Approche production.

On the night of Thursday, the twenty ninth of May twenty twenty five, Scott Hayden's world and his family's world tipped off his axis.

Scott was forty six, a fitter and turner by trade, a youth worker, a museo, and a deeply loved son, brother and uncle.

He was living with his parents on a small property about ten minutes out of Taree on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.

In the weeks leading up to that night, Scott's behavior had started to shift.

He was talking more about God, eating clean, training hard, and struggling with his mental health.

His families did what most families do.

They worried, they watched, and when things got worse, they went to police.

More than once.

Days later, Scott's bright gold car would be found abandoned.

His wallet, key, shoes, and food were still inside, but Scott was gone.

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Jeanette bravely shares her story in the hope that someone listening might hold the missing piece because Scott matters.

Welcome back everybody to the Missing Matter podcast.

Today's episode is about a gentleman.

His name is Scott.

It was Thursday of the twenty ninth of May twenty twenty five, when the Hayden Families world was beginning to turn upside down and they found themselves thrust it into the world of the missing.

Today, I am joined by Scott's mum, Jeanette, who bravely is here to help share some light on what happened back in May this year and what we can do to try and help bring her son Scott home.

Jeanette and Collins's only son and brother to three sisters.

Scott had just celebrated his forty six birthday nine days earlier.

He has devastatingly now been missing for two hundred and fifty days.

Welcome to the Missing Matter, Jeannette.

Thank you, and I appreciate your time.

I really do.

So.

We've only just met today and we've spoken only once on the phone because this has all come about very quickly.

I saw Marilyn, who one of your daughters.

Was doing some great work actually on Facebook and having lots of people comment and so forth, and I just felt maybe it was important to try and get Scott's story out in the media as best we could before we wrap the season.

So this is an extra extra episode we hadn't planned for but I wanted to jump in and try and do it.

And I apologize everybody.

My voice, I'm losing it because I've been talking to But if we can start with you telling us a little bit of background, Jenett, can you share a little bit more about Scott and his childhood.

And what he was like as a young boy.

Scott was just a normal, a durable child.

Sorry, I'm just it's so hard to do.

I know, I know, you just take your time.

He was very shy actually, but yeah.

When he started school, he made lots of friends and he had lots of mates.

And when he was about four, we moved head on to a few acres.

We put him a little motor bike.

He used to ride the motorbike with his dad up in the forest, so we were living on the edge of the forest, so we certainly familiar with the bush and he loved it.

He achieved well at school, a great little school with only about one hundred and fifty students.

We live in a small village called Janoni, which is about ten minutes away from the city of tari He was just a normal little child and he loved tennis.

We had him and his sister tennis coaching, and when they got older they played in competitions and that sort of thing.

And then he started high school and I think it was in about year eight we noticed that things changed a little.

His behavior changed a bit, and we found out that he'd actually made a friend at high school and it was stilling in some drugs.

Yeah, it's a hard journey.

I can empathize with you because my brother led a pretty similar life.

Actually, my brother dropped out of school in year nine.

He was one point of being a genius.

He was highly intelligent, ended up being a motorbike mechanic, and found himself in a world where people would end up paying him in drugs instead of paying them in cash.

Brother, being the kind person that he was and just wanted to help everybody, would never say not to anybody.

So it's probably a similar I've been reading a lot about Scott and I'm like, it's bringing me back to my brother.

I understand, and I empathize, and look, by all accounts, Scott did do an apprenticeship.

Tom became a fitter and turner, and I mean that's an important job, right, That's something that you need to be bright and intelligent and motivated to do.

You did mention too that in his teenage years there was challenges relating to drug use.

Yes, how do you feel those experiences impacted him and your family?

It impacted us greatly actually, because my husband and I were totally opposed to anything to do with drugs.

We'd never had anything to do with that life before.

As a result, when Scott got his car and he was going out and staying out late, and we never knew where he was or you know, when he was coming home, you know, and when he did come up, I was so angry he come home and then there was a relief, you know, He's come home safely.

And that happened and hundreds of times over the years, and so I'm sorry, mum, you know, like I should have let you know when i'd be home or whatever.

And then I'm a self touch and you just want to be there and love them through it.

But looking back, I don't know if it was that's the right thing all the wrong thing, you know, but because some people say, oh no, tough love, but it wasn't always easy to do.

