The disappearance of Allan Bryant Junior
The unsolved disappearance of Allan Bryant Junior from Glenrothes, Fife in November 2013 after attending Styx nightclub.
In April of 2024 a Police Scotland operation began searching a Fife beauty spot, known as Auchtermuchty Common, in a bid to find missing Allan Bryant Junior. The spot was just 10 miles from where 23 year old Allan was last seen over a decade ago, leaving Styx nightclub in Glenrothes at around 2am on the 3rd of November 2013. Sadly after four days of searching, Allan’s family were informed that nothing of interest had been found in their search and so the heartache for the family has continued. In a bid to raise awareness of Allan’s case, this post will take a deeper look into the circumstances of his disappearance.
Allan Bryant Junior was last seen wearing a Voi t-shirt with three blocks of colour. Navy on top, grey in the middle and white on the bottom along with dark coloured jeans and grey leather style plimsolls. He was described as around 5ft 6inches tall, of medium build, with short brown hair, blue eyes and with tattoos on both arms. If you have any information about Allan’s disappearance please call Police Scotland on 101 or email on OperationToner@scotland.pnn.police.uk. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or call or text the charity ‘Missing People’ on 116 000.
Allan’s father, Allan Bryant Senior has described Allan as being in a happy mood on the night he was last seen. He had been in his house along with some friends, pre drinking prior to heading out to an engagement party at the nearby Leslie Golf Club. At around midnight Allan is said to have left the party to go to Styx nightclub in a bus with friends which is less than a mile from his house. At around 2.02am on Sunday the 3rd of November 2013, Allan is seen on CCTV leaving the nightclub after speaking briefly with a door steward. He appears to be drunk as he heads in the direction of his home. This is where things start to become unclear. For Allan to have walked home he would have passed a Shell garage on Roxburgh Road, however his movements are not picked up on the CCTV from the garage. It later emerged that vital CCTV footage from a nearby boxing gym and a snooker hall that also would have covered Allan’s route home, were not retrieved and eventually overwritten. From 2.15am onwards there are a number of conflicting reports that Allan attended a party shortly after leaving the nightclub and that Allan had been in a fight shortly after the nightclub had closed. Police enquires could not establish these claims as facts.
Only recently (following a police appeal in November 2023) someone came forward to report they had heard a woman screaming hysterically in the area between the hours of 3am and 8am on the night Allan disappeared. The scream has been described as “not normal” and as if “something bad had happened”. Allan’s father believes there were two house parties in the nearby area that evening and has stated he believes the screaming was related to his son’s disappearance. Allan Bryant Senior now believes his son is dead and that he knows who killed him. He has appealed to anyone who heard the screams or who can identify the woman and encourages them to come forward to help Police Scotland with their investigation. Allan Bryant Senior has said:
"We just want closure now and to find out where Allan's body is and bring him home."
Dad of missing Allan Bryant says "woman's screams" could hold key to son's death - Daily Record
What do you think of this information? My initial question would be, why has it taken someone so long to report this? I also have concerns that a timeframe of 5 hours is too vague.
Despite Allan Bryant Senior’s claims that he believes his son is dead, the police as recent as November 2023 have ruled out any criminality in the case and Allan Bryant remains a missing person. Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh said a the time:
"Information received from the public has covered a wide range of scenarios, including that Allan has been harmed in some way. All information has been investigated thoroughly, recorded, assessed and actioned accordingly. Allan's disappearance remains a missing person inquiry. We want to find closure for Allan's family. We are determined to do everything we can to find out what happened to Allan after he left Styx."
Over the years Allan’s family have ensured his disappearance continues to be featured in the Scottish media and with a strong presence on social media. A Facebook group in the name of ‘Justice for Allan Bryant Jnr!’ has been set up and has amassed almost 74k members at the time of writing. You can find the group here:
Justice for Allan Bryant Jnr ! | Facebook
Allan Bryant Senior has spoken publicly over the years about what he thinks happened to his son. In 2017 Mr Bryant voiced concerns that his son may have had contact with members of an organised crime gang weeks before he died. Interestingly, the 23-year-old was due to appear in court after allegedly smashing a shop window with a pole after a night out. Mr Bryant believes other people involved in this incident were involved in some form of organised crime. Allan disappeared just three days before he was due in court over the incident. While this is only speculation, and no evidence supports the involvement of organised crime, the timing of his disappearance just before the court case does seem strange.
Mr Bryant also featured on the James English ‘Anything Goes’ Podcast. Something that stood out to me from this interview was Mr Bryant’s observation of the behaviour of some people in the local area following Allan’s disappearance. In the interview, Mr Bryant states that usually following a night out or a party, friends of Allan’s would upload photos of their night to social media but on this occasion there was no such activity. Was this out of respect or is there something more to it? Anything I’ve read on this case so far suggests the answers lie in the local area of Glenrothes……
Around the time of the unsuccessful search for Allan mentioned earlier, Mr Bryan spoke out again about the case. In an article in The Sun Newspaper from early April 2024, it appears the identity of the screaming woman has been established as one of Allan’s friends. Allan’s family believe she knows what happened but won’t speak out because they allege her family are involved in his disappearance. He also alleges of the supposed screaming woman:
"She doesn't go out now, she just drinks constantly, and the people we believe are responsible, they lived at the end of our street and they wouldn't look us in the eye when we would walk to the shops."
He also claims an individual had previously threatened to kill Allan and had even entered the family home with a wooden post threatening to kill him. Sadly the theories and speculation don’t stop there. According to Mr Bryant he believes Allan’s friends know exactly what happened to him but he believes they are protecting each other. One further example from the article indicates once again that the truth lies within Glenrothes. Mr Bryant was informed that a local girl phoned in sick for her work as she was too upset as a result of Allan going missing. Mr Bryant had been informed the girl phoned at around 3pm yet the family hadn’t reported Allan missing until 4.40pm.
Allan Senior and his family have since moved away from the area and are no longer interested in securing a conviction but they will never give up hope of finding Allan. They simply want their son returned to them so they can lay him to rest and move on with their lives.
Just as I was wrapping up this article I came across more reporting on the case in the Scottish media. As recently as early June 2024, the Daily Record has reported the family have received a distressing letter from an anonymous troll. The content of the letter is no doubt another blow to the family. It taunts the family by saying the writer knows where Allan’s body is and that it is in “bits” and Allan is without his eyes. Various locations are mentioned in the letter as to where Allan’s body parts may be. The letter has been given to the police in the hope of finding the sender but the family have not heard back from the police for over a month. How well do you think the police have handled this case so far?
If you have any information about the disappearance of Allan Bryant Junior please call Police Scotland on 101 or email at OperationToner@scotland.pnn.police.uk. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or call or text the charity Missing People on 116 000.
Over ten years have now passed since Allan went missing yet his family remain in the dark as to what happened to him. Allegiances and priorities change, especially in ten years time and so if you have anything to share you think might be helpful, please contact the police as soon as possible and end the heartache for the Bryant family.
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Sad that story I stay I in Glenrothes but don't know the family, grew up in Cumbernauld
It seems strange there were no sightings of him on CCTV. Also if it was an accident you would think his body would have been found. I have read little bits about this case over the years. I hope the family get some answers.