Police are applying to set up a reward for more information on missing Belgian teen Theo Hayez, after a coronial inquest revealed flaws in the evidence surrounding his disappearance.
Theo went missing from Byron Bay in 2019, when he was 18 years old. He was last seen leaving Cheeky Monkey’s bar in the NSW town on May 31.
Detective Senior Constable Phillip Parker, who is leading the renewed investigation into Theo’s disappearance, is in the process of making an application for a reward to be offered via the relevant police channels, the Daily Mail reports.
The reward comes after a coronial inquest revealed that despite apparent extensive searches of the area Theo went missing, the teenager’s Puma cap was found in the same area six weeks later — leading Parker to admit that “very important” evidence had been missed and not enough searches were conducted.
Evidence from security guards at Cheeky Monkeys, the pub Theo was removed from after apparently appearing drunk, also came under scrutiny during the inquest.
Per the ABC, Cheeky Monkeys security guard Shannon Mackie claimed Theo was “approaching intoxication” when he was kicked out of Cheeky Monkeys, but admitted that in CCTV footage of that night, Theo did not appear drunk. Witness statements from people who spoke to Theo that night also claim he didn’t appear intoxicated at all.
Mackie said he wasn’t sure why Theo was only marked down for ‘intoxication’ on his incident report, with no other details on whether or not he smelled of alcohol, was slurring his words or appearing unbalanced.
On top of all that, Mackie also confirmed that the official process at Cheeky Monkeys when someone seems intoxicated is to take them outside, give them a glass of water, and talk to them to see if their speech is slurring. Mackie couldn’t answer why this wasn’t done for Theo Hayez.
Police’s current theory on Theo’s disappearance is that he fell into the ocean after climbing the edges of cliffs, despite his family’s adamance that he was extremely risk-averse and would never have travelled out in the bush at night alone.
Which brings us to a key point of the investigation: was Theo Hayez alone?
Puzzling evidence heard in the inquest revealed Theo’s Google Maps data, which showed that he repeatedly searched for a way back to his hostel, but then walked in the opposite direction towards the bush.
The confusing data reveals more questions than answers, and paired with the questionable evidence that arose during the inquest, and the flaws in police investigations, it seems there is still much work to be done before Theo is found.
“The officer in charge couldn’t exclude the scenario that Theo was with another person. This is still our firm belief, and therefore we are appreciating that an application for a reward has been considered for anyone who has information leading to answers about what happened to Theo,” a statement on behalf of Theo Hayez’ family said, per ABC.
NSW Police is yet to set an amount for the reward regarding his disappearance.
