Ok he’s been in town for 2 days by himself. He stays at a backpackers, meets others there including Antoine. He spends his time wandering around town, goes to a barby at the backpackers one night and then heads in to CM’s with at least new acquaintance and fellow backpacker Antoine.
At CM’s he separates from the new friend/s, has a few drinks and a dance probably with someone, and his new friends don’t see him leave at 11pm.
He leaves CM’s, and heads down Kingsley Street looking at his phone. He then either turns into Middleton Street, goes to the end and then turns around or goes up to the end of Tennyson Street and turns around.
Say he’s on whatsapp and google maps looking for instructions and directions, and when he reaches certain points he finds the person he’s meeting has moved on, causing him to readjust and change direction. Eventually he’s lead to Tallows Beach but his companion/hook up isn’t there and tells him to wait. He sits on the beach and chats to a mate back home on social media around 12.30am. Then the companion/hook up arrives. Theo’s not heard from again and effectively disappears off the face of the earth. There’s a phone ping the next afternoon from the same area, and a cap is found weeks later (which may or may not be his).
The chances of him voluntarily swimming fully clothed in Winter are very slim. His phone was dry the following afternoon. Sniffer dogs and a multitude of searchers over numerous days have found nothing.
His new mates from the hostel have no idea where he went, why or with whom.
If he did meet someone in the places we’re discussing, it appears the other person was on the move (vehicle?) and pretty familiar with the town, to the point of having local knowledge. It seems his wanderings take him in the vicinity of car parks too.
Theo’s profile portrays a straight white young “regular” guy who is sensible, organised and cautious. For him to arrange to meet someone you’d imagine the other person must have felt safe and reliable to him. Who could this be given he had only just arrived in the town? Was it someone he had met during his travels who was going to be in town at the same time (and there was mention of something like that a while back - a mate he met in the NT visiting Byron). Was it someone from the hostel or the hostel barby? Was it someone he met at CMs who had left CMs before him? If he was connecting to them on what’s app when he headed down Kingsley Street, he would’ve already set this up before leaving CMs.
Where’s his opportunity to meet someone locally, hear about possible social stuff happening and set up online connections to keep in touch?