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

[mussopossum]

So it didn't tell you to go down Tennyson St? Therefore he didn't use an app to find his way to if he was heading for the lighthouse if the police believe he was in Tennyson. He had to have disappeared pretty quickly after Kingsley because of a lack of footage and sightings (although they may be holding info this point) I think a car that was in Tennyson may be involved. I think someone in an earlier post mentioned the police were looking at cars in Tennyson? If it is the usual practice for someone his age to use an app then he was heading somewhere else, not the lighthouse.

Nope it sent me left after Kingsley onto Middleton. Comes up with 3 options, none of which offer Tennyson as a turn to take.

If I need to work out where to walk / and need directions by GMaps I normally stop to look at my phone to put the information into the phone then look around get my bearings. But due to CM rules if you are kicked out you cannot be within 50m the club for 24 hours I think it was. I cant tell when he is in the CCTV from CM walking along Kinsley, is he typing on his phone or just reading? He has just been asked to leave CM which means they would pushed him out straight away, he wouldnt had time to stand there and enter in on his phone options where he could go or what he could do or get directions off his phone as he was being kicked out, he wouldnt had time to search for directions etc so the first thing he has done after walking out that door is turn the corner and start doing something on his phone.... But what?

 

[mussopossum]

So basically by replying to the forensics guy, the cops are saying they are NOT thinking of foul play at all. Interesting clarification ...

With the limited information we have I definately dont rule out foul play OR a connection with the two other missing backpackers in Port Macquarie. I know many have said that there is too much distance between PM and Byron Bay for them to be connected however look at Ivan Milat. He worked a job that took him to different areas working the roads and he had a thing for backpackers. There may well be a truck driver or sales REP who travels through the area regularily even staying in motels there over night whilst they carry out their work in the area.

Unless the police have some form information we do not know about and IMO I am stil keeping an open mind that he may have unfortunately met with foul play.

 

[Via Marple]

With the limited information we have I definately dont rule out foul play OR a connection with the two other missing backpackers in Port Macquarie. I know many have said that there is too much distance between PM and Byron Bay for them to be connected however look at Ivan Milat. He worked a job that took him to different areas working the roads and he had a thing for backpackers. There may well be a truck driver or sales REP who travels through the area regularily even staying in motels there over night whilst they carry out their work in the area.

Unless the police have some form information we do not know about and IMO I am stil keeping an open mind that he may have unfortunately met with foul play.

Yes, I have been keeping my mind open too, not the least because we don't really have access to much information.

But the police who should have much more info than us, are saying now that there is no indication of foul play. So I have to take that as a consideration IMO.

Of course, chances are they are simply trying to calm people down. No one wants to scare tourists away with mention of "serial killer". No one in the coastal communities would sleep easy either with that fear.

 

[they'll get you]

Grisly twist in hunt for Theo Hayez: Forensic psychologist believes a Byron Bay serial killer could have murdered three missing European backpackers

Tim Watson-Munro believes police shouldn't rule out the possibility Theo, an 18-year-old Belgian backpacker, and 20-year-old tourists Erwan Ferrieux and Hugo Palmer were the victims of an undetected serial killer.
Grisly twist in hunt for Theo Hayez: Forensic psychologist believes a Byron Bay serial killer could have murdered three missing European backpackers

 

[they'll get you]

He said statistically, the odds of three backpackers going missing in such a short time span in nearby regions was unlikely.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/grisly-twist-in-hunt-for-theo-hayez-forensic-psychologist-believes-a-byron-bay-serial-killer-could-have-murdered-three-missing-european-backpackers/ar-AAEre0f

 

[sparks030405]

Found a few good photos of The Pass, Byron Bay...

 

[BusterXP]

The spokesman said it was 'factually inaccurate' to suggest the disappearances were linked and was 'reckless to the perception of safety in the community.

'The investigations into each of the disappearances have been expertly managed; detectives have not identified any definitive links between the cases, nor any indication of foul play.'

This is spot on.

 

[Matlock]

Nope it sent me left after Kingsley onto Middleton. Comes up with 3 options, none of which offer Tennyson as a turn to take.

If I need to work out where to walk / and need directions by GMaps I normally stop to look at my phone to put the information into the phone then look around get my bearings. But due to CM rules if you are kicked out you cannot be within 50m the club for 24 hours I think it was. I cant tell when he is in the CCTV from CM walking along Kinsley, is he typing on his phone or just reading? He has just been asked to leave CM which means they would pushed him out straight away, he wouldnt had time to stand there and enter in on his phone options where he could go or what he could do or get directions off his phone as he was being kicked out, he wouldnt had time to search for directions etc so the first thing he has done after walking out that door is turn the corner and start doing something on his phone.... But what?

