SH0CK FIND IN THE BUSH: After 26 months with no answers, the search for missing Belgian hiker Celine Cremer just hit a nerve.
Police confirm a water bottle and a garbage bag were uncovered deep in Tasmania’s bushland — items that shouldn’t be there. Investigators have revealed who left them… who may be rewriting her final steps
Celine Cremer search in Tasmanian bushland uncovers water bottle, garbage bag
Celine Cremer has been missing since 2023. (Supplied: Tasmania Police)
In short:
A water bottle and a garbage bag that had holes in it have been found in dense Tasmanian bushland where Celine Cremer disappeared more than two years ago.
A renewed search by a private investigator and friends of the Belgian tourist is underway, and they have already found her mobile phone.
What’s next?
The search will be paused after today while police examine the phone and other items.
Searchers have found a water bottle and a garbage bag that may have been used as a poncho in the Tasmanian bushland where Belgian tourist Celine Cremer went missing more than two years ago.
Ms Cremer disappeared during a bushwalk at Philosopher Falls near Waratah in June 2023, and until last weekend, no sign of her was found other than her car parked near the track.
The water bottle will be tested for Celine Cremer’s DNA. (Supplied: Rob Parsons)
An independent search party, including a private investigator and some of her friends from Belgium, is re-searching the bushland near Philosopher Falls.
A volunteer found her mobile phone on Saturday, about 300 metres off the track, leading Tasmania Police to join the renewed search effort.
Filmmaker Rob Parsons and searchers looking for Celine Cremer in bushland in Tasmania’s north-west on Wednesday. (Supplied: Rob Parsons)
Private investigator Ken Gamble, who is leading the search, told ABC Northern Tasmania Breakfast the search party has now found more items of interest.
“One is a Mt Ossa spring mineral water bottle, which was found with a garbage bag next to a tree, which someone may have used this location for shelter,”
he said.
“So that’s a new area of interest for us today.”
The garbage bag may have been used as a makeshift poncho. (Supplied: Rob Parsons)
Mr Gamble said it was unclear if the items belonged to Ms Cremer, but Tasmania Police will test them and search for a trace of DNA on the water bottle.
“It could be just someone’s discarded it, so we don’t want to get overly excited about whether it may be hers, but we have handed it to police, and it will be tested in case it was hers — it is possible,” he said.
“Celine’s the sort of person who would never leave rubbish behind. She did carry garbage bags.
The discovery of Ms Cremer’s phone gave searchers hope of finding more evidence.
“This particular garbage bag looks like it may have been cut out into a poncho — someone’s cut a hole and potentially used it as a raincoat.”
Police believe Ms Cremer may have walked off the track when the sun was setting, potentially using her phone to navigate, then dropped her phone and could not find it in the dark.
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More items found in search for Celine Cremer (ABC News)
Experienced bushwalker and searcher Rob Parsons posted the discovery on Facebook and said the “potential shelter” containing the water bottle and garbage bag was about 300m from where the mobile phone was found.
The water bottle is a Tasmanian brand and has an expiry date of April 2024, indicating it may not have been recently left there.
“Back into it today to continue the mission. Let’s go!” Mr Parsons wrote.
The best before label on the mineral water bottle found in an area that could have been used as a shelter. (Supplied: Rob Parsons)
Mr Parsons told ABC Mornings there were about 30 people in the search line today, with about 12 police officers in the mix.
He said conditions were favourable and the discovery of more items of interest — and an area that could have been used as a shelter — had buoyed their spirits.
“We have high hopes that it could have been hers and certainly fits the narrative in the direction that she was heading before she lost her phone,” he said.
“We feel like we’re hot on her trail.”
Mr Parsons is optimistic more evidence will be found today.
“I mean, obviously, after two years all we can hope for is some remains,” he said.
“If that’s possible, that would be an amazing outcome. It would mean we have closure, we know exactly what happened, Celine can be returned and we can solve the case.”
Ms Cremer’s phone was found on day one of the search. (Australian Story: Morgan Timms)
Search to pause while items tested
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Mr Gamble said 30 people joined the search yesterday, including volunteers, police officers and State Emergency Service members.
“We strongly believe she is in there somewhere,”
he said.
“The area around where she got lost stretches out into quite a vast area, so had she gone in the wrong direction, she may have walked a long way.”
The search area is dense bushland with large fallen trees, making it difficult for the team to cover ground quickly.
Mr Gamble said the plan was to pause the search after today while police examined the phone and other items.
“We’ve done four full days of searching, so my team is pretty exhausted,” he said.
“It makes sense that we might postpone it until better weather.”
Tasmania police have confirmed the items will be forensically tested.
The tourist went missing in dense bushland near Philospher Falls. (Supplied: Working Drones Australia)
Catering team supports volunteers
A team of six people has been providing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the search team.
“We’ve provided quite an array of comfort food,” Waratah resident Judi Hunter said.
‘Everyone wants an answer’: Renewed search for missing Belgian tourist
“Last night I had to quickly cook up another dish because the food was just flying out the door.”
The catering team starts at 5:30am, then returns in the evening to prepare dinner.
“They come in, they have their breakfast, we’ve got all their sandwiches ready — muesli bars, fruits, cakes, there’s cordials — and they can grab whatever they want,” she said.
Ms Hunter moved to Waratah just weeks before Ms Cremer disappeared, and painted a memorial in her honour, which was installed at the trail head.
Waratah resident Judi Hunter organised the Men’s Shed as the basecamp for the search and volunteers to prepare food. (ABC News: Mackenzie Heard)
She said there was a sense of camaraderie amongst the volunteers.
“Everybody is here for a common purpose,” she said.
“They’re not here because the job tells them to be here, they’re here because they want to be here — they want to find Celine.”
The search will be postponed after today.
