
How a Red Bull can solved the chilling disappearance of missing dad secretly killed by evil twins
THE VANISHING CYCLIST How a Red Bull can solved the chilling disappearance of missing dad secretly killed by evil twins
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WHEN retired naval officer Tony Parsons set off on a solo charity bike ride through the Scottish Highlands, he had no idea he was peddling straight into the clutches of two evil brothers - and a horrifying cover up that would leave his family in agony for years.
The fit and happy 63-year-old grandfather had recently beaten prostate cancer and was determined to raise money to help others beat the disease.
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Fit and happy 63-year-old grandfather Tony Parsons had recently beaten prostate cancer and was determined to raise money to help others when he was struck and killed and his body hidden for three years
Credit: PA
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Caroline Muirhead planted a Red Bull can to help lead detectives to the body
Credit: PA
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Alexander McKellar had been drunk driving when he ploughed in to Tony Parsons
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Robert McKellar helped his brother cover up the crime
Credit: Police Scotland
So the much-loved husband and father set off on that fateful September morning for the 104-mile challenge from Fort William back to his home in Tillicoultry.
His devastated wife Margaret fondly recalled: 'He was in good spirits," not knowing it would be the last time she would ever see him.
By the end of that day, Tony was gone — last seen by a lorry driver at around 11:30pm that night, before being swallowed by the darkness of the Highlands.
It sparked one of Scotland's most baffling missing person cases.
For years, his devastated family were left with no answers — just anguish, suspicion, and silence.
Despite huge search efforts involving helicopters, dogs and mountain rescue teams, there was no trace of Tony or of his yellow-framed bike.
Speaking in 2023 Tony's son Michael said: 'When he said goodbye and set off on his charity cycle from Fort William that Friday, none of us expected it to be the last time we would be able to see or speak to him."
Then in 2020 — three years after Tony's disappearance — a young woman walked into a police station and told officers something extraordinary.
Caroline Muirhead had been dating a farm worker named Alexander McKellar and as the young couple began to get to know each other she asked if there was anything in his past she should know.
His shocking confession changed the course of her life - and that of the Parson family.
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McKellar told Caroline that he and his twin brother Robert had been drunk behind the wheel of their white Isuzu D-Max, and had struck and killed a cyclist on a rural road.
The pair later told locals they'd hit a deer but in reality it was Tony Parsons.
Earlier that night, Tony was seen sipping a coffee at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel — while the McKellar twins were also in the bar, boozing with a group of German hunters.
In a tragic twist of fate they had left around the same time and encountered each other on the dark road when the collision happened.
Instead of helping, they left him to die then bundled his body into a different vehicle, dumped his bike behind a waterfall and buried him in a pit used for disposing of dead livestock on their parents' land in the Auch Estate near Bridge of Orchy.
Then the McKellar twins simply carried on their lives as normal - hiding the grisly secret from even those closest to them.
Despite an anonymous letter in 2018 urging police to investigate 'the twins', there was no evidence to pursue charges.
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Caroline helped solve the disappearance of Tony Parsons when she dropped a can of Red Bull on his shallow grave
Credit: Media Scotland
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Caroline Muirhead had been dating farm worker, Alexander McKellar when he confessed what he and his brother had done
Credit: Media Scotland
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In January 2021, more than three years after he vanished - police excavated the bog on the Auch Estate - and found Tony Parsons
Credit: PA
However McKellar finally revealed his darkest secret to his new love in 2020.
Shocked and sickened by her boyfriend's confession, Caroline asked to see the grave.
When McKellar took her to the remote spot, she secretly left behind a Red Bull can to mark the spot.
It would be the clue that helped detectives finally find Tony's shallow grave.
In January 2021, more than three years after he vanished - police excavated the bog on the Auch Estate - and confirmed it was Tony Parsons.
Speaking in court, advocate depute Alex Prentice KC told how McKellar was speeding and distracted when he hit Tony: 'He said he was panicking.'
'He needed immediate medical attention. He did nothing to save him."
Mr Prentice said had Caroline not dropped the can of Red Bull, the mystery might never have been solved.
He said: "Such was the location that if Alexander McKellar had not disclosed where the grave was, the remains are unlikely to have ever been found."
