An abandoned van belonging to a German backpacker missing in the Western Australian Outback for two weeks has been found – but she was not with the vehicle.
Carolina Wilga, 26, who has spent two years backpacking around Australia working at mine sites and farms, was seen with the van on CCTV at a service station in Toodyay, northeast of Perth, on June 28.
She made contact with friends the next day while travelling near Beacon, in WA’s remote Wheatbelt region, and visited a convenience store but then vanished.
Another burnt-out van, stripped of licence plates, was spotted by local man Geoff Roberts 1000km away in Gnaraloo, on the Ningaloo coast, about 11 hours from Ms Wilga’s last known location – but it was later revealed to be a different vehicle.
Mr Roberts raised the alarm after seeing the call for information on the Western Australia Police Force Facebook page.
‘Very similar vehicle to this one burnt out between Gnaraloo 3 Mile camp and the homestead. Plates have been removed,’ he posted on social media, tagging in WA Police.
Police are yet to confirm the link to the missing backpacker, but its discovery has deepened fears for Ms Wilga, who has not been seen or heard from in 11 days.
She was believed to be travelling in the black and silver 1995 Mitsubishi Delica van with WA licence plates 1HDS330 and a distinctive rooftop tent.
Carolina is described as having a slim build, long frizzy dark blonde hair, brown eyes, and several tattoos, including on her left arm
The burnt-out van, stripped of licence plates, was spotted by local man Geoff Roberts in Gnaraloo, around 11 hours from Ms Wilga’s last known location
Police are yet to confirm the find, but the sinister claim has only deepened fears for the young woman, who has not been seen or heard from in 12 days
Her phone has since been switched off, and investigators say all contact stopped suddenly.
Ms Wilga is described as having a slim build, long frizzy dark blonde hair, brown eyes, and several tattoos, including on her left arm.
She has not been seen or heard from since her last contact with friends in Beacon and the visit to the convenience store.
Homicide detectives have now joined the case, although police say it is not officially a murder investigation ‘at this point’.
‘We are very concerned for her welfare,’ WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said.
‘They are investigating – not that it’s a homicide at this point, but we want our very best capabilities to investigate something that is very concerning to us.’
The WA Police air wing has also been deployed, with land and aerial searches underway across the vast outback region, with the hunt now spreading across the state.
‘This is unexplained behaviour, it’s concerning behaviour,’ said homicide squad detective senior sergeant Katharine Venn.
On Thursday, WA Police released new images of Ms Wilga’s last sighting at a service station
Carolina Wilga was seen at the Toodyay service station in the WA Wheatbelt (pictured)
Ms Wilga was also seen the following day at a convenience store in Beacon, 230km away
‘We have information from a wide variety of sources of friends and associates that Carolina was intending to travel throughout regional, remote WA.
‘She may have intended to travel over east and so our search area is therefore vast.
‘As far as we are concerned, all jurisdictions are aware, there are alerts on her vehicle.
‘We’re considering information from any state or territory in terms of citing information [about her].’
She added: ‘We have air assets – so helicopters and planes have been searching that immediate area of the Wheatbelt around Beacon.’
‘That certainly forms a significant part of our search effort, but we are also following up with leads across towns including Albany, Esperance, Margaret River.
‘We are taking it very seriously, but it is also possible that Carolina could be traveling in remote WA.
‘She could be off-grid, not have access to her phone, and she certainly had capacity in the vehicle she was travelling in to be self-sufficient for quite some time.’
Carolina Wilga, 26, who had spent two years backpacking around Australia working at mine sites, was last seen on June 28 on CCTV at a service station in Toodyay, northeast of Perth
Police say Ms Wilga was travelling in this black and silver 1995 Mitsubishi Delica van with WA licence plates 1HDS330 (pictured) and a distinctive rooftop tent
Remote Gnaraloo, on the Ningaloo coast, is about 11 hours from Carolina’s last known location
On Thursday, WA Police released new images from CCTV of her last sighting at the Toodyay service station in the WA Wheatbelt region, and were later able to rule out any connection with the burnt out van.
Police said Ms Wilga would routinely contact her family before she vanished, but they last heard from her on June 18. The family now hold grave concerns for her.
Her devastated mother, Katja from Castrop-Rauxel near Dortmund, appealed to the public for help in response to a post shared on social media.
‘I’m her mother and need yourhelp, as I can’t do much from Germany,’ she commented on a social media post.
‘Carolina is still sorely missed. If anyone has any information, please contact the police. Please keep your eyes open!’
Police are urging anyone with information or dashcam footage from the Beacon area or northeast Wheatbelt between June 29 and July 4 to come forward.
