Australia Australia - Theo Hayez, 18, Belgian backpacker, Byron Bay, June 2019 #2

[mussopossum]

Another big question. WHY was GPS mapping switched off at 12.05 when phone reached Cosy Corner? You have to go into settings for this. Why even bother? Then last ping next day at 1.42 pm is said to have been from the Paterson St tower so it is very likely the phone's trip did not end at Cosy, just tracking stopped there. I don't understand why go to trouble of switching off the GPS unless of course you don't want to be tracked? So why did whoever had the phone not wish to be tracked further? This points to someone else being on the phone. Now if something bad happened to get rid of phone makes sense but just maybe they wanted to keep it especially if this is what they were after. Not sure how people get around using phones which have been stolen but the fact that phones are a target to thieves tells me they have ways around this. Phones are targeted frequently in Byron. It was a nice new phone and to someone on the streets may have been like silver to a magpie and we know Theo was using it as he walked out of Cheeky's and possibly all the way down Tennyson. Now another interesting point is when he got to end of Tennyson no one has mentioned any phone usage, texts etc. while he was there. Would think if he was waiting there on his own would be using his phone to kill time. So am guessing he was not on his own once he got there, was occupied either talking or perhaps ran into thugs there.

Quote"Another big question. WHY was GPS mapping switched off at 12.05 when phone reached Cosy Corner? You have to go into settings for this. "

I contacted OPPO support about this.
The support person said that there were 3 different modes on the Oppo for location services.

Positioning mode
You can choose from three types of positioning modes, which differ in accuracy and battery drain:

1. High accuracy (GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile network). (huge battery drain)
2. Low battery use (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile network). Normal battery drain
3. Device only (GPS). Huge battery drain

When we explained the scenario, That our google timeline was still showing connection to the internet from watching youtube and that whats app messages had been sent in a 1 hour period but no more GPS on the route.

The lady said, Oh, the battery may have been getting low. If you turn the location services to 2. setting (low battery use) it no longer uses GPS Satelight GPS location and will only connect to telco internet (IE Telstra Optus) So will not show up on Google Maps as locations however it will still show up any things that you look at such as Youtube etc. Just not where you were.

The 1. setting on this phone uses both Sat and telco or any wireless in the area. So Theo IMO had this setting on to start with.

His battery may have started to get low and he may have switched to the 2. setting to keep battery going longer. It may also explain the final telco ping and no GPS location we know of the next day.

When I attempted to recreate this scenario my battery drained so fast I could not keep up and when I switched it to low powermode (on an Iphone) I no longer had my location come up in GM timeline however youtube and other things I looked up did. It increased my batter probably 60% and I could still look up directions etc but I just couldnt get my exact location without switching back to the number 1 setting.

It is at this stage without going into further details my opinion and my guess why there may be missing location for that period time.

All IMO

 

[RubyRed57]

Theo is constantly described as sensible, cautious, organised and a planner. Perhaps, even though he chose to deviate off the direct route home, he still wanted to know at every point where he was in relation to Wake Up, and how to return there.

Yes I would agree with that too about Theo being a planner & wanting a point of reference so he knew where he was as he walked.

 

[RubyRed57]

I just had another thought, do we know the exact times that Theo google mapped the Wake Up route?? Could he have been google mapping for other fellow backpackers that were wanting to know how to get back to Wake Up from these loctions????

 

[RubyRed57]

Another big question. WHY was GPS mapping switched off at 12.05 when phone reached Cosy Corner? You have to go into settings for this. Why even bother? Then last ping next day at 1.42 pm is said to have been from the Paterson St tower so it is very likely the phone's trip did not end at Cosy, just tracking stopped there. I don't understand why go to trouble of switching off the GPS unless of course you don't want to be tracked? So why did whoever had the phone not wish to be tracked further? This points to someone else being on the phone. Now if something bad happened to get rid of phone makes sense but just maybe they wanted to keep it especially if this is what they were after. Not sure how people get around using phones which have been stolen but the fact that phones are a target to thieves tells me they have ways around this. Phones are targeted frequently in Byron. It was a nice new phone and to someone on the streets may have been like silver to a magpie and we know Theo was using it as he walked out of Cheeky's and possibly all the way down Tennyson. Now another interesting point is when he got to end of Tennyson no one has mentioned any phone usage, texts etc. while he was there. Would think if he was waiting there on his own would be using his phone to kill time. So am guessing he was not on his own once he got there, was occupied either talking or perhaps ran into thugs there.

