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

[Rocket333]

My money’s on fellow backpackers (one or a few) whom he met at the hostel or at CMs (they/he may have left before him). Theo left the bar, went looking for them but they weren’t where he thought they’d be, so he headed in what looked like the direction of his home, but he was actually just waiting for them to pick him up on Shirley Street as planned. They drove somewhere out of town (otherwise what’s the point of the vehicle) and during the early hours something happened to Theo. The others were staying in Byron near the Cape so they returned, and the next day before exiting town, they found his phone in the car/van and turned it off (making it ping) and then tossed it. In this scenario, Theo knows them, and they were staying locally as tourists but left on 1st June.

 

[Via Marple]

My money’s on fellow backpackers (one or a few) whom he met at the hostel or at CMs (they/he may have left before him). Theo left the bar, went looking for them but they weren’t where he thought they’d be, so he headed in what looked like the direction of his home, but he was actually just waiting for them to pick him up on Shirley Street as planned. They drove somewhere out of town (otherwise what’s the point of the vehicle) and during the early hours something happened to Theo. The others were staying in Byron near the Cape so they returned, and the next day before exiting town, they found his phone in the car/van and turned it off (making it ping) and then tossed it. In this scenario, Theo knows them, and they were staying locally as tourists but left on 1st June.

That is certainly a scenario, and one which the police must be thinking of, when they focused on searching for his phone. Theo himself could be anywhere.

Backpackers usually churn quickly and leave town. It is hard to track them down. I had said before that the police should check all hostels/motels for registered guests on 31 May/1 June.

Now that they are not actively searching, that should be part of the desk job. One of the news reports also says the drone videos will be checked carefully for any items found in places that humans could not get to. So in fact they may still find something in the coming weeks.

 

[gregjrichards]

Ok so I'm new to this page discussion what have you but I think I have managed to read every post here so far because I have theory and wanted to make sure it hadn't been discussed or bought up yet. So again this is just a theory, mine so here goes.

IMO I've read a couple of people mentioning and questioning what was the reason for Theo being kicked out of CM finding it bizarre and also knowing the fact that theo himself had no issues with that and went on his way. So I've been curious and as we are all aware to enter a bar in Australia by law you can only do so if you're 18 and over and must have ID on you to prove that. Theo being born overseas, to my knowledge the only form of ID accepted to prove that for Theo would be his passport.

Now I've never been to CM before but I gather by the sounds of CM it possibly is one of those bars that require you to present your ID at the door before being let inside, or perhaps not. Perhaps they do check IDs before entry and Theo somehow ended up not having to show his before going in. Either way Theo is in CM and he's gone to buy a drink and been asked for ID or staff there have just approached him sometime inside and asked to check his and Theo hasn't had any on him, thus being asked to leave. Would also make sense Theo happily obliging in doing so as that's the reason.

I watched the surveillance footage of Theo purchasing alcohol for a bottle shop eariler on in the night to take to a BBQ, supposedly back at the backpackers he was staying at or I've also heard conflicting reports where the BBQ was exactly. Either way personally I couldn't tell from that video whether he had ID on him then to purchase the alcohol at that time or he wasn't asked for ID at the bottle shop therefore he may not have had ID on him then too. Which isn't uncommon to not be asked for ID at a bottle shop.

I know its confirmed all of his belongings including Theos passport were found in his room so this is the basis behind the reasoning of my theory in the first place. This theory alone, hypothetically speaking is true, leads me to speculate more possibilities of what's happened to Theo but like I said this is just a theory in my opinion only, I could be wrong just trying to help in any way I can.

Welcome to Websleuths @Kungfukenny. Thank you so much for joining the discussion into Theo’s case.

 

[mussopossum]

My money’s on fellow backpackers (one or a few) whom he met at the hostel or at CMs (they/he may have left before him). Theo left the bar, went looking for them but they weren’t where he thought they’d be, so he headed in what looked like the direction of his home, but he was actually just waiting for them to pick him up on Shirley Street as planned. They drove somewhere out of town (otherwise what’s the point of the vehicle) and during the early hours something happened to Theo. The others were staying in Byron near the Cape so they returned, and the next day before exiting town, they found his phone in the car/van and turned it off (making it ping) and then tossed it. In this scenario, Theo knows them, and they were staying locally as tourists but left on 1st June.

