Theo Hayez search co-ordinator Amanda Vidler addresses Byron inquest

A police officer who co-ordinated the emergency services search for Theo Hayez has told a coronial inquest of the difficulty in being unable to find the missing backpacker.

A police officer who co-ordinated the emergency services search for Theo Hayez has told a coronial inquest of the difficulty in being unable to find the missing Belgian backpacker.

Sergeant Amanda Vidler appeared as a witness before the Coroner’s Court in Byron Bay on Thursday.

She was a senior constable at the time 18-year-old Theo disappeared in Byron Bay on May 31, 2019 and ultimately co-ordinated the land search that involved police and emergency service volunteers.

Theo was last seen on CCTV after leaving Cheeky Monkey‘s bar in Byron Bay about 11pm on May 31, 2019.

Members of his family have travelled from Belgium and from interstate for the inquest which began last Monday.

Sergeant Vidler said she wanted to express her “sincere condolences” to Theo’s family.

Sergeant Amanda Vidler. Picture: Marc Stapelberg

“As a police land search co-ordinator it’s very heavy on the heart when people we are searching for, we can’t return to their loved ones,” Sgt Vidler said.

“So please accept our really sincere condolences in this really tough time.”

The inquest heard the land search involved an August 2019 abseiling operation near Cape Byron Lighthouse, moving toward Cosy Corner.

“The idea was to take some phones down, send people down with Telstra phones in their pockets to test their signal,” Sgt Vidler said.

“They had GPS devices on them as well and they were asked to check along as they go … for any items of interest.”

Police rescue during the search for missing backpacker Theo Hayez.

From extensive land searches, Sgt Vidler collated a map using GPS data from all of their official operations.

When asked why she didn’t include data from the searches by community volunteer groups, she explained this was because she was not co-ordinating that group and was unsure of their methodology.

But she spoke highly of these “spontaneous volunteers”.

“I was in constant contact with them,” she said.

“They told me when they were in the field, they updated me on where they had been.

“We had a great working relationship.

“It was great to see the community behind it all.”

Volunteers search bushland around the Arts Factory in search of any sign of missing backpacker Theo Hayez in 2019.

Detective Inspector Glen Browne is the manager of the NSW Missing Persons Registry, which was not yet formed before Theo’s disappearance but replaced the disbanded Missing Persons Unit in 2019.

Detective Browne said every NSW policing command now had an officer who is designated as a “missing persons co-ordinator”.

When counsel assisting the Coroner, Kirsten Edwards, asked if it was “imperative” for officers to be aware of emergency disclosure requests through social media companies where missing persons are at risk of death or serious harm, Detective Browne agreed.

But he also acknowledged at the time Theo vanished, he “wouldn't be surprised” if NSW Police were pessimistic about the value of working with international social media companies because it can be such a convoluted and drawn out process.

Detective Inspector Glen Browne, manager of the NSW Missing Persons Registry, outside Byron Bay Court House during the inquest into the 2019 disappearance of Theo Hayez. Picture: Liana Boss

Ms Edwards asked him if there has been “significant structural change from the former Missing Persons Unit”.

“I’d like to think so,” Detective Browne said.

“We tried to look at what was happening both nationally and internationally.”

He said there had been numerous protocol changes since he took on his current role.

A mysterious document with new information about someone who may hold information about Theo’s disappearance was meanwhile raised by the lawyer representing Theo’s family, David Evenden.

Detective senior constable Philip Parker, the police officer who led the investigation into the 2019 disappearance of Theo Hayez in Byron Bay, began giving his evidence on Wednesday and appeared again on Thursday.

Detective Senior Constable Philip Parker, the officer in charge of the police investigation into the 2019 disappearance of Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez outside Byron Bay Court House during the coronial inquest on Wednesday December 8, 2021. Picture: Liana Boss

The inquest heard Detective Parker spoke with an itinerant man in the bushland when he did a walk through of the area.

Mobile phone data suggests Theo walked through the same bushland, beginning at the Milne Track near Paterson Street and continuing into denser bush, ultimately ending up at Tallow Beach.

Taking him to a document that the court heard recently came to the detective’s attention, Mr Evenden asked whether another person, who he did not name, had ever been investigated in relation to Theo’s disappearance.

“The first time I saw that document and those pages was on November 29 this year,” Detective Parker said.

“I’ve done some subsequent inquiries, very limited inquiries on the NSW Police system in relation to that.”

Mr Evenden asked whether there had been any other inquiries in relation to the same unnamed person before Detective Parker viewed the new document.

Laurent Hayez speaks with Tweed Byron Police Superintendent Dave Roptell outside court in Byron Bay during the inquest into the 2019 disappearance of Theo Hayez. Picture: Liana Boss

Detective Parker replied: “not that I’m aware of”.

Mr Evenden also quizzed him on the nature of co-operation between Australian and Belgian authorities.

Detective Parker said the involvement of Belgian authorities had been “quite broad”.

“They’ve been exceptional in being available … to assist,” he said.

He said there were “some difficulties” between the two jurisdictions later on.

“Was there a decision at some stage to not provide them with basically the documents that were the product of your investigation?” Mr Evenden asked.

Detective Parker agreed with this.

“A decision was made by, I guess, the hierarchy of NSW Police around that, the provision of an investigative file or brief or the material,” Detective Parker said.

Missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez.

When asked whether he would support a “detailed review of the investigation that‘s been undertaken so far”, including by the Missing Persons Registry, Detective Parker said he was ”happy for anybody to review it”.

The court heard Detective Parker had three possibilities in his mind: that Theo was lost, confused and disoriented due to intoxication and/or he intended to get to Cape Byron and took risky steps to do so, or that he was under the direction of a person – or people – unknown.

The detective told the court up to about 1am on June 1, Theo’s phone use suggests he felt safe and comfortable.

This included sending messages and watching a short portion of a Belgian Youtube channel he followed.

“(The data) doesn’t indicate that he would be under any duress, whether he was or wasn’t in the presence of a person,” he said.

Missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez was last seen in Byron Bay on May 31, 2019.

He formed the view there were no signs Theo was alive after mobile phone activity about 1am.

Detective Parker also acknowledged he attended a previous incident in the vicinity of Tallow Beach where an Irish surfer was swept away, never to be recovered, in 2014.

While Theo wasn’t reported missing for a week, a rescue effort began for that surfer immediately.

“Even with that capability of rescue craft in the air with similar conditions … and he was attached to a board … no remains of Mr Butler were ever located,” Detective Parker said.

He said this was “in a very similar area” as the last reliable GPS point of Theo’s phone.

The inquest continues before NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan.