NEW CASE FILE INFORMATION
%20copy.jpg)
MARJOLEIN'S LETTER + OFFICIAL EARLY TESTIMONIES OF FELICIANO, EILEEN, MIRIAM AND OTHERS
18 July, 2025
I recently had the opportunity of getting access to the case files. To which I'm very grateful. Below I will summarize the content of a letter, various interviews and affidavits and reports in these case files for you. I will make sure to provide all details, followed by a critical analysis. Starting with Marjolein's letter to Ingrid, followed by the affidavits of Feliciano and Eileen plus commentary. Then I will continue to cover the affidavits of Mr. Angel Palacio Sanchez, Mr. Lorenzo Montezuma, Mr. Luciano Bejerano Rodriguez and Miriam Guerra. I'll also add a summary of the transcript of the eyewitness inspection proceedings of both the bedroom of Kris and Lisanne and the location where the boot of Lisanne and later the jeans shorts of Kris were found. I end this blog post with some information taken from official case-related communication and a summarization of the most important observations that can be made from all these files. I also made three different Youtube videos about Marjolein's letter, Feliciano's affidavits and about Eileen's affidavit. (For those averse to reading). I will add them (all the way) below as well.
I recently had the opportunity of getting access to the case files. To which I'm very grateful. Below I will summarize the content of a letter, various interviews and affidavits and reports in these case files for you. I will make sure to provide all details, followed by a critical analysis. Starting with Marjolein's letter to Ingrid, followed by the affidavits of Feliciano and Eileen plus commentary. Then I will continue to cover the affidavits of Mr. Angel Palacio Sanchez, Mr. Lorenzo Montezuma, Mr. Luciano Bejerano Rodriguez and Miriam Guerra. I'll also add a summary of the transcript of the eyewitness inspection proceedings of both the bedroom of Kris and Lisanne and the location where the boot of Lisanne and later the jeans shorts of Kris were found. I end this blog post with some information taken from official case-related communication and a summarization of the most important observations that can be made from all these files. I also made three different Youtube videos about Marjolein's letter, Feliciano's affidavits and about Eileen's affidavit. (For those averse to reading). I will add them (all the way) below as well.
MARJOLEIN'S LETTERJust to remind you: Marjolein J. was one of the employees working at language school Spanish by the River when Kris and Lisanne were in Boquete. School owner Ingrid Lommers runs a cluster of language schools in Panama and Costa Rica and she was in a Costa Rica school at that time. Intern Eileen W. was also in Boquete when Kris and Lisanne were there. She had worked in Bocas del Toro first and then came to Boquete in the same shuttle bus as Kris and Lisanne on Saturday March 29th. By the time Kris and Lisanne disappeared on Tuesday April 1st, Marjolein had left Spanish by the River and had traveled to one of Ingrid's Costa Rica schools. Leaving Eileen in charge in Boquete.
Marjolein J. wrote a letter (most likely created from one or multiple emails she sent) to Ingrid "Ins" Lommers in early April of 2014, detailing her recollections of the interactions she had with Kris and Lisanne at Spanish by the River (SbtR), before the girls went missing. She appears to have done so at the request of Ingrid herself, as her first sentence is "Of course". The precise date of the letter was not visible, but it was probably written at or shortly after April 9th (which is the date of the document coming before this letter in the files). Marjolein also refers in her letter to the girls' intended start at the daycare center on Monday March 31st as "starting last Monday", indicating that this letter was written somewhere in the 1st or at the latest in the 2nd week of April 2014. It is written in Dutch. Any translation in English below was done by myself.
Marjolein detailed in her letter to Ingrid that Kris and Lisanne had signed up for volunteer work at daycare Guarderia Aura, but that things went wrong on Friday March 28th. Marjolein was the person who called its director Maria Elena that day, confirming to her that Kris and Lisanne would do volunteer work at her school. Marjolein told Maria Elena that she would call her again on Monday March 31st to tell her when Kris and Lisanne would exactly start that next week and whether the girls wanted to work there full-time or part-time. When Marjolein spoke to Kris and Lisanne about this two days later, on the afternoon of Sunday March 30th, they told her that they wanted to start working at Guarderia Aura at 1 PM on Monday. Both Marjolein and Eileen agreed with the girls that this was OK and that unless they heard otherwise, they would start that next day at 1 PM. Marjolein described in her letter how Kris and Lisanne already knew how to get to Aura, as Marjolein had explained that to them the day prior when they arrived at the school on Saturday afternoon. So that Sunday afternoon, Kris and Lisanne told Marjolein that they had in fact already been at Guarderia Aura and had seen for themselves where the daycare center was. As promised, Maria Elena would then be called on Monday morning for further details. Marjolein asked Eileen to make this call and to confirm to the school director that Kris and Lisanne wanted to start that afternoon at 1 PM. Marjolein told Ingrid also in her letter that she arranged with Kris and Lisanne and with Miriam how they could be contacted that Monday morning in order to hear about Maria Elena's response. Miriam had given Marjolein her new mobile phone number. Marjolein then changed plans and instead of letting Eileen call Guarderia Aura, she and Eileen walked in person to Guarderia Aura (because they "were going to the city centre anyway", namely to visit a computer shop together for the school's computer). They arrived there around 9.40 AM, Marjolein writes. But against expectations, the director told them that Kris and Lisanne could not start that week after all. Maria Elena gave as a reason that "she would not be present much, because she had to go to David a few times, among other things". Marjolein protested to her, stating that they had already agreed to the work arrangement on Friday and that the girls were ready to start working. That this change of plans was "not good".
CASA ESPERANZA
Right after leaving Guarderia Aura, Marjolein claims she went to Casa Esperanza (CE), in the hope of immediately arranging replacement volunteer work for Kris and Lisanne for that same week. She failed at this however, as the coordinator of CE was not present. Marjolein had to call her in the afternoon instead. Marjolein wanted to immediately inform Kris and Lisanne of this change of plans and called Miriam's new phone number, but despite made agreements about this, Miriam did not answer. Marjolein tried to call Miriam two more times, but without result. Marjolein had plans to go to the city of David that Monday afternoon and was officially no longer on duty anymore that day, so she delegated the task of informing Kris and Lisanne to Eileen. Eileen was supposed to walk to Miriam's house immediately after coming back at SbtR, which was around 11 AM according to Marjolein. It was also around 11 AM that Marjolein herself noticed, from the window of the bus she was in, how Kris and Lisanne were getting into a taxi near the bus stop at Plaza San Francisco, going towards the direction of the city centre. Marjolein writes in her letter that she then knew that there was little point for Eileen to go to Miriam's place, as the girls had already left. So she called Eileen with the school mobile phone which she had taken with her, to tell her this. Marjolein also planned to call the Casa Esperanza coordinator with this mobile phone that same afternoon (which she did, but then found out that unlike what staff had told her that morning, the coordinator never showed up at the school that afternoon. And that she had to be called on Tuesday morning after 8 PM instead). Marjolein did not call Kris or Lisanne herself, as it was "very windy" on the bus and she had a hard time hearing other people, she wrote to Ingrid. But Marjolein planned on calling the girls once she was back in Boquete.
Marjolein realised that because Kris and Lisanne had "left early", neither she or Eileen had the opportunity to tell them that the plans for Aura had changed ("since we couldn't reach them anymore"). Both of them assumed that Kris and Lisanne would go straight to Spanish by the River once they had spoken with (had been sent away by) staff at Guarderia Aura. Which was indeed the case, but unfortunately Marjolein was by then in David. She writes to Ingrid that Eileen was supposed to be working in the school however, but that Ingrid should "ask her about that part". When Marjolein returned to Boquete and SbtR by 6.30 PM however, she found a note from Kris and Lisanne on the bar in the hostel, stating that they had slipped another note under the door of the office. It was then that Marjolein learnt that the girls had sat at SbtR, waiting in vain that day. (And that Eileen had therefore not been at her post). Kris and Lisanne had also written in their note that they were sorry about how things had turned out and that they hoped to be able to start volunteer work soon, and if Marjolein could call them? Marjolein writes to Ingrid that she does not understand herself what happened there, as Eileen was supposed to be on duty and present until 5 PM. Eileen also clearly failed to inform Kris and Lisanne in time that there was no point for them in going to Aura that Monday. After reading the note of Kris and Lisanne, Marjolein called them and explained what had happened. She also said she understood that they were disappointed "but that we really couldn't do anything about how things had turned out". Which they said they understood. The rest of the replacement work inquiring was left to Eileen, as Marjolein went back to David on Tuesday morning at 7 AM and then on to Costa Rica. She agreed with Kris and Lisanne that they would be at SbtR on Tuesday morning at 9 AM, she writes to Ingrid. By then Eileen should be able to tell them more about replacement work with Casa Esperanza. And that is what happened, according to Marjolein, "but Eileen knows how things went from here". She adds that it later turned out that the girls could work at CE from Monday April 7th onward. Marjolein then writes that she herself, "from Bocas del Toro", had also tried to contact CE.
So there was a quick welcome chat at Spanish by the River on Saturday March 29 already between Kris and Lisanne and Marjolein. Which is when they were told about Aura and how to get there. Then on Sunday afternoon, there was a more extensive introduction talk, performed by Marjolein and Eileen, where Kris and Lisanne were informed about general things, guided tour options, do's and don'ts etc. Marjolein details in her letter to Ingrid what was said to Kris and Lisanne during the Sunday welcome talk. Marjolein told them that the school works with a guide, Feliciano, who offers different hikes in the region. She remembers that Kris and Lisanne expressed an interest in hiking and doing a tour to the Barú volcano. But they were also interested in other tours. Marjolein details their interest in a coffee tour and visiting the hot springs. After checking a brochure with excursions, Kris and Lisanne also asked her about the waterfalls. Marjolein had told them that Feliciano offers guided tours to Barú, the Sendero de los Quetzales and to El Pianista. About El Pianista, Marjolein said to them that it is "the most beautiful shorter hike in the area". Taking about 5 hours in total. And she explained to them that for this hike they were supposed to walk to a viewpoint where, if the weather is clear, they could see both oceans. And then they were told that they would have to walk the same path back down again. (So Kris and Lisanne knew this and were told this specifically, according to Marjolein). Marjolein stressed to Kris and Lisanne that all these hikes are only offered to be done with a tour guide. "Only about the Barú I have said that there are also people who do that one alone but I said that they absolutely should not do that and therefore should only do it with a guide." She also stressed to them that Kris and Lisanne should tell them (Marjolein/Eileen) about any plans they had for a guided tour, so that they could make a reservation for them. Kris and Lisanne also asked about restaurants in Boquete and Marjolein said that there are several restaurants with different (international) cuisines.
Marjolein ended her letter by stressing to Ingrid that she had tried to recount everything she knows in as much detail as possible. But that Eileen could still add more details. Unfortunately Eileen never wrote a letter or emails about this to Ingrid, as far as we know.
Thoughts and commentary
*The phones repeatedly didn't work
*Miriam repeatedly didn't answer her phone
*Eileen was too late
*Kris and Lisanne left Miriam's house too early
*Marjolein was on the bus and could only watch
*Bus was too windy for Marjolein to be able to call
*Aura's director confirmed the volunteer work, but then completely forgot who Ingrid Lommers or Spanish by the River are, sending Kris and Lisanne away
*Aura's director had to go to David and suddenly had no more time
*Casa's director was absent
*Casa's director was not available for a phone call when she was supposed to
*Eileen was a no-show when Kris and Lisanne returned to SbtR from Aura
*And the phones continued to fail
*For some unknown reason nobody called Kris and Lisanne directly on their own mobile phones.
"I went back to David on Tuesday morning at 7 AM and then on to Costa Rica."
- Marjolein started her letter with the statement that she called the director of the daycare center on Friday March 28th to confirm that Kris and Lisanne would start working there on Monday the 31st. And that they had agreed together that Marjolein would confirm on Monday morning at which exact time the girls wanted to start that week and whether they wanted to work full or half days.
* Here we straight away see the potential for trouble. If Marjolein and Maria Elena Gonzalez 'confirmed' with each other on Friday the 28th that the volunteer work would start on Monday the 31st, then what was there to 'confirm' again on Monday? Whether Kris and Lisanne would start that morning or that afternoon? Clearly not the morning, as that was when another 'confirmation' was expected. Why wasn't Maria Elena simply ready to receive them that day? No more need for complicated confirmation calls then, leading to potential misunderstandings. Marjolein also instructed Eileen to contact Maria Elena on Monday, to further communicate matters. But we now know that Eileen spoke barely any Spanish (also later confirmed by guide Feliciano) and that Maria Elena spoke no English (confirmed by herself). So why add that additional layer of failure to this whole fiasco? And Kris and Lisanne were then supposed to be contacted through Miriam's phone, while both having their own cellphones. Why add yet another potential factor for error to the mix?
