The Last Person Missing Backpacker Theo Hayez Texted Has Provided New Evidence In An Inquest

theo hayez missing backpacker friend inquest

Brand new information has arrived in the case of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez as a fellow traveller and friend has given evidence at an inquest into his disappearance.

During an inquest into Theo’s disappearance, Loic Spiess revealed the text messages shared between the pair on the night Theo went missing. The two reportedly met in January 2019 and were exchanging messages via WhatsApp.

This is the last known conversation that Theo had with an individual before his phone stopped working completely.

According to the evidence provided, Theo’s last text message was sent at 12:56am on June 1, just six minutes before his phone reportedly went offline. Loic’s reply at 3:23pm was then sent out but was never completely delivered.

Loic also reportedly told the inquest that Theo was “very responsible usually” as well as being “pretty physically fit as well.”

His evidence in the case provides a unique six-minute window of time between Theo’s last message and his disappearance that we previously were not aware of.

“That is now the last message that we’re aware of that Theo sent to someone prior to 1:02am when phone activity ceases,” counsel assisting the coroner James Herrington told the inquest.

Telecommunications expert Professor Aruna Seneviratne also revealed that he had analysed Theo’s phone data, coming to interesting new conclusions.

According to Seneviratne, Theo’s phone stops transmitting data at exactly 1:02am, but comes back online between 6.17am and 1.47am with an extremely weak signal.

Although the telecommunications expert cannot decipher why exactly Theo’s phone would drop out for five hours, this information reveals that his phone could not have been dropped into the ocean (as many suspect), as it would have stopped transmitting completely.

Back in December 2021, Laurent Hayez, Theo Hayez’s father, was reportedly seen storming out of a coronial inquest which heard evidence from the security guards at Cheeky Monkeys, where Theo was last seen.

During the inquest, Cheeky Monkeys security guard Shannon Mackie was reportedly shown CCTV footage from 11pm on May 31, 2019, the night Theo went missing, and gave evidence regarding whether or not Theo was in fact intoxicated.

Per the ABC, Shannon Mackie claimed that Theo was “approaching intoxication” when he was kicked out of Cheeky Monkeys, but upon witnessing the CCTV footage, admitted that he did not appear drunk.

You can read more about Mackie’s evidence here.

There is currently a $500,000 reward for information regarding the whereabouts of Theo Hayez.

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