Found Deceased AUS - Tayla Spies,29, white 2017 dual cab Toyota Hilux I’d also missing. Left a hotel in Daley & travelled west to Surat, Queensland, 2 Feb 25

  • #241
Pictures of her truck where it was found don't show the driver's side or front. It’s possible there's damage we can't see.
Snipped by me.
The one and only image - AFAIK - of the car where it was found does show the driver's side. Australian cars are right hand drive. However, you are right in saying we can't see the entire car, and there may be front or passenger side damage.
 
  • #242
Pictures of her truck where it was found don't show the driver's side or front. It’s possible there's damage we can't see.

Perhaps she hit an animal (it's been long enough for scavengers and weather to remove an animal's body). That doesn't explain why her truck is 2km into private property. I suppose she could have injured herself and became disoriented. I hit a deer, but my small car was still drivable. My son hit a deer and totaled our SUV. So it's possible her truck was still drivable.

Perhaps she drove off the road, by swerving to miss an animal or because she was distracted, and did some front-end damage but it was still drivable once she got back on the road. Swerving or going into a ditch doesn't necessarily mean the inside would be in disarray. If she had a minor accident like that, she might have hit her head and become disoriented, then turned down a private road because she was lost or looking for help (airbags don't always deploy in minor accidents).

A more ominous possibility is someone forced her off the road by hitting her from the front or driver's side. If it was on purpose, they would then take her and her truck. If unintentional, but the person was under the influence or has a criminal record, they might have been afraid of being arrested, so they hid her and her truck (but in that scenario, she would either have died or have severe injuries that would prompt someone to hide her).

I wonder how long it will take police to share more details so we have a better understanding of what happened.
A few things here.

It's a private property and I read you have to get through a gate, so she couldn't have just ended up there.
And if animal on the road, she would have had her phone, so could call for assistance.

We also need to be prepared for zero evidence regarding cause of death if she's been there the whole time..

And statistically speaking, if this is foul play and she was known to the offender they would have covered her/hidden/destroyed evidence.
 
  • #243
A few things here.

It's a private property and I read you have to get through a gate, so she couldn't have just ended up there.
And if animal on the road, she would have had her phone, so could call for assistance.

We also need to be prepared for zero evidence regarding cause of death if she's been there the whole time..

And statistically speaking, if this is foul play and she was known to the offender they would have covered her/hidden/destroyed evidence.
100% agree

So convenient too that the areas out there have been through heavy rains and flooding :cool:
 
  • #244
Why would that make sense - to bring her car to her body? A body in that landscape is far harder to find visually, in your day to day business, than an unobscured Hilux. It's a bit like putting a giant arrow pointing to her body. We don't yet know what state her body was found in, and an estimated time of death. It seems the Hilux has been there no more than about 12 days, assuming someone has been in that part of the property then and the car wasn't there. Maybe she has been there all along, or maybe they were both dumped there (if foul play) just recently. The best case scenario is that it was a tragic accidental/natural death, and she got disoriented, had a medical episode, a bad trip etc and had been wandering around until she died, or driving around (far less likely) and left the car there recently.

I'm not buying that though. My money is on foul play, but why? Possible reasons are endless: she knew too much about a situation, she had the power to get someone into trouble, she was causing "trouble" for someone (I'm thinking along the lines of her recent court appearances), there was a drug deal gone wrong, she was in with a dangerous crowd, she did something illegal/immoral/just something that pissed someone off, an argument broke out and someone got physical, she was accidently hit and killed on the side of the road and it was covered up, she picked up a hitch hiker and it all went downhill, I could go on. Feel free to throw out your theories.

Hopefully as details come to light, things start to actually make sense, for her family and some form of closure. I think there may be elements that never get expanded on though, so we -the public- may never find out the whole situation.
I have a theory that you briefly hinted at. TS had a medical episode or something caused her mind to drive over that grid into privattsq
Why would that make sense - to bring her car to her body? A body in that landscape is far harder to find visually, in your day to day business, than an unobscured Hilux. It's a bit like putting a giant arrow pointing to her body. We don't yet know what state her body was found in, and an estimated time of death. It seems the Hilux has been there no more than about 12 days, assuming someone has been in that part of the property then and the car wasn't there. Maybe she has been there all along, or maybe they were both dumped there (if foul play) just recently. The best case scenario is that it was a tragic accidental/natural death, and she got disoriented, had a medical episode, a bad trip etc and had been wandering around until she died, or driving around (far less likely) and left the car there recently.