- It also begs the question why Marjolein, knowing all weekend that she had to call Aura again on Monday morning to finalise the start-time and hours... did not just tell Kris and Lisanne about this as soon as she saw them Saturday. * Maybe she assumed all would be well by Monday, which is understandable. On the other hand, why not tell them that their volunteer work was still being arranged? And ask them to simply drop by on Monday morning early, so they could sort it all out together at SbtR then? They stayed at a place literally just a few walking minutes away. Or why didn't Marjolein call Aura herself first thing Monday morning and then call Miriam or Kris and Lisanne (all 3 had mobile phones) and sort it pronto like that? This may be Panama, but these women are Dutch and German, known for practicality and punctuality. Were Kris and Lisanne even at SbtR at all on Monday morning? Marjolein writes nothing about this, but two Dutch authors wrote in LITJ (p. 207) that the two friends were indeed at the school that morning and that they asked Marjolein to book the Barú volcano tour for them. Not sure if they have that detail correct or not. If true, why wouldn't Marjolein add this in her detailed recollections? And why arrange all of this at the very last minute? Kris and Lisanne booked and paid for this package deal well in advance.
"I did not offer any internships and did not even know the language school or Ingrid"
* Maria Elena said to police on April 10th that she "did not offer any internships and did not even know the language school or Ingrid". In general, she had not employed any volunteers "for three years". This completely contradicts what Marjolein claims, namely that she arranged the work assignment for Kris and Lisanne by phone with Maria Elena on March 28th. Plus that she and Eileen went to Maria Elena in person on Monday morning to further discuss it. And yet, Maria Elena stated that she "did not even know the language school"? Given the strong rejection which Kris and Lisanne received when they later turned up there, you have to ask yourself whether Marjolein really had done her job at all... I assume that her letter is truthful, given how she says she strained herself to write down every detail of the days leading up to the disappearance... but we always have to keep the option open that parts of it are carefully curated or chosen in an attempt to self-preserve. As it directly means that Maria Elena is a brazen liar here. But this 'Marjolein letter' was written at a moment in time when the girls' disappearance had become big news and put significant pressure on Ingrid Lommers and her language school. Is it possible that Marjolein is trying to set in stone here that she and Spanish by the River had no fault in all this (leading indirectly to Kris and Lisanne hiking the Pianista instead when the whole arrangement fell through, and to their ultimate deaths)? And that she is trying to put all the blame onto Aura and its female director here? When in fact the SbtR staff may not have done what they promised Kris and Lisanne, and were late with their arrangement of the volunteer work: something which Kris and Lisanne had planned well in advance, before going to Panama mid March. So why leave this to a last minute dart? Kris and Lisanne were reportedly the only two students at SbtR at the time, together with Petra from Liechtenstein, so it wasn't like Marjolein was swamped in work probably?
Or maybe she did discuss it beforehand and this was truly simply a 'confirmation', to be followed by yet another confirmation on Monday. And Maria Elena broke her promises, which would be something Marjolein had no fault in. I don't know what to make of Maria Elena suddenly declaring to investigators that she had no idea who Ingrid and Spanish by the River were. I also don't understand why Kris and Lisanne would have been considered a good match for Aura anyway, as the website of SbtR said that students needed to be able to speak some decent Spanish for this work.. and they didn't. But they DID already pay for the package deal.. And Kris and Lisanne had been told and confirmed in email form on Friday (according to Hans Kremers on RTL Late Night on May 1st 2014) that 'everything was arranged and sorted' and that they would start work that Monday. Hans literally says during the May 1st RTL interview, when asked about the pre-arranged volunteer work and whether or not Kris and Lisanne had received a confirmation about the volunteer work: "Yes. Yes that was all arranged and confirmed. And we even saw the email from the Spanish school who arranged it all. That on Friday it was confirmed that the volunteer work could indeed start that Monday. But well, eventually that turned out to be not the case after all.." [..] "The plan was primarily to do volunteer work for 4 weeks in Boquete." Hans also confirmed that Kris and Lisanne had arranged this volunteer work in the Netherlands already well in advance. And in order to do this volunteer work at SbtR, they also had to book Spanish classes and a homestay option with Ingrid's company, according to the old website at the time.. and that is what they paid for and expected to get in Panama. Had they known that Aura's volunteer work would fall through, I think Kris and Lisanne would have opted to stay in Bocas del Toro in fact.. So this is a very important chain in this whole tragedy.
* Another problem: Eileen recently claimed to two German authors that the Aura visit never happened. SLIP quote: "Although Marjolein claims to have gone to the daycare center with Eileen the next morning to clarify the final details, Eileen denies this to us. The head of the daycare center, Maria, also only mentions a single foreigner who came to her daycare Center." So it then appears that one of the two is the liar here? Or could they both be lying? Make that three, as the tour guide also makes contradicting statements when you throw him in the mix. So we have at least three people - Eileen, Feliciano and Marjolein - all potentially covering their own interests, and us here with no real idea what the truth is. And Maria Elena contradicts herself as well in that SLIP quote 😒 She did not know the language school, but either Marjolein or Eileen díd come over that Monday morning. So she must have known about the school.. Did they all just get confused at times? Innocent mistakes? Or are they all covering their own interests? Regardless, these people are headache inducing.
- The German book SLIP stated that: "Marjolein writes to Ingrid that Maria had turned her down out of the blue. Surprised by this, she went with Eileen to the neighboring Esperanza daycare center to ask for a place - but the person in charge was not there. Eileen tells us that she doesn't know anything about it either." -- * It could well be that Christian and Annette are misrepresenting this Marjolein letter here. As I don't see Marjolein claiming in the letter that she went to Casa Esperanza with Eileen... Or maybe they have different sources, claiming this.
"Myriam then gave her new mobile number so that we could reach the girls."
* [Her name is sometimes written as Myriam and sometimes as Miriam in the case files, I'll stick with Miriam myself]. Aside from showing the reader how diligently Marjolein tried to do her job and sorted things out for Kris and Lisanne, we can deduce from this with some reasonability that by Sunday March 30th, Miriam had already given Marjolein her new phone number (Miriam somehow changed her phone number around the time when Kris and Lisanne arrived in Boquete). This phone number would have been registered in the school's mobile phone in some way, since Marjolein tried to call Miriam three times with it on Monday, in vain. If only in the caller history list, but it is more likely that Marjolein saved the number in the contacts list. Meaning there is no reason for Eileen not to know how to call Miriam by Wednesday April 2nd, assuming she has the Spanish by the River's school mobile phone in her possession then. Which she should have, as Marjolein wrote that she only brought that phone with her on Monday when she traveled by bus to David, in order to be able to call CE that afternoon for replacement work. - Meaning also probably that Eileen who was working at the school that day, was without school mobile. But Marjolein returned to Boquete at the end of that Monday and would not realistically have taken the school's phone with her to Costa Rica, come Tuesday. So Eileen would have had Miriam's new phone number available to her. And yet... Eileen/Feliciano told the German authors that it was Feliciano who had to figure out Miriam's new phone number through other means.. SLIP Quote: "After ringing the doorbell in vain for several minutes, he walks back to the school with the trainee and makes a few phone calls, as Eileen tells us, until he finds out Miriam's number through acquaintances." Why did Feliciano need to contact his own acquaintances when he was accompanied by Eileen who had the new number of Miriam on the school's phone already? Marjolein wrote: "Myriam then gave her new mobile number so that we could reach the girls". We. So this does not add up. And for Feliciano to have later declared to the book authors that they only got a hold of Miriam's phone number through his calling around and investigation work seems not only a fabrication, but can be seen as another way in which he maneuvered himself into this investigation and into a heroic role.
* Despite just having agreed with Miriam that same Monday morning that they would communicate through her, and despite having been given Miriam's new phone number for this, Miriam never answered her phone.. Miriam could have just been busy. She was at her work that morning I think. On the other hand: she would have seen a phone number trying to call her "two or three times" in her call log and would probably have remembered that Marjolein would call her about the girls' volunteer work that day. Regardless: why did Marjolein make this all so complicated, with all sorts of contact chains and middle persons? And how was Miriam effectively going to help? Kris and Lisanne were to be contacted via Miriam, who had to use her phone to WhatsApp them? What language was she going to use to WhatsApp them? Miriam barely spoke English she said, while Kris and Lisanne barely spoke Spanish. And if they left the house already, Miriam would have had the same assumed issues contacting them as Marjolein. But maybe they had anticipated that Miriam, Kris and Lisanne would all have been home still by the time Marjolein called, and Miriam could have just passed her phone on to the two Dutch friends? I am not sure why they couldn't be called directly on their own phones. Perhaps the girls preferred not to because of additional phone (roaming) costs or something? But why not just send them a Whatsapp message, or Skype them, Facebook message or text them? We know they contacted their parents regularly and were in contact with the people at home and that they used free Wi-Fi whenever possible and used all those mentioned social media. And in case of emergency, to hell with roaming costs. Marjolein also did call them on Monday evening she declared in her letter (about the Aura fiasco and about Casa Esperanza); curious how exactly she did so and who she called?
- While describing how she was in the bus to David and saw Kris and Lisanne getting into a taxi by 11 AM, Marjolein writes: "Then I called Eileen immediately to say that there was no point in going to Myriam's house because the girls had already left."
* Why did she tell Eileen to go to Miriam's place on foot? (I mean, what is it with all these people barging into the two tourists' private quarter?) Why not give her Miriam's number and ask her to keep calling? If Miriam was not picking up her phone three times in a row, didn't that indicate that she was at work or otherwise occupied and not at home? According to LITJ, Kris and Lisanne were at Spanish by the River that morning anyway, and not home either. Which was to be expected, given that they were young energetic tourists who had just arrived in town, and were likely eager to explore. And Miriam's house did not offer Wi-Fi as far as I can tell, so there is only so much time they could have waited around there without getting restless. Also coming to mind: why not call Aura directly to explain that the two were on their way and didn't know they weren't wanted? Marjolein took the school's mobile phone with her but decided to only call Eileen. But it was Maria Elena at that stage who probably had to be warned that she would be faced with two unknowing, enthusiastic Dutch tourists on her doorstep soon. I understand that this may all sound like 'shoulda woulda coulda', but some of these things fall under common sense thinking and maybe would have saved Kris and Lisanne the shock and embarrassment. Ultimately, Kris and Lisanne were solely in Boquete because of this (promised and paid for) volunteer work. Was Marjolein just complacent? Was there never even a worry that they'd demand a refund of their pricey package deal with Ingrid's company?
* I just don't understand this calling issue. Because Marjolein suddenly could reach them on Monday evening, when she called them about Casa Esperanza after 06.30 PM. So basically after everything had turned to sh*t already... Marjolein did not elaborate about when exactly she called Kris and Lisanne to explain what had happened, or whose phone she called. As for that morning and afternoon: we know from the NFI information that Lisanne's Samsung phone was powered on Monday morning and wasn't set to airplane mode either. And after 13.13 PM Kris also turned on her phone for the first time that Monday. So no excuses in that respect.
-Marjolein writes: "I was back at the school around 18:30 and then found a note from Kris and Lisanne on the bar in the hostel that they had slipped a note under the door of the office."
* But it works both ways. Why would Kris and Lisanne leave two handwritten notes behind at SbtR? One on the hostel bar, explaining that there was another note shoved under the door of the office. Which was probably locked when they were waiting there on Monday afternoon, as Eileen was not there. Why leave handwritten notes behind when they could have just contacted Marjolein directly by phone? Using the free Wi-Fi at the school, as they had done so often before? Timeline wise, it is very likely by the way that Kris and Lisanne indeed "had to wait all day for Marjolein", as Kris wrote in her diary (how did they get into SbtR if Eileen was not at her work spot or how did they leave the place secured if leaving without Eileen present?). Leaving that note behind in the late afternoon eventually, after having had enough of all the waiting.
* She was expected to be there at the desk when Kris and Lisanne inevitably would drop in after being sent away by Maria Elena. And yet, Eileen was not present at the school and Kris and Lisanne were left there alone and frustrated enough to leave written notes behind. Before heading out the school eventually, feeling very disappointed. And we still have no idea where Eileen was. No matter how much Marjolein tries to describe herself as a tirelessly good manager in this letter.. it amounted to nothing. And Eileen was a no-show, according to Marjolein. We can't be 100% certain if that is true of course. Perhaps Eileen was in fact present at SbtR, but Kris and Lisanne were specifically waiting for Marjolein to come back? Maybe Eileen was there on and off, but left her work spot for whatever reason intermittently? But if Eileen had been present by the end of the afternoon, then Kris and Lisanne could have just left their note for Marjolein on her desk.. Instead of shoving it under a locked door.. We know that these girls were at the school in the late afternoon, as at 16.42 PM Lisanne's phone connected to the Wi-Fi of SbtR and both their phones used the school's Wi-Fi until 17.26 PM, according to the NFI files. Neither Eileen herself or Ingrid ever shed light on this matter. Marjolein may of course also not be the most neutral witness here. Who knows. Maybe Marjolein tried to paint a diligent picture of herself while basically throwing Eileen under the bus in this letter. So we have to remember that Eileen could not see this letter being written about her, nor defend herself. Nevertheless; at the end of the day they were both responsible for the entire fuckup at Aura. Both for not in time solidifying that work week for them, and also by just physically being absent a lot of the time..
