The sudden and utterly unexplained vanishing of Justin Matthysse from a historic quayside in North Wales on February 3, 2011, remains one of the United Kingdom’s most enduring modern mysteries. It is a case that blends the mundane routines of everyday life—a night out with a partner, an argument over pub trivia, the walk home—with an abrupt, bewildering incident that saw a well-known, towering figure disappear into the cold night air, leaving behind only unanswered questions and a single, agonizing clue. To fully appreciate the devastating impact of this case, one must first understand the man at its center and the sequence of events that unfolded in his final observed hours.

Justin was a man who embraced life and the hospitality industry with a gregarious spirit. Born in 1982, he was 28 years old at the time of his vanishing. Raised in the working-class town of Corby, Northamptonshire, he benefited from supportive family ties that would prove vital in the years of searching ahead. Although he initially trained as a hairdresser, Justin soon found his true calling in the pub trade. By the early 2000s, he had fully immersed himself in the industry, learning the ropes at establishments like the Rockingham and Forest Hotel in Corby. Standing at 6 feet, 6 inches, his family aptly described him as a “great big friendly giant”—kind, caring, and possessing a sharp sense of humor. These traits served him well in the business of building community and hosting patrons.

Seeking to expand his career and enjoy a change of scenery, Justin moved to Conwy in North Wales in the mid-2000s. The area, with its scenic coastal beauty and strong tourism focus, was an ideal setting for a successful pub. By 2010, Justin had become the respected licensee of the Bridge Inn, a cozy establishment located near the River Conwy. He excelled professionally, managing daily operations, organizing themed events, and establishing a robust local reputation in the historic walled market town. His life seemed stable and prosperous; he was thriving, enjoying the coastal environment, and sharing his life with his long-term partner, Gareth Williams, with whom he lived a short distance from Conwy.

The pub scene in Conwy was competitive, with venues like the Bridge Inn, the Georgian Dragon, and the Liverpool Arms vying for clientele through scheduled events and pricing. Justin, invested in his pub’s success, often planned unique attractions to boost attendance. The industry rivalries, while generally routine, could occasionally escalate, and it was one such minor dispute that preceded his disappearance. The evening of February 3rd began normally, with Justin and Gareth enjoying a meal together before heading out to visit several pubs in Conwy.

The trouble began when the couple arrived at the Georgian Dragon, a traditional pub situated close to the quayside. The mood quickly soured when Justin entered into a confrontation with Graeme Roberts, the pub’s licensee. The source of the argument was a clash over scheduling: Graeme had scheduled his own quiz nights on the same evenings as Justin’s, undercutting the competition with reduced prices during those time slots. Justin, realizing the immediate threat to his business, lost his composure entirely. Witnesses described the towering figure as loud and aggressively argumentative. The situation deteriorated to the point where, according to reports, Justin took a swing at an elderly customer. The altercation became public enough that Bruce Jones, an actor known for his role as Les Battersby in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street, who was present that night, reportedly intervened to put an end to the fracas. The drinks consumed throughout the evening likely amplified the emotional intensity of the dispute, leading Justin to completely lose his cool and argue with multiple people before he was finally asked to leave. He complied with the request, walking out into the cold night alone.

At approximately 11:50 PM, Justin was last captured on CCTV, walking along the keyside in the direction of the Liverpool Arms, another pub located in the harbor area. The footage, though limited, showed him entering the harbor area shortly before midnight. Crucially, it did not capture him ever exiting. The quayside, a historic feature of Conwy, is lined with waist-high stone walls overlooking the dark, tidal waters of the estuary. Shortly after midnight, the final known witness sighting occurred. Anthony Carr, a driver, was moving along Castle Street near the keyside when he spotted a man matching Justin’s description sitting or crouching against a wall. After this brief, final observation, Justin Matthysse was never seen again.

The next morning, Gareth awoke to find Justin had not returned home. Initially, he assumed Justin had simply stayed with friends—a common occurrence after a late night in the pub trade. However, by mid-morning, concern grew as no one seemed to know his whereabouts. Gareth reported him missing to the North Wales police. The disappearance was immediately deemed highly out of character; Justin was known to be reliable, had no known mental health issues, and was not the type to abandon his responsibilities. The investigation began immediately, with police appealing for information. The search effort was extensive and challenging, utilizing helicopters for aerial surveys and deploying underwater teams to scour the River Conwy. The Coast Guard joined the operation, battling freezing temperatures, high winds, and strong tidal surges in what were described as dreadful conditions. Justin’s family, including his siblings, traveled from Corby and remained in Wales for weeks, assisting the organized volunteer searches along the paths and beaches.