I'm not buying that though. My money is on foul play, but why? Possible reasons are endless: she knew too much about a situation, she had the power to get someone into trouble, she was causing "trouble" for someone (I'm thinking along the lines of her recent court appearances), there was a drug deal gone wrong, she was in with a dangerous crowd, she did something illegal/immoral/just something that pissed someone off, an argument broke out and someone got physical, she was accidently hit and killed on the side of the road and it was covered up, she picked up a hitch hiker and it all went downhill, I could go on. Feel free to throw out your theories.

Hopefully as details come to light, things start to actually make sense, for her family and some form of closure. I think there may be elements that never get expanded on though, so we -the public- may never find out the whole situation.
Just a theory. Assuming she has a medical episode (or drug induced incident). She goes for help or is ipßDived over the grid into private property. Stops when she can't drive anymore, then walks for help. She died from the medical episode. All totally innbb
Why would that make sense - to bring her car to her body? A body in that landscape is far harder to find visually, in your day to day business, than an unobscured Hilux. It's a bit like putting a giant arrow pointing to her body. We don't yet know what state her body was found in, and an estimated time of death. It seems the Hilux has been there no more than about 12 days, assuming someone has been in that part of the property then and the car wasn't there. Maybe she has been there all along, or maybe they were both dumped there (if foul play) just recently. The best case scenario is that it was a tragic accidental/natural death, and she got disoriented, had a medical episode, a bad trip etc and had been wandering around until she died, or driving around (far less likely) and left the car there recently.

I'm not buying that though. My money is on foul play, but why? Possible reasons are endless: she knew too much about a situation, she had the power to get someone into trouble, she was causing "trouble" for someone (I'm thinking along the lines of her recent court appearances), there was a drug deal gone wrong, she was in with a dangerous crowd, she did something illegal/immoral/just something that pissed someone off, an argument broke out and someone got physical, she was accidently hit and killed on the side of the road and it was covered up, she picked up a hitch hiker and it all went downhill, I could go on. Feel free to throw out your theories.

Hopefully as details come to light, things start to actually make sense, for her family and some form of closure. I think there may be elements that never get expanded on though, so we -the public- may never find out the whole situation.
What about a totally innocence scenario. TS had an episode (for whatever reason.) Became disorientated, drove over the grid to access private property. Stopped driving. Got out, locked the car and went for some fresh air. And died from her episode. Possible. But there seems to be too many strange things going on for this to be so innocence. And just 5 minutes after being seen by boyfriend. Coincidence? I think not. X
Pictures of her truck where it was found don't show the driver's side or front. It’s possible there's damage we can't see.

Perhaps she hit an animal (it's been long enough for scavengers and weather to remove an animal's body). That doesn't explain why her truck is 2km into private property. I suppose she could have injured herself and became disoriented. I hit a deer, but my small car was still drivable. My son hit a deer and totaled our SUV. So it's possible her truck was still drivable.

Perhaps she drove off the road, by swerving to miss an animal or because she was distracted, and did some front-end damage but it was still drivable once she got back on the road. Swerving or going into a ditch doesn't necessarily mean the inside would be in disarray. If she had a minor accident like that, she might have hit her head and become disoriented, then turned down a private road because she was lost or looking for help (airbags don't always deploy in minor accidents).

A more ominous possibility is someone forced her off the road by hitting her from the front or driver's side. If it was on purpose, they would then take her and her truck. If unintentional, but the person was under the influence or has a criminal record, they might have been afraid of being arrested, so they hid her and her truck (but in that scenario, she would either have died or have severe injuries that would prompt someone to hide her).

I wonder how long it will take police to share more details so we have a better understanding of what happened.
I was also speculating on a minor accident and she became disorientated, drove over the grid on to private property. Stopped driving, locked car and tried to walk for help. That is an innocent theory, but doesn't account for all the abnormalities being raised here. MOO
 
  • #245
A few things here.

It's a private property and I read you have to get through a gate, so she couldn't have just ended up there.
And if animal on the road, she would have had her phone, so could call for assistance.

