‘Our beautiful boy DIDN’T JUST VANISH’
Backpacker Theo disappeared into thin air almost 12 months ago – and his heartbroken parents are still searching for answers
The text message Theo Hayez’s family received was horrifying. “We have Theo,” it reportedly said. “I am aware how scary this message is going to be. This is not a hoax... your son is kidnapped.”
Already at near breaking point over their 18-year old son’s disappearance, Theo’s parents
Laurent Hayez and Vinciane Delforge wondered if their ordeal was nearing the end. But the text, like so many other potential leads, proved to be a false alarm – a sick attempt to extract thousands of dollars from a desperate family.
Later this month, on May 31, it will be 12 months since Theo vanished from NSW’s Byron Bay with police unable to discover what happened, despite a witness and phone records tracking his movements on that fateful night.
Theo was a Belgian teenager, backpacking around Australia like many before him. Just weeks away from returning home, he checked into the WakeUp! hostel in Byron Bay. Supposedly a safe tourist hotspot with stunning beaches, celebrity endorsers like the Hemsworths and a lively nightlife, it was the most unlikely place for things to go wrong on his travels.
But on June 6, 2019, his family back home realised Theo hadn’t been active on his social media. Contacting the hostel, staff said Theo had failed to check out, and all of his belongings, including his passport, were in his room.
WITHOUT A TRACE
The Hayez family’s lives turned upside down when they were told Theo had disappeared.
The police worked out Theo was last seen on the evening of May 31. He’d been at Byron’s Cheeky Monkey’s bar, where CCTV footage later showed him drinking beer and dancing with a new group of friends. Theo left the club alone and hasn’t been seen again.
Police admitted to being “baffled” by the “out of character” disappearance. Theo’s father Laurent arrived in Australia begging the public for help.
“I promised Theo’s little brother Lucas that I would bring his brother home. Please, help me keep my promise to him,” Laurent told the cameras tearfully.
Turning detectives themselves, Laurent joined up with his cousins, godfather and Theo’s mother Vinciane to piece together his last known steps. More recently they have been joined by experienced private investigator Ken Gamble, who is working on the case pro bono.
Because Theo’s phone was being tracked by Google, his precise location was recorded every 15 seconds. It showed after he left Cheeky Monkey’s he walked a seemingly strange route to the northern end of Byron’s Tallow Beach, known as Cosy Corner.
“I believe he was going to see if there were any parties, or bush doofs [outdoor dance parties],” Ken tells Woman’s Day exclusively. “It’s a well-known place for them. They post pictures on Instagram.”
SEARCHES CALLED OFF
Extensive searches were conducted by police over air, land and sea, but on July 3 they were called off. In September the investigation was closed and Theo’s godfather Jean-Philippe Pector, speaking on behalf of the family, said the theory given by police was Theo had climbed up the cliffs towards the lighthouse and fallen into the water. They,
On that date there was no such party, and Theo’s phone data showed that he sent some messages to friends in Belgium and watched a YouTube video.
But then something happened. The last time he used his phone was at 12.55am. A signal from the phone was detected at 1.42am, but Theo had turned off active location services, most likely to save battery, and nobody has heard from him since. His phone hasn’t been found either. like many others, are sceptical.
“Looking at the ominous cliffs and dense bushland, no-one in their right mind would walk up there in the dark,” says Ken. “It makes no sense at all.
“I believe he walked back into Byron,” he adds. “I have grave concerns for him. It’s unusual to find someone missing for this long, under these circumstances, alive. I’d like to think there’s still a hope, but it’s a matter of finding out what happened for his family.”
They have their own theories. “We believe that Theo was not alone on the night that he disappeared and that sooner or later somebody must speak out,” his parents told The Australian in a joint statement.
Queensland beauty therapist Leesa Horn has already spoken out, saying she reported a young man who “looked dead” at the side of the road two days after Theo went missing.
Speaking to The Australian’s The Lighthouse podcast series, which details the mystery, she says she was flagged down on June 2 by a man in his 30s as another man, dressed like Theo, lay on the ground.
She drove off, scared, and called 000 but police couldn’t find the men and they have failed to comment since. Similarly, there has been no police comment on a bludgeon stick with the words “The Judge” inscribed on it, which was found near where Theo’s phone was last pinging.
Ken says Theo’s devastated parents haven’t given up hope that anyone who was in contact with him that night could still come forward and reveal what happened.
Jean-Philippe says the mystery continues to torture the family.
“It’s a mix of very deep sadness, not only induced by our loss, but also by the fact of not knowing what happened to Theo,” he says.