* There remains an overwhelming sensation, even after all the new information leaks, that Kris and Lisanne were left to their own devices in Boquete, when push came to shove. When scouring the internet, Power-Pixie found a 2015 review of SbtR that wasn't very positive either (just to underline that this school had its odd issues here and there): Beth wrote on 23 April, 2015 at 3:57 PM: "I spent three weeks in Boquete in January 2014 and stayed at Spanish by the River. I loved the area and the people, but was disappointed in the school — very disorganized, had a myriad of problems, especially with the homestay. The hostel was much better. There were no male teachers when I was there, so I’m glad you had a good teacher, and while I had a good one, I also had a poor one who spent most of my classtime talking only about her religion (but in Spanish, so I still learned stuff! lol) I believe they were undergoing a transition with management, so hopefully they are better now, but I felt I wasted most of my time there, academically speaking." And I found another (more recent) unhappy review on booking.com: "I found the check in very strange as there wasn’t anyone there to see us in or show us anything about how the kitchen or property worked. Guests turned up one day and we felt responsible to show them around and how things worked, it felt very odd to be doing that." Anyway, no place is perfect I suppose..
* I wonder when this was? Because Marjolein traveled to Costa Rica on Tuesday April 1. Reportedly for an 'emergency situation' according to Christian, who did not know what sort of emergency. It feels sad and ironical that she, unknowingly, left right before the real emergency took place in Boquete. But here she seems to imply that she went to Bocas del Toro soon after and contacted CE from there. So she seemingly stayed only a few days in Costa Rica then for this emergency. Who knows. It is especially interesting when we consider that Ingrid had to (unexpectedly) go back from the Costa Rica school to Boquete herself on April 5th to help with the disappearance aftermath..
- Marjolein writes: "They wanted to do the Barú in any case, but were also interested in other tours, namely the coffee tour [..]".
* This 'coffee tour' has been renamed 'Fillo's Farm' by Feliciano and the "Finca las Princesas strawberry farm" by Eileen. And to the Canadian sleuths Eileen described this same tour later as follows: "I met with Feliciano and we were supposed to go for a hike with the girls". A hike is not quite the same surely as a strawberry farm tour where they'd be shown harvest methods and taste strawberries? Nor quite the same as a coffee tour for that matter? But why has Eileen acted so non-serious and so evasive when it comes to recollecting what happened here? She was among the last to have seen and interacted with them.
"They were told that they would have to walk the same path back down again. I said that they absolutely should only do it with a guide"
- Marjolein writes: "About El Pianista I said that it is the most beautiful shorter hike in the area, that the hike takes about 5 hours in total and that you walk to a viewpoint where, if the weather is clear, you can see both oceans and then walk the same path back down."
* Marjolein does not mention that she did this exact same Pianista hike herself only a few days prior with Feliciano and Petra. On March 29th. But based on Marjolein's information, both Kris and Lisanne were aware that the hike took about 5 hours. Meaning that they summitted at a faster rate than Marjolein did with Feliciano as her guide. Clearly Kris and Lisanne knew where to go and made few wrong turns. It is unlikely therefore that come 13.54 PM, so three hours in, they wouldn't have been aware of the fact that they needed to turn around on the same trail in order to make it back to Boquete. They were diligent planning types, by all accounts, and I personally don't believe that both girls would have forgotten this warning. But we can't be sure I suppose if Marjolein truly told them these Pianista warnings, as she claims.
5.jpg)
- Marjolein writes: "[..] they also asked about the waterfalls. Of course I also said that if they wanted to do something they had to let us know so that we could make a reservation. I remember that they also asked about the restaurants in Boquete."* Why did they have to make reservations with her for these two outings though? Why couldn't Kris and Lisanne simply decide and make their own reservations? Same for those guided tours; why did they have to do those with the school-favourite guide Feliciano and through the school? This is probably all true, but gives off the impression that Marjolein likes it to be said that SbtR was overly zealous when it came to their safety. Almost like she's trying to portray that she handled them with kid gloves (but that is just my impression). And with regards to those local restaurants: we'd all still love to know the name of the mystery restaurant where Kris and Lisanne used Wi-Fi on Tuesday. As this Tuesday morning seems instrumental in the leadup to the disappearance, and there is still so much unknown about this morning. And so much conflicting information also about it. Just like it is still unknown how LITJ-Jurgen was able to figure out that Kris and Lisanne were in Cafe Nelvis that Tuesday morning. And that their 10.16 AM Wi-Fi use was in fact at Nelvis. With Lisanne even downloading a Google Maps for offline use there (which is all flat out denied by the SLIP authors.. to make matters even more confusing.. Investigators seem to even have radically different versions of the factual phone logs...). And how come the NFI knew only about the Spanish by the River router Wi-Fi logins on Lisanne's phone, and logged no other public logins (which we know Kris and Lisanne did make)? Knowing also that both the girls' mobile phones have Operating Systems that logged SSID/router names back in 2014. So this info would have been visible in forensic extraction logs if the NFI were thorough.. (But it wasn't printed by them). A very important piece of information that has been withheld from us, for sure. And the book authors seem none the wiser than any of us on this. All of this helps to keep Tuesday morning in a thick fog, unfortunately.
- Marjolein writes: "This is everything that was discussed about the hikes and these are also all the excursions that they indicated they were interested in."
* Another indicator that this letter was written in response to a request for a detailed breakdown of what was said to Kris and Lisanne, and what Marjolein knew about their plans for possible hikes etc.
* The documents she had to send to Tobias... that does seem to indicate that on the date of writing (which I believe was the weekend of 5-6 April), it was already known to Marjolein and Ingrid that Tobias was going to replace Eileen. Hence why he needed documents to be sent over. Why else mention it in this Kris and Lisanne-themed letter? So despite various book authors claiming that Eileen stayed two entire weeks in Boquete, exactly as planned, and that she did not flee the place after just a week or so (as has been consistently rumoured in this case from the start). Do they know for a fact that Eileen stayed the two whole weeks in Boquete? Was her departure or means of travel documented for instance? What did she do there after giving investigators her sworn statement on April 7th? Because her replacement Tobias, coming over to swap places with her, seemed to do so unplanned. Marjolein writes in her letter that they had to send Tobias instruction documentation. Tobias was also filmed by Telemetro on April 7th 2014 in front of Spanish by the River, which proves that he was already there by April 7th. Given that he was there to replace Eileen, why would she hang around for another week? This could be another indication that Eileen did leave Boquete prematurely and after roughly one week. After her April 7th SDIJ talk.
* The reason why Ingrid asked Marjolein to compile this information is probably related to Ingrid coming to Boquete by April 5th. There she had to meet family members of the girls on April 6th, according to her Facebook posts. Plus on April 5th she met with the DIJ, SINAPROC and the police. And by April 7th she serviced herself as a translator for the sworn statements made by Eileen and Martijn. So she herself would have lots of questions immediately, and she needed to get Marjolein's info in order to be consistent. And at that point Marjolein already knew about Eileen being replaced by Tobias. Hinting to an earlier swap than after two weeks.
- Did Marjolein ask for a ride from Feliciano on Tuesday morning? We know she went to David by 7 AM. And in his own police interview (more about that in a bit), Feliciano has stated under oath that he picked Marjolein up that morning at the school and gave her a lift to David. But somehow Marjolein makes no mention of Feliciano being there or of her asking him for this lift to David. Whereas Feliciano fails to mention a specific time for that morning... It seems a coincidence that both had to be in David that Tuesday morning. Were both telling the same story, but did both of them forget to mention these different details? Or do they have different stories as a result? Police investigators never put both testimonies up to compare them in order to press Marjolein and Feliciano to specify their testimonies. So if we can believe her about the 7 AM departure, and him about giving Marjolein a ride that morning, that must mean that we can combine both details and come to the truth here.
Marjolein: "I went back to David on Tuesday morning at 7 AM and then on to Costa Rica."
- But Feliciano told police under oath on April 7th of 2014: "I saw them Tuesday, April 1st. I saw them at the Spanish language school that day, in the morning hours. That was the only time I saw them, after that I didn't see them." And: "It was in the morning". And: "That same day, while I was in David, at the Hospital, they called me and told me that the two girls I had observed at school". And: "I was in the hospital until maybe 1:00 PM." He says he never actually spoke to Lisanne or Kris: "No. Just a 'Hello' from afar. That was all." - So because Feliciano said he was in hospital in David the entire Tuesday morning and didn't return to Boquete until well after noon, doesn't this mean that when he declared to police that he saw them "in the morning hours" on Tuesday, that he saw them when he picked Marjolein up at 7 AM? That is something which Marjolein should have mentioned then in her meticulous letter...
Feliciano: "Yes, I saw them on Tuesday April 1st and I saw them at the Spanish language school that day, in the morning hours" "I was in the hospital until maybe 1:00 PM."
Feliciano in 2022: "I never met the girls, but they said I was the last to see them."
Christian also added: "Many of the statements Marjolein makes are contradictory and difficult for us to understand. So these are all important questions. Unfortunately, nowhere is it clear what kind of emergency it could have been. She went to Turrialba." - So: Feliciano also told these authors that he had offered Marjolein a ride when she told him about her plan a few days earlier. While he was taking her on a Pianista tour. On top of declaring it in his affidavits. And yet; in this letter of Marjolein there is nothing that refers to Feliciano picking her up at 7 AM on Tuesday, or either of them having been there at the same time as Kris and Lisanne (let alone Feliciano interacting with them). Why is that? She promised Ingrid that she had been as diligent as possible with her recollections. What harm would come from including that she was given a ride by Feliciano to David? And that Feliciano was at the language school on the morning of the disappearance? - Which, by the way, is a subject which Christian consistently avoids. Feliciano gets a complete free pass by him and is never subjected to any critical or curious questioning. To his credit though, Christian is very critical when he says the varied testimonies over time of Eileen, Ingrid and Marjolein are filled with contradictions and that something isn't quite right there. But there was no way to cut through any of it really, as Ingrid and Marjolein declined to be interviewed when he and Annette approached them.
* Further below you can read in his affidavit how Feliciano has stated that he saw the two Dutch friends at the school in the morning hours. Police asked no further questions about it however, such as: at what time did he see them? Were Kris and Lisanne already present at 7 AM when you picked up Marjolein? So, when DID Feliciano see Kris and Lisanne at the school, per his police statement? And with Eileen starting work at 8 AM, did she perhaps see Feliciano interacting with Kris and Lisanne? At any point during her morning shift? She said nothing about this in her own sworn statement either. But she said nothing about anything at all, really... Although I did not read her April 3 statement to SINAPROC, so maybe she was more forthcoming to them. I am hammering down on all this, because it opens up the theoretical possibility that Feliciano in fact returned to Spanish by the River later in the morning, after his hospital visit, and with Marjolein already on her merry way to Costa Rica. If so, he lied directly about the timeline and lied by omission. In any case, police should have pressed him on those details when he declared twice to them that he met the girls at the school that morning.
Ingrid said on camera: "The last moment that they were seen by a female teacher here was really 13:10 PM. An employer of us in the office also saw them walk away then."
.jpg)
THE 1 PM NARRATIVENotice also that it was Feliciano together with Eileen who in the days after the disappearance were pushing the claim that Kris and Lisanne were last seen around 1.00 PM at the school. A proven lie (or so it seems at least..). We know through the NFI files that Lisanne's phone was logged onto the Spanish by the River's Wi-Fi on Tuesday morning between 09:07 and 10:10 AM. They also went to Cafe Nelvis possibly (in that case they probably left SbtR around 9:30 AM to head to Nelvis). And then to the Pianista trailhead with certainty. They took photos there around 11 AM, before heading up the mountain. Therefore it seems a fact that Feliciano CAN only have seen/met them at the school between 09:07 and 10:10 AM. The only caveat I can think of here, is that Marjolein's 7 AM claim is incorrect. She is the only one who pinpointed the morning trip to David at 7 AM, instead of for instance 9 AM. Someone has to be mistaken at the very least though. Eileen would have probably been at SbtR all morning and would have seen Feliciano come round and interact with Kris and Lisanne then. But she said nothing about this in her own sworn statement. Purposely forgetting to tell cops that Feliciano had a face to face with the two friends before they disappeared? - Why would Feliciano go to SbtR to meet Kris and Lisanne anyway? Maybe because he wanted to meet the two young clients who he was supposed to take on a Barú tour? (Was that Barú tour booking even real? Because Marjolein's Letter doesn't say there was a booking, and Feliciano and Eileen also never mention it in their sworn statements to police..). Or to give them tips about how to fill up their week after their volunteer work fell through? Something which Marjolein probably told him about during their car ride, and about her problems with finding new volunteer work for the two Dutch clients. Was Feliciano then in a hurry to speak with the two tourists, interested in selling them more guided tours now that they were without work all week? And is that how Feliciano knew about their Pianista plans? Because he was 'the last one to talk to them before they disappeared'? Something he later declared in the media. Just speculation of course.