And you know what, you were just being the best mums we can be, right and we do worry about them, and I don't think that ever changes.

How old they are.

I think we're constantly worry if I does.

So, I think you did what was right for you and what was right for him at the time, and I don't think you should hold on to anyone else's opinion on that.

So, if I can bring you back to September twenty twenty four, Scott had spent some time seeking helping a rehabilitation center.

Can you talk about Scott's time then and how you saw him change during that period?

Yeah, it was actually the mental health ward of the hospital local hospital here.

Scott had had a psychotic episode.

Scott was right into God Jesus church, and my husband and I used to go to church when we were younger, and we took Scott with us this time.

Anyway, long story, we hadn't been to church for many years and then we started going again and Scott got right into again as well.

So this Friday he had a psychotic episode and I'd been out shopping.

I came home and he wanted me to go to Queensland when he ended, because there was a preacher preaching somewhere up in Brisbane.

And I said I'm going, and it was really adamant, you know that I go and I phoned my son in laws.

Scott left the house owned my son in laws then said, look, he's having a psychotic episode.

He needs help, you know.

And Scott did come back to the house and they convinced him to go to the mental health ward and they put him on some medication, diagnosed him with psychosis, and after a week he's sort of good.

And then they're on the phone to us, well, you need to have him back home, because Scott lived with us.

I mean, we're not trained to deal with mental health.

My husband's ill, he's got an in durable disease, so we're sort of dealing with that as well.

Scott came back home and he was good for a while.

Then he decided he would go off his medication and he was self medicate with marijuana and he was cooking it.

He was making he was buying Jack's biscuits and cooking the marijuana and putting with peanut butter of all things between Jat's biscuits and eating it because he said that was healthier than smoking it, because he didn't want to perfect his lungs.

I said to him mate, well, you need to take your medication because it's keeping you on a level balance with your mental health and a laniment that he's going to take it might have no control over.

That means a young man, you know.

And I just said, well it's not going to end well then if you don't, you'll end up having another attack.

And so this is all happening around that September twenty twenty four.

Yes, yes, let's move.

Forward now to and I know this is distressing because it's all about his time when he's disappeared, but let's try and give the listeners a bit of a scope as to what's happened and see if it spiked somebody's memory or someone remembers something, because that's what these podcasts are all about.

We want to make people aware of who Scott was as a person, what maybe his challenges were around the time he disappeared, and what was happening in his life.

By all accounts, he's got a very supportive family in all of you.

I've seen that from the girls as well, certainly does and you and your husband.

So let's go back to the events that happened on the evening of May twenty nine, and what signs were you noticing in Scott's behavior that we're concerning you.

In the weeks and looking back, maybe months leading up just Scot disappearing, he used to go to the gym every day.

He was very very fit, very fit.

He became very healthy with his eating.

He lost weight.

He seemed to be easily agitated.

You talk about God a lot.

He was watching a lot of YouTube preachers, you know, talking about God.

And I said to him at the time, while some of the FM mate you know, like that you can't believe everything that they all say, you know, he seemed to be angry, you know, I mean.

Then on the other hand, he was great.

Like my husband's mums still living.

She's nearly ninety three.

And this was only a week after we'd had those catastrophic floods here on the northeast, so his nan had been flooded, the garage had been flooded, and he went with my husband on the Monday, helped clean it out and everything was helped her set up phone and a computer and everything.

He was really really good.

But looking back, we're thinking that maybe he had this planned to go missing, and that was maybe the last he knew that was going to be the last time we would see his name.

We don't know, but it's sort of all pointing to that, you know.

But yes, he was during the floods.

We had no power here for four days, and I helped to run the local hall, so we we opened up the hall and we generated down there and we fed the community.

So I was away from the house of it, so no power, couldn't have a meal here, couldn't have a hot shower or anything.

I don't know.

Too much time on his own, and he had a motibikes go riding.

He loved his motorbikes, loved his music.

He'd done what you call loving.

He made some YouTube clips.

He did have a job.

The last job that he had was as a youth worker.

He'd actually done a deployment in community services at the local tape here and passed with flawing Palace.

And he was working for a group called Pathfinders helping troubled youth and there was an incident there that resulted in his unemployment was terminated, and that really added to his mental health shoes.