That would be a fair assumption if someone had stolen his phone... Depending on what type of mobile phone plan Theo was on, is it possible he had limited data left perhaps? I have a pre-paid mobile phone, so when I am at home I go into my settings & turn off all my other functions & just rely on my home wifi for connection. This helps save my mobile data/ pre-paid credit that I use when I am out & about.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Here’s a few sources on some of the things that happen in Byron Bay after dark:

1. Crime spree and robberies on Carlyle and Cowper streets leaving one in custody and another on the run, just weeks before Theo went missing. Carlyle and Cowper was where Theo ran up and down after cutting through oval:
TEENAGER CHARGED OVER BYRON BAY CRIME SPREE | NBN News

2. Flakka, a drug worse than ice is a problem in Byron Bay, leading many to highly violent behaviours and superhuman strength:
How holiday paradise Byron Bay is being tainted by drugs and violence

3. By stealing and assaulting as a group, Byron Bay’s lost boys have found a way to feel powerful and worthy:
Eshay-style thugs heading nowhere without intervention – Echonetdaily

4. Police discouraged victims reporting crimes, in favour of protecting young perpetrators who were targeting tourists. It’s old, by none the less:
Ugly side of Byron Bay's culture worries locals

5. Alcohol and cocaine led a Byron Bay man to beat another man dead at a house party, for no reason:
Personal trainer sentenced to eight years in prison for killing Byron Bay DJ on Christmas Day - ABC News

 

[Aron.Wor]

In the 8 months that I lived in BB, I only saw one homeless person act aggressively towards anyone.
There has been growing animosity towards tourists by various aspects of the BB community, from surfers to the homeless crew.
The discovery of the makeshift bat with the English word on it 'the Judge' might suggest that there is a local that feels righteous enough to perhaps clean up the streets, so to say. This may have been the first attack to such a degree, leaving the unsub in a state of panic disregarding the bat, and perhaps the idea, for now.

The thought had also crossed my mind that perhaps TH did make a choice to disappear. The hippy cult thing could be possible. It's his movements on the night that lead me to this line of thought. It all seems deliberate. Even though the phone goes to one point and retraces, it seems as though he had a destination, a time to be there, and perhaps someone to meet.

 

[mussopossum]

We need more info on how Google marks journeys, and modes of travelling. The family said Theo was indicated to be walking (coloured blue) to the end of Tennyson Street, and then running (coloured red) to the beach. How do they categorise movements? Is it speed?

Google calculates a route or journey with GPS pin points on the route so the time taken from one gps ping location point to the next.

For example if Theo walked with gps maps running in the background from CM to the end Tennyson st.

GM if we look this information up in a route on google maps it says that this journey would take from memory 8 minutes walking.

So if the data came back it took a lot less than this, just say 2 minutes then google would assume the person was running.

I cant remember if Google understands if you are in a car or not with maps if come son your timeline, I haven't tried this scenario as yet.

 

[Rocket333]

I just find it bizarre that that bat would just be left out in the open and abandoned like that, especially with those words on it and possible blood. If used to harm, it’s a HUGE piece of identifying and incriminating evidence. Makes me wonder if it was left intentionally, or planted, along with the cap.

 

[Rocket333]

Google calculates a route or journey with GPS pin points on the route so the time taken from one gps ping location point to the next.

For example if Theo walked with gps maps running in the background from CM to the end Tennyson st.

GM if we look this information up in a route on google maps it says that this journey would take from memory 8 minutes walking.

So if the data came back it took a lot less than this, just say 2 minutes then google would assume the person was running.

I cant remember if Google understands if you are in a car or not with maps if come son your timeline, I haven't tried this scenario as yet.

Thanks.
feralflower posted this earlier (around page 17 on here)

 

[Rocket333]

That would be a fair assumption if someone had stolen his phone... Depending on what type of mobile phone plan Theo was on, is it possible he had limited data left perhaps? I have a pre-paid mobile phone, so when I am at home I go into my settings & turn off all my other functions & just rely on my home wifi for connection. This helps save my mobile data/ pre-paid credit that I use when I am out & about.

Re the phone activity
Theo’s Godfather wrote this on “The Lighthouse Podcast” Facebook page.
The Lighthouse Podcast

 

[BusterXP]

Re the phone activity
Theo’s Godfather wrote this on “The Lighthouse Podcast” Facebook page.
The Lighthouse Podcast

That's what I'd expect in Power Savings Mode. It would turn the screen to low resolution, disable background apps and mostly just retain phone services for emergencies etc.

 

[Rocket333]

That's what I'd expect in Power Savings Mode. It would turn the screen to low resolution, disable background apps and mostly just retain phone services for emergencies etc.

Theo could still ring for help if he needed it.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

I just find it bizarre that that bat would just be left out in the open and abandoned like that, especially with those words on it and possible blood. If used to harm, it’s a HUGE piece of identifying and incriminating evidence. Makes me wonder if it was left intentionally, or planted, along with the cap.