Remember also what SLIP states about this Barú tour (even though these two authors themselves do not seem to believe this statement by Murgas to be truthful): "Shortly before Kris and Lisanne disappeared, Henry told Murgas that he had arranged to meet the Dutch girls for a trip to the Pianista Trail or the Barú volcano to spend the night with them and enjoy the sunrise. He was the last person to see them.[184]" In the official case report Murgas added that at the time the girls disappeared, Henry told him what the problem was. That they were lost and he had been the last one who had seen them. According to the interviewee, he did not see Henry in the area until about six days later. And when he asked him where he had been, Henry told him that he had gone to his fathers farm in Culebra, to go for a walk. And when he asked him where he went for a walk, Henry changed the subject." So on top of the mess with Aura, there is potentially a (technically) unauthorized visit from Feliciano and him involving his Son. Feliciano going to the school at some point on Tuesday morning, seeing Kris and Lisanne there and possibly chatting with them soon before they disappeared. Such a thing would have been important to know for the police. It's not something Marjolein sheds any light on in her letter though. And if true, it would of course not reflect well on SbtR... - Top photo shows Henry with Murgas pictured to his right. Murgas to police: "Henry told me what the problem was. That they were lost and he had been the last one who had seen them."
After having had access to Marjolein's letter myself now, it also becomes clear that there are details in the letter that both sets of commercial authors left out of their books or made a hash of:
*Miriam giving her new phone number to Marjolein/Eileen/Kris/Lisanne.
*The Sunday talk where this phone number was exchanged.
*The school's mobile phone which Marjolein had in her possession on Monday, which would then have to be left for Eileen to use in case of emergency on April 1. (And the matter of why Eileen didn't use this mobile phone then on Wednesday April 2 to contact Miriam?).
*Marjolein never mentioning that Feliciano gave her a ride to David on Tuesday morning, nor asking for it.
*Everybody trying to pretend that Feliciano DIDN'T say he saw Kris and Lisanne at Spanish by the River on Tuesday morning. Skipping these important statements of him, given in both his sworn statements.. And nobody further diving into this, investigating for instance when exactly he saw them that Tuesday morning. Or whether or not it means he returned to the school after his David hospital visit. And therefore lied or omitted details in his affidavit.
*Why Marjolein mentioned that Kris and Lisanne were interested in Coffee Tours, but made no mention of this (by now) widely reported Strawberry farm tour? Even newbie Eileen, who had no idea where that Las Princesas farm is located (in Bajo Boquete), knew its name.
*Did Marjolein or Eileen book the reported guided Barú tour for Kris and Lisanne on Monday? LITJ is the only one with the reference to this booking. Page 207: "At the request of Kris and Lisanne, Eileen books a tour to Barú at Gonzalez for the upcoming Saturday, April 5." SLIP left this out of their book, even though Eileen contributed to it, while Marjolein and Ingrid refused to speak. (SLIP does mention the Barú tour in relation to Murgas declaring that Henry said he had arranged to meet the Dutch girls for a trip to the Pianista Trail or the Barú volcano). What time was this Barú booking made? And did Marjolein change the Barú appointment from April 2 to April 5? Or is this made up nonsense?
*Did Marjolein or Eileen book the reported guided Barú tour for Kris and Lisanne on Monday? LITJ is the only one with the reference to this booking. Page 207: "At the request of Kris and Lisanne, Eileen books a tour to Barú at Gonzalez for the upcoming Saturday, April 5." SLIP left this out of their book, even though Eileen contributed to it, while Marjolein and Ingrid refused to speak. (SLIP does mention the Barú tour in relation to Murgas declaring that Henry said he had arranged to meet the Dutch girls for a trip to the Pianista Trail or the Barú volcano). What time was this Barú booking made? And did Marjolein change the Barú appointment from April 2 to April 5? Or is this made up nonsense?
*Did Marjolein know about the specific Pianista hike plans of Kris and Lisanne on Tuesday afternoon? She apparently wrote to the Dutch authors about this, who wrote in turn: "Marjolein J writes us that she knew nothing of an intended hike to the Pianista."
*Not enough emphasis has been placed in my opinion on why Eileen lied and told SINAPROC incorrectly on April 3 that it was at 1 PM that she saw Kris and Lisanne leave the school?
-What I do know now, is that Marjolein cannot be automatically fully trusted, just like Eileen and Feliciano cannot be blindly trusted. They all could have paved their own street corner clean in the aftermath of this disappearance, one way or another. And if Maria Elena was telling the truth (and she may very well be the liar here), then there appears to have also been an issue with Ingrid not updating the Spanish by the River website on time. Because by April 2014, the website still announced Aura as a volunteer work option for Ingrid's paying clients. (But Power-Pixie found out that by December 2014 Aura was no longer listed on SbtR's website. Perhaps due to these issues with Maria Elena and Kris and Lisanne?) In order to have volunteer work arranged for them for free, Kris and Lisanne had to commit to staying at their accommodations or taking Spanish lessons at Ingrid's schools. For which they paid a significant amount through Het Andere Reizen travel agency. We truly wonder if Aura had ever received volunteer students from SbtR at that stage? * I understand that Ingrid was mighty busy with a large group of paying students at the time, but Kris and Lisanne were promised by email that everything was sorted, and it wasn't sorted. This may have all worked out if Marjolein could have bluffed and lobbied her way out of this at the last minute. But reality turned out to be a lot more fickle, with AURA not being on her wavelength and unwilling to do them such a last-minute favour... And there is no doubt in my mind and also in those of fabulous fellow sleuths Power-Pixie and Dave M. that Marjolein and Ingrid failed Kris and Lisanne in their Duty of Care. Or as carlosbrizuela put it on YouTube: "Let's be clear that on April 1, 2014 Kris and Lisanne would probably be volunteering and not hiking for hours. This mishap with volunteering is indirectly to blame for their disappearance and NO ONE would want to take this blame. Therefore, the statements of Marjolein and Ingrid L. may not tell only the truth and nothing but the truth, for an undeniable question of saving their company's reputation. And there is no need to misinterpret by placing the blame on them, but there is a degree of responsibility that is impossible to hide." - I agree, well said. I also believe that that is why these testimonials of the people involved sometimes don't match up in the important parts. They all made their testimonies and statements in the aftermath of this disappearance, with the case blowing up almost immediately. And nobody probably wanted the negative press directed at them, or feel the responsibility of this tragedy. And things went wrong in many different ways it seems. But there is an overwhelming feeling that Kris and Lisanne were in some ways left to their own devices in Boquete. With Ingrid in another country and with Marjolein leaving Eileen to sort out the mess. Intern Eileen, who spoke barely any Spanish herself and who said strange things in the aftermath of the disappearance and then ghosted. Eileen gave the absolute bare minimum of information in her sworn statement of April 7 and then got the heck out of Boquete. And Ingrid perhaps also had to do damage-control for her school and for herself. And this may be why there are mismatched testimonials and accounts between Eileen and Marjolein, Eileen, Marjolein and Feliciano, and even between Miriam and Maria.
** Please note that both Ingrid and Marjolein didn't answer the request to be interviewed for the SLIP book and that Ingrid didn't want to be interviewed by police a second time in late April. There is no sworn statement from Marjolein either. None of them have ever tried to explain why Eileen and another coworker immediately (falsely) reported to have last seen Kris and Lisanne leave Spanish by the River at 1 PM on April 1st. A statement which threw the investigation and timeline off for months.
FELICIANO'S AFFIDAVIT
On Monday April 7, 2014, José Feliciano Gonzalez declared under oath to personnel of the Office of the Municipal Ombudsman of the Boquete District, Province of Chiriquí the following sworn statement (affidavit) and information, summarized and translated from Spanish to English by me, Scarlet. Feliciano identified himself, gave his full name, date of birth, age (58 at the time) and gender. Gave his address and phone number and ID card number. Said he was born in Boquete, gave the names of his parents, said that he was married and was a tourist guide by profession as well as an elementary school teacher. Before he was given specific questions, Feliciano was reminded of the provisions of Article 385 of the Penal Code, which covers and punishes the crime of False Testimony.
"I told the person in charge of the school, La Alemana, that we should go to the house where they were staying to look for them."
But when he was there, Kris and Lisanne didn't arrive. Feliciano was then informed that they stayed in a nearby house. Feliciano said that he then told Eileen that they should go to that house of Mrs. Miriam Guerra to look for them. They rang the bell many times there, without getting an answer. They then "got" Miriam's number and Miriam told them that she didn't know if the girls had arrived back at her home the previous night. That she had been waiting for them until 11 PM before going to bed. And that she had left the house early in the morning without seeing them. Feliciano declared that Miriam then told him to knock on the windows of the girls' bedroom, which they did while Eileen called out their names. When they got no response, they once again called Miriam on her mobile phone, who then told them where she kept the key of the house and "authorized us to enter the house and confirm if the girls were there". Which Feliciano and Eileen did ("we did what Mrs. Miriam told us") and there they confirmed that the belongings of Kris and Lisanne were on the bed, but they themselves were not there. After that they "waited all day, to see if the girls returned". They went to the location of the planned tour, at Mister Fillo's place, and also went to a park ranger's booth to verify if he had seen Kris and Lisanne go up the trail. The park ranger had not seen them and neither had Mister Fillo. Then Feliciano and Eileen returned to Spanish by the River. "And they never heard from the girls", Feliciano stated. When asked if Kris and Lisanne went on a guided tour with someone else, Feliciano replied that as far as he was told they didn't and that they had been looking online for information about the Pianista trail. SINAPROC then told him that a taxi driver named Humberto Guerra (unit 4T1117) had dropped them off at the trailhead. Feliciano was also told by Mr. Lazaro, who lives on the trail, that family members of him saw two young women walk up the trail around 3 PM. Feliciano then said he wanted to add that he and Eileen went to the Boquete Police Station on Wednesday night to report the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. He ended with saying: "That is all. I know nothing more about the facts." - The document was then signed by Lic. Lisis M. Cubilla P.
There is also an extension of the affidavit rendered by Feliciano, dating June 24, 2014. It was written down at 10:35 AM in David and he provided this extension of his sworn statement before the Office of the First Superior Prosecutor of the Third Judicial District [being Betzaida Pittí at the time]. He swore truthfulness again in accordance with Article 385 of the Penal Code, which deals with the crime of False Testimony, and offered to tell the truth about everything he knew and was asked. The below information was summarized and translated from Spanish to English by me, Scarlet.
HOSPITAL VISIT IN DAVIDFeliciano was asked more questions this time. He was asked what he was doing on April 1st, 2nd and 3rd of 2014 and with whom. To which Feliciano replied that he had a hospital appointment in David on April 1st and that he had to go there for a cast on his left pinky finger. And that he remained at this hospital "until maybe 1:00 PM." While at the hospital, Eileen called him, asking him if he remembered "the two girls who wanted to go to the volcano on Saturday" and whether he was free the next day, because they wanted to visit the farm of the two princesses that was advertised in his brochure. He said he was free and answered "perfect". They arranged that he'd be there at 8 AM the next morning, "because you have to give the owner time to get to the farm. He lives in town and not on his farm". Eileen said she was going to ask the girls to confirm and then called Feliciano again to tell him it was confirmed. Eileen liked to join herself and Feliciano told her that she could join free of charge.