You know, he seemed angry with the government.

I'm not ever working again, you know, I don't like the government.

I don't trust the government that sort of thing, you know.

And just to help the listeners understand where we're talking about, because we haven't really got into the location yet, but you guys are based around ten kilometers out of Tarre, which is on the big North coast of New South Wales.

So you told me when we were having a chat that on the evening of May twenty nine, Scott was having an episode and that you and your husband left the house to give him some space and went over to your daughter's house.

On the next day, which is Friday, the thirtieth of May, around one point thirty pm, one of your daughters, Angela, attends the Tari police station to request a welfare check on Scott at your home.

She was told by Tari Police that they would call her, which they did at two o seven pm.

I just want to interject here and say I am so impressed that you guys have kept such good details and timeline of all of this information, because this is why I chose to sort of come into this space as well, because after twenty eight years of my mum, there were so many things I wish i'd done that I didn't do, and I'm trying to sort of help people because I'm pretty confident in May you didn't think that your son was going to drive off somewhere you'd never see him ever again, and it does happen.

There's lots of people this is happening too, So it's just good to have an awareness as to what you can do in this time of need and when things are happening.

So, just to reiterate, Angela's gone to the police.

She wanted to do a welfare check for Scott at your place and they rang her back, which they did.

However, no action was taken at that time.

What was the family's reaction to that inaction?

Unbelief, Really, we couldn't believe that.

I mean I always looked up the police, you know that they're there to serve the community, and I thought, you're you're in trouble.

You know you'reing the police.

Frustrated, disappointed to two hours later, at three point thirty pm, your other daughters, Christine and Angela, and yourself attended the Tari police station, again stating that you had concerns for Scott's welfare.

Marilyn and Christine had actually seen Scott driving by them on their way to go and pick their kids up from school around three h five, so twenty five minutes earlier, and he gave them a wave and a smile.

But again no action was taken by the police.

What were they telling you?

They put it down to a domestic violence event the Thursday night, not a mental.

Health issue, but even still they should be attending a domestic violence as well, like if they think that's the case.

Yes, we sort of said, well, aren't you concerned a studies driving around in his car in a psychotic state like he's arista himself and to the community at large.

Are you happy with him driving around in this stage?

You know?

And what did they say?

No action was taken.

I'm all concerned about coming at My husband's a member of the Sporting Shooters association's been for many, many, many years, and it's still one thing that he's able to do is go to his shooting range and enjoy his sport.

And they were more concerned about coming here and easing his weapons, which aided.

Oh, they took his God.

At night, he's only just gotten back.

I know it's stressful to take you back to Saturday, the thirty first of May, but this is the next day.

But can we take a gentle talk about what we know happened.

So your youngest daughter, Marilyn and her partner went round to your home where Scott was living with you.

As I mentioned, this is about ten minutes out of tare.

Yes, there's no sign of Scott.

That your TV has been smashed and was thrown out into the backyard.

The other two TVs that belonged to Scott were also found outside, along with children's books and toys.

What did you all make of this at that time?

We were very surprised, actually, But on that Thursday night he turned fear of my husband when all were watching TV and it was dinner time, and he just went and flicked a switch and he said, I just want five minutes with my family.

And he said, if you turn the TV back on, I'll be gone.

So we didn't turn the TV back on, but he became really agitated and kind of yelling at my husband, that's what ought We just leave, you know, giving space.

So he was smashing our TV was sort of his way of confirming to us that he didn't approve of us watching things on TV.

You know, that was not a spiritual thing to do.

That was worldly.

And then he's owned TVs and you know, I mean material things can be replaced.

We don't care about that, but we were surprised.

He's never done this sort of thing before.

And the children's books and toys, so that was total surprise.

And then there were other things we founding, like he had a juice so that he used to make healthy juices, thrown that in the bin, his trophies that he got from tennis and over the years, we still don't know where they are.

There were two digitidoos that he had here that have just disappeared and they're not in his car.

I don't know who he's given them to.

Totally surprised.

So the police then told you that they'd found Scott's car that was parked on a farmer's driveway.

What do you recall the police told you finding his car parked on the farmer's driveway.

So he passed this farmer driving a bit of radically, and then he went up the Thunderbolts Way, passed Barrington, up the Thunderbolt's Way and he got to a bridge called Glory Vale Gridge and it had been washed out with the floods.

