycling past the Ben Lawers Hotel in Aberfeldy later that night but the police weren't interested. I wonder if this was because they truly thought he had disappeared between Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum as he hadn't appeared on the CCTV at Tyndrum but as members on here have pointed out, he would have missed that if he was travelling along the WHW so they probably thought it was a fake call. But there is always that possibility that he was indeed seen cycling past the hotel in Aberfeldy. I suppose it depends on how far it is from where he was last sighted (although it was unconfirmed) 0.5 miles from Bridge of Orchy to Aberfeldy and what time this sighting would have taken place. I will have a little root around and see if I can find the person who was adamant about this sighting.

 

[william tell]

That's terrible that the police are no longer interested in finding him. Is 6 months normal for the police to no longer try to find out what has happened to a missing person? Or do they know something we don't, ie did he have a lot of debt or owe a lot of money. The poor man, he deserves to be found. He looked such a kind hearted soul on his photo and the fact he has done charity bike rides in the past gives me the impression he's a kind, generous person so how can the police / people who know him not bother to find out where he is after 6 months. It breaks my heart.



I read that somewhere else. A man had reported to the police twice that he was sure he had seen him cycling past the Ben Lawers Hotel in Aberfeldy later that night but the police weren't interested. I wonder if this was because they truly thought he had disappeared between Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum as he hadn't appeared on the CCTV at Tyndrum but as members on here have pointed out, he would have missed that if he was travelling along the WHW so they probably thought it was a fake call. But there is always that possibility that he was indeed seen cycling past the hotel in Aberfeldy. I suppose it depends on how far it is from where he was last sighted (although it was unconfirmed) 0.5 miles from Bridge of Orchy to Aberfeldy and what time this sighting would have taken place. I will have a little root around and see if I can find the person who was adamant about this sighting.

If it was him in Aberfeldy then he wasn't going home soon because Aberfeldy is taking him north again. It is highly unlikely it was him.

 

[missstery]

Unless he was taking a detour for some reason - maybe he knew someone who lived around there.
Never mind then, I thought it was at least worth a share after I hadn't seen anyone else on this thread mention Aberfeldy.

 

[Taskforce88]

I read that somewhere else. A man had reported to the police twice that he was sure he had seen him cycling past the Ben Lawers Hotel in Aberfeldy later that night but the police weren't interested. I wonder if this was because they truly thought he had disappeared between Bridge of Orchy and Tyndrum as he hadn't appeared on the CCTV at Tyndrum but as members on here have pointed out, he would have missed that if he was travelling along the WHW so they probably thought it was a fake call. But there is always that possibility that he was indeed seen cycling past the hotel in Aberfeldy. I suppose it depends on how far it is from where he was last sighted (although it was unconfirmed) 0.5 miles from Bridge of Orchy to Aberfeldy and what time this sighting would have taken place. I will have a little root around and see if I can find the person who was adamant about this sighting.

My initial thinking was that the police were totally focused on the Bridge of Orchy to Tyndrum area simply because Tony had not appeared on CCTV at Tyndrum, despite the fact that he could have easily bypassed the CCTV if he was on the West Highland Way and not the main road.

 

[william tell]

My initial thinking was that the police were totally focused on the Bridge of Orchy to Tyndrum area simply because Tony had not appeared on CCTV at Tyndrum, despite the fact that he could have easily bypassed the CCTV if he was on the West Highland Way and not the main road.

your right, the police were in the understanding that he took the main road. Mainly because he was seen at the hotel at the bridge of Orchy. The police can't get it in there head that he took an alternative route(the old military road). Tony was very knowledgeable when it came to maps.

 

[missstery]

You'd have thought the police would have at least considered the WHW considering Tony was wearing walking boots

 

[william tell]

You'd have thought the police would have at least considered the WHW considering Tony was wearing walking boots

I never really considered this aspect. The last thing a cyclist would wear would be walking boots..so taking this into account the road wasn't the only surface he was going to be travelling on.

 

[touch]

Of course the police have considered other possible routes. They called in Mountain Rescue and the Coastguard helicopter to help with the search. You don't ask Mountain Rescue to search along a main road, they would have been searching further afield.

 

[william tell]

Of course the police have considered other possible routes. They called in Mountain Rescue and the Coastguard helicopter to help with the search. You don't ask Mountain Rescue to search along a main road, they would have been searching further afield.

on the strength of the mountain rescue not being able to find him anywhere takes me back to my assumption that he is in the water. If he was on the land i'm quite sure he would have been found before now.

 

[touch]

on the strength of the mountain rescue not being able to find him anywhere takes me back to my assumption that he is in the water. If he was on the land i'm quite sure he would have been found before now.

I'd agree that if he was on the land within the Bridge of Orchy / Tyndrum area he'd have been found by now. So that either leaves your assumption that he's in the water somewhere or the possibility that he's not in that area at all.

 

[william tell]

I'd agree that if he was on the land within the Bridge of Orchy / Tyndrum area he'd have been found by now. So that either leaves your assumption that he's in the water somewhere or the possibility that he's not in that area at
yes that's about the strength of it....if he is somewhere completely different then again i may add that he would probably be found along with his bike....some may think he committed suicide-but his bike didn't.

 

[missstery]

I still think there's a possibility that someone stole his bike

I went from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy last week and the river was very shallow in most places, due to the continuous dry days/warm weather, with just rocks at the bottom showing. I also went through Glen Orchy a little and the river looked mainly the same there. I don't know if the river is usually deeper through there as it's been about a year since I last went that way. So you'd think that if the rivers go down a lot with the warmer weather, then he might just be spotted this summer by one of the tourists...fingers crossed.

There's also another far fetched possibility that he might have passed the CCTV at Tyndrum without being noticed because he looked different. Maybe he might have ditched the bike if it became damaged or might have got his bike muddied up so it looked brown instead of yellow or he changed in to some other clothes as his first outfit got too wet to ride in so passed the CCTV looking like another person. I'm just trying to think how an investigator might think (and probably watched too much TV lol).