Relatives of missing backpacker Theo Hayez will descend on Byron Bay next month with high hopes of solving the mystery of his disappearance.
The 18-year-old from Belgium was last seen leaving the Cheeky Monkeys nightclub in the coastal northern NSW town on May 31, 2019 at about 11pm. He was never seen again.
A two-week inquest will begin on November 29th to determine the likely events immediately before and after Theo’s disappearance.
Theo’s mother, father, brother and grandmother have all been given approval to enter Australia to attend the inquest. They’re expected to arrive on November 24, and will likely avoid Australia’s mandatory quarantine program which will come to an end on November 1.
Interstate relatives, including Theo’s cousins and godfather, will also travel to Byron Bay, but there are concerns about how they’ll afford the accommodation during peak travel periods.
Theo Hayez famously disappeared on his way home from the Cheeky Monkeys nightclub in May 2019
The inquest will also coincide with Schoolies – driving up prices further and limiting the accommodation options available to the family.
Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon admitted the town’s accommodation was fully-booked until April 2022 with holidayers eager to escape Sydney after lockdown.
‘Traveling in Australia just as flights and borders have opened up, coupled with finding accommodation during a peak tourist period after two dreadful years of searching for Theo is presenting some difficulties,’ Theo’s godfather Jean-Philippe Pector said.
The family are concerned the chaos and stress of trying to plan where to stay will detract from the important task of getting the closure they need to move on with their lives.
‘If any of you know of accommodation available locally that is not currently rented to Schoolies or others that could be made available at an affordable rate, we would be so grateful to hear from you,’ Mr Pector said in a public call out to the local community.
He was inundated with offers to assist.
Google Maps data pulled from Theo’s phone revealed that instead of returning to his hostel in the centre of town he headed towards Tallow Beach and the Cape Byron lighthouse (shown in map above)
The young Belgian traveller was making his way across Australia on a gap year when he went missing
One woman offered her four-bedroom farmhouse for the duration of the inquest and however long after the family plan to stay in Byron Bay completely free of charge.
She said she and her husband will move in with relatives for the period to give the Hayez family space.
Several other residences were also offered up if there was not enough room at the initial place.
Other businesses have also offered their assistance by way of free meals, linen and groceries.
Byron Bay locals went above and beyond to help find Theo in the days after he was reported missing.
Theo Hayez (pictured, left, with his then-girlfriend) went missing in Byron Bay in 2019 during a backpacking trip
Theo’s godfather Jean-Philippe Pector (left) also paid tribute to the missing traveller on his birthday
Mr Pector described the kindness of the community as ‘a shining light through the dark times’.
Google Maps data pulled from Theo’s phone on the night he disappeared revealed instead of returning to his hostel in the centre of town he headed towards Tallow Beach and the Cape Byron lighthouse.
Police have always held the working theory that Theo likely fell from the jagged cliff face and was swept away by the sea, with one of the largest missing person’s investigations in Australian history finding nothing but his baseball cap.
But private investigators working with his family, along with an army of internet sleuths, believe something more sinister happened to the talented science and mathematics student, pointing to a ‘WiFi handshake’ with another mobile device as proof he was not alone.
Locals warned there has long been a dark side to the laid-back hippie community beloved for its idyllic scenery and A-list residents.
NSW Police search bushland near Cape Byron lighthouse where Théo’s phone last pinged
Earlier this year, 25-year-old Jackson Stacker, became the latest traveller to vanish without a trace while touring Australia in a van gifted by his grandparents.
His parents, who live in Melbourne, didn’t realise he was missing until August 24. It wasn’t unusual for him to be ‘off the grid’ while travelling.
A day after they lodged a missing person report, Mr Stacker’s remains were found in farmland not too far from his abandoned van.
After his father’s initial plea for information relating to Mr Stacker’s whereabouts, there were concerns among locals that his disappearance might’ve been linked to Hayez or Thea Liddle.
Ms Liddle’s remains were found on Byron Bay’s Tallow Beach Road July 2020.
Ms Liddle, a 42-year-old former microbiologist who became homeless, went missing five months after Hayez.
Jackson Stacker, 25, was travelling through the NSW north coast in a van gifted to him by his grandparents when he disappeared on July 22
Like Hayez’ parents, Mr Stacker’s family feel there won’t be any closure until they know exactly what happened to their son.
‘Because his body had been in the elements so long, the autopsy wasn’t able to reveal a cause of death so we don’t know whether the death was self-inflicted, accidental or foul play,’ Mr Stacker’s father said.
He hopes that by sharing his son’s tragic end publicly, it might jog the memory of someone in the area who saw Mr Stacker in the days leading to his death.
It’s understood Mr Stacker’s body was found lying under a tree in the field. His car keys were still in the ignition.
His parents only realised he was missing when they received a phone call from a woman hoping to buy the 25-year-old’s van.
It had been parked on the side of the road at the Sleepy Hollow rest area in Pottsville for a month by the time the woman called.
‘I had tried ringing Jackson a couple of times before that just to touch base with him but just got voicemail, I wasn’t too concerned because it wasn’t unusual for him to go out of contact sometimes,’ his father Ian said.
‘When we realised the van was at this roadside stop for a month, we put out a missing person search for him.’
Mr Stacker’s remains were found the next day.
‘This is really scary, Theo, Thea and now this young boy, really, really sad. I hope they figure this out,’ one local said.
Tragic deaths and disappearances in and around Byron Bay
Theo Hayez
Theo, an 18-year-old Belgian backpacker, disappeared after a night out at the Cheeky Monkeys nightclub in May 2019.
He was not reported missing for five days.
In June last year, Hayez’s cousin Lisa revealed that Google data had tracked Theo walking through thick bushland on the night of his disappearance, and suggested he could not have done so alone.
The strongest theory for Hayez’s disappearance remains that the backpacker fell from cliffs and was washed out to sea.
A coronial inquest into Hayez’s disappearance will begin in Byron Bay in November.
Théo Hayez went missing from Byron Bay on May 31, 2019 and had not been seen since
Thea Liddle
Ms Liddle, 42, was last seen in the Mooball area, between Byron Bay and Tweed Heads, in October 2019, but was not reported missing until January.
The former microbiologist had found herself homeless in Byron Bay and led a transient lifestyle before her death.
Police stumbled upon her remains while searching for Hayez.
Ms Liddle, 42, was last seen in the Mooball area, between Byron Bay and Tweed Heads, in October 2019, but was not reported missing until January
Erwan Ferrieux and Hugo Palmer
Erwan Ferrieux and his British friend Hugo Palmer, both 20, were reported missing during their holiday of a lifetime in 2019.
Police feared they had drowned in Port Macquarie after their belongings were found in the sand on Shelly Beach.
In June 2019, two human bones washed up – and forensic testing revealed they are most likely Mr Ferrieux’s.
None of Mr Palmer’s remains have been found.
The bones of French backpacker (right) who has been missing since February have washed up on a beach in New South Wales
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