Not necessarily. If you are in the middle of a crazy drug fuelled rage with a stick, then it turns into a rumble with fists or knives or glass, and then you have to focus on moving and hiding a body, then it could be the type of thing you forget to pick back up. I imagine. I have no experience.

It could have been thrown into the sea but the freakish swell at the time brought it back in.

Or it could have been buried in the dunes and the freakish swell dug it out.

In any case, if the stick wasn't used in THIS crime, it surely was used in some other crime, and hints to a pattern of behaviour.

Behaviour that is much more likely, IMO, than say... an impromptu backpacker gathering that accidentally killed a fellow traveller, whose perpetrators managed to conceal, despite being (one would imagine) first time participants in such a crime, new to the area, and new to Australian bush/cliff landscapes, that they all managed to swear each other to secrecy about, and flee back overseas without a trace. There isn't even a motive. If it was an accident, why not call an ambulance?

Who doesn't call an ambulance? People that intend to cause harm and people that already have issues with police and authority.

It sucks. I may be woefully incorrect and am open to other possibilities, but probability dictates that the fate that fell on Theo is likely linked to the other violent incidents in the area, where crimes, gangs, drugs, and tools of violence already exist.

I'm not even suggesting it's an actual local, just local-ish rather than an international visitor.

 

[tarabull]

NoCookies | The Australian

 

[Chiatos]

I think the use of the term 'sleep mode' is misleading. 'Sleep' is a Windows term.
You can vary the settings but Android goes into Power Savings Mode, with a lot of services shut down, at 15% battery. It will shut off at 5% battery.
It's possibly to restart it after it's shut off but it won't last long without being plugged in. There's that last ping if an attempt was made to restart it.

So the phone shut down/off at 2am.
At 6am there is a change in mode. What mode could that have been?
In what mode would the last ping in the early afternoon of June 1st have been made?

 

[mussopossum]

Not necessarily. If you are in the middle of a crazy drug fuelled rage with a stick, then it turns into a rumble with fists or knives or glass, and then you have to focus on moving and hiding a body, then it could be the type of thing you forget to pick back up. I imagine. I have no experience.

It could have been thrown into the sea but the freakish swell at the time brought it back in.

Or it could have been buried in the dunes and the freakish swell dug it out.

In any case, if the stick wasn't used in THIS crime, it surely was used in some other crime, and hints to a pattern of behaviour.

Behaviour that is much more likely, IMO, than say... an impromptu backpacker gathering that accidentally killed a fellow traveller, whose perpetrators managed to conceal, despite being (one would imagine) first time participants in such a crime, new to the area, and new to Australian bush/cliff landscapes, that they all managed to swear each other to secrecy about, and flee back overseas without a trace. There isn't even a motive. If it was an accident, why not call an ambulance?

Who doesn't call an ambulance? People that intend to cause harm and people that already have issues with police and authority.

It sucks. I may be woefully incorrect and am open to other possibilities, but probability dictates that the fate that fell on Theo is likely linked to the other violent incidents in the area, where crimes, gangs, drugs, and tools of violence already exist.

I'm not even suggesting it's an actual local, just local-ish rather than an international visitor.

Quote: It sucks. I may be woefully incorrect and am open to other possibilities, but probability dictates that the fate that fell on Theo is likely linked to the other violent incidents in the area, where crimes, gangs, drugs, and tools of violence already exist.
"

I totally agree with you and it is my thoughts that he has met his fate walking into the wrong scene and wrong area unintentionally whether it be connecting with someone on Ice or a gang who attempted to rob him and it went wrong.

Always wonder who was hanging out in the car park that night, lots of car meets where people get together with their cars. Cant think if carpark at Tallow has hates at night though.

 

[mussopossum]

What I would like to know is,

I cannot see that OPPO R17 has sleep mode.

Only things I can find is the "quiet time" and the flight mode and then the location services mdes to reduce the battery usage.

So where is sleep mode and how can anyone possibly know it was in this or any mode at the time?

Even Google timeline would not have this info?

 

[Rocket333]

Lighthouse podcast #3.

Theo stopped at the end of Tennyson for 7 minutes. Seems it’s a youth hangout with a fire pit etc. It’s beside the YAK homeless camp, and it was mentioned that there’s also a camp there for delinquents. It appears like he ran off with randoms.

 

[BusterXP]

Theo could still ring for help if he needed it.

As stated - phone stays active.

 

[BusterXP]

What I would like to know is,

I cannot see that OPPO R17 has sleep mode.

Only things I can find is the "quiet time" and the flight mode and then the location services mdes to reduce the battery usage.

So where is sleep mode and how can anyone possibly know it was in this or any mode at the time?

Even Google timeline would not have this info?

Oppo is just Android. There's Power Savings Mode.
You might know by the phone activity when services are shut off but with the phone call connection remaining active.