Skeletal remains may be German backpacker: Australian police

The skeletal remains of a young woman found two years ago in an Australian forest may be those of a German backpacker, police said Saturday.

Police have been unable to identify the body. Officers dubbed her 'Angel' after a T-shirt found at the site bearing a rose and heart with wings with the word Angelic in pink text.

The victim was aged between 13 and 25. Her body was dumped in the Belanglo Forest 100 kilometres south west of Sydney in 2010. Forensic tests show she died up to 10 years earlier. Police say her remains showed signs of injuries and they are treating her death as suspicious.

The remains were found in the same forest where serial killer Ivan Milat killed seven backpackers including three young Germans.

But police said "Angel" could not be Milat's victim because she died after he was jailed for life in 1996. Some investigators believe that Milat did not act alone.

Police said they have received information that she may have been a German or European backpacker who worked at a vineyard in Western Australia in 2000.