A chilling new theory has taken hold in the mysterious disappearance of Belgian backpacker Celine Cremer, after years of fruitless searching and only scattered clues — including a recently recovered mobile phone and other items found deep in the Tasmanian bush. The prevailing explanation now suggests that the 31-year-old may have strayed from the main walking track as daylight faded, becoming disoriented in treacherous terrain while trying to return to her parked car, possibly without her phone once it fell from her pocket.

Celine was last seen on June 17, 2023, in Tasmania’s rugged Philosopher Falls area near Waratah, northwest of Hobart. Her white SUV was found parked at the car park on June 20, but despite extensive police searches — involving specialist rescue teams, drones, helicopters and ground crews — no sign of her was found at the time. Authorities suspended the formal search two weeks later, citing harsh weather conditions and expert advice that she was unlikely to have survived exposure without adequate gear.

For more than two years after that, family, friends and volunteers continued sporadic private search efforts, combing dense bushland where terrain can shift from manageable trail to near-impenetrable scrub. A breakthrough came late last year when Celine’s mobile phone was located by volunteer searchers under thick horizontal vegetation well off the main track. Police confirmed the device belonged to her and took it for forensic examination. Finding the phone in this spot has reshaped investigators’ understanding of her last movements.

Searchers and private investigators involved in the renewed drag of the wilderness believe phone data suggests her journey veered off track not long after she set off. As daylight faded and weather deteriorated, she may have believed she could take a more direct route back to her car, veering off the clearly marked trail into dense scrub and horizontal bush that has since proven nearly impossible to traverse safely.

That theory dovetails with the discovery of additional items — including a water bottle and a hole-punctured garbage bag near fallen trees — which might indicate she attempted to fashion makeshift shelter or protection from rain and cold. While neither item has been conclusively linked to her, investigators plan to test them for DNA as part of the ongoing examination of the site.

On January 28, human remains were found near Philosopher Falls by a volunteer, supporting the idea that Celine may indeed have become disoriented and pushed deeper into the almost impenetrable bush. Tasmania Police confirmed the remains are human, but cautioned formal forensic analysis — including DNA comparison — is still needed to establish identity. Her family in Belgium has been informed of the discovery, which they hope will bring long-awaited answers.

According to members of the renewed search effort, the bushland in which Celine vanished is deceptively rugged. Thick walls of horizontal scrub, moss-covered logs, and boulder fields create natural obstacles that easily block sightlines and make navigation without a functioning GPS or phone nearly impossible, especially as freezing temperatures and storms roll in mid-winter.

The theory that she attempted a shortcut — one that led her further from safety — highlights the cruel unpredictability of remote wilderness. Investigators believe that without reliable signals or clear landmarks, locals walking even a few hundred metres off trail can wind up disoriented, and in Celine’s case, potentially unable to retrace her steps before nightfall.

Police and search officials emphasize that this new understanding does not point to foul play. Early in the investigation, Tasmania Police also considered — and largely ruled out — abduction or criminal involvement, noting there was no evidence to suggest another person was involved at the site. The focus has instead remained on environmental factors and the difficulty of navigating the rugged terrain without proper equipment or shelter.

For Celine’s family, the emergence of this more detailed theory — backed by phone data, physical clues, and volunteers’ on-the-ground insights — may bring some measure of clarity to years of heartache. While final forensic confirmation is still pending, the explanation that she became lost, disoriented and perhaps tried to find her way back under extreme conditions resonates with both search crews and loved ones who long feared that she did not survive the wilderness.

As forensic and police investigations continue, authorities say they will share further details in due course, including what the remains and any data extracted from her phone may reveal. But already, this developing theory paints a haunting, sobering picture of what may have transpired in Celine’s final hours — a once-inexperienced hiker caught in the merciless expanse of Tasmania’s remote bushland.