We also need to be prepared for zero evidence regarding cause of death if she's been there the whole time..

And statistically speaking, if this is foul play and she was known to the offender they would have covered her/hidden/destroyed evidence.
Can you please give a reference to the stats you quoted, thanks.
 
  • #246
Purely speculation but IMO probably the simplest answer- Is it possible she went on a bender, parked her car to use and ultimately OD? Admittedly I’ve struggled to follow the details of this case by I think there is rumor about history of drug use? Behind a gate on a completely empty area would make sense for that. So would damage to her vehicle.

Unless another cause is quite obvious, I’d guess they would know if this is a possibility fairly quickly
 
  • #247
Purely speculation but IMO probably the simplest answer- Is it possible she went on a bender, parked her car to use and ultimately OD? Admittedly I’ve struggled to follow the details of this case by I think there is rumor about history of drug use? Behind a gate on a completely empty area would make sense for that. So would damage to her vehicle.

Unless another cause is quite obvious, I’d guess they would know if this is a possibility fairly quickly
I like it and I'd agree with your theory IF it wasn't the fact she disappeared Feb 2 and her car was found 2 days ago after it not being sighted there 12 days prior by the innocent property owner.
So where was she staying for the 2 months in between if she decided to go on a bender 2 days ago?
 
  • #248
I have a theory that you briefly hinted at. TS had a medical episode or something caused her mind to drive over that grid into privattsq

Just a theory. Assuming she has a medical episode (or drug induced incident). She goes for help or is ipßDived over the grid into private property. Stops when she can't drive anymore, then walks for help. She died from the medical episode. All totally innbb

What about a totally innocence scenario. TS had an episode (for whatever reason.) Became disorientated, drove over the grid to access private property. Stopped driving. Got out, locked the car and went for some fresh air. And died from her episode. Possible. But there seems to be too many strange things going on for this to be so innocence. And just 5 minutes after being seen by boyfriend. Coincidence? I think not. X

I was also speculating on a minor accident and she became disorientated, drove over the grid on to private property. Stopped driving, locked car and tried to walk for help. That is an innocent theory, but doesn't account for all the abnormalities being raised here. MOO
Nothing wrong with your theory, just I feel this would be very unlikely given she came from the area, the entrances to houses on properties here are obviously marked, with well used roads into them, a giant mailbox, and a yellow number on a post for emergency services depicting the distance that dwelling is along the council road. Nobody from this area would venture up a track looking for help. The only time you venture up a track is a) you're a pig poacher b) you're a lost tourist from a city area c) you wanted a very private place to go where nobody will see you...
 
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  • #249
Purely speculation but IMO probably the simplest answer- Is it possible she went on a bender, parked her car to use and ultimately OD? Admittedly I’ve struggled to follow the details of this case by I think there is rumor about history of drug use? Behind a gate on a completely empty area would make sense for that. So would damage to her vehicle.

Unless another cause is quite obvious, I’d guess they would know if this is a possibility fairly quickly
That theory makes a lot of sense... we just gotta wait until the cops decide if the car was shifted there within 12 days or it was there all along... the wait is going to be a long one... 😬
 
  • #250
Snipped by me.
The one and only image - AFAIK - of the car where it was found does show the driver's side. Australian cars are right hand drive. However, you are right in saying we can't see the entire car, and there may be front or passenger side damage.
Of course! I gapped, I'm used to driving in the U.S. and had forgotten our driver's side is opposite. Thanks for pointing that out!
 
  • #251
A clearer photo would be good for sure. Maybe there's panel damage that isn't showing up on that image they have out?

There's just so much discussion over this case that doesn't add up to what the "friends" who knew her are saying and then what the family is NOT saying.

Just going back to some of the earlier comments made online back in February by people who said they knew her or TN. Much of which has now been taken off their pages but there is still screenshot evidence.

A man says b/f TN was selling on marketplace days after she went missing.
A woman claims TN hit her Tinder profile weeks after TS went missing.
A woman claims her relative was one of the people TS and TN meet up with that day and that there was an altercation and that police have this.
TS had been in contact with her past ex weeks prior to her disappearance.


