Missing Belgian’s mum: “Living in hope, but realistic”
“Theo is a conscientious and well organised lad and it’s not his style not to let us know where he is”. These are the words in which Vinciane Delforge, the mother of missing teenager Theo Hayez described her son, who is now missing in Australia.
Francophone broadcaster RTBF spoke with Vinciane: “All his gear was still in his hotel room. His passport, his papers. We can hope he met a girl with whom he experienced a romance and isn’t in contact with us, but it’s not his style.”
Vinciane really only sees two possibilities: “Either he bumped into somebody nasty or he’s had an accident. I live in hope, but as the days pass…If something happened in the wilds? I try not to think of it, but I’m a realist.”
26,000 euros have been raised through crowdfunding to allow Theo’s parents to travel to Australia: “For us it’s important to see the place for ourselves, to avoid having regrets later on. If there’s any money left, we’ll donate to Child Focus, to help parents in a similar situation.”
Australian police are meanwhile making an appeal for any pictures, phone footage, dash-cam images or CCTV security video made on the night of Theo’s disappearance.
Theo was last seen leaving a nightclub in the Byron Bay resort around 11PM on 31 May. Police say images show he intended to return to his hostel. “Something must have happened on the way” says a friend. “Otherwise he would have arrived.”
