Human remains found in search for 31-year-old woman who disappeared over 2 years ago during walk in the wilderness

Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, 31, has been missing since June 2023 after she was last seen walking in the wilderness in Australia

Celine Cremer Tasmania Police Facebook© Tasmania Police Facebook

NEED TO KNOW

Human remains have been located in the search for 31-year-old Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, who went missing in Australia’s Tasmanian wilderness in June 2023
Local police said forensic analysis will be conducted to determine whether the remains belong to Cremer
The discovery of human remains comes weeks after Cremer’s phone was found at Philosopher Falls on Dec. 13

Human remains have been found during the search for missing Belgian tourist, Celine Cremer, two years after she went missing in Australia’s Tasmanian wilderness.

The Tasmanian Police (TP) confirmed in a news release on Wednesday, Jan. 28, that human remains were located near Philosopher Falls in Waratah by a volunteer in the search for 31-year-old Cremer, who was last seen in June 2023.

“…A pathologist has reviewed images and confirmed the remains are human,” said Police Inspector Andrew Hanson. “The volunteer contacted police immediately after the discovery, and officers from the Western District, along with specialist forensic personnel, are attending the scene.”

Cremer was last seen in the mining town of Waratah, which borders the Tarkine rainforest, on June 17, 2023. Forensic analysis of the remains will be conducted to determine whether they belong to Cremer, per the release.

Cremer’s family in Belgium have been notified of the discovery.

“We understand how distressing this development may be for her loved ones, and while everyone involved hopes it will help to provide answers, formal forensic analysis is required before we can determine whether the remains belong to Celine,” Hanson added.

Volunteer Jarrod Boys, a bushwalker, found the remains about 1.86 miles north-east of the Philosopher Falls car park on Wednesday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

“The bones that I saw were just lying on top of a pile of soil and stones,” he told the outlet.

Police during the search for Celine Cremer Tasmania Police Facebook

Search efforts have continued for Cremer after her disappearance over two years ago.

In the police news release, Hanson added that the volunteer who located the remains “has been dedicated to searching for Celine for some time, and their continued efforts and that of other volunteer search parties reflects the strong community support behind this matter.”

The discovery of human remains comes weeks after an item of Cremer’s was found in the area.

Cremer’s phone was discovered at Philosopher Falls on Dec. 13 — the first item of hers found since she went missing, PEOPLE previously reported.

Philosopher Falls in Tasmania Getty

Police believe that she drove to Philosopher Falls, parked her car and “set off on what was meant to be a short bushwalk,” but failed to return, according to a previous news release. Cremer was reported missing nine days later.

The next day, her car was located in the Philosopher Falls parking lot. A two-week search was initially conducted for Cremer, followed by several other searches over the past two years.

“In the days since Celine’s disappearance, the winter weather in the area included sub zero temperatures, snow and rainfall,” Hanson previously said. “Expert medical advice at the time indicated those conditions were not survivable for the duration she is believed to have been exposed.” The police will hold a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 29, to provide more details on the forensic analysis of the discovered remains, per ABC.