Homicide detectives from Sydney have arrived in Byron Bay for the investigation into the disappearance of Belgian backpacker Théo Hayez.
Officers from the Tweed/Byron Police District are expanding their search around Byron Bay to locate him.
This morning Théo’s father Laurent Hayez, who arrived in Australia last week, thanked the public for their support in searching for Théo.
Théo’s father Laurent Hayez
‘My family and I are very grateful for all the help in searching for our son.
‘Théo is one of a kind, and we want to find him,’ said Mr Hayez.
Tweed/Byron PD staff with assistance from the NSW Police Dog Unit, specialist drones, SES volunteers, NSW Surf Lifesaving and members of the community have conducted extensive land, air and sea searches to the east and north-east of town, as well as near Belongil Beach and Cape Byron.
Today, search efforts will be focused in the Cape Byron Lighthouse area, with several units deployed for land searches.
Detectives released new CCTV footage
Detectives have released new CCTV footage showing Théo at a convenience store about 7.45pm on Friday 31 May 2019, giving a clearer picture of the last known clothing he was wearing.
Tweed/Byron Police District Commander, Superintendent Dave Roptell said police are continuing their plea for any additional information regarding Théo’s whereabouts.
‘Over the past week, the public have been actively involved in the search for Théo. Our detectives are continuing to go through all available information provided to us.
‘It’s hoped this new CCTV may jog someone’s memory. Even if you think the information may be small, it may be the missing link we need to find Théo.
‘We want to provide answers for his family both here in Australia and back at home in Belgium,’ said Superintendent Roptell.
Police are continuing to appeal for public assistance, asking anyone who may have CCTV from surrounding areas from about 11pm on Friday 31 May 2019, or anyone with dashcam footage from Jonson or Tennyson streets to come forward.
Cousin’s plea to WhatsApp
Théo’s cousin Lisa has also made a plea to users of the phone application WhatsApp.
‘Hi guys, you all know that unfortunately Théo is still missing’, Lisa posted on a Byron Community Facebook page. ‘The police is working hard on it but now I need your help!
‘We really need to access to his WhatsApp because there is a big possibility that he might had a conversation with someone that night that could change everything!
‘Unfortunately it takes ages [for] WhatsApp to give any information to the police so if you could share this post so someone who knows someone who works for WhatsApp could help us to get these informations ASAP.
‘I realized how much the social media and you could help us so please just keep helping me to find my cousin!
‘Thanks a lot everyone.’
Théo is described as being of Caucasian appearance, approximately 180cm to 190cm tall, with a thin build and blond hair. He was last seen wearing a black hooded jumper with a distinct white design on the front, long beige pants, a cap and black shoes.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
This is at the Great Northern hotel’s bottleshop, next to Aldi, not a Convenient store as stated in the echo
I pray Theo is found safe and well xx
Why on earth have you not included a photo of Théo Hayez and the ongoing search for him in the printed edition of the Echo this week? If there is a member of the community with any information or a suspicion that they have not yet come forward with, seeing a front cover with a photo of him or his distraught family could have been the extra push they needed to do so. There are also many people out there who don’t have the ability or inclination to read the Echo online. We should be doing everything possible as a community to help this family find out what has happened to their son in our town. With your large readership it seems an appallingly heartless decision not to include this ongoing story in your printed edition.
100per cent agree!!!