So he couldn't go together.

Now where he was planning to hit We have no idea, but I mean Thunderbolt's Way that leads up to sort of Walker tenor was no those sort of areas, and he was familiar with that out the Thunderbolts Way because he'd ridden his motorbike out there several times over the years.

Anyway, he's turned his car around and he's parked it in this farmer's driveway, the one that he gets passed.

So that's probably about six thirty or so by this time, and we don't know how long he's sat in the car or if that's when he's actually swam across the river, which was still running quite quite a lot after the floods, and there were footprints found along the other side of the creek bed going around the house.

And then there was a footprint found across the other side of the Thunderbolt's Way on another farmer's property, which the police never investigated that at all, didn't want to know about it.

So we don't know if he swam across the river and back during that period of time.

And then along comes an Origin energy guy and sort of says to Scott, what are you doing here and he said, I just want somewhere to sleep the night.

He said, oh yea, don't sleep here, mate.

Scott's got angry and he's actually in the mud with his car.

So he's taken off and got the car out in the mud and hit farmer's front fence.

That's how he's done damage to his vehicle.

And he's a few meets down the road.

This is at a place called Tibak, which is New Bretty.

He's parked the car and we think that he has slipped in his car the night because the seats reclined, acid lights are on, the heater.

Is on, and this is what's flattened the battery, and there's a thing about the battery.

Isn't there where the bolts were yes on top of the battery.

So it looked like maybe someone had stopped to help him.

And I wanted to bring this up because if that person is out there and they're listening or hear this, it's really important that you come forward and talk to us and tell us about what you heard, what you saw.

You know, I had a you know, have the police indicated that they've taken any DNA from the car.

You know, my understanding is that they have the car.

Yes, they do.

They won't give it back.

When did they have that?

They had it from the fifth of June.

Took it on the Wednesday.

About that, yes, yeah, yeah, so they've had it in their possession the last six months.

Say, but you don't know that what they're doing with the car or you know, I mean they it's been indicated that Scott's wallet, his keys, his shoes, there was clothes and food in the car.

But the police haven't really given you any indication of what they're doing with the car or what's happening with it, if they've taken DNA or anything like that.

They just said to us that they needed to keep it because some b'rens pattendico over it.

But as far as we're where, that has never happened.

We requested that they actually get the car going and check his sat nav to see if he put in a destination.

They say that they have of anything, but they left months to do that.

They left it about four months to do that.

So no, no DNA.

So where was his phone?

Did he have his phone with him?

No, he'd left his phone at home.

My daughter have found that and actually handed it into the police.

And I bet you've never seen that since either.

No, it took a few months to actually have that downloaded to any messages or on calls.

They had to send it to Newcastle.

They had to really push the police to even do that because we thought there might have been something really important.

Who did he contact in the days leading up to.

His disappearing, Who did he call, who did he text?

What sort of information was he searching or googling like all of that?

And he might not have done.

Any of those things, but if he has, that's important information to put into the timeline to help you guys navigate where he is.

Unfortunately, this happens too freak equently where the police probably just make an assumption that he's got mental health issues.

He's you know, they quite often refer to them as you know, druggies and they're you know, not missing, they just don't want to be found or what have you.

That's very bad language to be quite frank, and no empathy and no care and concern.

Here isn't a toll and for the families who are left behind trying to work it out, it's very stressful.

It is own to now try and investigates.

So Scott's footprints were found along the creek bed and across the other side of the creek at Thunderbot Way where his car was parked and found, and then on the second of June, that's when his car was reported to the police.

Is that right, m that's correct.

It was actually found by the Prime TV journalists who were out that way doing a story on the bloods.

Oh really, and they came across his car and reported.

It and looking at the photos and we'll put the photos up on our socials as well so people can identify with it.

Maybe you saw the car park there and thought nothing of it, because this is another topic that we talk about a fair bit.

One of the other stories I've touched on about Nicola Salie who went missing in Tasmania.

He went for a drive.

He was an elderly gentleman, early stages of dementia and he has not been located since.

So the conversation around those sorts of situations is if you see a car on the side of the road and it doesn't have a police aware a sticker or police tape, or look like it's been looked at or notified, maybe just taking down the number plate and taking down some photos, not necessarily going up to the car and touching the car, because we don't want to damage any evidence or create any problems for investigators if they are investigating.