WEDNESDAY TOUR
Feliciano then specified when he returned in Boquete that Tuesday April 1st: "When I arrived in Boquete that same Tuesday in the afternoon". Eileen called him that same afternoon to ask for suggestions for volunteer work in Boquete revolving care for children. He drove to a place he thought was maybe suitable, but he didn't know the name of it. He then called Eileen to tell her how to get to this place and they agreed to see each other the next morning for the arranged tour. On Wednesday April 2nd Feliciano arrived at school at eight in the morning and Eileen was already there, waiting outside the school, carrying a small backpack. After speaking "for a few minutes, maybe five minutes", Eileen declared that "these girls don't come". Because Eileen knew that they were 'normally punctual'. Feliciano joked that they couldn't be as punctual as Germans. They waited for another "five or ten minutes" and both got worried then. Feliciano suggested to go looking for Kris and Lisanne at their house. Feliciano knew Miriam's place "because I usually/commonly look for clients in that house". Then Feliciano told the same story basically of what happened at Miriam's house as what he told in his April 7th affidavit. They knocked on the door but nobody came out. Feliciano said that he knew Miriam but didn't have her phone number and Eileen said that it was likely that the school had the phone number because the school had the family's contact info. Eileen was new in Boquete so Feliciano understood that she was a bit unsure about everything. When they went back to Spanish by the River to look for Miriam's number, he stated that "in fact we got it". Feliciano then stated in this affidavit that he called Miriam and told her that they had been waiting for the Dutch girls for "over half an hour" but that nobody came out of Miriam's house. He then told the same details about Miriam telling them to knock on the bedroom door and subsequently where they could find a key to the house. He stated that when they entered the bedroom, they found to their surprise only a few things on the beds and a backpack and sandals on the floor. They told Miriam that "the girls were not there and that apparently they had not slept there", which surprised Miriam. Now he added the detail that Miriam told them that she had left the girls breakfast and thought that they had come home late and simply would get up late.
Feliciano then specified when he returned in Boquete that Tuesday April 1st: "When I arrived in Boquete that same Tuesday in the afternoon". Eileen called him that same afternoon to ask for suggestions for volunteer work in Boquete revolving care for children. He drove to a place he thought was maybe suitable, but he didn't know the name of it. He then called Eileen to tell her how to get to this place and they agreed to see each other the next morning for the arranged tour. On Wednesday April 2nd Feliciano arrived at school at eight in the morning and Eileen was already there, waiting outside the school, carrying a small backpack. After speaking "for a few minutes, maybe five minutes", Eileen declared that "these girls don't come". Because Eileen knew that they were 'normally punctual'. Feliciano joked that they couldn't be as punctual as Germans. They waited for another "five or ten minutes" and both got worried then. Feliciano suggested to go looking for Kris and Lisanne at their house. Feliciano knew Miriam's place "because I usually/commonly look for clients in that house". Then Feliciano told the same story basically of what happened at Miriam's house as what he told in his April 7th affidavit. They knocked on the door but nobody came out. Feliciano said that he knew Miriam but didn't have her phone number and Eileen said that it was likely that the school had the phone number because the school had the family's contact info. Eileen was new in Boquete so Feliciano understood that she was a bit unsure about everything. When they went back to Spanish by the River to look for Miriam's number, he stated that "in fact we got it". Feliciano then stated in this affidavit that he called Miriam and told her that they had been waiting for the Dutch girls for "over half an hour" but that nobody came out of Miriam's house. He then told the same details about Miriam telling them to knock on the bedroom door and subsequently where they could find a key to the house. He stated that when they entered the bedroom, they found to their surprise only a few things on the beds and a backpack and sandals on the floor. They told Miriam that "the girls were not there and that apparently they had not slept there", which surprised Miriam. Now he added the detail that Miriam told them that she had left the girls breakfast and thought that they had come home late and simply would get up late.
FELICIANO'S AND EILEEN'S MAD WEDNESDAY DASHFeliciano then told the story again of what he and Eileen did at this point, but now added new details. He told how Eileen and him discussed what next steps they should take and that Feliciano urged her to call the owner of the school (Ingrid). But that Eileen did not want to, as Kris and Lisanne could just have some problems, or could have been with friends that night and just hadn't come back yet for some reason. Feliciano also said now that he told Eileen that they should report the girls missing with the police. But that Eileen was against this and told him that in Germany they normally waited 24 hours before reporting someone missing. And then Feliciano told her that in Boquete they basically had the same system. They kept talking and Eileen told him that she saw the girls look at a map the previous day and that they wanted to see the Pianista area. She also told him that she saw the girls on the school computer, looking up the Pianista area. She understood what they were saying, because Eileen had lived in the Netherlands and studied tourism there. And after they left, she didn't see them again. Feliciano told Eileen that they should give the girls a bit of time and see if they would come back by themselves and he invited Eileen to come to the farm where they planned to go that day for their tour "since I know the owner and he could get mad if we kept him waiting". Eileen agreed to this.
"Eileen told me that she saw the girls look at a map the previous day and that they wanted to see the Pianista area."
They found this owner on the way to his farm and also a park ranger who worked at the Alto Chiquero station. "I explained to the owner the reason why we had arrived early and that three girls were not going." He asked the park ranger if two Dutch girls had arrived there the day before, in case they perhaps had decided to hike the Quetzales trail instead of the Pianista trail. But the ranger had not seen any Dutch girls hike up the trail that day. After noon, Feliciano and Eileen returned to Spanish by the River "and to the house to see if the girls had returned". But alas. He told Eileen to keep an eye out and that he had to go to David again, to "some friends' house", and that she could call him. Eileen did call him at five in the afternoon to tell him that there was no news about the Dutch girls. Nevertheless Feliciano stated: "I told my friends I was going to Boquete immediately". Eileen had to wait at the language school and together they wanted to go to the police station to report the girls missing. Feliciano felt he had to go with Eileen "because the German girl only spoke a few words of Spanish". But then an unexpected delay happened when Feliciano left his car key in his vehicle and they had to wait for family to bring a reserve key and while waiting, they decided to go for dinner. When they reported the girls missing afterwards, it turned out that they needed their identification documents. Feliciano declared that the police officers tried to call for another cop to accompany him and Eileen to Miriam's house to get this documentations, but that there was no officer available. And so Eileen and Feliciano went to Miriam's house alone (again). Miriam helped them find the documents and they brought a small ID card from one of the girls back to the police station, while Eileen had found ID info for the other girl at the school. Back at the police station, this information was used to file the complaint. The police officer commended to Feliciano (or so he declared) that he should go to SINAPROC the next day, Thursday, and give them the same information. Which he did. He told Eileen to stay at the language school on Thursday. SINAPROC then called Feliciano to tell him that he should come by the next day [for them] to receive his missing person's report.
THURSDAY SINAPROC DAYFeliciano continued with his sworn statement extension and declared that on Thursday, he went to SINAPROC and gave them the information, like he had been asked to. A policeman then called him to say he should pass by the Ombudsman's Office to give them the information as well. SINAPROC then said they were willing to "accompany Feliciano" if necessary to look for the girls on the Pianista trail and they agreed to start the first search together. Feliciano went on to describe this search. They went up to the Arco Iris sector in their car. Then Feliciano "went home to change clothes" and then met up with the group again at the point where the Pianista trail enters the forest. Feliciano asked for the fastest SINAPROC walker to accompany him to the route which separates before the place of Mister Lazaro, continuing to the Horqueta area. The others waited until Feliciano found a point with reception where he could call them. But after ten to twelve minutes, Feliciano already received a call from SINAPROC, saying that they had to return to their base to wait for orders from higher up as these were organizing their own search group. This upset some of the boys, Feliciano stated, because they considered it a waste of precious time. But they all obeyed the order and returned. Only Feliciano continued the search on his own.
"The German girl only spoke a few words of Spanish."
He hiked up the Pianista trail for an hour but saw nothing. Then he hiked the route to Mister Lazaro's place and spoke to him. He was told that Mister Lazaro saw two women go up there on Tuesday but not come down again. One wore shorts, the other he could not see well from his position. Feliciano climbed up to the divide between Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro and continued down for about an hour, until he reached a point called "Alejandro Pittí", "where there is another route that deviates to where the Serracín family belongs". By then it was noon and he was getting tired. If he were to continue to hike further down, he realized, he would also be late for a booked tour with 14 Norwegians for that night to Barú volcano, for which he also wanted to rest a bit first. "Up to this point I had not seen clear tracks along the path that would indicate that they were shoes of the kind that I normally know they use, since the Indians and we, when we go through this area we use rubber boots that all have the same type of sole known by us." And so he turned around and walked back to Boquete, where other people told him that they had seen two girls go up the trail on Tuesday, but that they had not seen them come down either. Feliciano went directly to SINAPROC to tell them the information he gathered and show them which points on the map he had already visited and searched. He told them that he would be available to help them on Friday again by noon.
Feliciano was then asked if he made himself available to SINAPROC to initiate a search for the Dutch girls or if he was asked to do so? He said that he made himself available but that they never contacted him to ask him to participate in any search. That he went up the area of Alejandro Pittí by himself, as the SINAPROC man who would accompany him was called back. "I clarify that during that trip I didn't find anyone to ask if they had seen anyone around that place." [Not even Mr. Lazaro? Scarlet]. Feliciano explained how to get to this area of Alejandro Pittí, stating that you walk up the Pianista trail and that the road divides before the place of Mister Lazaro. Here you continue to the right and on a single road straight to the mountain range for two and a half or three hours. When asked what roads exist to get to the mountain range that connect with the Culebra community, Feliciano answered: "There is only one way, which is the Pianista. There is no other, and that is the one you use."
"I have been working in this field for 14 and I've never had a problem with anyone"
When asked about certification and permits, Feliciano answered that he is a certified local, regional- and tourist guide. When asked about his guide work for Spanish by the River students, Feliciano stated that it's the school that calls him "to guide some tourists who are interested in taking tours to the Volcano". This could be corroborated by hotels like the Oasis, the Tourism Authority, and the Topaz guesthouse. He confirmed that he got paid for his work and had been working in this field for 14 years at that time "and I've never had a problem with anyone". He stated that he generally takes his paying clients to only a handful of destinations, being the Pianista Trail, The Quetzal Trail, the Barú Volcano, occasionally the Hidden Waterfalls and some waterfalls owned by the Landau family and occasionally the hot springs or for horseback riding at the Franklin Rovetto Farm. Feliciano did not confirm to personally contact Miriam Guerra for clients and their excursions, stating that he only knows her from sight and that they are not friends, then adding: "but I only went to her house to look for people who were going on the excursions". He denied being the only guide used by Spanish by the River, but then followed this answer up with a statement that he did not know in fact if they were looking for another person for this purpose. When asked about condition requirements for climbing the Pianista sector, Feliciano replied that tourists needed good physical conditions for it and that "Germans, Canadians, Dutch, and Swiss are very good at climbing".
THE ALTO ROMERO SEARCHESWhen asked where and with whom he was on June 18 and 19, 2014, Feliciano replied that he was in Alto Romero. When asked what he was doing those days, he replied that the Dutchman Mr. Jerónimo [Jeroen van Passel, Scarlet] asked his services for the families, given that he knew the Culebra River and the area where the backpack was found well. Feliciano confirmed to have owned property in that area for over 35 years and complied with the request of Mr. Jerónimo to collaborate with the search and to ask other locals to help as well. He said he wanted to help from the beginning in order to "find out what really happened, since it's part of my job". "Also, because I had my property in that area, I was concerned about what was happening". Feliciano arranged the help of Mr. Laureano Bejerano and his own brother Jose Domingo Gonzalez. Feliciano stated that he asked Jerónimo straight up if this collaboration could cause any misunderstandings with the authorities or the Prosecutor's Office, as he could see how they might perceive this as interference. Jerónimo had replied that there was no problem, that the authorities were aware of this. In exchange for food and some money, several indigenous people also helped with the searches. When asked about his own payment for the search conducted in the area, Feliciano stated that they did it voluntarily to collaborate with the authorities and with the case. But that at the end of the searches, Jerónimo learnt how much work had been involved and he voluntarily paid him $150. He said to have no idea what the others were paid. Jerónimo asked them to search further downstream from the point where the backpack was found, and then further upstream, which is what they did. Feliciano was asked if he documented this search, to which he said he did, in the form of a sketched map of the place he traveled through and in addition through some of the photos that were shown on TVN which he took. On June 18 Feliciano left the area, battered by high water levels, in a TVN helicopter.
When asked about his property in Alto Romero and how often Feliciano visited it, he replied that his farm is in the Velorio sector (part of Culebra) and that he visits it two or three times a year only, because he is "afraid of the river crossings or the cables, which are dangerous, and I have an indigenous person who looks after my property". When questioned if he realized that authorities from SINAPROC, the public prosecutor's office, the national police and SENAFRONT were in that area, and if he thought that the conduct of his search could cause or generate any kind of doubt or error in the activities carried out by the authorities, Feliciano replied "No". Whenever authorities started their own search, which they could do whenever they wanted, Feliciano himself could simply leave that same day, he stated. When asked if he wanted to add anything else, Feliciano stated that he believed that the government should put up better signs on the Pianista trail to warn about the dangers of that area. - The document was then signed by First Superior Prosecutor Ms. Betzaida Pittí de Castillo.
