A volunteer bushwalker who joined the search for Celine Cremer after watching YouTube videos has found what are believed to be the Belgian tourist’s remains in remote Tasmanian bushland.
Jarrod Boys made the discovery on Wednesday morning near Philosopher Falls at Waratah, more than two and a half years after the 31-year-old vanished.
Tasmania Police confirmed a pathologist had reviewed images of the find and determined the remains were human.
Boys told the ABC he found the bones about three kilometres north-east of the water race Cremer is believed to have walked before disappearing.
“I stopped to catch my breath and looked down and about a metre in front of me was a couple of human bones,” he said.
“Straight away I was in shock and took as many photos as I could for police and made my way back into phone service.”
He said the remains were “just lying on top of a pile of soil and stones”.
Boys became involved in the search after watching footage posted online by Tasmanian filmmaker Rob Parsons, who has been documenting the case for months.
Parsons confirmed on social media on Wednesday that he was not the person who made the find.
“Jarrod has put in a huge amount of time and effort and his determination deserves recognition,” he said.
The filmmaker, who lives about two hours from where Cremer disappeared, had been preparing for another search effort with a four-person team today.
That trip has been cancelled while police and forensic teams carry out their work.
Parsons began exploring the Philosopher Falls area in 2024, using GPS data recovered by private investigator Ken Gamble to retrace Cremer’s final movements.
His videos attracted hundreds of thousands of views and helped build an international community of volunteers.
In December, the effort paid off when searchers found Cremer’s phone – the first physical evidence since her disappearance.
Parsons described it as “the biggest breakthrough” in Celine’s disappearance since her phone data was recovered from online servers.
The discovery strengthened the theory that Cremer had left the marked trail and become disoriented in dense rainforest.
Before focusing on the Cremer case, Parsons built his YouTube following through videos about gold prospecting and mineral fossicking in Tasmania’s wilderness.
Wednesday’s discovery fell on his birthday.
“… While this news is incredibly heavy and comes with a lot of emotion, if it does ultimately lead to answers, it would be the best gift I could ever receive, the possibility of finally giving Celine’s family some certainty and closure,” he said.
Parsons said he would release a follow-up video but wanted to do so carefully and respectfully.
“Right now, the focus must remain on the forensic process and Celine’s family,” he said.
Tasmania Police inspector Andrew Hanson praised the volunteer effort.
“The person who located these remains has been dedicated to searching for Celine for some time,” he said.
Cremer’s family in Belgium has been notified. Her mother, Ariane, said on social media they are expecting answers in “three weeks max”.
“Whatever these answers are, we thank all the people who invested in supporting us and allowing us to try to find Celine,” she wrote.
Formal forensic analysis is required before police can officially confirm the remains belong to the missing tourist.
