It's just over seven years ago that the 18 year old, bright, talented and handsome young Theo Hayez suddenly vanished during a backpacking holiday in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Just gone without a trace, leaving behind only his favourite baseball cap and a suspicious phone timeline. Like thousands of young people he had a dream to go on a backpacking trip to the beautiful, scenic country of Australia and soak up the sights, the culture and new experiences. He also had plans to visit his Godfather (who he was extremely close to) who lived in the country, however, what was supposed to be a dream trip, ended in a nightmare. Originally from Belgium, the academically gifted Theo left his beloved home for the short trip which he wanted to enjoy before he returned home to Belgium to continue his academic studies. However, it wasn't meant to be. To this day, nobody knows what truly happened to Theo. Theories and rumours continue to swirl and the spotlight is on police and investigators who were so quick to dismiss this young man's sudden disappearance as a tragic accident. They where quick to assume he just fell off of a cliff and was carried out to sea. No body was ever found and the police were so lazy in their search of the surrounding area where Theo was last located, that they failed to find his baseball cap which was highly visible.
It was left to Theo's family members to do their own investigation and what they were able to discover was so much more than the actual police did. They never gave up trying to find out what really happened to him that night of the 31st of May going into the 1st of June 2019. His mother was able to figure out his password to his Google account and it was there she was able to trace Theo's last text messages and locations from his mobile phone.
The timeline with the information from Theo's personal phone, paints a different story to the theory by the Australian police that this was just an accident. On the evening of the 31st of May 2019 Theo had been at a bar called 'Cheeky Monkeys' with fellow backpackers who he had become friendly with. He reportedly had two drinks that night which were spaced out, he wasn't binge drinking. There are disputes about whether he was intoxicated or not but he was told to leave the bar because he was deemed to be a bit worse for wear. Those who saw him that night, footage from the CCTV cameras and the information from Theo's phone painted him to be sober and calm.
When he was reported missing, his family were desperate to get a hold of the data from Theo's phone because they believed that he could have been the victim of foul play. The New South Wales police said that they would be unable to gain access to Theo's Google account. The police in Belgium became involved in the case and they believed that something had happened to Theo. Theo's mother figured out his Google password and was able to get some information from his phone with the help of the Belgium police.
They were able to follow a trail via Theo's phone which led them right up to the place that Theo reportedly went missing which was the cliff. The police claim that he fell off due to how dark it was and they assumed him to be intoxicated or high at the time. Other people believe that he had been led down there by someone or a gang of people because he'd Googled the directions to his Hostel a few times and at one point he stopped for a total of seven minutes and the phone trail went in a totally opposite direction to his Hostel. He was reportedly walking as if he knew exactly where he was going despite having never been there before.
Despite this strange route he was taking, he seemed to be calmly responding to his friend's Whatsapp messages without any issues in the early hours of the morning. After 1 am everything went completely silent and Theo was never heard from again.
Despite officially disappearing around the 31st of May and the 1st of June 2019, he was not reported missing until the 6th of June. His family had not heard from him and at first they assumed he was just busy travelling but as time went on, they were more and more concerned. Both his family and the Hostel staff, where he had been staying, had contacted the police. The Hostel staff noticed that Theo hadn't checked out.
An investigation was launched but significant time had already been wasted. As I mentioned before, the police were so quick to dismiss this case as a tragic accident. They didn't have access to Theo's phone data and if they had searched thoroughly then they would have found his baseball cap.
In this case, we see again how much of an important role that CCTV cameras and mobile phones have actually played in giving Theo's family and the police more of an idea of what exactly happened that night to some extent. Due to public interest and belief in the family's theories together with the phone data, the public were also demanding that the NSW police look into this case further. A $500,000 award was issued for anyone who may have had any information of what happened to Theo around the time that his phone went quiet and he disappeared.
Before Theo was reported missing, he was at a happy time in his life according to those who knew him best. He was excited for the trip, excited for the future and returning to studying, He also adored his family and was very close with them. There was no issues or anything that appeared to be bothering him. It didn't make sense that he would just got to that exact location where it's almost pitch black with rocks everywhere. His family believe that if he was down there, it would be because someone or a group of people took him down there.
Years went on and there was still no answers. The first inquest into his death determined that he was likely to be deceased but they couldn't be 100% certain. As it stands in 2026, the NSW police still believe that Theo died as a tragic accident. His family, friends and people with an interest in the case, believe that someone or a group of people were possibly involved in his death. To this day Theo's family still appeal for information and try as much as they can to keep Theo's name in the public eye.
So what happened to Theo Hayez? Was it just a tragic accident or something more? Could he still be alive? Again, this is another case where there are so many questions but not enough answers. Theo's family have been so strong throughout these years, the pain of never knowing but also being under no illusion that Theo may still be alive. They think there's a huge possibility, as heartbreaking as it is, that he is most likely deceased but they want to know how he died because they believe there is a whole lot more to this story. If he was indeed, murdered, then the perpetrator or perpetrators could still be out there right now.
In 2023, a driving instructor found what looked like a human bone in the location of Byron Bay where Theo was last known to be. It turned out that the bone belonged to another man who had sadly drowned there some time before.
As of 2026 there are no new leads in this case but it remains open and Theo's family continue to appeal for information. The $500,000 award for any significant details is still available. I do hope that one day soon, Theo's family are given the answers to the questions they have been asking all these years. It's such a heartbreaking story about a young man who had everything going for him.
If you are a regular reader of mine (thank you, I appreciate you so much!) you will be aware that I have written a few posts on backpackers in Australia, some have gone missing, vanished without a trace and some are horrifically murdered at the hands of a sadistic killer. Despite the terrifying stories, people still flock in their thousands, not just to Australia but to other parts of the world where horrific murders of backpackers have taken place. It is such a risky thing to do and that is in no way blaming the victims of these horrendous crimes. The blame is always on the monster who commits evil acts on innocent people. So many backpackers go abroad and have a fantastic time with no incident but if you are considering doing this yourself, please take heed in the horrible events of before and take steps to keep yourself extra safe and don't do it alone.
Further Reading & Sources:
- The Disappearance of Theo Hayez | NSW Police Website
- Theo Hayez: Article | The Guardian
- Theo Hayez: Article | ABC News
- Theo Hayez: Reddit Discussion Thread
- Theo Hayez: Inquest | State Coroner's Court Of New South Wales
- Looking For Theo: Facebook Page
- Theo Hayez: Documentary | 60 Minutes Australia
As always, thank you for joining me in another post, I hope you found it informative and that you will keep Theo and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Who knows? we might have some answers one day.
If you or someone you know has any information, no matter how small in relation to Theo, please check out the NSW website here!
Also, check out the Looking For Theo Instagram & Facebook page!
I hope you will join me in my next post, in the meantime, you can find me on my Socials, don't be afraid to say hello, I love interacting and having a right good 'blether' (Scottish term for chat).
Take care and stay safe until next time.....x
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