I beleive the Whats App messages are the key to not so much what has happened to Theo but more so who is or may know who is involved OR who may have seen him last. There are so any of the back packer vans in and around Byron, they drive from beach to beach, town to town drinking, smoking in the back whlst taking in the views of headlands such as Lennox head, Ballina, Byron Bay and other surrounding areas. I agree it is very possible, he may have jumped in one of these vans with some back packers, gone to the lighthouse area to do whatever and something has gone wrong. Unless they have a witness or evidence i unfortunately hold low hopes they are going to find him IMHO. I truely hope that I am wrong for his families sake. What a shame Jubelin is not going to be able to assist on this one.

 

[Gavel Rash]

There is a fisherman’s lookout wooden deck area off the Cape Byron walking track that was at the time of the incident the track was closed to walk traffic undergoing maintenance and safety repairs. This area would be a go to spot to hang out, drink or smoke and look at the ocean etc. If there was an altercation or he was alone and accidentally fell into the water here, unconscious, the tidal currents would draw him out to sea in a large circular pattern off the coast. See attached current chart for June 1st. The following days after this was progressively stronger currents and heavy pounding seas. His phone may have been discarded by maybe perpetrators or have fallen into an unfathomable area and remains to this moment unlocated. Either scenario leaves for their being no evidence of a person being there unless bottles, if he had been drinking in the area were left there and found to contain DNA to confirm this.

 

[mussopossum]

A snip from the Facebook Looking for Theo page (below). I have noticed since yesterday, posts being made now saying looking for his phone, hat, hoodie etc.

Leads me to think they know something... I’d understand his hat falling off and losing his phone but a hoodie would physically have to be removed. In this temp can’t imagine him removing his hoodie / jumper that time of night. I wonder if he has been sighted in cctv with his hat and hoodie removed?

VOLUNTEER SEARCH

There will be no official volunteer search tomorrow, Monday 24th June.

We will be spending the day creating an efficient search strategy for the coming week, as well as collating the data from our search maps, and brainstorming some other strategies to help find Theo. Rest assured that we will be continuing to work hard and will hit the ground running again on Tuesday.

If you do decide to go out searching independently, please ensure you go with a group and DO NOT enter risky areas or put yourselves in any danger. Also please let us know at the end of the day any areas that have been searched (use a GPS tracker on your phone if possible).

Also please continue to look around as you go about your day, as we are still looking for Theo’s phone, hat, black hoodie etc. And please encourage friends/family with CCTV to send footage from May 31st - June 1st to police.

Thank you so much for all of your ongoing time, assistance and well wishes. We are committed and determined to find Theo!

 

[pheme]

My money’s on fellow backpackers (one or a few) whom he met at the hostel or at CMs (they/he may have left before him). Theo left the bar, went looking for them but they weren’t where he thought they’d be, so he headed in what looked like the direction of his home, but he was actually just waiting for them to pick him up on Shirley Street as planned. They drove somewhere out of town (otherwise what’s the point of the vehicle) and during the early hours something happened to Theo. The others were staying in Byron near the Cape so they returned, and the next day before exiting town, they found his phone in the car/van and turned it off (making it ping) and then tossed it. In this scenario, Theo knows them, and they were staying locally as tourists but left on 1st June.

Agree this is a good theory. They could have headed out of town to a bush doof or whatever they call them now... lived in the area when I was his age and there were loads of very remote parties only heard about through word of mouth. Assume it's still happening.
Also lived in a youth hostel for nearly a year (in another lifetime) and there were always options. If you left or were made leave one place, someone else was always doing something you could join.
He may have had an accident in the bush, an overdose, car accident, he may have lost contact with the people who drove and they left without him, threw out phone and trying not to get involved. (Especially if drugs or illegal parties involved)

 

[Sambam89]

If anybody understands French, I believe this is an interview with his mother. I can only understand small bits of French in writing, but the video looks quite emotional and detailed.

"J'ai promis de le ramener, aidez-moi": l'appel poignant du papa de Théo Hayez, parti en Australie à la recherche de son fils

 

[gregjrichards]

Agree this is a good theory. They could have headed out of town to a bush doof or whatever they call them now... lived in the area when I was his age and there were loads of very remote parties only heard about through word of mouth. Assume it's still happening.
Also lived in a youth hostel for nearly a year (in another lifetime) and there were always options. If you left or were made leave one place, someone else was always doing something you could join.
He may have had an accident in the bush, an overdose, car accident, he may have lost contact with the people who drove and they left without him, threw out phone and trying not to get involved. (Especially if drugs or illegal parties involved)

Welcome to Websleuths @pheme Thank you for joining Theo’s thread.

