Police found the distinctive Mitsubishi Delica van that the 26-year-old was driving in the Karroun Hill area yesterday afternoon, 11 days after she was last seen in Beacon.
Additional resources have been deployed to the area as her family and authorities hold serious concerns for her welfare.
Here is everything we know about her disappearance.
Wilga is a 26-year-old backpacker from Germany.
She has been travelling across Australia for the past two years, but has recently called Western Australia home.
She has been working at mines in regional parts of the state to fund her accommodation, predominantly at hostels in Perth.
Wilga is described as having a slim build, with long wavy brown hair, brown eyes and several tattoos, including one which depicts symbols on her left forearm.
Where was Carolina Wilga last seen?
Wilga was last seen driving her van in Beacon, more than 300km north-east of Perth in the Wheatbelt region, on June 29.
Police released CCTV footage of her pulling up at a general store in Beacon about 12.10pm that day.
Wilga, dressed in blue jeans and a cream jumper, was seen peering into the store and walking around the property before leaving in the car about five minutes later.
It was also the last time she was in contact with her friends.
What do we know about Carolina Wilga’s movements?
Police have been told by friends that Wilga had planned to travel through regional WA, and also to the east coast.
A staff member at one of the places she stayed in Perth, The Old Fire Station Hostel, said she told “a lot of people different things”.
“I feel like as a traveller you’re not really sure where’s the next destination,” Daniel Sammons told 9News.
Wilga appeared to have been travelling in a north-east direction from Perth in her van.
Wilga had stopped at a petrol station in Toodyay about 4.30pm on June 28 before travelling more than 70km to Dowerin.
She then made her way more than 150km to Beacon on June 29, where she was last seen.
Police described the Wheatbelt region as having “inhospitable, rocky terrain”.
Her van was found abandoned further north-east in Karroun Hill yesterday, more than 90km from Beacon and 400km from Perth.
Police believe the van had suffered mechanical issues.
Wilga was not found with her van and remains missing.
“The family are understandably distraught, very worried, as any of us would be with a young family member on the other side of the world missing in such unusual circumstances,” WA Police Homicide Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Katharine Venn told reporters yesterday.
What happens next in the search?
Police have ramped up their search, sending additional resources to Karroun Hill.
Planes and helicopters are scouring the area for Wilga as police follow up leads.
Police have maintained that they are still exploring all lines of inquiry in the missing persons investigation and are not ruling anything out.
Anyone who may have information on Wilga’s whereabouts is urged to come forward.
Anyone with footage in the Beacon area and the surrounding north-east Wheatbelt area between June 29 and July 4 is also urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
”Someone out there must have some vital information which can assist WA Police in bringing Carolina back to her family and friends,” Venn said yesterday.
