New evidence has emerged in the baffling disappearance of backpacker Theo Hayez, indicating the 18-year-old met with a mystery person the night he went missing.
The young Belgian traveller, who'd been making his way across Australia on a gap year, was last seen after being kicked out of the Byron Bay nightclub Cheeky Monkeys on May 31, 2019 at about 11pm.
Google Maps data pulled from Theo's phone revealed that instead of returning to his hostel in the centre of town he headed towards Tallow Beach and the Cape Byron lighthouse.
Police have always held the working theory that Theo fell from the jagged cliff face and was swept away by the sea, with one of the largest missing person's investigations in Australian history finding nothing but his baseball cap.
But private investigators working with the family, along with an army of internet sleuths, believe the talented science and mathematics student was murdered, pointing to a 'WiFi handshake' with another mobile device as proof he was not alone.
Many local residents have also warned there has long been a dark side to the laid-back hippie community known mostly for its idyllic scenery and celebrity residents.
Theo Hayez's (pictured, left, with his then-girlfriend) went missing in Byron Bay in 2019 during a backpacking trip
A massive land, sea and air search uncovered no clues as to the 18-year-old's whereabouts (pictured, searchers at Byron Bay lighthouse back in 2019)
Digital phone footprints uncovered by his mother Vinciane Delforge, who logged onto his GPS data by guessing his password, discovered exactly where Theo went that night.
But the revealing find appears to raise more questions than answers.
One of the first things Theo did after leaving the nightclub was search for the route back to the Wake Up! hostel where he was staying.
However, instead of following the directions, he walked in the opposite direction until eventually coming to a dimly-lit park and staying there for seven minutes.
It's by the cricket nets at the Byron Bay Recreational Grounds where Ken Gamble, a private investigator working with the family, believes Theo met someone.
'The only reason he would stay for close to seven minutes is because he would have been talking to someone,' he told Channel Nine's Investigations program.
New evidence has emerged in the baffling disappearance of backpacker Theo Hayez, indicating the 18-year-old met with someone the night he went missing (pictured, Channel Nine's Investigations program which aired on Monday night)
Private investigators working with the family, along with an army of internet sleuths, believe the talented science and mathematics student was murdered, pointing to a 'WiFi
