Australian police are searching for a missing Belgian man in Sydney. Here is what we know about this case which is reminiscent of that of Théo Hayez missing in Australia in May 2019.
Published on 3/12/2022 at 07:46
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Lhe New South Wales police are looking for Stef Vandevelde, his spokesman confirmed to Belga on Saturday (local time). The 29-year-old man from Belgium was last seen on Tuesday afternoon in the business center of Sydney, capital of this Australian federated state.
New South Wales Police, however, do not have the authority to confirm his visa status, or whether he was known to law enforcement in Australia before, the spokesperson added. A local police investigator has been assigned to investigate the disappearance.
“The first thing we do in the event of a disappearance is to launch a call, there may be nothing serious. Then we contact the hospitals, make contact with the family, record telephone data and financial transactions. It takes time and can take several weeks to get answers,” the spokesperson explained. Contacts can then be established with the police of other Australian or foreign states.
An official from the Belgian embassy in Australia, for his part, declared that it “has been seized of the case and will assist the family if they request it”, adding that he could not communicate more information at this stage.
Wanted poster
New South Wales police issued a wanted poster on Friday after Stef Vandevelde was last seen missing in a busy downtown Sydney thoroughfare at 2.30pm local time. His family and friends having failed to contact him, they turned to law enforcement.
The missing man is described as Caucasian, with blond hair, a beard and between 1.75 and 1.80 m tall. The local police are asking anyone with information about him to contact the authorities.
In May 2019, Belgian Théo Hayez was reported missing in Australia, when he was traveling in the country at the age of 18.
