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Grave fears for German backpacker Carolina Wilga missing in WA's remote Wheatbelt

Grave fears for German backpacker Carolina Wilga missing in WA's remote Wheatbelt

Police have escalated efforts to find a German backpacker missing in Western Australia's Wheatbelt for more than a week.
Caroline Wilga, 26, had been travelling Australia for two years, and was last seen near Beacon, 330km north east of Perth, on June 29.
WA Police say they have serious concerns for Ms Wilga's welfare, with the major crime squad now assisting with the search and investigation.
Commissioner Col Blanch said the police air wing was searching bushland around the town.
"We haven't seen her or heard from her since (June 29), her mobile phone is not currently on, we are very concerned," he told ABC Radio Perth.
"Now the major crime, homicide squad are investigating. That doesn't mean its a homicide at this point.
"But we've certainly got our very best capabilities doing that investigation because we do have serious concerns."
Mr Blanch said Ms Wilga had maintained regular contact with her parents before her disappearance, adding to the concern.
He said her intended destination was unknown and she could be travelling in a black and silver 1995 Mitsubishi van, registration 1HDS 330.
"The vehicle is very distinctive," Blanch said.
"It's two-tone, it's got a rooftop tent, it would be very easy to spot if you're driving and it's on the side of the road," he said.
Ms Wilga is of slim build, with frizzy or curly, long, dark or blonde hair and brown eyes. She has several tattoos.
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