A chilling discovery in the Australian wilderness has brought new answers to the mysterious disappearance of Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, who vanished during a harsh Tasmanian winter. The 31-year-old backpacker's remains were found in the summer, near the spot where she was last seen. Celine had packed lightly for a relatively easy hike through the Tarkine rainforest in June 2023, but days later, her family reported her missing. Tasmania Police made a grim discovery in the peaceful forest: five bones, two teeth, and a Honda car key. The car key belonged to Celine. The bones, teeth, and key were found about 2km away from Philosopher Falls near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania's northwest. While people going missing in Australia's harsh outback are more common, the dense rainforest presents its own challenges. Police believe Celine set off on the track leading to Arthur River, then tried to take a shortcut back to her car as night approached. She dropped her phone at some point and continued disoriented. She was last seen on June 17, 2023, and a major search was launched after her family reported her missing on June 26. The next day, her white SUV was found in the Philosopher Falls car park. Insp. Andrew Hanson said the conditions after her disappearance were not survivable. The official search stalled, but Celine's friends and family organized their own search, and in December, a volunteer found her Samsung phone. Police then resumed the search, and Hanson suspects she continued without her phone, becoming disoriented in the dense terrain. On January 28, a bushwalker found human remains near the disappearance site. Forensic testing is underway to confirm the remains are Celine's. The bushwalker, Jarrod Boys, described seeing bones 'just lying on top of a pile of soil and stones' and called the police immediately. Police are now scouring the riverbed and riverbank, and on January 30, they found a bra, thermal top, more bones, and a polar fleece jacket believed to belong to Celine. While the state coroner will investigate her disappearance, the forensic testing of the remains continues, and there is hope that the mystery of Celine's disappearance will finally be solved, more than two and a half years later.
