More to Theo’s story: parents’ plea for help one year on

Laurent Hayez and Vinciane Delforge issue a fresh call for witnesses a year after their son disappeared in Byron Bay.

The parents of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez have pleaded for fresh witnesses to his disappearance to come forward one year on.

The parents of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez say they believe there is “much more” to his story and have begged witnesses to come forward as they prepare to mark a year since he vanished in Byron Bay.

In a joint statement, Laurent Hayez and Vinciane Delforge also thanked the public for their support and announced they had created a new website to help find their son.

“The generosity of strangers has blown us away and continues to help us endure this nightmare,” the statement reads.

“We miss our son tremendously and together, we must find out what happened to him.

“One year on, we believe that there is much more to Theo's story than has been brought to light.”

Hayez was 18 when he vanished in Byron on the night of Friday, May 31.

His family tracked his movements via his mobile phone after gaining access to his Google account.

The trail led from a bar, Cheeky Monkey’s, to Cosy Corner at the northern end of Tallow Beach, beneath the lighthouse cliffs.

Police suspect he had an accident and that his body washed away, but family members say other scenarios including foul play cannot be discounted.

The disappearance was the subject of The Australian’s investigative podcast The Lighthouse and is being examined by the NSW state coroner.

“Theo’s family and friends, those living in Byron Bay and everyone who is concerned for the safety of young travellers are eager for the full story of that night to be understood,” Theo’s parents said.

“We have high hopes in the work of the NSW Coroner and her dedicated team of lawyers, and we continue to believe that somebody out there holds information that could bring new evidence to light.

“We are begging for witnesses to come forward. We continue our plea to anyone who might be withholding information to come forward.”

Theo’s parents are in Belgium and are no longer together but are united in their search for him.

They said a new website, www.looking4theo.com, would enable any member of the public to come forward with information.

“We know that many people are struggling at the moment and we are so grateful for all the different ways that people continue to show their support and their love.

“The support that we receive online matters enormously. We know that we are not alone and every message, drawing or photo with Theo's name holds us up and allows us to continue this journey.

“When you light a candle, make a mandala or think of a song, we love to know that you did that for Theo. Please share online all the beautiful ways that you show that Theo matters to you 12 months on using the hashtag #lookingfortheo.”

“Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts and for continuing to tell Theo’s story.

“We would like to ask the media to respect our privacy during this particularly difficult time. “Our family and friends in Australia are doing a fantastic job of keeping the search alive and we have no additional comment to make, other than asking you all to please keep Theo in your hearts and minds.”