After Caroline's quick-thinking actions led to charges, the McKellar brothers, now 34, finally admitted their roles.
Alexander pled guilty to culpable homicide. Both admitted to attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Alexander was jailed for 12 years while his brother received five years and three months.
Now, eight years on the horror-crime is subject of a BBC documentary Murder Case which will hit TV screens this autumn.
Tony's story will feature as the first episode and the second will focus on the murder of Lucretia 'Kiesha' Donaghy.
The mum-of-two, 32, was found dead at her home in Elgin in November 2023.
Kiesha was bludgeoned with a weapon in the fatal attack and her friend Owen Grant, 43, was later arrested.
After murdering the defenceless and unarmed Kiesha, Owen went on a spending spree, spending hundreds of pounds on cocaine.
At the murder trial at Edinburgh's High Court in 2025, the Judge Lord Scott described the attack as 'exceptionally savage, frenzied and brutal'.
Episode one of Murder Case, called The Vanishing Cyclist will tell the story of Tony, the bespectacled keen cyclist, golfer and former submariner, who was beloved in his community for coaching and refereeing local rugby.
Friend and fellow Navy veteran Roger Jones said: 'He was just a nice guy — a really great person.'
Son Michael added: 'As you can imagine, not knowing what has happened to someone, and then the devastating news that we were provided, has taken its toll on all of us as a family.
'It has been heartbreaking for each and every member of the family being unable to get these answers.'
'He was just a nice guy'
DI Fraser Spence, who led the investigation, said: 'These men left the family of Mr Parsons distraught, not knowing what had happened to him for many years.'

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Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Heartache for Bayesian yacht victim Mike Lynch's family – estate faces bankruptcy after court demands it hand over £700M
IT was a tragedy that claimed the lives of a billionaire father and his daughter, drowned in a storm at sea. British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was out celebrating his acquittal from US fraud charges when his £38million yacht Bayesian was knocked sideways by a sudden 80mph gust and started taking in water. 6 Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah drowned at sea while out on his £38million yacht Bayesian Credit: PA 6 Mike's wife Angela Bacares was pulled to safety by a crew member 6 The Bayesian disaster claimed the lives of seven people last August Credit: PA As the boat sank rapidly, his wife Angela Bacares was pulled to safety by a crew member — but Lynch, their 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others on board never made it out. Now, as the one-year anniversary approaches next month, 58-year-old businesswoman Angela is facing a financial battle. There is the potential of court action by the families of the victims who died on the yacht — and earlier this week, the UK's High Court ruled that her husband's estate owes US tech giant Hewlett-Packard more than £700million relating to fraud claims. The case was brought six years ago by HP after they acquired his company Autonomy in 2011. The firm claimed Lynch and the former chief financial officer had fraudulently inflated its value. While Lynch was facing court action in America, HP was already chasing him through the civil courts in Britain — leading to this week's damages ruling. The High Court ruled that HP had paid a lot more than it would have done 'had Autonomy's true financial position been correctly presented' during the sale. If his estate — which goes to Angela and her remaining daughter Esme, 22 — ends up having to pay, it will almost certainly be bankrupted, leaving no inheritance for the family. It is believed Lynch shielded his wife's personal fortune from the messy court cases. She owned millions of pounds worth of shares held in her name in other family firms. I found doomed Bayesian I saw still haunts me And she made more than £15million from the sale of her shares when Autonomy was taken over. One pal told us: 'Mike wasn't perfect but he wasn't a criminal in any way, shape or form. He had asked various Cabinet ministers and Prime Ministers, including Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, to help him. 'Rishi and Johnson were more interested in making post-Brexit trade deals than making any trouble on Mike's behalf. 'Rishi and Johnson were more interested in making post-Brexit trade deals than making any trouble on Mike's behalf. 'These cases hung over him for years and he ended up under house arrest in San Francisco unable to leave for months, facing charges that he was ultimately cleared of. 'He helped a lot of people make a lot of money but they assumed he was guilty as charged and then ran a million miles. 'He was abandoned by his peer group and by his government then, when he won his US case, everyone wanted to be his friend again. 