Death of Belgian backpacker in Tasmanian wilderness ruled an accident
A coroner has ruled the 2023 death of a Belgian backpacker an accident after she disappeared while on a bushwalk in Tasmania.
Coroner Madeline Wilson ruled that Celine Cremer, 31, died following a series of errors in the Tasmanian wilderness between June 17 and 21 three years ago.
Belgian traveller Céline Cremer went missing on June 16, 2023. Tasmania Police
Before her disappearance, the Belgian national had been on a working holiday in Australia and was travelling along the Tasmanian west coast before she was set to return home.
Investigations began after she failed to meet a friend as planned and her parents were unable to contact her, prompting a missing persons report.
Police immediately launched a 10-day search involving SES, drones and a helicopter, discovering that her phone last pinged a base station in Waratah on June 20, 2023.
Cremer was believed to have gone on a bushwalk at Philosopher Falls, but didn’t return and her empty white Honda CRV was found in a car park.
A 10-day search was launched following her disappearance. Tasmania Police
Police believe she got lost trying to find her way back to her car.
The coroner ruled earlier this week that the Belgian-national died following a “confluence of errors”.
“I am satisfied that the involvement of another person in Ms Cremer’s death can be definitively ruled out,” Coroner Madeline Wilson said.
“The death of Ms Cremer was the result of a confluence of errors that commenced when she took the walking track towards Magnet Dam, having visited the Philosopher Falls lookout, instead of returning directly to the car park.”
In January, human remains discovered by a bushwalker searching the Philosopher Falls area were later confirmed to belong to the missing bushwalker.
Later that week, Tasmanian police discovered more human remains along with items of clothing, which they believe belonged to the missing Belgian tourist.
Wilson also said that Cremer’s DNA was not detected on a water bottle and plastic bags found in the search, but instead both tested positive for male DNA.
The Belgian-national’s death was rulled an accident by a coroner. Céline Cremer
“Given the location of the human remains recovered, it is likely that she became disoriented and without the benefit of her phone.
“[She then] mistakenly changed direction and began moving towards the Arthur River,” she said.
“Alternatively, she may have made a conscious decision to find and then follow the Arthur River.”
Wilson ruled that there was no way of telling how Cremer ended up in the river, speculating that she could have slipped and fallen from the banks while trying to cross it.
While Tasmanian Police abandoned the search after 10 days, local bushwalker Jarrod Boys discovered her remains in January as part of ongoing efforts to locate her.
Volunteers also continued the search more than two years after she was first reported missing by family members.
The massive independent effort was also documented on YouTube, and it’s understood Boys joined the search after watching those videos.
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