The shirt:
The police used the only current photo they had which was from CCTV footage of TS in a pink shirt. They can't use anyone elses photo of her in any other clothing because of incrimination. So they have to use the image of what she wore at that last CCTV sighting.
The sister claims she had on a white shirt the afternoon she goes missing. So either she was with TS - Personally ruling that one out.
OR the sister was sent a snapchat message from TS
OR TN sent it to the sister later that day when TS didn't arrive home.

Is there another option???

Whatever the case, TS had a small window to change that shirt and the Q is WHY would she change her shirt if ;
A : she was going to commit suicide .
B: if she was going straight back to Roma?

Either she had a meet up about something with someone
OR
She had a job interview on a property - Personally ruling that one out.

It was said she was looking for work on ACA and while her sister says she had a successful business, that business wasnt working for 2 years prior.

The found locked car:
Someone had to have locked that car after they left it there on that property.
In the CCTV footage TS is using her key to lock, then unlock the car. So there is NO SELF LOCKING mechanism on her car, as some are alleging.

Regardless of how much the family try to put a lid on TS background, everything is online. Her various court hearings, her custody battles , TN various court hearings, the Ex's huge lifelong rapsheet and his family members lifelong rapsheet (these are scary people that you dont want to mess with), and then the friends of those addressing past situations.

The areas out there are vast and very isolated. You only need to research some of those towns and the ongoing Australian fight to clamp down on meth labs, drug properties set up out west to see there is a huge problem that police battle with, so maybe there is a bigger picture yet to be disclosed.

At the end of the day, here is a young mother of 3 small children who is now dead. That alone is heartbreaking and again, generations will be affected by this death for a lifetime.

But everyone has choices in life, and people know the risks they take.

IMO a huge risk was taken and it ended in a life lost.

Drugs and Money, the root of all evil.
In regards to these claims, if they are true, here's my opinions in bold:

A clearer photo would be good for sure. Maybe there's panel damage that isn't showing up on that image they have out?

There's just so much discussion over this case that doesn't add up to what the "friends" who knew her are saying and then what the family is NOT saying. Agreed. Where the truth is innocent, there's no need to lie, or lie by ommission.

Just going back to some of the earlier comments made online back in February by people who said they knew her or TN. Much of which has now been taken off their pages but there is still screenshot evidence.

A man says b/f TN was selling on marketplace days after she went missing. Seems odd to me. It wouldn't be a priority for me given the circumstances.
A woman claims TN hit her Tinder profile weeks after TS went missing. It's tasteless because she's missing, however he could just be a cheater and been doing this behind her back beforehand.
A woman claims her relative was one of the people TS and TN meet up with that day and that there was an altercation and that police have this. These so called "friends" have been very silent on who they are, where exactly they met and why they met. The fact someone associated with them said there was an altercation suggests to me that it was instigated by TS and/or TN. If instigated by the friends, would you bring that up? It paints them in a bad light and suggests they may have something to do with her disappearance
TS had been in contact with her past ex weeks prior to her disappearance. For what purpose? This may be innocent, it may not. I'd have to know the details to have an opinion.
The shirt:
The police used the only current photo they had which was from CCTV footage of TS in a pink shirt. They can't use anyone elses photo of her in any other clothing because of incrimination. What type of incrimination? Does it show her doing something bad, like the Patrick Stephenson snapchat one (Samantha Murphy case)? Can't it be edited to just show the clothing? Or at least circulate an artist's image of the shirt?
So they have to use the image of what she wore at that last CCTV sighting.
The sister claims she had on a white shirt the afternoon she goes missing. So either she was with TS - Personally ruling that one out.
OR the sister was sent a snapchat message from TS? This was my belief, that her sister received a snapchat, I'm assuming sent by Tayla herself.
OR TN sent it to the sister later that day when TS didn't arrive home.

Whatever the case, TS had a small window to change that shirt and the Q is WHY would she change her shirt if ; How do we know it was a small window? When was she last seen by anyone in the pink shirt, and when was the earliest she was seen in the white one? Who are the witnesses to this? AFAIK, the latest she was recorded wearing the pink shirt was about 9.20am when fueling up. I've never heard mention of a time the snapchat was received, or a time she changed.
A : she was going to commit suicide . I'm not buying suicide. Too many oddities in the case.
B: if she was going straight back to Roma? Agreed. The only real reason that works for me is if she got very dirty somehow and wanted or needed to change, but it's suggested she changed handbags too. That could be incorrect, but would suggest she had a destination planned that wasn't a direct route home.
Either she had a meet up about something with someone
OR
She had a job interview on a property - Personally ruling that one out.

