The New South Wales coroner has been unable to determine the cause or manner of the likely death of young Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, who went missing from Byron Bay more than three years ago.
Theo was last seen leaving the Cheeky Monkeys nightclub on May 31, 2019 and has not been seen or heard from since.
Today State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan delivered her findings, telling the court it was likely the teenager died in or near Byron Bay on June 1, 2019.
His family reported him missing to police on June 6 when he did not arrive in Melbourne as planned.
A land and sea search ensued and the area around the nightclub, the CBD and the hostel were scoured.
More than two weeks after his disappearance, Theo's family gained access to his Google account and unlocked a "digital data trail" that showed he travelled towards Tallow Beach, just south of the Cape Byron Lighthouse, in the opposite direction to his hostel.
The key question during the 12-day inquest was whether Theo was alone and died as a result of tragic misadventure or whether others were involved.
Today the Magistrate O'Sullivan found there was "insufficient evidence to substantiate or dismiss either theory".
She told the court she could not conclude Theo died as a result of misadventure.
"There is no clear evidence that Theo was drunk and none at all that he had consumed drugs," Magistrate O'Sullivan said.
"Assuming that Theo was in his right mind, it is difficult to accept he ended up at Cosy Corner of his own volition."
But Magistrate O'Sullivan also told the court "the random murder of a backpacker visiting Byron Bay would be unprecedented".
'Still hoping'
Speaking to the media outside Byron Bay Court House, Theo's godfather Jean-Philippe Pector said he hoped the ongoing offer of a $500,000 reward from NSW Police would produce fresh evidence.
"We are still hoping for something more," he said.
"It is a bit of a rough and tough journey that comes to an end today, symbolically.
"We knew that there wouldn't be any breakthrough after going through the whole inquest process.
"We're still hanging there somewhere, hoping that at some point in the future there will be something."
The coroner noted the huge response from the Byron Bay community in providing volunteer searchers and supporting the Hayez family.
Today Theo's cousin, Lisa Hayez, spoke of her mixed feelings about returning to the town.
"It feels like the worst place in the world, but it also feels like home," she said.
"I was contemplating driving here ... I feel like I'm going home to my people.
"It's very, very special and really hard to describe."
Data roadblocks
Another theme of the inquest was the critical role technology can play in missing persons cases.
The "digital data trail" from Theo's mobile phone, which revealed his final known movements, was a turning point in the investigation.
The court heard authorities faced numerous legal and logistical roadblocks at state, national and international levels trying to access crucial data.
Magistrate O'Sullivan made a number of recommendations designed to address that issue, including an examination of existing coronial powers to obtain information from modern technology such as smart phones, computers, tablets and laptops.
It was also recommended NSW Police develop a pilot CCTV register in Byron Bay to identify the location of all known private and public CCTV cameras in the area.
