Police are turning to a new tactic in their desperate search for the missing 31-year-old Belgian backpacker who went missing three weeks ago.
- Police deploy helicopter in search of missing backpacker
- The weather in Tasmania reduces their chances of survival
Tasmanian police have deployed a helicopter in search of a Belgian backpacker who has been missing for two weeks.
A break in difficult weather conditions allowed search and rescue teams to use the helicopter to search the area where Celine Cremer went missing on June 17.
The 31-year-old man was reported missing Monday after concerned family and friends raised the alarm.
She was last seen in the small town of Waratah, about 200 kilometers west of Launceston in Tasmania.
Police have deployed a helicopter in search of 31-year-old Belgian backpacker Celine Cremer (pictured) after she went missing in the Tasmanian bush two weeks ago.
On Tuesday, police found his white Honda CRV in the Philosopher Falls Trail parking lot, opening up a new line of investigation.
Officers are hoping to speak to a walker who may have been in the area where the car of a missing Belgian backpacker was found.
Search teams continued to search for Ms. Cremer over the weekend, and the State Emergency Service used all-terrain vehicles to search for various leads around Philosopher Falls on Saturday.
Due to recent weather conditions in the Tasmanian bush, the police believe their chances of finding Ms Cremer alive are slim.
Police located Ms Cremer’s white Honda CRV (pictured) in a parking lot on Philosopher Falls Trail, about 200km west of Launceston, on Tuesday.
Investigators received multiple calls from members of the public who accessed the walking track between June 17 and June 26.
Police are now investigating whether Ms. Cremer’s white Honda CRV might have been in the Philosopher Falls parking lot before June 20.
“Police would like to speak to a walker who was in Philosopher Falls at around 2:30pm on Sunday June 18,” Tasmania Police said in a statement.
“This person has no problem, we urge you to get in touch as they can help us establish Ms. Cremer’s movements before she disappears.”
Police believe the chances of finding Ms Cremer alive are slim due to unfavorable weather in the Tasmanian bush.
The person is urged to contact the police on 131 444.
Police continue to investigate Ms Cremer’s movements since June 17.
Inspector Anthea Maingay said search teams had focused their efforts on Philosopher Falls.
“We are continuing our efforts to locate Celine…we have received expert medical advice indicating that recent weather conditions were not survivable during the time Celine is believed to have been exposed in the wild,” it said.
“Our thoughts remain with Celine’s family, and we continue our efforts to locate her in an attempt to provide some answers at this tragic time.”
Police are looking for another hiker who was on the trail around 2:30 p.m. on June 19.
Police believe the Belgian woman was only equipped for light walking and got lost.
The young traveler had spent a few months in Australia and was posting on social media about her travels.
Australia is really so beautiful! And so big,’ she wrote to a friend in a Facebook post.
The Philosopher Falls walking trail in Waratah remains closed to the public.
