UK UK - Anthony Knott, 33, last seen at a pub in Lewes, Sussex, 20 Dec 2019

[Caroclaud]

For me it’s too much of a coincidence that there is a last usage of the phone two minutes before he leaves the pub. Checking the CCTV footage on Lewes present FB, he seems quite purposeful in the way he is walking along, like he knows where he’s going? He does not look like he is wildly Stumbling about out of control and would fall accidentally into water, looks like he is compis mentis. However there is a significant lack of information from LE about potential state of mind that night, topics of conversation, how it was going at work etc.
I’m veering towards him having had enough of drinking/ workmates...maybe he was quite anxious socially but after that I am stumped. Unless we get some background information regarding relationship/work/ financial stability I am struggling to see that he would just fall into water.

 

[mrazda71]

The only thing I can add to this right now is this ...

I can't believe how different he looks in all his photos.

If I was looking for the guy in the missing posters, I'd quite possibly discount sightings, thinking that they weren't the same guy.

 

[Elainera]

Could he not have walked out of Lewes? It's a very small town after all. Maybe he wanted some quiet after 6+ hrs of drinking in noisy environments, planning to rejoin his friends later. Maybe the search should be widened. jmo

 

[Officer Dibble]

Yes you did, but you were also referring to people walking with their body's ahead, but on that video he was walking steep up....so most of us would walk with our body ahead (not sure I explained this good/used the right words for the body movement)

Maybe the attachment mentioned that but I did NOT refer to someone walking with a body ahead, I was only refering to associating a bouncy gait with Autism.

 

[Officer Dibble]

I can visualise in particular guys doing it if they become animated or kind of excited. For instance in a work or sports team briefing it could denote "right then lets crack on" type of thing. I know people who fiddle with their hands a lot out of habit, nerves or restlessness. Rubbing hands I dont see too often these days. Unless its cold!!

My FIL does this a lot and we suspect him of having undiagnosed Autism due to other things - so just assume his frequent hand rubbing is something he does. He tends to do it when anxious but mostly when excited (ie his football team is winning). One of his son's is Autistic.

 

[Fidobell]

bbm

Can you elaborate please? I don't understand what the statement is saying ... is there something implied by Det. Gillings?

I don't get what's implied here either ????

 

[Officer Dibble]

I would, i would prioritise phone.....that way he is able to communicate with his wife who needed him back so he could go to work.....and keep in touch with mates.....take the obligatory selfie.(seen some his mates took already that night) and if he was meeting someone, then communicate with them. he would need a full charge, not couple of mins worth in the bar he's in. he left just as it supposedly ran out.....he needed charge so seemed to be doing something about it. could be the reason he left the bar.

he was a massive football fan...was there important games coming up? was he on apps and groups which was football chat?

Was? As in past tense?

 

[Alyce]

The only thing I can add to this right now is this ...

I can't believe how different he looks in all his photos.

If I was looking for the guy in the missing posters, I'd quite possibly discount sightings, thinking that they weren't the same guy.

I have been meaning to say this....I wish they would just use the photos taken in the pub that night. The others are not helping imo.

 

[Rosegold68]

Was? As in past tense?

most likely yes. day ten now.....unless he's hiding out somewhere i think he's likely going to be found deceased. i can't be the only one thinking that way..

 

[RobinCAL]

I agree with you @Rosegold68 . It's been too long for him to be somewhere safe I think. It's a very sad thought but I think the most likely one

 

[Heleuth]

For any locals....

