Eight months after the bushwalker lost contact with his group in deep Tasmanian forest, a renewed hunt for him has tragically ended.
A volunteer searcher found human remains on Saturday in the Eagle Hawk Tier area of Underwood, north of Launceston.
The remains are thought to belong to 76-year-old Peter Willoughby, a missing bushwalker who was last seen in the Hollybank region on October 5 of last year.
Around the time the Scottsdale resident went missing, the area had severe weather, which stopped the search and prevented the use of drones or helicopters.
According to Tasmania Police Inspector Aleena Crack, “the volunteer contacted police immediately after the discovery.”
One of the search coordinators, Alex Smith of Find Our Lost Loved Ones, was called to the base camp and informed that human remains had been discovered.
He told the ABC, “We had [Mr. Willoughby’s] relatives there.”
It’s a mixture of relief and grief. Being able to assist was simply wonderful.
On Saturday, volunteer searches in the Eagle Hawk Tier area, north of Launceston, turned up human remains thought to belong to Peter Willoughby (pictured).
During a resumed search on Saturday, a volunteer searcher found human remains. Police are shown in the photo from a prior search.
Paul Helleman, a volunteer searcher, continued, “It’s a bittersweet thing really… the whole case is sad of course.”
“But I suppose there’s also some celebration because it gives the family closure.”
Fifty volunteers participated in the most recent search over the weekend.
Police, ambulances, and SES rescue resources played a major role in the hunt for Mr. Willoughby when he first went missing.
However, the bad weather made it dangerous to deploy drone or helicopter resources.
Inspector Crack stated that before Mr. Willoughby’s family could ultimately find closure, further work needed to be done.
“We understand how upsetting this development may be for his loved ones, and while everyone involved hopes it will help to provide answers, formal forensic analysis is required before we can determine whether the remains belong to Peter,” she stated. “Forensic testing is yet to be completed, but at this stage we can confirm the remains appear to be an adult human male.”Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Mr. Willoughby.
The coroner will receive a report.
