A young German woman, who was found alive after going missing for 12 days in the Western Australian outback, appeared to have survived without one of her shoes.
Carolina Wilga, 26, had been living and working in Australia for about two years and had recently set off to explore regional WA when she was reported missing.
Two days into her trip, friends and family lost contact and authorities issued pleas for information after she was last seen on June 29 at a general store in Beacon, a small town about 300km northeast of Perth.
But on Friday afternoon, a member of the public found her limping along bush track at the edge of the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve where her van was found the day before.
Ms Wilga, who suffered minor injuries and was ‘ravaged by mosquitoes’, was filmed approaching a plane that would airlift her to Perth Hospital.
But, while her hair was in a top knot and she wore a large sweatshirt, she seemed to be missing a shoe to the alarm of viewers.
‘I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story,’ WA Police Inspector Martin Glynn told reporters.
‘She’s coped in some amazing conditions. (It’s a) very hostile environment out there.’
German backpacker Carolina Wilga (pictured) was airlifted to hospital in Perth after going missing in rural Western Australia for 12 days
In video of Ms Wilga walking from a car to the plane, she appeared to only wear one shoe
Before entering the plane, she could be seen moving slowly and leaning against the door.
‘As you can imagine from the trauma she’s suffered for the last few days, she’s been obviously through a great deal,’ Insp. Glynn said.
‘She’s obviously in quite a fragile condition at the moment,’ he said.
He said her family had been informed straight away after she was located.
At 1.10pm on Thursday, WA Police discovered Ms Wilga’s Mitsubishi Delica van abandoned in the Karroun Hill area, about 100km north of where she was last seen.
In a press conference just before Ms Wilga was found on Friday, Insp Glynn said the young woman appeared to have carried out ‘extensive efforts’ to free the vehicle after it became bogged.
‘She’d used MAXTRAX and pieces of wood to try to free the vehicle from its location but unfortunately was unsuccessful,’ he said.
‘Quite frankly it’s really inhospitable ground to move through easily, and as I said, it has rained recently, there are wet spots and vehicles will get bogged often.’
The 26-year-old had last been seen at about midday on June 29 at a general store in Beacon, a small town about 300km northeast of Perth
Timeline of the disappearance
June 28 – Ms Wilga left Fremantle
Ms Wilga’s friend saw her leave the Sundance Backpackers hostel in Fremantle on June 28.
Her friend Denise Kullick told German media Ms Wilga had planned to travel with a friend to a seaside location to become a yoga teacher – but ended up setting off alone.
Another friend, in Australia, was also in contact with Ms Wilga twice on the same day, the first was a text message at 7am.
In the message, Ms Wilga explained she would not be able to drop off a book and a jerry can as she had ‘some stuff she needed to handle’.
Police shared CCTV of Ms Wilga’s 1995 Mitsubishi Delica van at a petrol station in Toodya
CCTV footage captured Ms Wilga driving into a petrol station at 4.28pm on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay – about 90km northeast of Perth.
Ms Wilga parked, exited her van and filled it with petrol before heading inside the service station to pay.
At 4.38pm, the friend received a voice message from Ms Wilga in which she was heard saying: ‘I just couldn’t wait anymore. Ugh. I felt tired’.
Shortly after, at 4.41pm, Ms Wilga left the petrol station.
Ms Wilga had been living and working in Australia for about two years
Police searched Western Australia’s vast Wheatbelt region for the young traveller
Police believed Ms Wilga departed Toodyay and embarked on the 230km journey northeast, stopping at Dowerin, on the way to Beacon.
June 29 – Ms Wilga is last seen
Ms Wilga was last seen on CCTV footage taken from a general store in Beacon, about 300km northeast of Perth in the Wheatbelt region, at 12.10pm on June 29.
She was spotted wearing ripped blue baggy jeans, a cream long-sleeve jumper and a similar coloured scarf.
The young backpacker was captured peering into the store and walking around the property.
About five minutes later, she got back into her van and left. Police believed she travelled to Wialki, a further 25km east of Beacon.
June 30 to July 9 – Ms Wilga makes no contact
From June 30, friends and family were not able to contact Ms Wilga, nor were there any sightings of the young traveller.
Police issued a missing person alert on July 7, with details of her disappearance and an appeal for information or sightings of Ms Wilga.
On July 9, Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch told media police were ‘very concerned’ for Ms Wilga’s welfare.
Police also used their air wing team for a ‘large search and rescue’ operation
Detectives from the homicide squad were also called in to help find the missing backpacker.
Commissioner Blanch added her disappearance was not being treated as a murder ‘at this point’.
‘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,’ Commissioner Blanch said.
It was believed her phone had been switched off, police said.
The police air wing also joined the ‘very large search and rescue’ operation, with officers scouring the immense Wheatbelt region for clues to her whereabouts.
July 10 – Ms Wilga’s van is found
Police located Ms Wilga’s black and silver 1995 Mitsubishi Delica van in Karroun Hill at 1.10pm on Thursday.
The van was found abandoned, more than 50km north of Wialki, with police believing the vehicle had suffered mechanical issues.
Ms Wilga was not found.
Ms Wilga’s family have been told that she was found alive on Friday
Police shared a photo of the van showing orange recovery boards under the back wheels, which are devices used to help with traction for a vehicle stuck in mud or sand.
July 11 – Ms Wilga is found
Police said she may have wandered into the outback after her van broke down in Karroun Hill.
Police ruled out foul play.
‘(Her disappearance) is unexplained behaviour … and we are taking it very seriously,’ Sergeant Venn said.
‘There is no indication that there’s any third party involvement in her disappearance but our minds are open to any line of inquiry or any information that people bring forward to us.’
She was then found on Friday afternoon by a member of the public walking along a bush track.