And I don’t want this to come across in the wrong way, I’m just querying - are there any ‘massage parlours’ up by where he goes off camera for 20mins?
MOO

 

[Funky funky]

Been following this case and discussion. Just wanted to add my 2 pence..
It was mentioned before that he could have left to score some drugs, I think this is very plausible. Hence the hand rubbing ( Excitement ) the timing of the data usage
( a message to say come meet to pay and collect?) and also why things seems to be a little quiet from some of the lads he was out with. I know that some people find a long day drinking tiring and some might need a ‘pick me up’ to sober up.
This is all my opinion of course. It just seems to be the only scenario that makes sense to me.
A hookup could also be possible. Some have mentioned Grindr - this is a gay hookup app? More likely tinder of Pof? That could be another reason to turn phone off.
Did his partner mention of the phone was charged before she dropped him off at 12? If it was, I can’t see the battery being drained completely by 7. I phone’s have low power mode too. I have one and use it frequently throughout the day and it doesn’t die after 7 hours, Anthony was in a bar, so I can’t see him being on his phone much?

 

[Caroclaud]

Very plausible regarding recreational drugs- I never thought about this.
Could that be the cause of some subsequent disorientation/ fall into water?

 

[rosesfromangels]

Please, not trying to start a poop storm here, but....today there are posts pondering whether our missing subject is on the spectrum, seeking a gay hookup, or drugs. I mean come on people. Anthony has friends and family on this thread (IWT), and throwing random stuff out there like this must be hurtful to them. While none of these ideas are wildly impossible, I hope we can be sensitive as we offer up ideas of what happened to this man.

Respect to his family and friends. I pray answers are forthcoming quickly.
Peace and love to all.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Joolz1975]

The only thing I can add to this right now is this ...

I can't believe how different he looks in all his photos.

If I was looking for the guy in the missing posters, I'd quite possibly discount sightings, thinking that they weren't the same guy.

Glad you said that, I have been thinking the same thing.

 

[mrazda71]

Please, not trying to start a poop storm here, but....today there are posts pondering whether our missing subject is on the spectrum, seeking a gay hookup, or drugs. I mean come on people. Anthony has friends and family on this thread (IWT), and throwing random stuff out there like this must be hurtful to them. While none of these ideas are wildly impossible, I hope we can be sensitive as we offer up ideas of what happened to this man.

Respect to his family and friends. I pray answers are forthcoming quickly.
Peace and love to all.

Amateur opinion and speculation

Respectfully, this isn't Facebook, if F&F come looking here they will find that we are respectful & there is no victim (or family of) blaming but, it IS Websleuth - it's a whole forum dedicated to the missing and murdered and all that goes with sleuthing those cases.

Personally, I think in cases like these, there's always conclusions jumped to about 'hook ups & drugs' but, they rarely turn out to be the case ...

 

[Sally4x]

Megan Roberts, York, 2014 - a case that brought lots of new members to this site. It's definitely usually men that end up in water though.

Oh yes how could I forget Megan? I’m originally from York and my son was in his last year at York Uni when that happened.

 

[Blondie67]

Not more challenging, they just may react differently to cope with a given situation. For example if he is anxious (he is stimming to control his anxiety the hand wringing), he may well leave for a period but then return once feeling less anxious. If lost most would ask for help, someone with autism may not. At the moment it’s not really a big player in this case, but he won’t necessarily react with emotion, often more logical, danger also often doesn’t have the same impact. So they may feel safe, when they aren’t, they may talk to people who most would avoid- it’s very hard to explain and I don’t think it’s key here. But I would hope they have people who are analysing his next steps thinking a little more out of the box than most.

I would not of thought he would be a fire fighter if he was so anxious. His fiancee said that he was happy. Did he turn his phone off so that his mates could not ring him to find out were he was. Had he had to much to drink. In the video it looks to me like 2 men are walking behind him, walking very quickly as well. If he had gone for cigarettes, pubs don't sell them. Why did he have a white bag? He would put them in his pocket surely.

 

[Blondie67]

Did the 2 men Rob him, take his phone and turn it off? His mate said he looked anxious after a call and then left the pub. Had his fiancee been ringing him and giving him a hard time. To get home as they have 4 kids.

 

[RobinCAL]

I think this has been an incredibly bizarre disappearance and all ideas are going to be floating around. It's only natural. I don't think it's as simple as a drunk man walked out of a pub and ended up in the water. I don't think it's that linear.