Brother seeks answers, believes third party may have been involved

Rebecca Hayward landed in Alice Springs on January 1, 2017 to visit family. She went out that night and was last spotted at 8am next morning on the Stuart Hwy 15km north. She left behind three young children. Her brother Eric thinks something sinister happened and is calling for and inquest.

Rebecca Hayward’s aunty Cherry Hayward, father Eric Hayward Sr and sister Bonnie Hayward appealing to the public for any information about her in January 2019. Picture: JEFF TAN

• Family’s anguish goes on
• Tracing last steps of a mother lost
• What happened to Rebecca?
• Family of missing mother plead for help

The brother of Rebecca Hayward, believes something sinister happened to her almost three years ago when she went missing off the side of the Stuart Hwy.

Eric Hayward Jr believes she fell victim to foul play at the hands of opportunistic people.

“It’s just too suspicious,” he said.

She disappeared without a trace – stumping the Alice Springs community and cops.

He’s calling for an inquest in to her disappearance to lay on the table everything detectives have done in the investigation.

He’s hoping the family will get closure or ideally with a new set of eyes over the information, a new lead.

Ms Hayward was last scene 15km north of Alice Springs walking along the Stuart Highway on January 2, 2017.

Ms Hayward, a mother to three young children touched down in Alice Springs on January 1, 2017 to see family.

That night she left the Gillen house at 8pm and didn’t return home.

The last time she was seen by anyone was the next morning by a passing motorist at 8am on the Stuart Hwy 15km north of Alice Springs.

Have you seen Rebecca? Rebecca Hayward was last seen in Alice Springs on 1 January 2017. This week is National Missing...

Posted by Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services on Wednesday, 7 August 2019

What should have been a time to enjoy with family has been marred by her disappearance.

Six months after she disappeared she was the NT face of National Missing Persons Week.

Mr Hayward moved to Alice Springs at the start of the year from Perth for work and has used the opportunity to investigate his younger sister’s disappearance.

He said the cop in charge of the investigation had been helpful in taking him to where she was last seen but they hadn’t been able to provide answers into where the investigation was headed.

“There’s no theories about what might have happened, it’s pretty frustrating that after almost three years all we know is that she went missing walking along the highway,” he said.

“They’ve done as much as they can but they have so very little information to go on.

“They’ve given minimal information about how far their search has gone. We don’t know the full extent of what they have done.

He said there was also an unconfirmed sighting further up the road near an airstrip near the Tanami Rd turn-off.

“Apparently a person fitting my sister’s description was possibly sighted by another witness but the date was a day out,” he said.

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Mr Hayward said he thought his sister had been unlucky and had been killed by a third party, but without access to police files he has been unable to confirm his theory.

“We think something untoward happened to my sister we think a third party was involved but without any information it’s really difficult,” he said.

“I don’t think it was targeted. I think she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she was alone.

“She would have looked like someone in the wrong place.”

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He’s hoping another campaign seeking information will trigger people’s memories and someone who may know something might come forward.

An NT Courts spokesman said the Coroner is not supplied with missing person files as a matter, unless the circumstances indicate the person to be deceased and then only after the police have finalised their investigation.

The spokesman said the Rebecca Hayward investigation had not yet been received by the Coroner’s Office.

Police were contacted for comment.