Byron Bay has been rocked by another missing persons mystery – in a case eerily similar to the 2019 disappearance of Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez.
Theo’s disappearance sparked headlines (and conspiracy theories) around the world after the 18-year-old walked out of Cheeky Monkey’s bar and disappeared.
Now another baffling case has captured the attention of the seaside town and surrounding areas – and in a chilling twist, it happened exactly five years after Theo vanished without a trace.
Gage Wilson, 31, was seen leaving Hakea Court in Mullumbimby, Byron Shire, in a white ute at about 5am on May 18.
The 31-year-old’s vehicle was later found crashed into a tree on Koonyum Range Road in Wilsons Creek
Gage Wilson, 31, was seen leaving Hakea Court Mullumbimby, in the Byron Shire, in a white ute at about 5am on May 18.
His sister Niki Manidakis says he was then seen at a cafe in Mullumbimby at around 8am
The 31-year-old’s vehicle was later recovered crashing into a tree on Koonyum Range Road in Wilsons Creek – just a 20-minute drive from Byron Bay – with the driver nowhere to be seen.
Mr Wilson did not have his phone with him at the time and it is not clear if anyone else had been near him.
A massive search has been launched for Mr Wilson, with his family fearing he may have stumbled into the woods in a daze.
Heat-seeking drones and the Northern Rivers Dingo Rescue – which uses dingoes with remarkable tracking capabilities – have been hunting for Mr Wilson for the past 12 days.
A 24/7 search base was set up at Teales Lookout on Thursday as selfless locals refuse to give up Mr Wilson, who is autistic and stands around 170 to 180cm tall with short brown hair and tattoos on both his legs and arms.
Residents in the area have been urged to search their properties for signs of the man.
Mrs. Manidakis says her brother is a “unique individual with a wonderful, generous heart and a quirky sense of humor.”
‘He is incredibly talented, intelligent and artistic. He is honest and authentic, and his presence is greatly missed,” she said on a television channel GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the search.
Theo Hayez’s family have called on locals to help search for Mr Wilson.
Theo Hayez’s family have called on locals to help search for Mr Wilson
“It’s hard to believe that we haven’t heard from Théo in five years,” said a post from Theo’s family on social media.
‘His laugh, his voice and his beautiful smile are still so fresh in our memories.
“It has been a tough journey to say the least, but the hope of finding out what happened to him has never left us.
“For those who wish to honor Théo tomorrow, five years later, we encourage you to join the search for Gage Wilson.”
Mr Wilson did not have his phone with him
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends as they desperately search the Koonyum Range near Byron Bay.”
Theo, 18, disappeared after being kicked out of Cheeky Monkeys bar in Byron Bay and was last seen by his friends around 11pm on May 31, 2019.
At his inquest in 2022, State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan said said there were two main theories surrounding the disappearance of Theo, who she believed died in or around Byron Bay on or about June 1, 2019, but she could not conclude that either was definitely the case.
She said the teenager “had a terrible accident while trying to climb to the (Byron Bay) lighthouse alone.”
Or he had ‘met one or more persons’ between the cricket net area at Byron and Cozy Corner beach ‘and those persons caused his death and disposed of his body’.
But she could not pinpoint either theory as the actual cause of Theo’s death and urged anyone with information to come forward.
However, the coroner completely ruled out that Theo had committed suicide.
The coroner said those who suspected foul play theorized that Theo “met one or more persons at the cricket nets and walked through Arakawal National Park to Tallow Beach.”
In 2019, police are searching for Theo Hayez on the cliffs of Byron Bay
She said he “stopped at the cricket nets for seven minutes and may have met someone with local knowledge who helped him navigate the streets to the start of the track.
‘There was a prolonged camp in the bush where he veered sharply off the path, where his hat was found.’
Coroner O’Sullivan also said it was ‘unusual’ that Theo ‘walked closer to soft sand in the dune’ before climbing through ‘rugged bushland’ for eight minutes.
However, she said no attacks had been reported in the area, and that “no one saw anyone at the cricket nets” and that a “random killing of a backpacker in Byron Bay” would be extraordinary.
Theo’s online activity between midnight and 1 a.m., watching a comedy show on YouTube and texting his sister and a friend, was “contrary to his sense of fear or danger.”
The coroner said that Theo had fallen from the cliffs of Byron due to the misadventure theory and his body had been washed out to sea.
But she said the “climb to the headland at Cozy Corner is very dangerous, especially at night.”
The officer in charge of investigating Theo’s disappearance, Detective Inspector Philip Parker, had ‘found the walk scary and intimidating when he attempted it alone at night’ and that it was ‘unmarked, extremely dark and difficult to find, even during the day.
“The final stretch through bushland would have been very tough,” the coroner said.
‘Theo may be lost and confused, or possibly affected by alcohol or drugs.
‘(But) there was no evidence that he was on drugs or drunk. “I have no criticism of the staff at Cheeky Monkeys… but the staff accepted as evidence that there were no obvious signs of actual intoxication.”
Ms O’Sullivan said Theo’s phone, which has never been found, was last detected on the Byron headland between 12.05am and 1.02am on the night he disappeared and continued transmitting until the connection was lost at 1.47pm.
‘The fact that the phone continued to transmit for 13 hours could indicate that it became separated from the phone and ended up in the water without it.
‘The biggest problem with the accident theory is Theo’s character. He was responsible and careful and it would be out of character to attempt something so reckless.
‘Importantly, none of the other young backpackers noticed that he was drunk. It’s hard to accept that he ended up at Cozy Corner by accident.
‘He was a regular and competent user of Google Maps. He looked for his hostel. It would have become clear to him that he was going further in the wrong direction.
‘I cannot conclude that Theo died as a result of an accident. There is insufficient evidence to support or rule out the wither theory.’
Coroner O’Sullivan hoped a police reward would encourage anyone with information to come forward, and also advised police to improve their technological skills by using Google and Facebook to track missing people.
Call the police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any information.