THE BYRON B SERIAL KILLE
IN NORTHERN NSW, THREE TOURISTS WENT MISSING. IT SPARKED THE QUESTION, IS THERE A MONSTER ON THE LOOSE?
families and the authorities confused. A search was conducted by sea, assuming they either had a boating accident or been washed out.
But Erwan and Hugo were both fit young men, who would’ve been able to survive the surf conditions. Some believe that the disappearance of the two men was no accident – and that perhaps someone else was on the beach that day, watching and waiting.
Clive Small, the assistant commissioner who headed up the Backpacker Murders task force in the early 1990s, admits that backpackers from overseas are “an easy target” for criminals.
“Serial killers stalk their victims, learning about their habits, the people they associate with and the best time to pounce,” he says.
“The men may have accepted an offer from a ‘friendly local’, who was willing to show them a better swimming hole. This simple ruse would allow a killer to get his victims alone.”
Erwan and Hugo’s families travelled to Australia and stood on Shelly Beach, begging the “monster” to give back their children.
Then in June 2019, four months later, bones washed ashore at Flynns Beach, a few kilometres north from where the men were last seen. It was later confirmed the remains were Erwan’s. Sadly, Hugo’s family did not get that same closure – his body is yet to be found.
The case of the two young men was considered a singular tragic accident, until another European tourist disappeared.
Theo, an 18-year-old Belgian, was seen on CCTV leaving Byron Bay’s Cheeky Monkeys Bar – a pub known for its party atmosphere – just after 11pm on May 31, 2019.
He was celebrating one of his last nights in Australia, before travelling home.
In the early hours of the next morning, he was again caught on a street CCTV camera using his phone one final time, before he suddenly disappeared.
Theo’s cousin, Lisa, features in a video asking for help in locating him on a website set up by his family.
Lisa travelled to Australia with Theo, and the pair spent time fruit picking before going their separate ways.
According to Lisa, the family have accessed Theo’s Google tracking data and found that “on the night he disappeared, he walked a very unusual path through thick bushland.”
Lisa continued her plea, saying: “It is impossible to imagine he walked alone, which leads us to believe that someone must have been walking with him.”
Three tourists going missing echoes the notorious Backpacker Murders, between 1989 and 1993.
Seven backpackers, most of them from Europe, were taken to Belanglo State Forest in NSW by Ivan Milat and stabbed or shot to death.
At the time of those disappearances, just as we are seeing now, police denied that there was a serial killer.
They continued their denials until the remains of two victims were discovered. This lead to a major investigation, which recovered the bodies of the other five victims – some of whom had been hidden for many years in the harsh scrub.
During his years of killing, Milat preyed on tourists who were unfamiliar with the harsh Australian bushland terrain and would not question a possible off-road ‘shortcut’. This, of course, ultimately led them to their deaths.
With Theo at last being located in heavy bushland overlooking the ocean, Erwan’s partial remains found washed ashore and Hugo still missing, there’s likelihood the men fell prey to a similar predator.
“BACKPACKERS FROM OVERSEAS ARE AN EASY TARGET FOR CRIMINALS”