A phone belonging to missing Belgian tourist Céline Cremer, who disappeared while travelling in Tasmania in June 2023, has been found in Tasmania, according to reports in Australian media.
Céline, 31, from Liège, was last seen on 17 June 2023 in the small town of Waratah, about 10km from the hike leading to Philosopher Falls, a popular landmark. Friends and family alerted the authorities shortly after when she failed to make a ferry crossing.
Her car was found in a car park at the start of the trail. Several attempts were made to find her, before police called off the official search in July of that year.
During a recent search operation led by private investigator Ken Gamble and involving four of Céline’s Belgian friends, a volunteer came across a Samsung phone with a lilac case. “I just melted. I couldn’t talk. I just could not talk,” Gamble told ABC News. “You could see [her friends] were delighted something was positively found.”
The phone’s serial number linked it to Céline and her friends recognised the device and its case. It was found 60m from her last recorded location. The device is being examined by investigators.
Tasmanian police had previously suggested Céline had started her trek in bad weather conditions, Belga News Agency reports. In June, it can snow heavily and temperatures can drop below 0°. The dense vegetation also makes the terrain difficult to access.
