The Northern Rivers Times Edition 120.pdf

A dark path taken to tragic end for backpacker Theo Hayez

Theo Hayez, a thoughtful young man, universally loved. SOURCE: NSW Police

By MARGARET DEKKER

The inquest into the high-profile disappearance of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez from Byron Bay three years ago, has found the 19-year-old died shortly after being at Tallows Beach late at night after walking through a darkened Arakwal National Park, but his exact cause of death remains a mystery. “I have come to the tragic conclusion that Theo is deceased,” Teresa O’Sullivan, NSW State Coroner said on the final day of the year-longs inquest held in Byron Bay. Sadly, for family, friends and a wide circle of local supporters, Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan found insufficient evidence to determine the exact cause of death of the young solo traveller, who was only days from returning home to Belgium to commence his university engineering degree. She found two competing theories; either Theo died by terrible accident early on June 1 as he attempted to scale the rocky Cape Byron headland with his body lost at sea; or he died by the hands of an unknown person or persons who disposed of his body in the time after Theo left Cheeky Monkeys nightclub around 11pm on Friday, May 31, 2019. “Sadly, there is just insufficient evidence before me to substantiate or exclude either theory,” Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan told the hearing.

The NSW state Coroner ruled out suicide or that Theo Hayez had staged his own disappearance. “It is a tragic loss of a clever, gentle and thoughtful young man who was universally loved .. It is obvious from the evidence he had a bright future ahead of him,” Coroner O’Sullivan found. “It’s obviously a really tough moment, because it’s the end of the process,” Jean- Philippe Pector, Theo

Hayez’s Godfather said outside the Byron Bay Courthouse last Friday. “We are still hoping for something more but it’s a bit of a rough and tough journey that comes to an end today symbolically, so we need a bit of time to review,” he told waiting media. Data from Theo’s phone records showed after Theo left Cheeky Monkeys nightclub in town, he searched online for directions to his hostel WakeUp

in Belongil but instead went in the opposite direction. He stopped first at Byron Bay Recreation grounds on Tennyson Street before heading east along an “extremely dark and hard-going” path through Arakwal National Park to reach Tallows Beach and its northernmost cove, Cosy Corner. According to retrieved phone data, Theo’s last known hour was spent watching comedy clips on YouTube at Cosy

Corner where he also messaged his sister and a friend via WhatsApp. “I think it’s best the case stays open to allow new evidence to come forward and that’s what family hopes by upping the reward. The Missing Person Registry is actively continuing to investigate new information they (Police) collect,” Jean-Philippe Pector, Theo Hayez’s Godfather said. A $500,000 police reward established by

NSW Police in Februaryremains on offer for anynew information thatcomes forward.“We knew therewouldn’t be anybreakthrough afterhaving gone through thewhole inquest process ..there’s no main answerso we’re still hanging inthere hoping that at somepoint sooner or later .. inthe future, there can besomething ..“Somebody out theremay know something,and we beg anyone whomay know somethingand not wanted to talk toovercome that and comeforward, that’s reallyour only hope,” Jean-Philippe Pector, TheoHayez’s Godfather said.Theo Hayez’s familytravelled from Belgiumto hear Coroner TeresaO’Sullivan’s tragic,empty finding and sharedmixed feelings aboutbeing back in Byron Bay,the place that gave andtook so much.“It feels like the worstplace in the world butit also feels like home.. driving home to mypeople, it’s very veryspecial.” Lisa Hayez,Theo Hayez’s cousinsaid.Anyone withinformation is urged tocontact CrimestoppersNSW on 1800 333 000(24/7)