'The irony is he had gone out on the Bayesian to celebrate the US court outcome. "It's been one tragedy after another for his family.' The latest damages ruling had been delayed until this week because of the circumstances surrounding the yachting disaster on August 19 last year. The judge expressed his 'sorrow at the devastating turn of events' at sea and offered 'sympathy and deepest condolences'. 'STILL GRIEVING' He even said that he 'admired' Lynch, despite ruling against him. Insiders have told The Sun that the family want to appeal the High Court decision. Our source said: 'It's not just about money, it's about restoring Mike's reputation. "The family are considering their next move but we all know that appealing these sorts of decisions is lengthy and costly. "They are also still grieving their loss.' Lynch created software company Autonomy, which processed people's information and data, in 1996. He sold it to Hewlett-Packard for £8.6billion in 2011. The businessman reportedly netted around £500million from the deal before going on to set up tech investment firm Invoke Capital. Just a year after the mega-bucks deal, HP wrote down Autonomy's value by £6.5billion and brought a £4billion lawsuit against Lynch and ex-finance officer Sushovan Hussain. The allegations that they inflated the value of the company were investigated by the UK Serious Fraud Office too, who found 'insufficient evidence' of wrongdoing — but some aspects of the case were then handed over to US authorities. In 2018, Lynch and Autonomy's former vice-president of finance Stephen Chamberlain were charged with fraud in the US and accused of making false and misleading statements about their company. But both were acquitted following a sensational three-month trial in San Francisco, where Lynch had been extradited to in 2023. If Lynch had been found guilty, he would have faced up to 25 years in prison. 6 Hannah was just 18 when she tragically died on the Bayesian Credit: Darren Fletcher He told reporters last year that given his poor health, he would have almost certainly died in jail. The pair were still celebrating their win when Chamberlain, 52, died after being hit by a car while out running near his home in Cambridgeshire. Two days later, the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily, claiming the lives of Lynch, Hannah, the vessel's cook Recaldo Thomas, high-profile US lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda and British banking couple Jonathan and Judy Bloomer. As part of a criminal investigation by Italian authorities, the yacht was raised from the sea bed last month. That inquiry may not conclude until 2027, bringing more heartache for the Lynch family. James Healy-Pratt, a US lawyer representing the family of chef Recaldo, said they would push for compensation from Angela, the crew and yacht management company Camper & Nicholsons. As one of the country's most successful entrepreneurs, Lynch had a life of luxury, enjoying exotic holidays and a £6milliion country mansion in Suffolk, which boasts 2,500 acres. The close family are said to have loved spending time at home, breeding rare livestock, including Suffolk sheep and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, which roamed free in the estate's woodland. But the businessman came from humble beginnings. Born to Irish parents — a firefighter father and nurse mother — Lynch won a scholarship to a private school in Essex. Mike worked hard but was very much a family man and wanted to make life as normal for his children as it could be, given the extreme wealth Andrew Kanter He went on to gain a PhD in mathematical computing from Cambridge University. A friend said: 'He really was a genius. "He was just a brilliant mathematician and his life transformed as he built companies. 'He was a very early advocate of artificial intelligence — the very field in which we need expertise in this country.' Long-time friend Andrew Kanter, who was a pallbearer at Lynch's funeral, said: 'He was never happier than when someone asked to see the pigs on his estate. 'Mike worked hard but was very much a family man and wanted to make life as normal for his children as it could be, given the extreme wealth. 'He never let his legal issues get in the way and did everything to make sure his kids grew up untroubled by whatever the world lay at his feet.' 'I truly believe that Mike would have looked at the UK ruling as a good day. "Although the numbers are crazy, even the judge has found that Hewlett-Packard had overstated its claim. 'Mike would have continued to fight this. "He always argued that a law that allows America to extradite British citizens and not have a return agreement was really flawed. 'It's been the case for 15 years and he was going to have that fight too. 'The legal issues weighed heavily on him but he never let it affect his family. 'I never saw him sitting around self-pitying. He wanted to clear his name. 'The loss of Mike is an incalculable loss for technology. 'He was utterly devoted to its growth in Britain.' 6 Divers at the wreck of the yacht Credit: ugpix 6 The interior of the Bayesian Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.


Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
JONATHAN BROCKLEBANK: 6,000 cops, miles of steel and the dog walkers baffled by the most expensive round of golf EVER!
