Occam’s razor will tell you to try and keep it simple and make the least assumptions possible. That’s why I don’t believe there was this huge conspiracy going on, as in he had a previously set up or meeting with someone or multiple people to party on.
I just think he went that way home, and ran into trouble. I personally don’t think he ever made it to CC.
IMO something happened in that 7 mins at the end of Tennyson. A decision is made then to give the appearance of Theo going to the cliffs around the lighthouse and going in the water (it has been stated the 15 yr old boy who fell off the cliffs before Theo was still very much in the Byron news at time of Theo’s disappearance). In that 7 mins a split decision was made to go to CC and that’s where a small mistake was made, whomever took Theo’s phone went a way only a local would know, Theo would not have known that route. Instead of going up to Lawson and lighthouse Rd, and down tallows beach road, follows a path from memory in the panic of what has just transpired!
Down at CC, what doesn’t sit well with me is the timeline. From going up the hill into the scrub for 5 mins to coming back down, then the gps goes off. Then there’s what, around 15/20 mins until he goes onto YouTube (speaking of YouTube, can it be found out if Theo searched then played from start or continued a previously played video.?) He only watches for 1.50, why even bother watching for that short amount of time. Then after that there’s nothing until 12.50ish with the what’s Ap message (was there 1 or 2 msges?). From 2-6 the phones in sleep mode and then what? Does it only ping once at 1.40pm the next day? That could be someone who has the phone putting it on charge and the phone automatically switching on by mistake?
One thing about the msgs in French, it’s been discussed it wouldn’t be hard to google translate to reply. I assume the messages to theo were in french as well, so if someone was pretending to be Theo,perhaps that’s why the messages back were pretty generic, and perhaps why the convos didn’t go longer? Cos google translate might not have been that great (like a foreigner trying to google translate good old aussie slang)
That’s just my theory with what we have, and it’s only my opinion and could be very very wrong.
I have never been able to reconcile that Theo would have gone into the bush track of the Milne track and fire trail. I’ve been in that spot at night, it’s so dark and ominous and a long way from the lighthouse which you can see. Honestly I wouldn’t have gone in there at night with my best mate, let alone a total stranger.
Edit to ad about me not going into that bush at night. Theo was characterised as a well thought out, responsible and conscientious person, when I was that age my parents would have said yeah he’s a top kid, heart of gold but prone to the old ‘irresponsible’ decision! I’ve done some reckless stuff, falling to sleep in a few weird spots, taken some strange paths home..but no way would I have ever gone into the track at night, esp with a stranger, if I was of sound mind, unless being led by a gun!