 

[akazia1978]

I hate to say this, but Byron Bay is a good place for suicide, because it is so beautiful and the lighthouse is the eastern most point of Oz...or so I was told...I'm actually Australian, but I backpacked around and stayed in the hostels there for a long time. You can see the dolphins jumping at dawn. He could have gotten fatalistic and committed suicide. I think I even once told a friend if I died I would want it to be there. I really loved that town, still one of my favorite places...there is some sketch stuff for sure..but drugs and alcohol can put people in a weird state. I really hope his family gets closure, I do not feel he is alive. MOO

 

[kakadu]

I hate to say this, but Byron Bay is a good place for suicide, because it is so beautiful and the lighthouse is the eastern most point of Oz...or so I was told...I'm actually Australian, but I backpacked around and stayed in the hostels there for a long time. You can see the dolphins jumping at dawn. He could have gotten fatalistic and committed suicide. I think I even once told a friend if I died I would want it to be there. I really loved that town, still one of my favorite places...there is some sketch stuff for sure..but drugs and alcohol can put people in a weird state. I really hope his family gets closure, I do not feel he is alive. MOO

I don't think he committed suicide. He is a young man full of life. Either an accident happened or foul play and he was thrown into the water. Of course, only my opinion.

 

[SouthAussie]

Welcome Kungfu. I think he used his international drivers license as ID. There’s footage of him entering CMs with something in hand (wallet, phone etc). All reports say his passport did stay in his room, and he was asked to leave the bar because he was intoxicated. He was probably being rowdy and annoying, rather than blind drunk as he seems to walk ok.

Yes, you are likely correct. If Theo had a valid Belgian drivers license (an international one is no longer required by most/many countries), that is sufficient ID for most everyday things in a foreign country.

 

[LietKynes]

Marking my spot...
Where are you, Theo ?

 

[bearbear]

If anybody understands French, I believe this is an interview with his mother. I can only understand small bits of French in writing, but the video looks quite emotional and detailed.

"J'ai promis de le ramener, aidez-moi": l'appel poignant du papa de Théo Hayez, parti en Australie à la recherche de son fils

the first part is just his father saying he promised theos brother he wont leave wthout finding him, same as the msm articles here,
and then this from his mother....
Theo's mom: "I'm hopeful but I'm realistic"
Last week, RTBF met Vinciane Delforge, her mother, who told us: " From the beginning, I thought something had happened to him, a bad meeting or an accident. He would never have done anything imprudent, we were exchanging messages almost every day, he happened to be in a desert area without being able to communicate, but he had warned me that there was nothing here. a mother hen, it does not look like him, I'm hopeful but I'm realistic . "

 

[gregjrichards]

I hate to say this, but Byron Bay is a good place for suicide, because it is so beautiful and the lighthouse is the eastern most point of Oz...or so I was told...I'm actually Australian, but I backpacked around and stayed in the hostels there for a long time. You can see the dolphins jumping at dawn. He could have gotten fatalistic and committed suicide. I think I even once told a friend if I died I would want it to be there. I really loved that town, still one of my favorite places...there is some sketch stuff for sure..but drugs and alcohol can put people in a weird state. I really hope his family gets closure, I do not feel he is alive. MOO

I thought this was a possibility too as suicide is a major problem in young men. But given Theo had made future plans and booked his flights home I don’t think this is what has happened to him. I’m fearing he has passed accidentally from a fall off a cliff or he has fallen and severely hit his head or he has ended up in the ocean due to the alcohol in his system. I just hope they find him it is going to be horrific for his loved ones if he has disappeared without a trace forever.

Hopefully official searches will resume today.

 

[they'll get you]

If anybody understands French, I believe this is an interview with his mother. I can only understand small bits of French in writing, but the video looks quite emotional and detailed.

"J'ai promis de le ramener, aidez-moi": l'appel poignant du papa de Théo Hayez, parti en Australie à la recherche de son fils

Translated text.

Laurent Hayez, the father of the Belgian student Theo Hayez who has been missing in Australia, has called for any information that may contribute to the ongoing investigation in Byron Bay to find his son. At a joint press conference with police on Monday morning, he also pleaded for access to the WhatsApp messaging data his son used.

