’Grave danger’: Police desperate for clues as search area grows
Officers hold out hopes a 18-year-old Belgian backpacker who went missing in Byron Bay will eventually be found safe and well, though homicide detectives have been tasked to the case.
Gold Coast
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THE increasingly desperate search for missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez continues in bushland around Byron Bay – almost three weeks after the teenager vanished from the tourist haven.
Police hold out hopes the 18-year-old will eventually be found safe and well, though homicide detectives have been tasked to investigate.
The sudden disappearance has mystified officers working the case, including those from Tweed-Byron Police District.
Mr Hayez partied at Cheeky Monkey’s nightclub on May 31 and was last seen leaving the venue about 11am on May 31.
Community members have been heavily involved in the search for Mr Hayez, working alongside the State Emergency Service, NSW Police and lifesavers.
Dozens of volunteers have spent the day hunting fruitlessly around North Belongil Beach and the Tyagarah Nature Reserve, near WakeUp! Backpacker hostel, where Mr Hayez had been staying, reports The Northern Star.
Police were reportedly continuing to search bushland near Cape Byron today.
Despite working with police dogs and the latest technology, including drones, authorities seemingly have no clue what happened to Mr Hayez.
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Queensland Police have not been tasked to assist in the search, a spokeswoman said.
Tweed police Commander, Superintendent Dave Roptell, confirmed on Monday that police were investigating any suspicious circumstances around Mr Hayez’s disappearance – but added information was thin on the ground, despite the involvement of homicide detectives.
Mr Hayez’s smartphone ‘pinged’ at 1.42pm on June 1, but police have been unable to determine the location of the signal.
On Monday, the father of the missing teen Laurent Hayez tearfully pleaded with WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, to allow police access to his son’s encrypted messages.
“We know that Theo used WhatsApp the night he disappeared. We understand the politics about confidentiality and respect that,” he said.
“However, this is a question of providing assistance to a person in grave danger.”
WhatsApp responded that it was working with police, but was limited in the data it could access.
Know more? Phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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