It was nearly a week later, around February 10th, that the only piece of physical evidence surfaced: a single black lace-up boot, thought to be identical to one Justin owned, found on the opposite side of the estuary. This grim discovery immediately shifted the focus of the search to the treacherous water. Police intensified their underwater efforts, but despite the discovery of the boot, no remains were found then, nor have any been found in the decade since.

Three years after the vanishing, an inquest was convened in Ruthin. The coroner, John Gittins, reviewed all the evidence, including the limited CCTV footage, witness statements from the pub, and the discovery of the boot. The inquest recorded an open conclusion, unable to definitively ascertain the cause of his disappearance. The coroner concluded that it was likely Mr. Matthysse had fallen into the water, but pointedly noted that there was no evidence to suggest foul play. He acknowledged the lack of emotional resolution for the family, stating: “I can give you legal closure but not emotional.”

However, the family never accepted the simple conclusion of an accidental fall. Ten years later, Justin’s sister, Vicki, publicly highlighted a critical observation that challenged the central theory. She argued that the CCTV footage simply “makes no sense” for an accidental plunge. The keyside is lined with a waist-high stone wall, and below that wall is a secondary path, not the water itself. She observed that even if Justin had fallen over the wall in a drunken state, he would have landed on the path below, not in the estuary. This observation suggests that for Justin to enter the water, he would have had to either fall twice, or actively climb over the secondary barrier, or have been forced over.

This key detail opened the door to several alternative lines of reasoning that investigators considered, or perhaps overlooked.

One theory, building on the coroner’s suggestion, proposes a complex accidental fall involving the dangerous terrain. The Conwy estuary is notorious for its dangerous currents and hidden mud flats. It’s possible that Justin, heated and angry from the confrontation and perhaps suffering from the effects of alcohol, voluntarily descended to the lower path, perhaps intending a cool walk to calm down or to relieve himself. Given that the tide was low around that time, he may have stepped onto a deceptively solid area of deep mud. Lace-up boots are difficult to remove accidentally, but deep mud can create a powerful suction. If he became stuck and the rapidly rising tide began to approach, a frantic attempt to pull his leg free could have resulted in the boot being violently pulled off. This scenario would explain the unusual clue—the single, detached boot—and the immediate loss of life in the freezing, strong currents.

Another line of thought centers on a sudden medical event, perhaps exacerbated by the night’s events. Anthony Carr’s final sighting of a man matching Justin’s description sitting or crouching against a wall is potentially telling. The combination of intense stress from the pub confrontation, the consumption of alcohol, and the near-freezing temperatures could have triggered a medical episode, such as a cardiac issue or the onset of hypothermia. Alcohol, contrary to popular belief, accelerates the body’s heat loss, creating a false sensation of warmth while the core temperature plunges. The crouching posture is often a defensive move against cold or a reaction to feeling faint or unwell. A state of confusion brought on by hypothermia can lead to disorientation, and while the location—close to a quayside lined with buildings—makes the “terminal borrowing” behavior of seeking small enclosed spaces less plausible, an impaired and confused state could have led him to a dangerous, exposed area of the mud flats.

The third, and most chilling, line of reasoning is that of foul play, an idea the inquest dismissed but which the family holds onto. Given the height of the tensions in the Georgian Dragon, it is not impossible that Justin was followed or that he had a second confrontation with a stranger later in his walk. If he directed an insult toward someone else, or if the individual responsible was simply opportunistic, a sudden shove could have sent him over the low wall and into the area that led to the water. The lack of any subsequent figure seen fleeing the area on the limited CCTV footage is a point against this theory, but the possibility that an aggressor, seeing him fall silently, panicked and fled unnoticed, remains a viable explanation for those who discount the accidental fall theory.

Finally, the possibility of a purposeful act, while having no direct supporting evidence, cannot be ruled out entirely. The coroner was careful to note that he was not “entirely satisfied that Justin had not deliberately wanted to be gone,” though he added there were no prior indications of this intent. No signs of mental health challenges, no messages, and no evidence of mounting debts were discovered.

The family’s deep conviction that the accepted conclusion is insufficient underscores the central, heartbreaking reality of the case: a man vanished from a quayside, leaving behind only the silhouette of his last walk and a single, silent boot. Despite being one of the most surveilled countries in the world, Justin managed to disappear just slightly out of view of the camera, falling victim to a phenomenon that has also plagued other urban waterways, such as the Manchester Canal disappearances. Without a full and complete explanation, his family’s relentless quest for the truth continues, a testament to the fact that emotional closure remains elusive when the physical evidence refuses to speak.