Bones, Teeth and a Car Key Found During Search for Woman Who Vanished While Walking in the Wilderness 2 Years Ago

"Our priority is to recover as much as we can, to build a complete picture of what has occurred, and to help provide answers,” local police said

NEED TO KNOW

• More than two years after Celine Cremer, 31, vanished in the wilderness in Tasmania, Australia, officials found teeth — and a car key
• “The search undertaken over the past two days was thorough and methodical,” said Commander Nathan Johnston of the Tasmania Police, “and many of these items were located beneath debris, embedded in the riverbed itself”
• The latest discovery came less than two weeks after a hiker found human remains, which have yet to be positively identified

As search efforts continue for a Belgian woman who vanished in the Tasmanian wilderness two years ago, local officials announced that a new grim discovery had been made.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Tasmania Police said that a two-day search near the Arthur River resulted in team members finding five bones, two teeth and a Honda car key that are believed to be linked to Celine Cremer.

“Police have today formally verified that the car key belongs to Celine,” said Commander Nathan Johnston of the Tasmania Police.

“The search undertaken over the past two days was thorough and methodical,” he continued, “and many of these items were located beneath debris, embedded in the riverbed itself.”

The latest discovery came less than two weeks after human remains, which have yet to be positively identified, were first discovered amid the ongoing search for Cremer, 31.

In June 2023, Cremer was last seen in Waratah, a historic mining town on the border of the Tarkine rainforest, before officials believe she drove her car to Philosopher Falls, where she went for a “short bushwalk."

Nine days later, the woman’s friends reported that she was missing, and her car was located near the falls the next day.

For two weeks, search and rescue teams looked for the missing woman, with concern growing as cold and inclement weather made the conditions dangerous. 

Though Cremer was not found, search teams continued to look for her — but there was no sign of her until her phone was discovered by a private search team in December. 

“I don't think there was a dry eye in the area," Rob Parsons, an adventure filmmaker and part of the private search effort, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation of the discovery.

The finding was pivotal in the search for answers about Cremer’s fate. Since then, search efforts have continued, resulting in a bushwalker coming across human remains near the Philosopher Falls area on Jan. 28, 2026, police announced.

The hiker immediately contacted authorities.

“While forensic testing is yet to be completed, a pathologist has reviewed images and confirmed the remains are human,” Inspector Andrew Hanson of the Tasmania Police said in a statement at the time.

“We understand how distressing this development may be for her loved ones,” he continued, “and while everyone involved hopes it will help to provide answers, formal forensic analysis is required before we can determine whether the remains belong to Celine.”

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Two days later, more remains and clothing, including a polar fleece jacket, believed to be connected to Cremer, were located in the same area along the Arthur River, police said. While forensic testing remains pending, officials said “the location and nature of the items found today indicate they are likely to be Celine’s.”

As authorities prepared for the latest search that resulted in the discovery of the missing woman’s car key, they said that the goal was to bring closure to her family. 

“Our priority is to recover as much as we can, to build a complete picture of what has occurred, and to help provide answers for Celine’s family,” police said on Feb. 6. “That remains at the heart of this operation.”

The Tasmania Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. 

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