A Sydney chef checked out of a Surry Hills hotel. He was never seen again

When Sydney chef Simon Knight didn’t show up for his shift at a Newtown cafe, his colleagues immediately suspected something was wrong.

The absence was out of character for the friendly 32-year-old who was well liked by his colleagues. They reported him missing straight away.

Simon Knight was 32 years old when he vanished without a trace.Credit: NSW Police

Earlier the same day, Knight checked out of a Surry Hills motel that police believe he was living in, and vanished without a trace.

Exactly 20 years have passed since that day, and in a mystery that has perplexed police and devastated Knight’s family, detectives are no closer to figuring out what happened to him.

Simon Knight was travelling via bike when he disappeared.Credit: NSW Police

Knight was travelling on a bicycle when he went missing, and had withdrawn only $500 from his bank account. He never used the account again, and the “top-of-the-range” bike was never recovered. An avid photographer, Knight also had a Sony Cyber-shot camera in his possession.

“Basically, he has disappeared off the face of the earth,” NSW Police Superintendent Andrew Holland said in 2020.

Knight had just begun studying horticulture when he disappeared, his father Bob Knight said as he recalled their final conversation the week before he vanished.

“He was very passionate about gardening and horticulture, and he wanted a career change, so he was very happy about that,” Bob Knight said through tears at a press conference on Monday.

Knight had a wide circle of friends, regularly frequenting the Crown and Oxford Street bar scene.

“He loved the lifestyle [in Surry Hills], especially with the chef-ing, and he was in the gay community, and he was very happy there,” Bob Knight said.

“He was fun… a bit of the fun went with him [when he disappeared],” Knight’s sister Francis said.

Bob Knight and his daughter Francis are appealing for information that could reveal what happened to Simon. Credit: Nine News

On Monday, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley formally renewed the $250,000 appeal for information that could assist the two-decade-long investigation. With no body located, the circumstances of Knight’s disappearance remain a mystery.

“Today we appeal to anyone who might have the smallest piece of information, which can help police bring answers about Simon’s disappearance for the Knight family,” Catley said.

It’s the third time the appeal has been renewed. In 2008, a $100,000 reward for information was issued after a coroner’s inquest determined it was unlikely that Knight had died. A further inquest in 2015 reversed that finding, concluding that it was more likely that Knight was deceased.

When that appeal led nowhere, NSW Police upped the reward to $250,000 in 2020.

Speaking at the time, Knight’s mother, Robyn Conlan, admitted she had “no hope” that her son was still alive, but said the family “need[ed] to know what happened to him”.

Also in 2020, Bob Knight insisted his son “wouldn’t just disappear”.

“I don’t want to die not knowing what actually happened to him ... it’s the worst thing a parent could go through.”

On Monday, police urged anyone who may have information to come forward.

“We are keen to speak with anyone who lived [around] or frequented Crown and Oxford streets, Surry Hills, in July 2005, particularly if they knew Simon and have not yet spoken to police,” Acting Superintendent Christopher Hill said, noting any piece of information could be crucial.

Knight is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 183cm tall, with blue eyes, a fair complexion, red hair and facial hair.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.