Mother issues devastating message as homicide detectives join in search for the 26-year-old
Caroline Wilga has been travelling in Australia for the past two years and was last heard from by friends on June 29.
She was seen on
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
12 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Decades after a Nazi captain stole an erotic Roman mosaic, it returns to Pompeii
A preliminary analysis of the panel by archaeologists suggests it may have originally adorned the floor of a bedroom in a villa, although its exact provenance is not known. The analysis dated the mosaic to the Vesuvian era, which takes its name from the period around 79 AD, when an eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii with volcanic materials. The mosaic was delivered to Pompeii under the supervision of the Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, a specialist Italian police unit founded in 1969 to combat illicit trafficking of the cultural artifacts and known colloquially as the Carabinieri Art Squad. At a news conference, the squad's Major General Francesco Gargaro said the mosaic was seized by an unidentified Wehrmacht captain, referring to Germany's wartime fighting forces, although the exact chain of events surrounding its theft may never be known. According to Gargaro, the looter was tasked with administering logistical supplies in wartime Italy and gave the piece to another person in Germany. For decades, its existence remained unknown to Italian authorities - until they received a call from the heir to the person who received the mosaic. 'I must emphasise the enormous sensitivity of this gentleman,' said Gargaro, who described how the unidentified man realised the panel's historic significance when he inherited it from his father. The mosaic was then delivered to the Italian consulate in the German city of Stuttgart, he said, which organised its repatriation. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, said the repatriation of the artifact 'heals a wound'. He said that where the mosaic originally came from may never be known, but that his team will conduct scientific analysis on the artifact to date it as precisely as possible. According to art historians, German Nazis and Italian fascists alike were fascinated by Ancient Rome - believing their modern empires to be its symbolic heirs. Researchers have chronicled examples of Nazi officials requesting gifts of Roman antiquities from Benito Mussolini's regime. Other ancient artifacts were stolen or illegally exported throughout the wartime period by a network of art dealers, troops and civilians - much of which was undocumented and untraceable. The exact route by which this mosaic made it to Germany remains unclear. The mosaic will be temporarily displayed in Pompeii's Antiquarium Museum, which displays artifacts from the site, as it undergoes further study and analysis.
1News
2 days ago
- 1News
Rescued backpacker lost 12kg during Australian outback ordeal
A German backpacker who spent almost two weeks lost in the outback after abandoning her bogged van lost more than 10 kilograms during her ordeal. Carolina Wilga was found by a driver on Friday, after disappearing on June 29 near the remote WA town of Beacon, about 300km northeast of Perth. The 26-year-old returned to social media on Monday night, posting photos from her hospital bed in Perth. Wilga is playfully smiling and holding a bunch of flowers in one image, surrounded by a vast array of food. "When you need to gain 12 kilograms back," the Instagram caption read. ADVERTISEMENT The second image is a close-up of the tasty delicacies, including chocolate and pastries. "Thanks to the German Consulate," the caption said. German backpacker Carolina Wilga recovering in a hospital in Perth. (Source: WA Police ) Wilga suffered cuts, bruises, dehydration and fatigue during her ordeal in bushland, where overnight temperatures fell to almost zero. In a statement on Monday, she thanked her rescuers and explained why she left her Mitsubishi van, which police found about 35km from a main track in a dense bush nature reserve. "Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food and clothing there," she said in the statement issued by WA Police. ADVERTISEMENT "The answer is: I lost control of the car and rolled down a slope. In the crash, I hit my head significantly. "As a result of the accident, I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost." Wilga also thanked the driver who found her, describing the woman named Tania as a "rescuer and angel". "Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community," she said. She believes she survived because of an "incredible outpouring of support". "The thought of all the people who believed in me, searched for me, and kept hoping for me gave me the strength to carry on during my darkest moments," she said. "For this, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart." ADVERTISEMENT Police previously said Wilga spent just one night with her van after it got bogged in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve bushland. She followed the sun and walked 24km west, thinking that would be her best bet of finding a road. She had minimal food and water and was in the elements for 11 nights.
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Rescued backpacker reveals why she abandoned van in Australian outback
A German backpacker who spent 10 nights lost in the outback says she abandoned her bogged van in a state of confusion after hitting her head. Carolina Wilga was found on Friday afternoon by a motorist, after last being seen on June 29 in the Western Australian town of Beacon, about 300km northeast of Perth. The 26-year-old remains in hospital after suffering cuts, bruises, dehydration and fatigue during her near two-week ordeal in remote bushland, where overnight temperatures fell to almost zero. Wilga has thanked her rescuers and explained why she left her Mitsubishi van which police found about 35km from a main track in a dense bush nature reserve. "Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food and clothing there," she said in a statement issued by WA Police today. ADVERTISEMENT "The answer is: I lost control of the car and rolled down a slope. In the crash, I hit my head significantly. "As a result of the accident, I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost." New images of Carolina Wilga's bogged van on Friday showed just how badly bogged and remote it was when the backpacker decided to abandon it. (Source: Nine) Wilga thanked the motorist who found her, describing the woman named Tania as a "rescuer and angel". She thanked police, the people who searched for her, the German Consulate and medical staff "who took care of me with so much compassion". "Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community," she said. She believes she survived because of an "incredible outpouring of support". ADVERTISEMENT "The thought of all the people who believed in me, searched for me, and kept hoping for me gave me the strength to carry on during my darkest moments," she said. "For this, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart." Police previously said Wilga spent just one night with her van after it got bogged in the Karroun Hill Nature Reserve bushland. She followed the sun and walked 24km west, thinking that would be her best bet of finding a road. She had minimal food and water and was in the elements for 11 nights.