But you know, just taking notes of those sorts of things is a really important part of it.

And I have certainly become more aware of that in my recent time, since doing a lot of deep dives into these cases.

And how important that is because I hadn't really ever thought about it.

I drive past it, I don't think about it.

But hence why I think there's a lot of people who probably think the same, So it's important to bring it to people's attention.

It certainly is.

So how quickly did the police act to start searching, and by which time you have been to the police multiple times saying there's something wrong?

And I'm going to say the first forty eight hours of someone going missing is the most critical time in a missing person's case.

I'm absolutely baffled that this is still happening and your family was ignored in twenty twenty five.

But what assumptions do you believe police made about Scott and your requests for help?

Okay, we were still there our daughters on that Monday afternoon and I got a phone call from the saying that they're out searching.

They started to search on the Monday afternoon.

That search went for five days, their drone, their police talk.

I think it was mainly the Ses and far weik Gat that did the bulk of a certain our son in laws.

Two of them on the Tuesday, spent the whole day.

Our sun in laws since been out there some sixteen times, walked the hills, walked the bush.

The detective told us that Scott Bush got lost, probably didn't survive the first night.

Tick end of.

Story is that what they actually told you.

The detective told us that the last footprint they say was before the scrub, and they say that he just went up in the thick scrub, got lost, probably didn't survive the first night and would be lost up there somewhere.

End of story.

But there's too much evidence to suggest otherwise.

With other footprints that our son in laws actually discovered that they didn't want to know.

About, very disheartening.

And so I would assume and hope that they would look at where that footprint ended before the scrub, and they would have sent dogs and areas up there.

I actually I know that Chris Darcy.

So the episode that just dropped is me having a chat with Chris Darcy.

I've done a couple of searchers with Chris myself for my mum's case, but they haven't had any luck either with their dogs doing that search.

No.

No, we only found out about Sydney a couple of months ago, and with our daughter and son in law that actually compacted them.

Then I'm more than happy to come up and do a search.

We met them out there actually the first day that they were there.

Fantastic just just to meet them and see what they actually do.

You know, they're good people, good people.

They flew their drone lot, what area and what the police ever is.

So they've spent four days altogether, I think, searching and they said they will come up again.

But they've checked drone footage back at their base in Sydney.

Nothing nothing to indicate that Scott ever went further up in the bush.

I mean, you would know if someone had gone through Dick Scrub, you know, the ground would be flattened, twiggs would be broken.

And potentially like even clothing things like that torn on branches and.

Exactly, and our son in law said, think that you wouldn't get anyway.

Well, I'm sorry that they said that to you, and that once again making assumptions you probably are aren't familiar.

You're so new in this missing space, so you might not be familiar, and I know you very fresh.

To podcasts as well.

But they did a similar thing with my mum when I went into the police station.

My mum was supposed to be overseas and she'd missed my brother's birthday, which was very out of character.

And my friend came over for dinner and she said, why don't you ring the bank and see if she's using her bank account, And so we did that and found out reluctantly.

At the beginning she said, I can't tell you anything due to privacy, and then she paused and said, did you say your mum's overseas and I said yes, and she said, oh my god, there's money coming out of her bank account in Barron Bay and five thousand dollars every day for three and a half weeks was coming out of her bank account in Barron Bay, and then three days in the middle was back up in Burly Heads in Queensland and then back down in Byron Bay.

Now she'd left her car with me.

She sold her house before she went on this trip, and we went to the police and they literally it was years later that I actually saw the cops event and they actually reported my mum's and occurrence only and wrote words of the effect that you know she's capable of this behavior because she's been married three times and divorced three times.

Oh, she's capable of this behavior.

And an occurrence only is like someone breaking into your house and stealing your TV.

So you know this was happening in nineteen ninety seven.

I would really hope that we'd be better at this by twenty twenty five.

It's just baffling to me, and why I wanted to jump on with you this week so we can get it out as soon as possible, because you know it is very fresh for you guys.

He's been missing for two hundred and fifty days and we need to really try and make some loud noise and awareness and.

Get the police to do more.

So you have expressed to me your concerns about the police response.