Thoughts and commentary
* He mentions Eileen as the one who had emphasized on Wednesday morning that "these girls don't come", as they were "normally punctual". But it was Feliciano himself actually (unlike what various book authors have tried to insinuate to the contrary) who pressed for them to go to Miriam's house to look for Kris and Lisanne there.
* Yes he went into Kris and Lisanne's bedroom without police present, but he did so because "we did what Mrs. Miriam told us".
* He sensed and just knew that "the girls were not there and that apparently they had not slept there". And he pins that knowledge on the sight of only a few things on the beds and a backpack and sandals on the floor. Which makes no sense.* Yes he went into Kris and Lisanne's bedroom without police present, but he did so because "we did what Mrs. Miriam told us".
* Feliciano wanted Eileen to call Ingrid Lommers immediately to tell her about the disappearance. But it was Eileen who objected and blocked this, he says.
* Feliciano said that he was the one who told Eileen that they should report the girls missing with the police. But that Eileen was the one who kept them from doing so (because in Germany they normally waited 24 hours before reporting someone missing).
* Feliciano was flagged as suspicious by police for being the only one who knew that Kris and Lisanne had hiked the Pianista trail on the day of their disappearance. But Feliciano has a scapegoat ready: he claims that Eileen told him that. That she saw and overheard them discussing their Pianista plans. (Eileen later denied all of this in 2020 and said she had no idea where Kris and Lisanne had gone, and knew nothing about the Pianista trail. But confusingly enough she did tell SINAPROC this on April 3rd, which you can read about yourself further down in Miriam's affidavit).
* Feliciano decides to monopolize Eileen all day on Wednesday, taking her away from her work station and to the strawberry farm, but this time Mister Fillo gets the blame: "since I know the owner and he could get mad if we kept him waiting".
* Feliciano wants to report the girls missing at the police station, even though it really is not his place to do so. But he blames it on Eileen again: Feliciano felt he had to go with Eileen "because the German girl only spoke a few words of Spanish".
* He also had dinner with Eileen, but a new excuse is found: he had left his car key in his vehicle and they had to wait for slow family members to bring a reserve key.
* When he and Eileen went back to the girls' bedroom in the evening to look for ID, they again did so without police present. But this was their own fault, as "there was no officer available" to join them.
* When he and Eileen went back to the girls' bedroom in the evening to look for ID, they again did so without police present. But this was their own fault, as "there was no officer available" to join them.
* You'd think that he had no place to interfere with SINAPROC's investigation the next day, but Feliciano has an excuse: the police officer told him to do so. To give them the same information.
* A policeman then called him to say he should pass by the Ombudsman's Office also to give them the information. Explaining why he became an informant there also.
* A policeman then called him to say he should pass by the Ombudsman's Office also to give them the information. Explaining why he became an informant there also.
* Feliciano overstepped a line, one could say, by interfering with SINAPROC search operations and by going up the Pianista alone, without them present. But he blames this on SINAPROC, who had been called from higher up to stay put, after initially telling him they were willing to "accompany Feliciano". So now they are aiding him, the hero, instead of the other way around..
* Feliciano's excuse for being involved in virtually all the wilderness searches that led to the discoveries of the girls' remains is that the Dutchman Mr. Jerónimo [Jeroen van Passel] asked his services for the families, given that he knew the area well.
* Jerónimo also was the one to blame for asking them to search further downstream from the point where the backpack was found, and then further upstream.
* Feliciano's excuse for leading the Alto Romero searches and basically being the one to find most of the girl's remains was "to find out what really happened, since it's part of my job". "Also, because I had my property in that area, I was concerned about what was happening".
* Feliciano's excuse for leading the Alto Romero searches and basically being the one to find most of the girl's remains was "to find out what really happened, since it's part of my job". "Also, because I had my property in that area, I was concerned about what was happening".
* Feliciano was aware that this collaboration could cause misunderstandings with the authorities and the Prosecutor's Office, who could see it as him interfering with the official investigation and searches. But that Jerónimo had replied that there was no problem, and that the authorities were aware of this.
- When he was asked if he knew Kris and Lisanne, Feliciano replied on April 7: "Yes, I saw them on Tuesday the first of April of this year, and I saw them at the Spanish and English school, which teaches Spanish to tourists and is in Alto Boquete, on the road that leads to Palmira about five hundred meters from the entrance to Palmira, after the San Francisco plaza, only that day and it was in the morning. From there I did not see them again".
* His statement is very specific in that he saw the two that morning, but didn't see them again (something he later also stressed in the media). In some versions of events he added details about saying "Hola!" to them. In others he only saw them from a distance. Nobody else told police however that Feliciano was present at the language school on Tuesday morning and that he saw Kris and Lisanne there. Marjolein and Eileen did not mention it at all. Only Feliciano told police this by his own accord. Why is this? And why did he in later media interviews try to backpaddle on this? For instance, in this Dutch newspaper article from March 2019, Feliciano is interviewed and says: "I still have contact with the girls' parents and I don't want to make them sad. I only wanted to help. I have never seen the girls." He then also admits in his sworn statement that he realised these two strangers he 'saw' were the same two people who wanted to do this Farm tour on Wednesday.
.jpg)
* This begs the question of just how far away he was when he passed them by? Because through good sleuthing from Power-Pixie, we know that Spanish by the River had a big fence at the time, in 2014. Almost the whole area was blocked off by tall wooden gates. So it was not as simple as walking or driving past the entrance on the side of the public road and seeing these girls in passing, one lounging in the hammock and the other studying a map. He would have had to enter the premise for that. And why was he there? He fails to explain that also. "Yes, I saw them on Tuesday the first of April of this year, and I saw them at the Spanish and English school, and it was in the morning."
* Given that Feliciano says contradicting things about this supposed fleeting meeting with Kris and Lisanne on Tuesday morning, while also declaring he didn't return from David until well after noon (he believed he left the hospital around 1 PM, meaning he would be back in Boquete closer to 2 PM), you can't help but ponder about possible motives for saying all this. Could his statements have been a form of mental gymnastics for instance, in order to explain to police WHY he was so invested and motivated in chasing after Kris and Lisanne on Wednesday and also over the next days? In an attempt to avoid appearing sketchy? Feliciano could not have known by April 7th whether Eileen or Marjolein would tell police about any of this in their own affidavits... Or was Marjolein messing up details and did she and Feliciano in fact leave in Boquete at 9 AM instead of 7 AM? If so, why didn't she then mention this meeting of Feliciano with Kris and Lisanne in her detailed letter? Why did she write that she never saw the girls at the school that morning, as she had left early? * It is baffling that nobody in this investigation ever went after that admission of his. No cross-examination of Eileen and Marjolein in that respect. No follow-up questions. No inquiring with Feliciano at what specific time he saw the girls at the school, or how this would fit in with the timeline of his hospital visit in David (and whether he lied to them, therefore). Not even hard evidence documentation that he actually HAD a hospital appointment. Just, nothing. No pinging of his phone either, and no tracing of his footsteps. He could jabber on for as long as he wanted, unchallenged seemingly, and then decide to have the interview ended. Just like police/investigators never went after the Eileen lies regarding the 1 PM last sighting. Maybe these two things somehow match together and Feliciano and Eileen both tried to cement this narrative early on that Kris and Lisanne were still at the school by 1 PM, because they wanted to hide something that happened that morning? Or to steer attention away from this supposed Café Nelvis visit of the two before embarking on their Pianista hike? I can only speculate here, because Pittí and her team left dozens of open endings in their investigation. Or is Feliciano setting up a false narrative here to cover up that he in fact returned to the school after coming back from David after his claimed doctor's appointment? Where was Henry at this point? At Nelvis? Did Feliciano learn himself from Kris and Lisanne that they had plans to hike the Pianista trail that day? Allowing him to inform Henry about this? Pinning it on Eileen later on? Questions, questions. If Henry truly was the last person to see them, then it must have been either at Nelvis or up the Pianista trail... Nelvis is where Kris and Lisanne went on Tuesday morning, according to the book LITJ, after having been at Spanish by the River and before heading to the Pianista trail.. But if that is true, then why did Eileen lie about all this for April 1?
- Feliciano was asked on April 7:"Please tell me if you were hired to go on a tour on Tuesday, April 1st of this year, in relation to the young women Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers. If so, please explain." To which he answered: "On Tuesday, April 1st, I went to the school and I was taking a German couple to David, and the girl from Holland, the young woman Mary [MARJOLEIN]."* The interviewer should have immediately pressed Feliciano here for more details. The specific time he went there, the identity of the German couple, the reason why he arranged to take them, etc.
- Feliciano stated on April 7: "That same day, while I was in David, at the Hospital, they called me and told me that the two girls I had observed at school wanted to go to Mr. Fillo's farm in Alto Quiel, and that the tour would be on Wednesday, the next day. That's what the person in charge of the school told me."
* "The girls he had (just) observed at the school" wanted to book a farm tour... Again, it's astonishing how nothing said in these statements was ever followed up on by police. Here he gives a lengthy statement, while elsewhere less than three hours later Eileen gives another, with some answers that seem to directly contradict what he is saying here. And yet no one notices the various contradictions and the evasiveness? - Also, I never believed the hospital story initially. I thought it was a convenient invention first, when the Dutch author duo brought it up in his defense. 'See?? He wasn't anywhere near Boquete!' . Well that wasn't exactly true and they omitted his sworn statement of actually having met these girls at the school that morning. Just like SLIP skipped that part mostly.
"On Tuesday, April 1st, I went to the school and I was taking a German couple to David, and the girl from Holland, the young woman Mary [Marjolein]."
- Feliciano stated on April 7: "When they didn't arrive they informed me that these girls were staying in a nearby house and I told the person in charge of the school, La Alemana [the German one], that we should go to the house where they were staying to look for them."
* Not sure if this is because he has trouble pronouncing her name, but Feliciano regularly refers to Eileen as just "she" or "they" or something else impersonal throughout his statements. Also, Feliciano declares that he was the one who pushed them to go to Miriam's place to look for Kris and Lisanne. It is good to have that clear now. So it was not Eileen's idea, but Feliciano's. For your information: the two German authors from SLIP have ignored Feliciano's statement about this and published: "While Eileen is there on time, Kris and Lisanne are late. The guide looks at his watch in amazement - 15 minutes late. Where are the girls? Increasing concern turns into worry as more minutes pass with no sign of his customers. Feliciano and Eileen set off at short notice, hurrying down the gravel road to Miriam's house to see if the girls might have overslept." So they omitted that he was the one suggesting that he and Eileen would go to Miriam's place. As Power-Pixie stressed: "In the German book they make it sound like he didn't even know who Miriam was or where she lived. While omitting the fact that it was all his idea! So manipulative". We have to assume and believe that his motive was worry and assertiveness. But those who have foul play suspicions may even wonder in how far Mister Fillo farm tour was a fabricated story, providing him an alibi to get into that house and check Kris and Lisanne's room. For whatever reason.
- Feliciano stated on April 7: "she tells us to go back to her house and knock on the window of the room on the left side in front of the house, which was the room where they were staying. So we did and the girl from the school called them by name and nothing."
* This is a new detail, that Eileen supposedly called out their names, while knocking on their bedroom window.
* This is a new detail, that Eileen supposedly called out their names, while knocking on their bedroom window.
* I wrote about this before, but this comment of Feliciano still makes no sense to me. Kris and Lisanne left those beds in that way when they left the house on Tuesday morning. After they had just slept in there. So how can Feliciano determine anything by the state of those beds come Wednesday? He had no idea supposedly that they hadn't returned the night prior. Not even Miriam knew that with certainty. Clearly that was exactly what their beds looked like right after they left the house, and so it indicated absolutely nothing. Maybe it didn't smell like people had recently slept there though? Not sure honestly how Feliciano could determine this information from that room, based on the photos we have of the state of that bedroom as investigators found it.
.jpg)
- Feliciano stated on April 7: "From there we waited a little while, we waited all day, to see if the girls returned."* Good Samaritan or not; this still feels excessive. As Dave M. has stated: "The level of concern and time being spent by him seems out of proportion with what is supposed to be two tourists who don't show up for a very hazy agreement to go to some farm somewhere... After trying the house and getting no answer, the two of them should have shrugged and set off regardless. But they won't give up chasing after these two. To the extend that it consumes all morning and eventually all day. Even though it's none of his business. If anything it is Miriam's business..." - Absolutely. I won't change my mind on this one either. Going into their bedroom, when it was already abundantly clear from the knocking on their window and the calling out of their names that they were not in there, was already out of proportion. But clearly that was just the start of it. An entire day was used by these two to chase around, wait around, go for dinner together, go to the police. Take over what should have been Miriam's job and responsibility, for no apparent reason. Just two tourists who forgot about their booked tour.. Even Miriam wasn't worried yet. But Eileen leaves Spanish by the River unguarded almost all day, trotting behind Feliciano in search of them. He is always taking the lead, telling her that they will go to Miriam's house, telling her that they will go to the Farm and to a local park ranger to check for these young women there. All the way till the evening. And Eileen quietly did as she was told apparently. With Feliciano (for whatever reason) keeping taps on everyone and making sure he was the one to go to police to report them missing by evening. That he was the one to go to SINAPROC and SENAFRONT to inform them, that he was the one who went out there to inspect the Pianista trail. Unusual behaviour, to say the least. Or perhaps that was simply a display of cultural machismo which I just don't understand.
