Arabic version: متطوعون يعثرون على بقايا يُشتبه بأنها بشرية قرب جورج تاون

According to ABC News, volunteers have found what are believed to be the remains of missing George Town man Michael Vrankovic, after Tasmania Police and the State Emergency Service had previously searched for him extensively.

Mr Vrankovic was last seen on January 13 and was reported missing eight days later. Police and SES crews searched around George Town for six weeks, using foot, motorbike and helicopter searches across coastline, bushland and mountains. On Friday, a member of Find Our Lost Loved Ones, known as FOLLO, located suspected human remains on a bush block on the outskirts of the town, only hours into a planned three-day search.

FOLLO said it selected the case because it was recent, accessible and involved a relatively contained area. The group had about 60 volunteers split into five teams, its largest contingent so far. Its approach involves preparing for months, studying terrain, dividing locations into measured grids and recording coverage while searchers walk methodically in lines.

FOLLO secretary Alex Smith said the volunteers had been in regular contact with Tasmania Police and that collaboration was important. He said the police and volunteers had searched hundreds of kilometres before the group adjusted its focus to a slightly different area. FOLLO president Jon Edmunds said the location had been burned off since Mr Vrankovic disappeared, making it more open than it had been months earlier.

Tasmania Police Inspector Melanie Groves said police would work collaboratively with anyone seeking a missing person and that the public could “absolutely” have confidence in police search capabilities. A police spokesperson said protocols for engagement and information-sharing with volunteer search groups were still being finalised, following a coroner’s recommendation after the death of missing Belgian tourist Celine Cremer. FOLLO also found human remains in May while searching for missing Scottsdale man Peter Willoughby.