Can you elaborate on how their lack of has affected your pursuit for answers.

Okay, well just not with the initial search and their conclusion with that, the detectives that or we're just going on the back, you know, but one footprint to them is the fact that he's gone up to push got lost.

Not in my world anyway.

No, no, no, no.

So since then, with all done statements at the police station, except for our old stored angela, did you feel comfortable to go up there?

We're all given statements, and I've given the police names of associates of Scott's that he may have been in touch with.

I know that he had friends out at our local beer pie mission here.

I gave them the name of a person out there and some other associates, and we've really had to push for them to even contact any of them.

They have with a couple of them, but only by phone.

Anyone can say anything over a telephone if they're covering for Scott or whatever, you know, they know where he is, might actually go to their house and talk to them face to face.

But no, they have never done that.

We haven't heard from the detective now, my husband and I for probably two and a half months.

I guess nothing.

Our daughter has of emails asking him to follow a couple of possible sightings, but they're reluctant to even do that.

They think that it's all rubbish.

Shaw of these people that have possibly seen him, they kind of dismiss it.

Well, probably because they didn't look at the time when it actually counted, like the days that you guys were going into the police station and saying, can you please help us something's wrong.

Yes, very disappointing, and I'm really sorry that you guys are going through this.

I still can't believe I'm asking these questions in twenty twenty five, but I am.

And if there was one thing you would wish that law enforcement would have done differently, what would that be?

I think to act more quickly, listen to the family.

I mean, we know they did capture some CCT footage when there was a possible sighting.

It will hope, I said to the detective, Well, the family needs to actually view that CCT footage because we know Scott's walk.

Everyone has the trait about them, you know, and the way they move.

But no, that's never happened.

They took a glance at it and said it wasn't hire.

End of story, and they didn't let you have a look at it.

No, they wouldn't let us have a look at it at all.

And then we get in trouble from it, do you hear, Because then we phoned Paul mccroie Police to try and get some more answers and see if they would investigate it.

The detective says, well, paying with other police and then there's no communication with me and or there's no communication anyway, what do we do?

Do We sit at home and you know, do nothing?

Have to keep searching.

And so have they indicated to you where the case sits at the moment.

Is it still with tai Police or have they moved it to the Missing Person's Unit.

His name is on the National Missing Person's Register and we had to push for that to happen as well.

Yeah, so that's different though to New South Wales Missing Person's Unit.

So the Missing Person's Register is run by the AFP.

The AFP can't do it without New South Wales Police or the jurisdiction in charge of the case asking for it to be put on and even if any changes have to be made, it has to go through the police.

Okay, but you know there is a big problem in New South Wales.

I feel that Missing Person's Unit a lot of the cases were pushed back to the original location for where the person was reported missing, for example, and it's left with the station to actually be the ones managing the case, where I feel that they should be with Missing Persons Unit, people who have an understanding and empathy and appreciation for what families are going through, as opposed to a detective who probably hasn't read the handbook, like in my mum's case, since they joined the force when they were nineteen and they're now in their sixties, making assumptions about what's actually happened to this person.

I am going to tell you, and I'm really hopeful this doesn't get to this point.

But after twelve months of someone being missing, the police are supposed to do a P seventy nine B form.

So that form is designed that if a person who has gone missing has not contacted their next of kin within twelve months from the date from when they went missing, the coroner is supposed to have that form given to them, and it's them then making a decision whether they have an inquest or whether you know what the next steps are.

So just keep that up your sleeve because it could be a case.

And I hate to say it, but you know, the silence is pretty common.

So you keep going and if you don't get any answers, I'd keep going to the next police station as well and say, look, these guys are doing nothing.

He's still missing.

I actually did put in a formal complaint to the laws, complaints about their mishandling of Scott's case.

Did you get a response?

It just got referred back to the Tari police station for an internal review.

We had a visit from a policeman who peddles these actions, who just kind of smoothed it.

Over so pretty much take he's a but send it back to where the complaints come from so they can manage their own complaint.

That's right, That's exactly what happened.

It came full circle.

Waste of time, excellent, good news.

Not sorry to laugh, but I just say it's laughing.

It's unbelievable.

Crazy.

All right, Well, let's talk about a bit of a positive side of this, and that would be the community and the online support that I'm seeing you guys are getting.

