A woman’s phone has been found 2 years after she disappeared in the Australian wilderness

A missing woman’s phone was found in the Australian wilderness of Tasmania at the weekend, more than two years after she disappeared, police said.

An independent search party organized by friends and family of Celine Cremer found her phone on Saturday in a waterfall, Tasmania Police said in a statement. It was the first sign of Cremer ever found at the scene of his disappearance, other than his car, which investigators found 10 days after he was last seen in Waratah, a town on the Australian island of Tasmania.

Tasmania Police said the call would be further investigated and they would now formally join the independent investigation into Cremer.

Cremer, a Belgian woman, was last seen on June 17, 2023, in Waratah, according to police. Investigators believe Cremer drove to Philosopher Falls, a waterfall surrounded by dense forest, and intended to walk a short distance to the area.

“Unfortunately, he never returned,” Tasmania Police Inspector Andrew Hanson said in a statement.

Her friends reported her missing to Tasmania Police on June 26, 2023, and the first search effort began the next day, police said.

At that time, the area was already experiencing severe winter weather, including sub-freezing temperatures, snow and rain. According to Hanson, medical experts at the time advised police that Cremer would not have survived so many days in the wilderness under those conditions.

The initial search continued for two weeks, with no clues as to Cremer’s whereabouts, and follow-up searches over the years ended similarly. The recent discovery of Cremer’s phone suggests that he may have lost his way while walking in Philosopher Falls and lost his way.

“The phone was found in a previously heavily searched area and the phone data, as well as the location where it was found, supports our hypothesis that Celine may have, using the app on her phone, chosen to leave the Philosopher Falls track to take a direct route back to her car as the sun darkened,” said Hanson, adding: “We suspect she dropped her phone and remained inactive.

Bad winter weather over the weekend delayed some search efforts, according to Tasmania Police, but Hanson said they planned to send officers to the area as soon as those conditions cleared.

Police said that while they did not lead or coordinate the investigation that led to the discovery of the phone, they “have been supporting this effort by sharing information and advice about what to do if anything is found.”

The private detective team included Cremer’s friends and avid filmmaker Rob Parsons, who posted videos of his private efforts to search for Cremer on YouTube. He explained when Cremer’s phone was received in an interview he had with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“I don’t think there was a dry eye in the area,” Parsons told the news organization. “Everybody was devastated. Everything was building up to this point where his friends would be there to find this. It was like it was meant to be.”