Police have previously said Jayleb was last seen about 10.30pm “walking off up the stream and … never seen again”.
He has not been seen for 171 days, despite searchers combing the area.
Police say they have exhausted search options and thoroughly investigated the case, including speaking extensively to the man Jayleb was with, who was helpful and co-operative.
Police do not believe Jayleb’s disappearance involved foul play, but the case remains open if new information emerges.
Aaron said he is sceptical about the man’s version of events.
“The stuff he was saying didn’t make sense to me.”
Aaron said they obtained the man’s name and address and visited his Rotorua home soon after Jayleb went missing.
He said the man was shocked to see them, but they spoke amicably.
“He just told us, ‘oh, your brother went down in the stream and just walked off in the dark’ … That didn’t sit right with us.
“He hasn’t come to any searches. I understand why, but I don’t understand why,” Aaron said.
Jayleb, whose 37th birthday is tomorrow, is an adored Tokoroa Intermediate teacher who, along with his extended Tokoroa family, belongs to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The night he disappeared, he was seen on CCTV at the Rotorua BP on Fenton St at 10.03pm.
Police were alerted to his disappearance on Friday, October 3, and found his car near the Hot & Cold pools on Waiotapu Loop Rd.
Search and Rescue teams and family members searched the bush, waterways and farmland surrounding the pools in the following weeks.
The search involved air and land crews, dog teams and drones. It was called off at the end of October.
Siblings meet key witness
Aaron said the man told them Jayleb picked him up and they stopped at the Fenton St BP before going to the pools.
Other people were already there.
Aaron claimed the man said the pair did not argue before Jayleb walked off down the stream.
The man sent Jayleb messages but Aaron understood his brother’s phone was left in his car.
Aaron claimed the man said that when Jayleb did not return by 5am, he drove Jayleb’s car around looking for him before eventually leaving the car at the hot pools and walking to catch a bus home in the late afternoon.
Aaron claimed the man did not call police to raise the alarm.
Concerns for Jayleb
Aaron said it was the school holidays and people at Tokoroa Intermediate became worried when Jayleb missed a kapa haka practice that week.
They alerted Jayleb’s flatmate, who contacted the family. The family reported Jayleb missing to police.
The family were able to access Jayleb’s messages with the Rotorua man and passed the information to police, who found his car near the pools.
Aaron said while the family respectfully understood the police’s position, he felt his brother’s disappearance wasn’t treated as a priority.
“I felt they were trying, to a degree. I understand they have other jobs but I felt it wasn’t a priority to them.”
Aaron believes there were “red flags” in the case that did not sit right with the family.
They found it strange Jayleb apparently did not take his phone to the pools when arriving after dark, and the man he had been with not raising an alarm when Jayleb did not return.
“Why didn’t you notify anyone he was missing? Did you just go home and live your normal life, knowing that that person hadn’t come back?” he said.
He said investigators examined Jayleb’s vehicle and returned it to his family.
“But when we looked through it ourselves, we found items we believed were important to the investigation, things that made us question how and why they were still in the vehicle? When we brought this to the investigation team’s attention, they apologised they had missed the items.
“As a family, that hurts deeply.”
The police response
Detective Sergeant Mahara Alcock told the Rotorua Daily Post a full forensic examination of the vehicle was completed.
“Regrettably, contraband items believed to belong to the occupants were inadvertently left inside the vehicle by attending police staff.”
Alcock confirmed the family brought this to police attention.
Police had since recovered the items, which remained in police custody.
Asked about forensic testing in the case, she said police had sent “relevant items” to the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (formerly ESR) for forensic analysis.
“As further testing is required, police will liaise directly with family members to provide updates and discuss the results once they become available.”
Asked to confirm Aaron’s account from the man with Jayleb at the pools matched what this witness told police, she said police had spoken to this man and other witnesses.
The man had been “co-operative and helpful to the inquiry”.
Bay of Plenty Police district field crime manager Detective Inspector Lindsay Pilbrow said significant resources and effort were invested when Jayleb disappeared.
“The investigation and search for Jayleb were treated as a high priority by both the investigation team and Search and Rescue [SAR] team.”
He said the search included SAR teams, specialist resources such as aerial searching and police search dogs. One dog was seriously injured after falling into geothermal waters during the search.
He said that reflected the level of commitment at the time.
“While I appreciate this is an incredibly difficult period for the family as they seek answers, there is nothing at this stage to suggest foul play in Jayleb’s disappearance.”
He said police had spent considerable time speaking with the family and updating them on the investigation. Police remained available to answer any of the family’s questions.
“We remain committed to locating Jayleb and will continue to follow up on any positive lines of inquiry that may arise.”
What the witness said
The man Jayleb met the night he disappeared, who the Rotorua Daily Post has elected not to name, was contacted for this story.
He said it was “still unreal” to him that Jayleb disappeared.
“I still struggle to come to terms with a situation that still is a mystery to me too.
“I am thankful to have the backing of the Rotorua Police, who were great to me throughout the investigation.”
He declined to comment further and did not respond to a request to corroborate Aaron’s account of their conversation.
Where to now?
Aaron said the family met this month to plan a new search, which they would be inviting the public to join.
The search date and area would be announced soon.
The family this week started a Givealittle page aiming to raise $60,000 to enable them to hire a private investigator.
Aaron said there were still people who could come forward with information, including others at the hot pools that night.
They might not want to disclose they were there for whatever reason, but he said their information could be crucial.
The family has put together an $8000 reward for information leading to finding Jayleb and also planned to write to MPs.
Rotorua Seventh-day Adventist School pupils last week did a letterbox drop appealing for information.
Principal Lanea Strickland said the Dean whānau had contacted her to ask for their help, so Pukaki house members did it as part of an annual service commitment.
She said the children delivered flyers to Whakarewarewa and Fenton Park homes, near the Fenton St BP Jayleb visited.
They hoped to “ensure his face and story remain in everyone’s hearts and minds”.
“We carry the Dean whānau in our prayers, asking for strength, peace and truth to guide Jayleb home.”
Aaron runs a Facebook page in Jayleb’s honour, called bringjaylebhome. Family and friends post daily messages and photos to keep his memory alive.
“It’s hard, but that’s what keeps me going. Especially for my family. It’s something that a lot of us look forward to, we try and speak his name more. We feel hopeless but that’s the little bit we can look forward to.”
Aaron’s voice quivers as he discusses the case, and he politely apologises for getting upset.
Around his wrist are two beaded bracelets with Jayleb’s name on them, made in Jayleb’s favourite colour – green.
Aaron said he looks for his brother everywhere, every day.
“We get so many messages, they say ‘oh, I think he’s in Queen St’, but we just know that that’s not him.”
The family would not rest until they had answers.
In his view: “I feel like it’s been foul play. If it wasn’t, we would have found him by now but we are at the point where we just want him back. We understand the timeframe and everything that has passed but [we need] closure for our family.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.