So Marilyn, as I mentioned before, as your youngest daughter, and she created a Facebook page called can you help find Scott Hayden?

Yes, and Hayden is Spelch Haydn And on the ninth of September was when that Facebook page was created.

From what I can see, and it already has one point five k followers.

So for your knowledge, it took me twenty years to get over one thousand followers on Facebook, so that's quite tremendous.

And that shows me the fact that things are moving in this space and people are really starting to engage and offer to help and jumping in where they can.

And Marilyn is doing an amazing job.

She's the person that I originally was messaging to and she said, talk to mum because Mum's got all the details.

So you know, it's nice to see that the public are following along and lots of comments.

So I guess it was only two weeks ago that I first reached out on the page, and you know, I think Marilyn was a little bit skeptical and thinking, I don't know, we don't really listen to podcasts, and I said, look, this is just a gentle conversation.

There's no pressure.

If you would like to, I'd be very happy to help.

Do what I can and here we are, so you know, I think you know the Missing Matter podcast is what this is all about.

I think I could jump on and just tell the stories, but I think it comes across so much better if the families are actually sharing their experience with everybody, because these are real stories, they're real people, And I think, you know, there's been a lot uncovered from me being able to, in my own mum's case, be able to be a part of the podcast that I did with Channel seven in such a big way.

I was able to sort of give them a lot more information than them just finding it online.

And half the time that's incorrect anyway.

So I always like to come back and we go back and forth a few times, don't we with making sure that everything is correct and we've got all that information right, because there is more problems when people actually put information out online and in podcasts and things like that without fact checking and making sure that the information is correct, because that can cause a lot of problems.

But I saw that there's a pinned post and when I checked a couple of days ago, that had nine hundred and eighty three shares and over three hundred comments and one point two k likes, and that's a huge reach for people who don't manage a page as such.

When you click on your stats or the insights and seeing how many people would have viewed that post, being that there's been nearly a thousand shares, that is humongous.

Like the algorithm just goes crazy and reach at the end of the day is how we find the clues and hopeful answers to what's happened, and most importantly, you know, find Scott and he's safe and well, which is the goal.

What would you like to say to everyone who is liking and sharing and commenting to help Scott and what does that support feel like for you?

Guys?

Overwhelmed by the response.

Most responses positive, you know, we're thinking of your family were shared, We're prep your family, those sorts of things.

A couple of responses have been, oh yes, I believe I saw Scott intern Worth and he reported it to the police a couple of months prior.

And it's done things like that.

It all gives us hope.

You go to bed that night and think, Okay, well maybe he's out there somewhere, you know, and so it gives us hope to keep going and destinate that people are rallying around and the overwhelming support it has been fantastic.

Gives you that inner strength, doesn't it to keep going when you've got nice people in your corner and you're battling with all these other things that you shouldn't have to battle with.

To be fair, they should be helping you just as much.

But the support of the community is what keeps us going.

Certainly has helped me for a very long time now, and having those people in your corner is extremely helpful.

That support work is so important, isn't it.

You know, I'm in the same boat of well, you know my mum is still missing too, And you know it comes down to lived experience in these cases, I think a lot of the time, and being able to just have some empathy and understanding and being able to share with people what I've had to endure and the things and knowledge that I've sort of gathered along the way to help people like you guys.

So know that the.

Community is huge and there's lots of love and support and care.

So you know, once we connect, we're connected.

So you reach out to me anytime you like I can.

You've got my number appreciate that, and we can chat whenever, even if you just need someone to talk to, you know, so you just know that that offer is always there.

So there have been a few suggested sightings of Scott you mentioned that just a moment ago, but none of them have been verified.

What message would you like to convey to anybody who might have information about Scott?

And how can people contact you directly if they have information they'd like to share?

If anyone cites Scotty, he may have changed his name, he may have grown a bed, but he's got very distinctive tattoos unlike else you know, I've ever seen tattoos.

One arm Scott triple seven and yahweight on it, which is another name for God.

Mm hmm, checkered tattoos.

On the underarm of that arm, he's got a line with a crown on top the same arm up in the upper arm.

On the other arm, he's got triple eight.

I'd also like to say, I'm sure people can message you guys through your Facebook page, can you help find Scott Hayden.

But I also say to people they're welcome to email me at info at the Missingmatter dot com and I will forward any emails onto you.

