A can of Red Bull has helped solve a mysterious missing person case.
Back in 2017, Tony Parsons, 63, disappeared on a charity bike in the remote Scottish countryside leaving police confused as to how he could vanish ‘into thin air’.
During a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday (28 July), attendees heard how the ‘much-loved grandfather’ was tragically killed in a late night drunk driving incident.
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Appearing in court, Alexander McKellar admitted to hitting Parsons in his Isuzu D-Max pickup on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy on 29 September, 2017.
Alexander left Parsons by the side of the road 'in a remote location during the hours of darkness and in inclement weather', causing his death.
Over the drink-drive limit and eager to avoid punishment, the man enlisted the help of his twin brother, Robert, to bury Parson's body and dispose of his belongings on the Auch Estate.
Shortly after this, a missing person inquiry was launched on 2 October after Parsons, who was a retired naval officer, never returned home.
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However, the truth would not stay buried forever.
In November 2020, the police received an anonymous tip-off from an unnamed woman claiming she had important information about the case.
She claimed that she’d previously been in a relationship with Alexander, when he made a startling confession about what occurred years ago.
At the unnamed woman’s request, he even showed her the peat bog where he’d buried Parsons and his belongings.
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The quick-thinking woman left behind an empty can of Red Bull as a marker of the location - which then led police to the remote site.
Eventually, authorities were able to recover the body and forensics confirmed that it was that of missing Parsons.
It emerged the McKellars had initially placed Parsons body in woods on the Auch Estate, before using an excavator to bury him in the peat bog where animal carcasses were disposed of.
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On Friday, Alexander pled guilty to a charge of culpable homicide. Meanwhile, Robert pled guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The men will be sentenced in three weeks’ time, as Parsons’ family prepare to mark the sixth anniversary of his disappearance.
His son, Michael, spoke about his late dad in a statement, which read: “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.
“Throughout the six years since he went missing, and then the subsequent criminal investigation, we had been left with many unanswered questions and it has been heartbreaking for each and every member of the family being unable to get these answers."
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