As police investigations into the suspicious death of a “fun-loving” and “good-hearted” surfer begin to stall, his brother has made a passionate plea to the public.
According to investigators, on February 27, fifty-nine-year-old Guy Haymes, aka “Creature,” was in his apartment in Manly when he was brutally assaulted.
Upon arriving at the complex, emergency services found Mr. Haymes unconscious with severe head trauma.
He was taken to the Royal North Shore Hospital but succumbed to his injuries on March 15.
Haymes earned the nickname “Creature” when he was a famous surfer from Sydney’s northern beaches all the way to Wollongong.
Detectives have been investigating his death for three months and on Thursday made a public call to help solve the alleged homicide. Police established Strike Force Flat to try and solve this mystery.
According to Detective Superintendent Patrick Sharkey, some people “have information about this assault” but have not come forward.
Mark Haymes, Creature’s brother, said Creature’s sudden death left his family in shock and searching for answers.
The family is scared and also in shock that their life has been upended in such a cruel way. The hardest part is not knowing what happened that day and not having closure.
Mark says that his brother’s unexpected death has left his family with “a feeling of emptiness.” He said he “can’t imagine” who would want to hurt his brother, who was highly respected both in the local community and in surfing.
Haymes learned to surf on the northern beaches with his family, who were very popular in the local surf scene. He is believed to have been one of the few locals who started surfing at Avalon Beach, which is now one of Sydney’s top spots.
Shortly after Mr. Haymes’ death, John and Matthew, members of his family, took to social media to honor the famous surfer.
Matthew said he is confident that whoever crossed paths with Creature would have interesting and funny stories to tell.
Another commenter said he will never forget Creature surfing inside the biggest and the “meanest of barrels.”
