A woman has been found in remote Western Australia, nearly two weeks after a German backpacker disappeared in the area.
Local media reports the woman was picked up by a member of the public near Beacon, a small town about 200 miles northeast of the city of Perth.
Police are yet to confirm the woman’s identity but it’s believe she is missing German backpacker Carolina Wilga, who was last seen at a general store in the town on June 29.
The 26-year-old had been missing for nearly a fortnight, and police found her van abandoned on the edge of a remote nature reserve.
The German national has been backpacking through Australia for the last two years, according to police, alternately working in mining sites in regional WA and staying in backpacker hostels in Perth.
Police had deployed helicopters and planes in the ongoing search, according to local media reports, and Detective Senior Sgt Katharine Venn said on Thursday that there are growing concerns for her welfare.
“Someone out there must have some vital information which can assist WA police in bringing Carolina back to her family and friends. We encourage anyone with information to come forward and contact police,” she said.
The detective also said it was possible that Wilga was visiting picturesque but “very remote” tourist spots. Her vehicle was found in the Karroun Hill area, which boasts a 3097 sq km nature reserve.
“She could be off grid, not have access to her phone, and she certainly had the capacity in the vehicle she was travelling in to be self-sufficient for quite some time,” Det Sen Sgt Venn said, according to The Guardian. “[Her] family are understandably distraught, very worried, as any of us would be with a young family member the other side of the world, missing in such unusual circumstances.”
Ms Wilga’s mother, Katja, pleaded for information about her daughter on social media.
“Carolina is still sorely missed. If anyone has any information, please contact police,” she said, according to Australia’s national broadcaster the ABC.
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