Officially it is a two-centre golfing break in Scotland – the kind favoured by many a rich American crossing the pond this summer. The trip takes in a prestigious west coast course and a round on a newly complete east coast one, with the last word in luxury accommodation a short walk from the first tee at each. But no long weekend on the fairways in Scotland has ever looked quite like this one. This one has commandeered almost a third of Police Scotland's manpower to make sure things go smoothly. This one had officers in high viz vests swarming over greens, tees, fairways and rough hours before the holidaymaker even boarded his flight from Washington DC. It had police with dogs, on horseback and even officers on quad bikes as they patrolled a mile-long expanse of empty beach which they have closed off to the public. It even had a security tower with police sharp shooters atop it. US President Donald Trump is a man partial to superlatives. 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Up to 6,000 police officers - many drafted in from forces outside Scotland - are on some form of Trump detail this weekend. They were arriving at Turnberry yesterday not by the traditional vanload but by the coachload - three in the space of four minutes. And let us not forget the protesters. Thousands of them are expected to make the extent of their displeasure felt in Edinburgh and Aberdeen this weekend - while others hope to do so within shouting distance at his golf courses. Also among the bit part players are Prime Minister Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney, both of whom will be afforded audiences with Mr Trump - one in each of his Scottish residences - over the next few days. There was a time during his days as a mere billionaire tycoon when a Trump visit to one of his Scottish properties brought a splash of colour and a smattering of press to the local area. It would bring his private jet - a 727 - with the Trump name emblazoned on the fuselage in gold lettering. Today, as president, he arrives in Air Force One - and brings those same areas to a standstill. 'We came here for a quiet life,' says Bill Fletcher, 73, who moved to Turnberry from Stratford Upon Avon a year ago. 'But there's just so much security and it arrived here so early. We can't get on the beach to walk the dog. I suppose you have to expect it for the most important person in the world - or someone who thinks he is.' His view of the president is likely similar to many of the householders in this upmarket enclave of detached houses and holiday homes. 'I don't like some of his policies and he can be quite unpredictable,' he says. 'But he's got some things right and I wish we were as firm here as he is.' Along the road in the Balkenna Tearoom, staff were bracing themselves for protesters mobbing their carpark as they did during Mr Trump's last presidential visit in 2018. 'We've a sign up saying 'patrons only' this time,' says a waitress. 'It's going to be pandemonium.' On his visit during his first term as president, a protester managed to fly an aircraft trailing an anti-Trump banner over the Ailsa championship course. This time around, you cannot fly so much as a kite or model aeroplane in the area. Don't even think about a drone or a balloon. 'No Fly Zone' signs dotted all around advise people seeing anyone attempting to do so to call 999. And yet, here at least, the disruption is met with a degree of understanding. It is less than a year since there was an attempt on Mr Trump's life on a golf course. The gunman hid in shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Weeks earlier, on the campaign trail he was hit in the ear by a sniper's bullet. 'I don't like him personally but I suppose we have to put up with it, and it doesn't happen very often,' says David Browning, 84, who lives a few hundred yards from the Turnberry clubhouse. 'And I've got say, he does a lot for Turnberry which was looking pretty tired before he bought it.' Does he visit the spruced-up hotel much himself? 'Occasionally, but you've got to have lined pockets for that,' Mr Browning said, adding that he hopes the president is successful in bringing the Open championship back to Turnberry - even if it is 'obviously an ego thing'. There is at least a whiff of suspicion that a key objective of the Trump visit to Scotland may be to lobby for the Open to come to his course. While it remains on governing body the Royal and Ancient's roster for the championship, Turnberry has not played host since the American snapped it up in 2014 - something that clearly eats at the president. A less cynical interpretation of the visit - described as 'private' by the White House - would have Mr Trump making a long awaited return to a land that is undeniably dear to him and in which he has invested heavily. His mother Mary Anne MacLeod was from the Hebridean isle of Lewis. On this visit he is due to open his second golf course in Aberdeenshire, the New Course, which will include a new memorial garden to honour his mother with a centrepiece that will be made from stone imported from Lewis. Massive security measures were already in place at that Trump facility yesterday, days ahead of the president's arrival. In the early hours, a deer was an early casualty in the