A Belgian woman's phone was found in Australia's Tasmanian wilderness over two years after she disappeared, offering a glimmer of hope in a case that had long seemed hopeless. The discovery came from an independent search party organized by Celine Cremer's friends and family, who found her phone at a waterfall on Saturday. This marks the first sign of Cremer in the area where she went missing, aside from her car, which was discovered 10 days after her last confirmed sighting in Waratah, Tasmania. The phone will undergo further forensic examination, and Tasmania Police will now formally join the independent search for Cremer. Cremer was last seen on June 17, 2023, in Waratah, and investigators believe she drove to Philosopher Falls, a waterfall surrounded by dense rainforest, intending to take a short walk. Unfortunately, she did not return, and her friends reported her disappearance to Tasmania Police on June 26, 2023. The initial search effort was hampered by harsh winter weather, including subzero temperatures, snow, and rainfall, which medical experts advised could not have supported Cremer's survival. Over the years, follow-up searches have yielded no clues, but the recent discovery of Cremer's phone suggests she may have veered off course during her walk and lost her way. The phone was found in an area that had been extensively searched previously, and phone data supports the theory that Cremer may have used an app to leave the Philosopher Falls track for a more direct route back to her car as daylight faded. The searchers, including Cremer's friends and the adventure filmmaker Rob Parsons, were emotional as they discovered the phone, with Parsons describing the moment as 'meant to be'. The police, while not leading the search, had been supporting the effort by sharing information and advice about what to do if anything was discovered.