Laurent Hayez, le père de l’étudiant belge Théo Hayez porté disparu en Australie, a formulé un appel à toute information pouvant contribuer à l’enquête en cours à Byron Bay pour retrouver son fils. Lors d’une conférence de presse conjointe avec la police lundi matin, il a également plaidé pour un accès aux données de la messagerie WhatsApp que son fils a utilisée.

 

[PersonX]

Surely they would’ve or are. When it all comes out I think we’ll be stunned by how much intell they had from an early stage. Given that, the current police actions would be based on what they know. They’re after the phone and currently focused on the cape. If only we knew the rest....

Hey Rocket,

Well, im not sure about NSW police, but from my earlier post about a case in 2018 re: LAPD they were only working off phone tower pings and spent about 3 weeks searching in an area that was hours away from where the body was. Different case, and they had a suspect, but my point is that the Google tracking of the suspect's phone by investigative reporter and PI hired by missing girl's family, had nothing to do with phone tower pings, showed that the info police were working off was incorrect (the PI was an ex-LAPD detective and had contacts), and by following the Google tracking data it led the non-police investigators to the exact place the suspect was .... and it was at the burial site.

It's an interesting case. But in relation to Theo's case, my point is, go to Google it doesnt matter at this point what the msgs on What's App have said, just see if you can get the phone tracking which is not encrypted .
I am making the assumption that as a traveller he wouldn't have his google tracking location turned off.

ETA: More info.

 

[Sambam89]

I did read something last night that they were communicating with google also, hopefully it was for tracking purposes!

Hey Rocket,

Well, im not sure about NSW police, but from my earlier post about a case in 2018 re: LAPD they were only working off phone tower pings and spent about 3 weeks searching in an area that was hours away from where the body was. Different case, and they had a suspect, but my point is that the Google tracking of the suspect's phone by investigative reporter and PI hired by missing girl's family, had nothing to do with phone tower pings, showed that the info police were working off was incorrect (the PI was an ex-LAPD detective and had contacts), and by following the Google tracking data it led the non-police investigators to the exact place the suspect was .... and it was at the burial site.

It's an interesting case. But in relation to Theo's case, my point is, go to Google it doesnt matter at this point what the msgs on What's App have said, just see if you can get the phone tracking which is not encrypted .
I am making the assumption that as a traveller he wouldn't have his google tracking location turned off.

ETA: More info.

 

[mussopossum]

Another Facebook post couple hours ago on the Finding Theo group, again, asking to keep an eye out for Theo’s clothing watch, phone, shoes etc.... but not Theo.

In your experience here what do you feel this means? I said earlier things like the hat and the phone easily dropped and lost but pants, hoodie, watch, shoes had to be removed to be found in the bush or wherever they may be. (If anywhere) is this a general missing persons normal request or would you assume that they have some knowledge or information that has not been released that they know his clothing etc has been discarded. All IMOO.

The below from Facebook post today

*Good reminder.. look out for Theo's Purple/Black Oppo phone, Puma hat, and black hoodie,Black watch,Black shoes,Brown pants ..Also very important is anyone with CCTV footage Or vehicle driving footage between May 31st - June 1st..If you no someone who lives in the area or who was in Byron bay at those dates and times get them to check any footage they may have ASAP as it maybe the biggest help yet and pass it on to police.

 

[mussopossum]

Hey Rocket,

Well, im not sure about NSW police, but from my earlier post about a case in 2018 re: LAPD they were only working off phone tower pings and spent about 3 weeks searching in an area that was hours away from where the body was. Different case, and they had a suspect, but my point is that the Google tracking of the suspect's phone by investigative reporter and PI hired by missing girl's family, had nothing to do with phone tower pings, showed that the info police were working off was incorrect (the PI was an ex-LAPD detective and had contacts), and by following the Google tracking data it led the non-police investigators to the exact place the suspect was .... and it was at the burial site.

It's an interesting case. But in relation to Theo's case, my point is, go to Google it doesnt matter at this point what the msgs on What's App have said, just see if you can get the phone tracking which is not encrypted .
I am making the assumption that as a traveller he wouldn't have his google tracking location turned off.

ETA: More info.

I would love to read this case sounds interesting can you pm the name or info on what to look up on google (unless allowed here) but as unrelated to Theo feel free to pm. Sounds like interesting read