operation. It had to be euthanised after being knocked down by a police vehicle patrolling the Trump estate. Both his Scottish properties have been targeted by protesters in recent months. Activists daubed red paint over much of the Turnberry resort in March. The president described them as 'terrorists' who 'did serious damage and will hopefully be treated harshly'. In Aberdeenshire, meanwhile, a placard this week proclaimed the estate was 'twinned with Epstein Island' - a reference to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein whose relationship with Mr Trump is under renewed scrutiny. Protests in Edinburgh are expected to target the US Consulate, which the Trump administration has threatened with closure. Alena Ivanova, a campaigner with the Stop Trump Coalition said: 'Donald Trump may shake hands with our leaders, but he's no friend of Scotland. 'We, the people of Scotland, see the damage he has done - to democracy and working people in the US, to the global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, to the very principles of justice and humanity. 'Trump is not welcome because he represents all that Scottish people reject.' She certainly did not speak for everyone. Jackie McDowall posted online that her six-year-old son Ricky was 'desperate' to see the President and his motorcade making their way to Turnberry. She wrote: 'Right, so obviously I know nobody's going know exactly where Donald Trump is going be etc, but does anyone know roughly his route to Turnberry and time or anything? 'I've a wee six year old desperate just for a tiny wee glimpse of the President or even his entourage. 'Ideally he would like to meet the man himself have a quick chat and at least get to shake his hand.' That, certainly, was what Scottish Secretary Ian Murray was waiting to do on the tarmac at Prestwick Airport last night. Where exactly it goes from there, who can tell? The president's long weekend in Scotland has begun. It will, naturally, be the biggest ever - and possibly the maddest.


Times
8 hours ago
- Times
Man arrested over death of Shona Stevens more than 30 years ago
A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a mother who died after a savage attack near her home more than three decades ago. Shona Stevens, 31, died in hospital three days after she suffered severe head injuries in Irvine, North Ayrshire, in the afternoon of November 10, 1994. Her daughter was seven years old at the time. Despite a series of high-profile appeals aimed at solving the case, no one has ever been brought to justice. However, police announced on Friday that they had made a breakthrough, and a 67-year-old man was arrested in connection with her death. Appeals and a televised reconstruction of Stevens's movements were made in the search for her killer POLICE SCOTLAND Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Gillies, the senior investigating officer on the case for Police Scotland, said: 'I would like to thank the members of the local community who assisted us in our enquiries. I am grateful for their information and input which contributed to our investigation.' Stevens, a student at Paisley University, now known as the University of the West of Scotland, was found with severe head injuries on a path behind Alder Green in the Bourtreehill Park area of Irvine. She was attacked shortly after she left the Co-op shop in Bourtreehill shopping centre and was last seen alone at about 1.10pm on Towerlands Road. She was found just ten minutes later about 200 yards from her home. Over the years, several appeals were made to find her killer, including a reconstruction of her movements before she was attacked. Stevens's daughter, Candice, made an appeal for information on Crimewatch Live earlier this year Last year on the 30th anniversary of her death, a reward of up to £20,000 was offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to prosecution. In March, her daughter Candice, 38, made an emotional appeal for information on the BBC's Crimewatch Live programme. She said: 'My mum was my inspiration. Every moment I got to spend with her I cherished and I only wish I could have known her as an adult. I have tried to follow her ideals. She was incredibly bright, academic, multi-talented and just such a beautiful person. 'I was seven years old when I lost my mum. When I saw her coffin that's when it hit me that she was gone.' She said her mother's death had 'impacted every facet of my life', and added: 'It's been 30 years. My mum deserves justice, my gran is 90 years old and she deserves justice and so do I.' Police released images of a keyring toy found at the scene in the hopes that it might lead to clues in the case POLICE SCOTLAND/PA Previously, Stevens's mother, Mhairi Smith, had appealed for information. She said: 'I cannot emphasise enough how important even the smallest piece of information could be in being able to give me and my family closure. 'I want to know who was responsible for this attack and why they did it.' In 2021, Police Scotland released images of an unusual novelty figure found at the scene at the time of the initial search, which had not been previously revealed to the public. The semi-naked cartoon-style figure is 8mm tall and officers believe it may have broken off a keyring.