After an extensive Tasmania Police search operation focusing on the area surrounding Fluted Cape, no sign of Rachel Funari has been found.  Police scaled back the operation yesterday, with the land search now ceased pending any further information. 

Efforts to locate Ms Funari are continuing, however, with police keen to find further evidence and provide Ms Funari's family with greater certainty about what has happened. 

Police inquiries will continue both on and off Bruny Island.  The focus of the investigation is now to confirm the last known movements of Ms Funari and identify any avenues of inquiry police may have missed.  Witnesses are being re-interviewed, other evidence reviewed; and police are still keen to hear from anyone who may have seen Ms Funari, or who was on the island around the time of her disappearance.

The description of Ms Funari is continuing to be circulated to a wide audience, including professional fishing bodies, walking clubs, rangers, tour operators and water police.

Ms Funari, a 35 yr old US national from Victoria, was last seen approximately 3:30pm on Thursday 3 March 2011 at a shack directly adjacent to the start of the Fluted Cape Walking Track.  Police later searched the shack and found all her belongings, except for the clothes she was believed to be wearing, a disposable camera and small black shoulder bag containing her phone and personal effects.

Witnesses have told police that on the day she was last seen, Ms Funari had discussed walking the track.

While there remain several possibilities as to what has happened to Ms Funari,    on the information at hand to date, no evidence or indication of a crime has been detected.  The most likely scenario is that Ms Funari has perished while walking the shore or cliffs along the Fluted Cape Track.  Despite the weight of evidence supporting this theory, police remain open to other possibilities.

Ms Funari's sister and friends returned to Victoria this evening.  Ongoing contact with the family will be maintained, with regular updates provided by investigating police.

Tasmania Police Media
(03) 6230 2296