Of course, we do always promote for people to ring crime stoppers.

However, make sure you do get a reference number and probably giving the family the reference number and letting them know that you have done something or you have reported something, and then I personally would then give that to the detective and say, I know that this person has run crime stoppers.

Here is the reference number for that call.

Can you please ensure that you get it, because in my own mum's case, I know for a fact that things weren't passed on, and that is concerning in itself because that's supposed to be a platform for people to ring and give information.

And you know, we really hope that it's being done properly because these people's lives matter and it's really important.

They certainly do, yes, and if anyone cites even if they're not one hundred pcent certain, hey, that's him.

Still reach out to the family.

There a little bit of information sort of helps put the pieces together and it will help us locate him, you know, and.

Make sure you share these podcasts with everybody because someone might listen and go, oh, I remember I saw that person, I saw that car, and he's got a distinctive car.

Right, it's like bright gold yellow color.

Yes, yes Jesus number plates and so.

It stands out and I know the car has been found, but someone might have seen it, and it's so fresh, like it's not that long ago that this all happens.

So that's why it's important to get onto it as quick as possible.

What keeps you guys going as a family during this incredibly difficult time.

I think we've got great support from our daughters, you know, our grandchildren that we see quite a bit of it live locally.

Is that keeps us going?

We keep busy.

We try to keep busy and stay positive, really try to stay positive.

I mean there are days where you think, oh, you know, maybe to get lost up in the bush and blah blah blah.

Now I think, no, I'm not going to try and dwell on that worst case scenario because that's not helpful.

Hope is a big thing.

Yeah, and it can keep you healthy too.

If we dive ourselves into a despared state where we are thinking the worst, it actually is not very healthy for us.

So the days where you don't want to be here yourself, you start thinking like that.

So and it is hard and you know Scott was a grown man.

But you know, we started this episode and the very first question, and you were very upset by that.

And it shows people how raw and how hard this is.

It doesn't matter who they are, they all matter.

Definitely certainly do.

And you know it's important that we do our best.

And even if it's just that support, you know, sending the family a nice email or a message to give them support, that does go a long way in our space.

So if Scott was to hear this podcast, Janette, what message would you want to share with him directly That.

Our family desperately love him and we miss him so much that it's not the same for us anymore.

It never will be until he's located.

It's turned out our world upside down.

We don't care about the two sessions.

They mean nothing to us.

They can be replaced.

Someone's life can't be We just want to know that he's safe, that hopefully someone kind is looking after him, that he's being supported by a group with Salvation Army, someone that looks up homeless people.

We're thinking maybe it would be homeless, and there's a lot of those in our country.

Sad we just love him more than our own lives, you know, like as you do with your children, you just wanted the best for them.

We just want to know that he's happy wherever he is, that he's you know, he's safe.

He's a big thing.

And it needn't have been like this.

You know, we could have worked this out.

Listen.

I always like to end these episodes with why the missing matter?

Can you tell everybody why Scott matters?

Scott?

Because he's an adored and grandson and uncle and brother in law and cousin.

You know, many cousins are one of ten children, so I'm a really big family.

He's so important in our lives.

Is there only son?

Our first?

For Scott and I had a very close bond his mother and so, and he could normally talk to me about everything.

But to drugs change people, you know, who become someone they don't want to be.

And I mean, I don't understand addiction, but it has such a long people's pops and you can make them do things totally out of character, things that they would never normally do.

And this is certainly not normal for Scott.

He'd always contact us if he's any trouble.

He'd always come back home.

You know, whether he had this pre plan that he was going to have time out somewhere, whether he knew someone that lived away that we were not aware of.

We don't know.

It's all those questions at the moment and answered questions.

I just want to reach through and give you a big hug.

So know that I'm giving you a big virtual hug as best I can.

And I wish I was there in person.

We were so far away, so much appreciate.

How much.

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Missing Matter.

Next week we'll bring you the final episode for twenty twenty five, a closing chapter for the year, and a moment to reflect on the stories, the families, and the voices we've shared.

If you're new to the podcast, or if you'd like to revisit any of the cases we've covered, there are plenty of episodes waiting for you.

Just scroll back through the feed on your favorite podcast app, and we'll see you next week for our final episode of twenty twenty five.