SECOND AFFIDAVIT
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "On April 1st, which fell on a Tuesday, I had an appointment at the regional hospital because they had a cast on my left pinky finger. I was in the hospital until maybe 1:00 PM."* So Feliciano says that he was at the hospital until maybe 1 PM. That 1 PM timing is very interesting. As with this specific time, Feliciano is effectively putting himself out of the way of being anywhere near the school or Boquete at the time when Eileen declared to have last seen Kris and Lisanne there. A lie, it turned out. But this wasn't yet clear by June 24th. Or perhaps investigators knew as much by then, having had the opportunity to investigate the contents of the backpack and of the Canon camera. A very convenient coincidence, this time provided now by Feliciano. In his April 7th sworn statement he did not provide the 1 PM time, but did swear that he told "everything he knew". Eleven weeks later he remembered a lot more details suddenly. Can we trust him and Eileen however?
"I was in the hospital until maybe 1:00 PM."
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "That day while I was in the hospital, I received acall from a young German woman. [..] She tells me, "Feliciano, it's AILIN from school. Do you remember the two girls who are going to the volcano on Saturday?" At that moment, I thought they were going to cancel the trip. She tells me, "Are you free tomorrow?" I answer, "Yes." She tells me, "The two girls are interested in visiting the farm, [of] the two princesses that are advertised in your brochure. I told her, "Perfect."* This statement indicates that Eileen saw and spoke with Kris and Lisanne on the morning of Tuesday April 1st. And that they made plans for a joint Wednesday tour with Feliciano. Feliciano also phrases things differently this time than he did eleven weeks earlier. Now he describes Eileen as saying during her call to him while he was in hospital: "Do you remember the two girls who are going to the volcano on Saturday?" Back then he said: "they called me and told me that the two girls I had observed at school wanted to go to Mr. Fillo's farm in Alto Quiel." Does Feliciano no longer want to stick to this observation detail now suddenly? I don't think he can erase that sworn statement though.
* Just to remind you, Jeremy Kryt also reported on this meeting of his with Kris and Lisanne in the second Daily Beast second article about this case and he knew of witnesses of this: "Witnesses say this same guide met with Kris and Lisanne less than 24 hours before they disappeared, on the campus of an all-inclusive language school called Spanish by the River, where the women were staying in Boquete. During that meeting, he offered them a full-package tour, including a guided hike up to the nearby Continental Divide, and an overnight stop at his ranch, deep in the jungle on the far side of the mountains. For unknown reasons, the women declined."
* Just to remind you, Jeremy Kryt also reported on this meeting of his with Kris and Lisanne in the second Daily Beast second article about this case and he knew of witnesses of this: "Witnesses say this same guide met with Kris and Lisanne less than 24 hours before they disappeared, on the campus of an all-inclusive language school called Spanish by the River, where the women were staying in Boquete. During that meeting, he offered them a full-package tour, including a guided hike up to the nearby Continental Divide, and an overnight stop at his ranch, deep in the jungle on the far side of the mountains. For unknown reasons, the women declined."
* Also: how strange that Kris and Lisanne were at the school that Tuesday morning, discussed with Eileen their mutual plans for a tour the next day, discussed with her the issue of the lack of volunteer replacement work... but then supposedly left the school without mentioning to Eileen where they were going? According to Eileen the two just turned around and left without a word. Which is still hard to believe for me, given how thoroughly decent and polite Lisanne in particular was.. But knowing that Marjolein had advised them against hiking the Pianista without a guide, do we have to assume here perhaps that they purposely kept their Pianista plan a bit of a secret? Because they circumvented the school protocol, as told to us by Marjolein? Or is that the narrative that is being spun here?
* This statement also indicates that Eileen saw and spoke with Kris and Lisanne on the morning of Tuesday April 1st. If only we knew when exactly these phone calls took place that morning. We know that the girls were told to come to the school at 9 AM. We know he went to David with Marjolein around 7 AM that Tuesday morning. We know he didn't return from that hospital until after 1 PM. Even though he claimed to have seen Kris and Lisanne at the school also that morning, at some unknown time. And I have a very hard time believing that Feliciano was at that local hospital in David from 8 AM to 1 PM for a simple pinky cast. It doesn't take that long to get a cast or bandage removed (as NickyAbroad blogged that he already hand a bandaged hand on March 22nd of that year, so he most likely returned to hospital to get the bandage removed indeed, as he himself also indicated). Dry-Psychology9041 wrote about this on Reddit: "With knowledge, because of my place of origin and my profession, I can tell you that generally medical consultations in public hospitals in Latin America start early, no later than 7am-8am. If it is by appointment, the most common thing to do is to arrive as early as possible because there may be many people waiting and they can attend on a first come first served basis. So, it seems to me that Feliciano did leave around 7am on his way to David and it is also unlikely that Kris and Lisanne were at Spanish school at that time, as they did not have classes or volunteering, or guided excursions that we know of. If he ever saw them in person it must have been before April 1, 2014." Good to know and it does make sense for Feliciano to have left at 7 AM for this hospital visit. He said he had an "appointment" though, so he may have been seen faster than those just arriving and waiting for the next available spot. People following this case seem unanimous in the impression that Marjolein may have glammed up her own role in all this in her Letter. And gave the wrong departure time at the school. But this seems to stem from a deep desire to always protect the tour guide. And there is no evidence that she lied to Ingrid about when she left the school. It would have been pretty simply to prove also for her, as she no doubt either had a ticket with a time stamp for her early bus to Costa Rica, or bought one that same morning. So she can prove easily that she left by 7 AM therefore, also through phone locations. I doubt she lied about this, but who knows. So that leaves (for me) Feliciano as the person who lied. Hence why he gave two very different sworn statements over time. Emphasizing in his first statement multiple times that he saw the girls on Tuesday morning. That was no mistake, therefore. Only to omit that part completely from his June 24th statement. That was his own doing, not Marjolein's. So it feels to me that he exaggerated the length of time spent at that hospital. And that he actually raced back as soon as he could, to try to arrange some guided tour with Kris and Lisanne, so for tour business. I also remember that Adelita Coriat published an article in which she wrote that Feliciano and Henry were already behind the Pianista trail at the beginning of Tuesday afternoon, tending to their cattle. Curious where she got that info from. To publish it in a newspaper, she may have had good sources though. It was also published that Henry, the son, lived in the vicinity of the Pianista trail and of course (going with the pandilla theory) there was the son of the Il Pianista restaurant who worked there as well and who was a close member of this pandilla. Who could have seen them go up. And even Osman Valenzual, RIP, lived on the Pianista according to local media articles at the time. So these are all (inconvenient) coincidences. I don't think that the tour guide is the one who killed Kris and Lisanne. But I think that he knew what they were up to that day and told someone else, who had nefarious intentions. And the timeline of Feliciano's movements for that morning does not match up. And the way in which he indirectly supports Eileen and Ingrid's "1 PM" last seen witness statement to the authorities and media is worth thinking on.
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "When I arrived in Boquete that same Tuesday in the afternoon, the German girl called me and asked me if I knew of a place in Boquete where they take care of children. She gave me a name that I don't remember."
* Again we don't get a specific time. So he gets another call from Eileen, asking him about a daycare center suggestion this time. Was the name that Feliciano cannot remember Casa Esperanza by any chance? If so, we know from Marjolein's letter that Eileen was already supposed to inform Kris and Lisanne about the Casa Esperanza situation by 9 AM that morning. She knew by then that CE had no place for them that entire first week of April. And soon after learning this, Kris and Lisanne headed to the Pianista trail for the rest of the day. And yet, Eileen is supposedly calling Feliciano on Tuesday afternoon about this place or another place? As Dave M. weighed in later: "So he is saying he had this call later in the day as he returned to Boquete. She gave him a name he doesn't remember, and instead goes to a place he DOES know of? He is actually in Boquete, and asks around at this place... and it turns out this IS the place Eileen was asking about?! Okay, whatever. But why is she asking him about a childcare center (Casa?) at 2pm or shortly after? If the matter was already settled that (early) morning?" - Maybe Eileen was already hustling for work for the second week of April for Kris and Lisanne? Because by Tuesday afternoon Eileen would have already known that they had accepted the situation and had booked various guided tours throughout that first week of April. But if so, why was she calling Feliciano again that afternoon to pester him about more school options when there would be no more rush then and when she was about to see him in person the next morning, as they had agreed on that just prior (Eileen would join free of charge)?
"the two girls I had observed at school" versus "the two girls who are going to the volcano on Saturday"
* So after only ten minutes of chitchatting, maybe fifteen in total, panic already engulfed Feliciano and Eileen. Eileen is never mentioned in Kris or Lisanne's diary. She basically properly met them on the bus ride to Boquete or at SbtR. And this was their first day of doing something together in an arranged way, so Eileen technically had nothing to base herself on here... Eileen would have to go off the two's regular arrival at the language school. Or perhaps Eileen somehow observed them closely when she was also in Bocas. Power-Pixie discovered that there's a good chance that Eileen also booked her internship in Panama through the same 'Het Andere Reizen' travel agency in the Netherlands as Kris and Lisanne had used ("Do you want to do an internship in Latin America and don't speak Spanish yet? No problem, we can offer you a combination of Spanish lessons and an internship"). But in any case, why was Feliciano panicked? Instead of.. annoyed? Why didn't he just call them on their cellphones? Left an annoyed message behind? That's normal. Not to get panicky and going into the private bedroom in a house of someone he also barely knew. And why stay in there for reportedly half an hour? Why not just take your losses, inform Miriam that her clients didn't show up to give her a heads up to be on the lookout for them, and move on with your day? This surely can't have been the first or the last tourist who stood him up for an impromptu tour appointment?
- Feliciano stated on respectively April 7 and June 24 about the moment they had to call Miriam and somehow had to get hold of her phone number: "we got Mrs. Miriam's number and we talked to her". And later: "and we went to the school to look for Mrs. Miriam's number, in fact we got it".
* Note here once more that Feliciano has stated to SLIP that it was he himself who called around to find out Miriam's phone number at this moment in time. Quote from SLIP: "After ringing the doorbell in vain for several minutes, he walks back to the school with the trainee and makes a few phone calls, as Eileen tells us, until he finds out Miriam's number through acquaintances". I don't know where the Germans got this version of events from, but Feliciano never told investigators that when under oath.
* How long were they inside that bedroom, according to Feliciano? Shame that wasn't asked by investigators. The persistent info in the media has been that they were in there together for around half an hour. Very worried, despite Feliciano trying to say in his additional sworn statements that he had actually really no idea who these two young women were and that he had never met them. Not even Miriam was worried at this point. I still don't understand why this guide spent an entire day trying to trace them and going to the lengths he did. Also in terms of taking over SINAPROC tasks, unrequested, over the next days. What outsider does that in a delicate case, picked up already by the countries' prosecution and professional organizations? Why does he keep himself at the center of everything happening here? Later he tells investigators that he got "upset" when SINAPROC told him that they had to return to their base on Thursday to wait for orders from higher up. It is all a bit strange.
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "The German girl and I started talking about what steps should be taken and I asked her to call the owner of the school, she said no".
* Again: why is he so pushy? This was none of his business. Even host mother Miriam (who was technically more responsible for them than Feliciano was) thought they just had a night out and shrugged her shoulders at this point in time. The only one fretting and inserting himself to such an extreme degree in this case is the tour guide. Why is this? Taking charge of two tourists he had supposedly never met, and who could have just gone out for the day after forgetting about that farm tour? Does he do this with every tourist who forgets about a tour meetup? Hard to believe. You call the clients or move on with your day.
Lee Zeltzer on April 4, 2014: "I spoke with Eileen at Spanish by the River in Boquete who confirmed that the girls are missing. That they told no one where they were going but they think from brochures and the internet sites they were reading that they were heading toward the Quetzal trail."
