“It’s time for her to come home,” said a tearful family friend as police confirmed the discovery of a crucial item in the long-stalled search for Celine Cremer, the 31-year-old Belgian tourist who vanished in Tasmania’s remote northwest wilderness more than two years ago. The Samsung phone, found on December 13, 2025, near Philosopher Falls by a private search party of Cremer’s Belgian friends, has sparked renewed hope and urgency in a case that baffled investigators and gripped the world since April 2021. “This changes everything,” Tasmania Police Acting Sergeant Sarah McHenry told reporters, as the device—identified through serial numbers and confirmed by Cremer’s family—undergoes forensic analysis for data recovery. What messages, locations, or clues it holds could finally unravel the mystery of how the vibrant traveler, last seen hiking alone in the rugged Tarkine rainforest, disappeared without a trace.

Cremer, a philosophy student from Brussels known for her love of adventure and nature photography, arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa in February 2021. Described by friends as “fearless and kind-hearted,” she embarked on a solo trek through Tasmania’s northwest on April 12, posting a joyful selfie from Corinna on the Pieman River that day: “Lost in the wild—pure magic.” Her last contact was a 4 p.m. text to her mother, Marieke, saying she was heading to Philosopher Falls, a 4km trail in the takayna/Tarkine region near Waratah. When she failed to check in by April 14, alarms rang. A massive search involving helicopters, drones, and 100 volunteers scoured 50,000 hectares of dense rainforest, but yielded nothing—no backpack, no phone, no signs of struggle. Police scaled back after two weeks, classifying it as “unexplained but not suspicious,” citing the area’s hazards: sudden weather changes, treacherous terrain, and disorientation risks.

The phone’s discovery—by four of Cremer’s Belgian friends who flew in for a five-day private search starting December 8—has reignited the case. Found partially buried in mud near the falls’ base, the device was remarkably intact, protected by a waterproof case Cremer favored for her hikes. “I just melted,” said friend Sophie van der Velde, who spotted it while combing the underbrush. Tasmania Police rushed it to Hobart labs for extraction; early tests show water damage but potential data salvage from the cloud. “If her last photos or messages are recoverable, it could pinpoint her exact location,” McHenry said. The group, led by Cremer’s brother Louis, vows to continue: “Celine’s spirit is in these woods—we won’t stop until we bring her home.”

Cremer’s family has endured agony. Mother Marieke, a Brussels teacher, has campaigned relentlessly, funding searches with GoFundMe raising €150,000. “Two years of silence—every day a knife,” she told De Standaard in October 2025. Brother Louis added: “The phone is a sign—she’s telling us to keep looking.” Tasmania’s wilderness, part of the UNESCO-listed takayna/Tarkine, is notoriously unforgiving: dense myrtle beech forests, peat bogs, and sudden fogs have claimed lives before. Police initially suspected misadventure, but no body or remains fueled theories of foul play or abduction.

The find has global echoes: Belgium’s foreign ministry renewed appeals, while Tasmania’s Premier Jeremy Rockliff pledged resources. “Celine’s story reminds us of our wild beauty’s dangers—and our duty to search,” he said. As labs work overtime, hope flickers amid grief. Cremer’s Instagram, frozen at 2021 selfies amid ferns, whispers: adventure’s call answered, but home’s pull stronger. Tasmania’s forests hold secrets; her phone may unlock them. The unraveling begins—may it lead to peace.