But within 24 hours Theo disappeared. Seventeen days on, there is still no sign of him despite a massive search involving police, SES, locals and volunteers. On Saturday, drones and dogs were out searching dense bushland in the Cape Byron/Tallow Beach area south of Byron, sources said. Police, undercover police and sniffer dogs search for missing backpacker Theo Hayez, along the northern railway line, his last known location in Byron Bay. Credit:Danielle Smith "We would love to believe that he met a girl and had a fling ... and that's why there's no sign of life," Ms Delforge said. "But that just isn't him, that's not his style." Theo had been in Byron for only a day or two, barely enough time to register among the myriad hippies, surfers, beachgoers, travellers, celebrities and long-time residents of the coastal enclave.

He was last heard from when he messaged a friend in Belgium just after midnight on Friday, May 31. He was last seen on CCTV about 15 minutes' walk from his Byron hostel, close to midnight. Dressed in a black hoodie, brown pants, black sneakers, a grey cap with a Puma logo and a black watch, Theo was walking back to the Wake Up! hostel on Childe Street after a night out at Cheeky Monkey's, a bar in the heart of Byron Bay. He never made it home. CCTV footage of Theo Hayez walking away from Cheeky Monkey's in Byron on Friday night, an hour before his last known contact. On CCTV footage from an accommodation house on Shirley Street, at 11.17pm, Theo is seen looking at his phone, before turning right toward his hostel. A couple of hours later, his phone was pinged near Byron Beach and Tallow Beach near Tallow's Ridge. Six days later, NSW Police were notified that he had failed to return. The hostel found his belongings and passport still in his room, but no sign of Theo. His phone and his bank cards have not been used since.

Updated posters of missing backpacker Theo Hayez. Credit:Danielle Smith On Friday Theo's father arrived from Belgium and was briefed by NSW Police on the situation. Theo's godfather, who lives in Australia, posted to a social media group dedicated to finding the missing teen that his father would take a day or two to rest and recover before meeting the residents who had dedicated hours to the search. "The time difference with Belgium and the nature of [Theo's father's] stay put him at risk of not only jet-lag but emotional shock. So, we may slow down a bit before getting fully active again," he wrote in a post that has since been edited. Throughout Byron, posters are stuck to poles and windows, sharing photos of a smiling Theo and asking for any information on his whereabouts. Police expect to hold a press conference in the next few days, depending on the results of their search over the weekend.

SES and surf lifesaver groups, police dogs, drones and members of the community have been canvassing hectares of swamp, beach, bushland and town streets in their search for Theo. His cousins who live in Brisbane and godfather joined the search last week, while a crowdfunding campaign was launched to help fund his immediate family's flights to Byron Bay. It has raised nearly $60,000. Dense bushland surrounds the town in all directions, showing the huge task being undertaken by police and community searches. Credit:Danielle Smith The Byron area is a challenge for any search, its popularity as a travellers' destination meaning thousands will pass through it streets each year, some for hours, some for days and some to stay. Throughout the spectacular headlands and beaches is dense swampy bushland, with many streets backing onto soggy waterways and private property.

Marshy tea tree and long grass make it almost impossible to see through, while the wide beaches stretch for kilometres across the headlands. Tweed/Byron Police, who are co-ordinating the investigation, said in a statement they were using "all resources available" including the dog squad and plain-clothes officers. The original poster from when Theo Hayez went missing two weeks ago. Credit:Danielle Smith "Officers are continuing to canvass the main Byron Bay area and the surrounding bushland," police said. "Detectives are looking into all available information that is provided to us with respect to Theo's disappearance, including reviewing available CCTV footage."

Loading Plain-clothes detectives and a sniffer dog were out searching through a section of bushland behind the missing backpacker's hostel on Friday morning. A railway line behind a row of hostels and cafes, separating the main road in and out of town from the beach with a stretch of damp swampy ground between them, was the focus of their search. The railway runs close behind the hostels, with no fences or barriers. In town though, life is going on as normal; under a sunny sky, tanned and wild-haired backpackers wander the streets speaking a multitude of languages, searching for hostels and bars. Residents in shorts and T-shirts walk their dogs, swim and stop for coffee. Only those few posters suggest anything has happened, that anyone is missing.

Loading Byron Bay business owner Christos Tsesmetzis was one of the first residents to begin organising a community search. He said when he first heard of Theo's disappearance, like other locals, his response was, "I just need to try. "I'm torn apart and exhausted," he said, a feeling shared by many of the Byron residents who had searched frantically for days. The searchers were striving to keep momentum, keep searching for Theo as the days stretched on. Mr Tsesmetzis said he and others had worked with Theo's cousin Lisa Hayez and friend Michael Dorkhom, who have spent days in Byron searching, to track down CCTV from houses and hostels along Theo's possible route home.

Loading There was still some CCTV footage he hoped to secure and pass over to the police, Mr Tsesmetzis said. If that footage was usable and did show Theo, it might help narrow down more of the short window of time between his last sighting and the last message sent from his phone. Nicoletta Revis, a long-term Byron local, has also been part of the search and rallied locals to bring together food, supplies and accommodation for Theo's family ahead of their arrival. After 20 years living in Byron, Ms Revis said she had never seen something like this happen before. While in previous years it wasn't uncommon for people visiting the alternative lifestyle haven to disappear into the hills for an overnight party or two, she said this was something else.