Jackson Stacker death: Parents of music-festival loving young man found in a Byron Bay field with a knife in his chest reveal new theory about his mysterious death

The parents of a young festival-goer who was found dead with a hunting knife in his chest and his scalp separated from his body have revealed a new theory behind his death.

The body of Jackson Stacker, 26, was found under a tree 400 feet from the Sleepy Hollow rest area, 25 minutes north of Byron Bay, on August 25, 2021, with an 7-inch hunting knife lodged in his chest.

Although his scalp and dreadlocks were more than 30 feet away, police ruled the death a suicide.

But in an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday night, his grief-stricken parents Sandey MacFarlane and Ian Stacker claim that conclusion “doesn’t make sense” and raises the possibility of something much more sinister.

‘Nothing made sense. “I spoke to him on the last day he was alive and he was doing well,” Ms MacFarlane said.

“It just struck us that there are other possibilities for what could have happened here,” Ian said.

There’s a terrifying theory behind how Jackson Stacker (pictured) – whose body was found badly decomposed under a tree on August 25, 2021 – died

“We think he may have been involved in this one with someone in the drug trade who left some stuff in his van.

“You know, Jackson left that deaf early and left a few people behind that he transported there.

‘Just like his van was found. It was completely destroyed. You know, it was like being frisked.”

Ian and Sandey believe Jackson’s ransacked van points to foul play.

‘Everything was so violent. Not only is the van messy, it is vandalized,” Ms MacFarlane added.

If he was panicking he wouldn’t like a confrontation and I think he was running away.’

The van was found at the Sleepy Hollow rest area, 400 feet from where Jackson’s body was discovered.

Jackson had traveled from Melbourne to idyllic Byron Bay in NSW, living in a van and partying with friends.

‘Everything was so violent. Not only is the van a mess, it’s vandalized,” Ms MacFarlane added (Photo: Jackson’s van)

In a message to Sandey, he said he was hanging out with “beautiful” and “intelligent” people.

But his parents suspect that something changed in the last month of his life and that he may have been murdered.

“I think he felt used by certain people who borrowed his van,” Sandey said.

Friends told the program that he had used LSD and marijuana…

Cousin Ishtar Kenny said she had heard of ‘things going on in Byron’.

“I’ve heard over the years that there’s been several things going on in Byron where all the young people have been very scared because they’ve been involved in something,” she said.

‘They didn’t realize what it was and then they were threatened or things like that. So I know it can happen in that area too.”

Jackson Stacker had been traveling in his Toyota Hiace van since 2020 (pictured).

Mr Stacker’s mother, Sandey MacFarlane, insists her son did not commit suicide and says there was no history of suicide or poor mental health in their family

Sandey and Ian think Jackson may have run away from a confrontation and that’s why he ended up in the paddock.

Jackson’s phone was never found during the initial investigation, but in a notable moment, 60 Minutes revealed that the producer came across a phone at the scene, within view of where Jackson’s body was found, during their own investigation into the story.

It is not yet known who owns the phone.

Jackson had a Samsung phone, his parents said, and a week after his death it was restarted 125 miles further south, near Grafton.

It was connected to several cell towers for the next four days, before returning to the Byron area where it stopped pinging on August 2.

In their investigation, police discovered that Jackson suffered from mood swings and exhibited erratic behavior.

Jackson also smoked marijuana and used LSD, which affected the young man emotionally.

Jackson had also been hospitalized in the past, treated for drug-induced psychosis after bad reactions to mind-altering substances, 60 Minutes revealed.

Former homicide detective Gary Jubelin has reviewed the case and believes investigators conducted a thorough investigation into Jackson’s death.

“Having worked in homicide for as long as I have, it’s such a difficult area, there’s a lot of emotions involved,” he said.

‘It’s not something you can look at clinically and separate the emotions. There is emotion involved.

“And looking at the steps that the police took over the course of this investigation, I think they considered it a possible murder from a very early stage.”

A coroner’s findings on the manner and cause of Jackson’s death are expected in the coming weeks.

Tragic deaths and disappearances in and around Byron Bay

Theo Hayez

Theo, an 18-year-old Belgian backpacker, disappeared in May 2019 after a night out at the Cheeky Monkeys nightclub.

He was not reported missing for five days.

In June 2020, Hayez’s cousin Lisa revealed that Google data had tracked him walking through dense bushland on the night of his disappearance, suggesting he could not have done this alone.

The strongest theory for Mr Hayez’s disappearance remains that the backpacker fell off cliffs and was washed into the sea.

Théo Hayez went missing in Byron Bay on May 31, 2019 and has not been seen since

Thea Lidl

Ms Liddle, 42, was last seen in the Mooball area, between Byron Bay and Tweed Heads, in October 2019.

The former microbiologist had become homeless in Byron Bay and led a transient lifestyle before her death.

Police came across her remains in July 2020 during a search for Mr Hayez.

Ms Liddle, 42, was last seen in the Mooball area, between Byron Bay and Tweed Heads, in October 2019

Erwan Ferrieux and Hugo Palmer

Erwan Ferrieux and his British boyfriend Hugo Palmer, both 20, were reported missing during their holiday of a lifetime in 2019.

Police feared they had drowned in Port Macquarie after their belongings were found in the sand of Shelly Beach.

In June 2019, two human bones washed ashore – and forensics showed they were most likely Mr Ferrieux’s.

Palmer’s femur was discovered in the sea by spear fishermen. DNA tests showed it was his.

Hugo Palmer (left) and Erwan Ferrieux (right) went missing during a gap year in Australia