The parents of a Belgian backpacker who disappeared in Byron Bay almost two months ago refuse to give up hope the teen is still alive.
Laurent Hayez and Vinciane Delforge told local media they believe their son may be alive and living in a commune on the NSW north coast.
Theo, an 18-year-old backpacker, was last seen leaving the Cheeky Monkey’s hotel in the seaside town on May 31 about 11pm.
He was on the last leg of a backpacking trip of a lifetime around Australia when he disappeared.
Theo Hayez was last seen leaving the Cheeky Monkey’s bar in Byron Bay at about 11pm on May 31
Laurent Hayez and Vinciane Delforge told local media they believe their son may be alive and living in a commune on the NSW north coast
Theo’s parents travelled to Australia to assist with the search, but it was officially called off after more than a month of searching turned up no results.
Australian police confessed the case was ‘baffling’.
But Mr Hayez and Ms Delforge hold out hope there is a less sinister explanation to their son’s disappearance.
‘As long as there is no body, we will keep hoping,’ they said.
‘There is a history of bad communities in the neighbourhood, there are people who live in communes. Theo could have enrolled in one.
‘He could have been kidnapped, drugged.
‘He may be a prisoner somewhere where there is no electricity. That is our hope. Let him be a prisoner and let him be delivered to us.’
Theo was on the last leg of a backpacking trip of a lifetime around Australia when he disappeared
Locals have refused to give up hope despite police calling off the official search
The theory comes after a bush camp was discovered within a hills region of Byron Bay.
The camp was located in the same area where Theo’s mobile phone ‘pinged’ on a communications tower at 1:40am on June 1st – just hours after he was last seen.
A Dutch newspaper reported locals stumbled across the campsite while searching for Theo.
While his family never specified whether they believe he is living in that commune, it lends to their theory there may be more in the region – and that Theo could be hidden within one.
But Mr Hayez and Ms Delforge said searching for their son in the unforgiving Australian terrain was ‘like looking for a needle in a haystack’.
‘It is not the Belgian Ardennes,’ they explained.
‘The vegetation is very dense and the fauna hostile with snakes… but every day we followed the steps Theo could have taken.’
‘We were looking for clues. We were just two people among lots of volunteers who were all looking for our son. It was like he was their son too.’
‘The land is huge and they know it requires teamwork. Some have grown up in Byron and know the bushes others just wanted to help,’ Mr Hayez said.
But Mr Hayez (pictured) and Ms Delforge hold out hope there is a less sinister explanation to their son’s disappearance
Police combed through dense bushland in Byron Bay and near the lighthouse, but confess there is much land they still have not been able to cover
Three Belgian police officers, including one from a missing persons unit, joined the search for Theo at the end of June for five days.
‘The collaboration between the Australian and Belgian police was optimal,’ Ms Delforge admitted.
‘But five days is too short.’
Theo’s parents said Belgian police were under pressure to leave from their superiors.
‘When they left they said they would continue the investigation hand in hand with the Australians,’ Mr Hayez said.
‘A lot of possibilities remain open, given the place and the population.’
Laurent Hayez and Vinciane Delforge (pictured) told local media they believe their son may be alive and living in a commune on the NSW north coast
The parents’ appeal comes just a day after a top forensic psychologist in Australia said he believed Theo may have been the victim of a serial killer.
Tim Watson-Munro says police shouldn’t rule out the possibility Theo as well as French tourist Erwan Ferrieux and his British friend Hugo Palmer, both 20, were the victims of murder.
‘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 Daily Mail Australia.
‘You’ve got three vulnerable, trusting backpackers and they’ve just disappeared without a trace.
‘I’m not saying its categorically the work of a serial killer, but its one hell of a coincidence.’
Theo Hayez was last seen leaving the Cheeky Monkey’s bar in Byron Bay at about 11pm on May 31 while 20-year-old friends Erwan Ferrieux and Hugo Palmer were last seen in Port Macquarie on the NSW north coast
Volunteers searched tirelessly for weeks on end to try and find Theo in Byron Bay
He said he firmly believes their disappearances and presumed deaths could be linked.
‘We’ve got three backpackers who all looked similar, were around the same age and disappeared in similar circumstances,’ Mr Watson-Munro said.
He said none of the three young men had any known psychological issues that would suggest they wanted to end their lives or disappear, further lending to the belief they fell victim to foul play.
‘I know the three disappearances could easily be misadventure, and I am not saying they are definitely the work of a serial killer, but I have learnt that nothing can or should ever be discounted,” he said.
He said statistically, the odds of three backpackers going missing in such a short time span in nearby regions was unlikely.
Mr Watson-Munro also argued that from his experience, serial killers generally opted to prey on vulnerable people who may not necessarily be identified as missing immediately.
‘I don’t want to to be over dramatic or start fear on the eastern seaboard but there is no doubt there are serial killers in our midst.’
Tim Watson-Munro said he believes police shouldn’t rule out the possibility 18-year-old Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, as well as French backpacker Erwan Ferrieux and his friend Hugo Palmer, both 20, were the victims of an undetected serial killer