Can a nightclub insist on that? They don't own the 50m surrounding their premises? Pretty cheeky of Cheeky Monkey's I think! Maybe it's normal for nightclubs to do this, I have no idea. Anyway we can establish that if he turned down Kingsley he wasn't going back to his hostel. If he planned to go back to the hostel then it's natural and safer to go back via Jonson St. The footage is of him starting down Kingsley with CM on his left and a CM van on his right. In the footage he has just turned into Kingsley and taken his phone from his pocket and appears to be waiting for the screen to start up because the screen is black then suddenly turns white as he passes the van. He then appears to be clumsily attempting to start to use the phone. He could be starting to type something in or looking up his messages. Anyway all this means he isn't looking at directions in this CCTV footage before he walks down Kingsley (unless in CM he had a map open before his screen closed.) I think he has either made some kind of plan earlier (and going down Kingsley was in this plan) and that this plan originated from being in contact with someone at CM or on his phone while he was at CM (or from someone earlier) and who gave him some verbal directions of where to go later.

 

[BusterXP]

Can a nightclub insist on that? They don't own the 50m surrounding their premises? Pretty cheeky of Cheeky Monkey's I think! Maybe it's normal for nightclubs to do this, I have no idea.

"
A person who has been refused entry or ejected from a licensed venue must:

• leave the venue
• not remain in the vicinity of the venue (i.e. not within 50 metres of the venue), without reasonable excuse
• not re-enter the vicinity of the venue for 6 hours, without reasonable excuse
• not attempt to re-enter or re-enter the venue for 24 hours."

Ejecting and banning patrons - Liquor & Gaming NSW

There are reasonable reasons you can be within 50 metres.
It's a bit of a catch for them allowing an 'intoxicated' person to be on licensed premises. They can't legally have an intoxicated person on licensed premises but they can serve them a non-alcoholic drink and have a duty of care.

 

[BusterXP]

"
The parents of the young Theo Hayez had joined Australia to participate in the search for their missing son on May 31. After more than two months of intense research in Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia, the authorities have still not found the trace of the Belgian. The family is hopeful to find Theo alive. Back in Belgium on Sunday, the parents of the young man of 18 do not give up the research.

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Research at Byron Bay

Vinciane and Laurent spent several weeks in Byron Bay in search of their son. They evoke their feelings on the spot. "It's a very peaceful little town," explains Vinciane Delforge, "we do not feel at all insecure, it's like a city in the North Sea, like Nieuwpoort. young people who live on the spot. " "Every day, we went on the possible steps of Theo, those he would have done.We were looking for clues, adds Laurent, the dad.We were very involved with the volunteers.We searched the bush with them."

On the spot, Theo's parents met people who were in solidarity with their grief. "The vision of things on the spot is different from what we can have in Belgium, especially with the difficulty of research, adds the father of Theo.It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is not the Belgian Ardennes, the vegetation is very dense and the fauna hostile with snakes, etc. It is not at all welcoming, every day we were in the excavations, we often had meetings with the Australian police to keep up-to-date on the progress of the investigations, we could also ask them questions. "

►►► Also read: Theo Hayez's mother in Australia: the research is difficult, "it's so big"

The Australian police were very involved in Theo's research. "We had some answers to our questions but not all," says Vinciane Delforge, "the police were very involved and very effective, and some of the police officers there were also very touched because they have children of Theo's age."

"The Australian police have put extraordinary search capabilities in. There were helicopters, drones, dogs, trackers, divers, and even rock climbers to go on the cliffs," said the father, "but when we left, there were still unseen areas. "

What has marked the parents of Theo, more than anything, is the solidarity of the residents of Byron Bay but also of people in Belgium. "Whether in Belgium or elsewhere, this disappearance speaks to everyone, says the mother.It could be their child.For everyone, the important thing was to give answers to our questions ... Whatever they are. To see these people involved without knowing us, or even Theo, is a balm to the heart, and I often tell myself that Theo would be happy to see people helping each other. "

"My dad always told me that we had the attention and the friends we deserve," explains Laurent Hayez, "people are not wrong, I think, theo deserves this attention. The volunteers asked us questions, from which ideas emerged in their minds, and they took a different direction: Byron Bay is a popular place for both Bagpackers and tourists alike. order and premises to do. ""
Les parents de Théo Hayez de retour d'Australie: "On garde espoir et on reprend confiance en l'humanité"

 

[crazychris]

Great post and thanks for the map! I agree with this theory. I think that he wandered about that night and most likely succumbed to the water along the path you marked. His phone could have washed up around the lighthouse area later.

