Remains found in Australia ID’d as missing backpacker Celine Cremer: ‘We finally have answers’

Human remains found on Tasmania have been positively identified as a missing Belgian backpacker who disappeared there nearly three years ago while on a solo hike.

Celine Cremer, 31, vanished in June 2023 near the Philosopher Falls in Waratah, with her disappearance remaining a mystery until January, when a volunteer search-crew member stumbled upon human remains about a two-hour walk from where her possessions had been found on the Australian island.

In a statement Friday, Tasmanian police said forensics tests confirmed the body was Cremer’s.

“After almost three years of endless waiting, we finally have answers,” her sister, Amelie Cremer, wrote on Facebook. “Today, our hearts are upset, but at the same time. After all this time, Celine can finally go home. She will be able to rest in peace, surrounded by love that never left her side.

“Celine, we never forgot you,” she wrote. “Not one day, not one second.”

The missing hiker’s case had baffled authorities, with the only clue coming in December 2025, when Cremer’s possessions were found.

Then in January, searcher Jarrod Boys found the remains.

“The bones that I saw were just lying on top of a pile of soil and stones,” he told reporters at the time. “I guess I went into shock. I was very overwhelmed. I’m not a particularly emotional guy, but, yeah, it was definitely an emotional experience for me.”