It was said she was looking for work on ACA and while her sister says she had a successful business, that business wasnt working for 2 years prior. Yes, this is contridictory. I believe she had an event planning business, but her Instagram business page has not been used in about 2 years. Was she in a different business, and if so, what? Is it something that people may look down on? She apparently had a work event on the Saturday night in Dalby, the reason for the trip. What comes to my mind is something like a stripper or sex worker.
The found locked car:
Someone had to have locked that car after they left it there on that property.
In the CCTV footage TS is using her key to lock, then unlock the car. So there is NO SELF LOCKING mechanism on her car, as some are alleging. Do we know this for sure? Maybe the batteries in her remote needed replacing and that's why she used the key in the lock? Many cars will self lock, and I believe her car wasn't that old.
Regardless of how much the family try to put a lid on TS background, everything is online. Her various court hearings, her custody battles , TN various court hearings, the Ex's huge lifelong rapsheet and his family members lifelong rapsheet (these are scary people that you dont want to mess with), and then the friends of those addressing past situations. You're a better researcher than me, or maybe things have since gone underground as I came to this case late, but I haven't been able to find anything on this.
The areas out there are vast and very isolated. You only need to research some of those towns and the ongoing Australian fight to clamp down on meth labs, drug properties set up out west to see there is a huge problem that police battle with, so maybe there is a bigger picture yet to be disclosed. I do think that drugs could be at the heart of this case.
At the end of the day, here is a young mother of 3 small children who is now dead. That alone is heartbreaking and again, generations will be affected by this death for a lifetime. Agreed.

But everyone has choices in life, and people know the risks they take. Absolutely. Sad that these risks impact everyone around though, especially her innocent children. That is if she took risks that ended in her death.

IMO a huge risk was taken and it ended in a life lost. Agree this could be the case.

Drugs and Money, the root of all evil. Yep. Greed, and sex are also huge players.
 
  • #252
Nothing wrong with your theory, just I feel this would be very unlikely given she came from the area, the entrances to houses on properties here are obviously marked, with well used roads into them, a giant mailbox, and a yellow number on a post for emergency services depicting the distance that dwelling is along the council road. Nobody from this area would venture up a track looking for help. The only time you venture up a track is a) you're a pig poacher b) you're a lost tourist from a city area c) you wanted a very private place to go where nobody will see you...
 
  • #253
Remember that man some years ago who went missing driving from South Australia to Darwin? He had died from being bitten by an inland taipan. Maybe this is something similar.
 
  • #254
Does anyone have a timeline of msm/police details only of this case? It's so difficult to get a handle on exactly what has been released without all the Facebook/tiktok or personal thoughts without adding MOO. TIA.
 
  • #255
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  • #256
  • #257
Remember that man some years ago who went missing driving from South Australia to Darwin? He had died from being bitten by an inland taipan. Maybe this is something similar.
That doesn't explain how her car came to be a few km off the main road, on private property, and apparently not in that same location 12 days ago, yet she's been missing 2 months now.
 
  • #258
Does anyone have a timeline of msm/police details only of this case? It's so difficult to get a handle on exactly what has been released without all the Facebook/tiktok or personal thoughts without adding MOO. TIA.
The police media release site does...

 
  • #259
Remember that man some years ago who went missing driving from South Australia to Darwin? He had died from being bitten by an inland taipan. Maybe this is something similar.
Dane Kowolski?
 
  • #260
Does anyone have a timeline of msm/police details only of this case? It's so difficult to get a handle on exactly what has been released without all the Facebook/tiktok or personal thoughts without adding MOO. TIA.

  • Morning (Around 8:00 AM): Tayla was seen leaving a hotel in Dalby, Queensland, traveling west towards Surat.

    news.com.au

  • Mid-Morning (Approximately 9:20 AM): CCTV footage captured Tayla purchasing fuel at a service station in Condamine.

    couriermail.com.au

  • Late Morning (Between 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM): She was last seen in the Surat area, with her vehicle spotted at 11:10 AM.
 

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