I think it's far more likely that he was abducted and murdered.

 

[Aron.Wor]

The disturbing theory about what happened to missing NSW backpackers

A leading forensic psychologist says a serial killer could be involved in the mysterious disappearance of three backpackers on NSW’s north coast.

Tim Watson-Munro suggested it would be naive to conclude the disappearance of Theo Hayez, 18, Hugo Palmer, 20, and Erwan Ferrieux, 20, just 300km apart, as coincidental.

“You cannot discount the fact that you have three young men of very similar profiles who have gone missing or are dead from two coastal towns which in the scheme of Australia’s geography are quite close,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

Friends Mr Palmer and Mr Ferrieux disappeared in February, with their belongings found at Shelly Beach near Port Macquarie.

 

[gregjrichards]

He may be a prisoner': Theo Hayez's parents believe he is still alive and could have joined a commune - as they slam Belgian police for giving up on the search too soon

Theo Hayez parents believe he is still alive and may be a prisoner in a Byron Bay commune | Daily Mail Online

 

[mussopossum]

Yes, I have been keeping my mind open too, not the least because we don't really have access to much information.

But the police who should have much more info than us, are saying now that there is no indication of foul play. So I have to take that as a consideration IMO.

Of course, chances are they are simply trying to calm people down. No one wants to scare tourists away with mention of "serial killer". No one in the coastal communities would sleep easy either with that fear.

I agree, on all of the above.
I often wonder how / when that decision is made on a missing persons case.

If they disappear without a trace with no messages for help or no message to say they were swimming in the ocean at midnight, no sign of their clothes / belongings by the water or CCTV showing they were hurt or or picked up by a car, no sign of them walking into the bush land etc.

What stage does a missing person (not just Theo's) case or evidence allow the police to know that foul play is not an option and that they have just wandered into the bush or have got in a car and left their old life behind and living a new life.

The two backpackers at PM were assumed drowned as their belongings were found on the beach and their car not far away. There was no talk of foul play indicated based on this discovery. But there was some form trace of them that they most likely went swimming and never came out again, but clothes were left behind and that was what was assumed.

With Theo, there is no CCTV of him walking into the bush, the water or of his clothes by the water or belongings found in the bush or messages for help or telling his friends that he was going for a bush walk or a swim. There is no evidence CCTV showing him getting into an unknown car or in a fight on the street to warrant suspicion foul play was met.

So what I am asking, with little or no information (that we know of) where do the police and when, confirm that they believe no foul play has been met with a missing person or they believe they have for whatever reason gone into hiding and still alive or have wandered off and unfortunately passed due to injury or drowning etc. I know these cases come up at the coroner who decides what they believe may have happened to close off the case.

So my question is, not so much Theo but any missing person, if they did confirm they do not believe foul play involved what evidence is needed to make that announcement? Is it automatic as there is no evidence to them getting into a fight or a strange car or threats via social media that would raise suspicion that a missing person may have met with foul play. Anyone here study criminal law? Just all an interest as i said not just Theo based.

 

[bearbear]

I agree, on all of the above.
I often wonder how / when that decision is made on a missing persons case.

If they disappear without a trace with no messages for help or no message to say they were swimming in the ocean at midnight, no sign of their clothes / belongings by the water or CCTV showing they were hurt or or picked up by a car, no sign of them walking into the bush land etc.

What stage does a missing person (not just Theo's) case or evidence allow the police to know that foul play is not an option and that they have just wandered into the bush or have got in a car and left their old life behind and living a new life.

The two backpackers at PM were assumed drowned as their belongings were found on the beach and their car not far away. There was no talk of foul play indicated based on this discovery. But there was some form trace of them that they most likely went swimming and never came out again, but clothes were left behind and that was what was assumed.

With Theo, there is no CCTV of him walking into the bush, the water or of his clothes by the water or belongings found in the bush or messages for help or telling his friends that he was going for a bush walk or a swim. There is no evidence CCTV showing him getting into an unknown car or in a fight on the street to warrant suspicion foul play was met.

So what I am asking, with little or no information (that we know of) where do the police and when, confirm that they believe no foul play has been met with a missing person or they believe they have for whatever reason gone into hiding and still alive or have wandered off and unfortunately passed due to injury or drowning etc. I know these cases come up at the coroner who decides what they believe may have happened to close off the case.

So my question is, not so much Theo but any missing person, if they did confirm they do not believe foul play involved what evidence is needed to make that announcement? Is it automatic as there is no evidence to them getting into a fight or a strange car or threats via social media that would raise suspicion that a missing person may have met with foul play. Anyone here study criminal law? Just all an interest as i said not just Theo based.

the only other thing apart from the obvious clothes found by water etc that i can think of is if they found a note telling family his intentions?

 

[crazychris]

Great post and thanks for the map! I agree with this theory. I think that he wandered about that night and most likely succumbed to the water along the path you marked. His phone could have washed up around the lighthouse area later.

Wouldn't a body maybe wash up somewhere along the coast though or just be swept away?

 

[katydid23]

Wouldn't a body maybe wash up somewhere along the coast though or just be swept away?

Ocean deaths are so unpredictable. Sometimes bodies do wash back ashore, or travel a distance to another shoreline or some rocks.

But during certain tidal conditions they can be swept out to sea , never to be seen again.

 

[Bethan]

Wouldn't a body maybe wash up somewhere along the coast though or just be swept away?

In the case of the other missing backpackers, bones confirmed to be those of Erwan Ferrieux, one of the duo, were found 4 months after their disappearance, but no sign, as yet of the other young man, Hugo Palmer

My heart goes out to all the loved ones of these young men.

I lived in fear until each of my four children returned home from their respective gap years.....particularly during extended periods of ‘radio silence’ when travelling in remote areas.

There but by the grace of God...

 

[Bethan]

Wouldn't a body maybe wash up somewhere along the coast though or just be swept away?

In the case of the other missing backpackers, bones confirmed to be those of Erwan Ferrieux, one of the duo, were found 4 months after their disappearance, but no sign, as yet of the other young man, Hugo Palmer

My heart goes out to all the loved ones of these young men.

I lived in fear until each of my four children returned home from their respective gap years.....particularly during extended periods of ‘radio silence’ when travelling in remote areas.

There but by the grace of God...

 

[Matlock]

I agree, on all of the above.
I often wonder how / when that decision is made on a missing persons case.

If they disappear without a trace with no messages for help or no message to say they were swimming in the ocean at midnight, no sign of their clothes / belongings by the water or CCTV showing they were hurt or or picked up by a car, no sign of them walking into the bush land etc.

What stage does a missing person (not just Theo's) case or evidence allow the police to know that foul play is not an option and that they have just wandered into the bush or have got in a car and left their old life behind and living a new life.

The two backpackers at PM were assumed drowned as their belongings were found on the beach and their car not far away. There was no talk of foul play indicated based on this discovery. But there was some form trace of them that they most likely went swimming and never came out again, but clothes were left behind and that was what was assumed.

With Theo, there is no CCTV of him walking into the bush, the water or of his clothes by the water or belongings found in the bush or messages for help or telling his friends that he was going for a bush walk or a swim. There is no evidence CCTV showing him getting into an unknown car or in a fight on the street to warrant suspicion foul play was met.

So what I am asking, with little or no information (that we know of) where do the police and when, confirm that they believe no foul play has been met with a missing person or they believe they have for whatever reason gone into hiding and still alive or have wandered off and unfortunately passed due to injury or drowning etc. I know these cases come up at the coroner who decides what they believe may have happened to close off the case.

So my question is, not so much Theo but any missing person, if they did confirm they do not believe foul play involved what evidence is needed to make that announcement? Is it automatic as there is no evidence to them getting into a fight or a strange car or threats via social media that would raise suspicion that a missing person may have met with foul play. Anyone here study criminal law? Just all an interest as i said not just Theo based.

Good post. Well said. There appears to be no actual evidence which points to foul play or even an accident. Even he he was washed off some rocks you would think at the very least his hat would have fallen off or been washed up. Byron Bay has a bit of a hippy image and is close to Nimbin which is a classic counterculture town. If someone wanted 'Turn on, tune in and drop out' then going to Australia for 8 months and dropping out of society a week before you were due home to start uni would make a lot of sense. Have your holiday around Australia first, visit all your cousins, rellies etc. then drop out. The timing all fits. Even if his parents believe he is being held in a commune, there is still a possibility of this compared to other disappearance cases. If he has dropped out he might not have access to any media and not realise the publicity etc. or how affected his parents are, he may have underestimated this. Basically in this particular case the 'drop out' commune theory makes some sense because of the timing and location.