* Eileen later denied this version of events, as mentioned previously. She later said to authors that she had no idea about Kris and Lisanne's plans. When Lee Zeltzer talked to Eileen on April 4, 2014, she told him the following: "I spoke with Eileen at Spanish by the River in Boquete who confirmed that the girls are missing. That they told no one where they were going but they think from brochures and the internet sites they were reading that they were heading toward the Quetzal trail or someplace in that region of the mountains. For those not familiar with the area that is a very remote mountainous area north of the pueblo." [..] "I spoke with Spanish by the River and they have no real information, just speculation on where they were going. They could be any place. Let's hope they went to Bocas to surf". Lee Zeltzer later updated the Boquete Ning forum that SINAPROC had started searching the Quetzal trail area by April 4th. Why did Eileen tell Lee Zeltzer (a very reliable and well intending American living in Boquete and very serious about helping in this case, boots on the ground style) that Kris and Lisanne may have gone to the Quetzal trail? And that their internet searches indicated this? That was obviously not true, but it did direct the searchers in the wrong direction at a critical point in time... Notice that she did not mention the Pianista trail to Lee.SINAPROC on April 3rd: "The young Eileen W tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianist's path."
* It was Feliciano in fact who almost immediately spoke to police about the Pianista trail as the location where Kris and Lisanne had to be searched. And Eileen had informed him about this. He linked to her speaking some Dutch here. And why would Eileen make the point to him that she understood Dutch, if she never overheard them in fact? Or did he just wanted to make that point to investigators in his long testimony? Did he remember out loud perhaps that Eileen understands Dutch, because he used that skill of hers when going through Kris and Lisanne's diaries, for instance? And is that why they spent so long in that bedroom? Which is not proven, by the way, and assumption. We don't know.. And also, how would Eileen have seen them "on the school computer looking at the pianist area"? The workers desk is quite a distance away from the school computers. Did Eileen sneak up on them and looked over their shoulders while they were googling stuff? (Was this last browser time logged by the way?) Eileen never mentioned any of this in her own sworn statement, which you can read about further below. But she did tell SINAPROC, according to them, on April 3rd that she overheard Kris and Lisanne discussing the Pianista trail and that she told Feliciano about it... "The young Eileen W, a German national, tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianist's path." This woman changes her story too often it seems... [Many thanks to Power-Pixie for the below collage of Spanish by the River].
* Here he indirectly blames the farm owner for taking Eileen along that day. He could get mad if they didn't go there right away... Eileen had to work at the language school, you'd assume. No other employee was present that day in Boquete. But somehow she agrees to go with Feliciano, looking for two tourists who simply didn't show up for a tour. In her own sworn statement Eileen says she had no idea where this farm was even located.. despite agreeing to go there with them and booking it for them, supposedly. Why couldn't he cancel that angry farm owner by phone and explain the distressing disappearance of his tourists? Both books rewrote this event as Feliciano & Eileen going to the farm to see if the two had already gone there. But that isn't what he says in his sworn statement here. And if Eileen declares in her affidavit that she had no idea where that farm was located, how could Kris and Lisanne have known and gone there by their own account?
"To LITJ, Eileen said in 2020 "in a private conversation" that she never told anyone that Kris and Lisanne were going to walk the Pianista trail."
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "when we got to the police station it took us a little while because in front of the police my car was left with the vehicle key, I called my house so they could bring me a key, we went to eat while I waited for the key". * "They" are not further specified, but could have been Henry or Feliciano's wife probably.
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "SINAPROC then said they were willing to "accompany Feliciano" if necessary to look for the girls on the Pianista trail and they agreed to start the first search together."* Feliciano in his affidavit says that Sinaproc were willing to "accompany Feliciano", instead of the other way around. Strange comment, given that nobody asked him or hired him to do the official searches at that point in time. He was supposed to help them. Just like nobody asked him to start interviewing witnesses along that trail: something the local prosecutor would normally decide to do or to have done by professionals. But Feliciano did so by his own initiative immediately anyway and later sold it by spreading doubt about the capability and professionality of the officials. SINAPROC are a professional organization and they searched that area for a long time. I understand that they didn't mind having a local tour guide tagging along to give inside information about that specific neck of the woods, initially.. (And were not so happy with it later on). And SLIP tells me that SINAPROC actually work routinely with local guides for these type of operations. Which is fair enough. But they didn't need Feliciano, who - to me - is trying to make himself very important here. Either people see him as a hero for it and as super caring, or they see him as a control freak with an agenda, forcing himself into the investigation for no understandable reason.
Eileen then to SLIP: "I didn't see Kris and Lisanne for the last time at 1 PM on Tuesday, but at 1 PM on Monday" And: "Neither Eileen nor Petra can remember what time they saw Kris and Lisanne on April 1"
- Feliciano stated on June 24 that they went up to the Arco Iris sector in their car. Then Feliciano "went home to change clothes" and then met up with the group again at the point where the Pianista trail enters the forest." And he said about his deep interest in helping with the searches: "Also, because I had my property in that area, I was concerned about what was happening"
This confirms that Feliciano actually lives not very far from the Pianista trail... Something that has never been emphasized in the media or by the book authors. They always kept it vague, without mentioning this closeness to the area. And some of the remains and the backpack were found not far from his jungle finca.
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "I asked the group to allow me a guy of the fastest walkers that I was going to take a route that separates before Mr. LASARO, and that goes out to the Horqueta area because the girls could have taken that route, the rest of the group waited until I found a point to call".
This confirms that Feliciano actually lives not very far from the Pianista trail... Something that has never been emphasized in the media or by the book authors. They always kept it vague, without mentioning this closeness to the area. And some of the remains and the backpack were found not far from his jungle finca.
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "I asked the group to allow me a guy of the fastest walkers that I was going to take a route that separates before Mr. LASARO, and that goes out to the Horqueta area because the girls could have taken that route, the rest of the group waited until I found a point to call".
* This sworn statement and the questions that are asked make me believe that Feliciano truly went off on his own little search. Refusing to wait, going up all alone with only a single handpicked helper. Instead of supporting SINAPROC and merely informing them about the Pianista plans from Kris and Lisanne, as police asked him to do. With him being the only person to claim at that time to know where they had gone. He pinned that info on Eileen, despite her later denying (on and off) to have known this. Feliciano was at the centre of it all, even months down the line, shoe-horning himself in there, just as he did with local media channel TVN, to the point that he even proudly declared in his affidavit that he could get a ride in their helicopter. Star Treatment. To me, his detailed story is undeniably charming, but may just as well be interpretated as the sly attempt of a controlling person to portray himself as an innocent hero. But who knows what is true and what is just a matter of appearances in this case. I wonder if the police have ever inspected his phone and his laptop at the time? I believe they never did...
- Feliciano stated on June 24: "Yes, I made you a map of the place I traveled through as a sketch and in addition to some of the photos that were shown on TVN, I took them."* The star reporter and investigator. It is likely that Feliciano also took the photos of the boot of Lisanne, logged behind a tree, and the photo of the backpack and contents that was shown on local news. (Did he accept money for those images?). I won't say he also took the April 8 night photos, but I won't lie by denying that that notion briefly came to mind. A totally unfounded assumption though.
"I visit my farm in the Velorio sector two or three times a year only, because I am afraid of the river crossings or the cables, which are dangerous"
- Feliciano stated on June 24, when being asked "State where you were on June 18 and 19, 2014, and in whose company or companies?": "Yes, I was in Alto Romero in the province of Bocas del Toro."
* Feliciano said that he rarely goes to his Alto Romero finca because he is afraid of the monkey bridges he has to cross to get there. So afraid, that he has locals look after his finca there. Visiting his condo there only "two or three times a year". But he didn't mention to investigators that he does guide paying customers over those same bridges, as far as I could find online. Such as SLIP Annette only recently, in 2023 - thanks for reminding of this Dave. In one of her logbooks she wrote: "Down by the river, however, they also show quite a bit of respect for the monkey bridge that we cross (the second one on the way to Alto Romero)." Various of his paying tourists also mention crossing those same monkey bridges with him in their reviews for Feliciano Tours. And many thanks to seancidy6008, who remembered an older blog post of two young women called Molly and Rachel, who used Feliciano's tour guide services to hike to an indigenous Ngobe-Bugle village in the wild, and they had to.. pass the monkey bridges to get there. Henry joined them and was still only 17 years old then. What is so interesting about their blog, is how they describe Feliciano's reaction when they were petrified of those monkey death-bridges as they called them, and struggled to pass them: "But then there were the river crossings - Mom, close your eyes. [..] We crossed three rivers on these cable death-bridges. I inched across, terrified each time. On the first death-bridge I was so scared my shaking legs made the cables wobble. Feliciano made fun of me for hours — and didn’t mention until later that a local had recently died on a crossing." - So Feliciano said to investigators that he was so petrified of those cable bridges himself that he barely visited his property in Alto Romero. But then takes tourists to the same areas whenever they want to pay for it, and mocks and laughs "for hours" at them for being fearful of those same bridges? Is that how a person reacts who himself is so abnormally fearful of them, that he tells investigators about it and only visits his own jungle house "two or three times a year" because of this phobia? He had a bridge to sell to those investigators, surely.. Good find Sean. That blog post appeared in the online High On Adventure Magazine on April 2008.
* Feliciano said that he rarely goes to his Alto Romero finca because he is afraid of the monkey bridges he has to cross to get there. So afraid, that he has locals look after his finca there. Visiting his condo there only "two or three times a year". But he didn't mention to investigators that he does guide paying customers over those same bridges, as far as I could find online. Such as SLIP Annette only recently, in 2023 - thanks for reminding of this Dave. In one of her logbooks she wrote: "Down by the river, however, they also show quite a bit of respect for the monkey bridge that we cross (the second one on the way to Alto Romero)." Various of his paying tourists also mention crossing those same monkey bridges with him in their reviews for Feliciano Tours. And many thanks to seancidy6008, who remembered an older blog post of two young women called Molly and Rachel, who used Feliciano's tour guide services to hike to an indigenous Ngobe-Bugle village in the wild, and they had to.. pass the monkey bridges to get there. Henry joined them and was still only 17 years old then. What is so interesting about their blog, is how they describe Feliciano's reaction when they were petrified of those monkey death-bridges as they called them, and struggled to pass them: "But then there were the river crossings - Mom, close your eyes. [..] We crossed three rivers on these cable death-bridges. I inched across, terrified each time. On the first death-bridge I was so scared my shaking legs made the cables wobble. Feliciano made fun of me for hours — and didn’t mention until later that a local had recently died on a crossing." - So Feliciano said to investigators that he was so petrified of those cable bridges himself that he barely visited his property in Alto Romero. But then takes tourists to the same areas whenever they want to pay for it, and mocks and laughs "for hours" at them for being fearful of those same bridges? Is that how a person reacts who himself is so abnormally fearful of them, that he tells investigators about it and only visits his own jungle house "two or three times a year" because of this phobia? He had a bridge to sell to those investigators, surely.. Good find Sean. That blog post appeared in the online High On Adventure Magazine on April 2008.
"We crossed three rivers on these cable death-bridges. I inched across, terrified each time. On the first death-bridge I was so scared my shaking legs made the cables wobble. Feliciano made fun of me for hours"
* So he made an effort clearly to make it known to investigators that he was not at all linked to Alto Romero and what went on there. He barely went there all year! But what are the odds that he was actually there in Alto Romero a few days after the backpack was discovered by employees of his own brother? Was Feliciano also in Alto Romero around the 11th of June, when the bag was planted/discovered? And the interviewer is very specific in the questioning with regards to June 18th and 19th. Why is that? Feliciano himself acknowledged in interviews how vitally important the discovery of that backpack truly was.. To the NOS news on June 25th of 2014 for instance, Feliciano repeated throughout the interview that it was very good luck that the backpack was found, because without it "we wouldn't have known anything about the fate of Kris and Lisanne". As Power-Pixie commented about this: "Well F, since we know what photos were on the camera, without proof they were dead, and with the phones still had to be examined at that time, how could you know what their fate was? Just going by that backpack?" Good question.. (Photos above of Feliciano on the monkey bridges).
* So he made an effort clearly to make it known to investigators that he was not at all linked to Alto Romero and what went on there. He barely went there all year! But what are the odds that he was actually there in Alto Romero a few days after the backpack was discovered by employees of his own brother? Was Feliciano also in Alto Romero around the 11th of June, when the bag was planted/discovered? And the interviewer is very specific in the questioning with regards to June 18th and 19th. Why is that? Feliciano himself acknowledged in interviews how vitally important the discovery of that backpack truly was.. To the NOS news on June 25th of 2014 for instance, Feliciano repeated throughout the interview that it was very good luck that the backpack was found, because without it "we wouldn't have known anything about the fate of Kris and Lisanne". As Power-Pixie commented about this: "Well F, since we know what photos were on the camera, without proof they were dead, and with the phones still had to be examined at that time, how could you know what their fate was? Just going by that backpack?" Good question.. (Photos above of Feliciano on the monkey bridges). 
SOME CONCLUSIONS
* This man is an excellent and meticulous storyteller.
* This man is an excellent and meticulous storyteller.
* Feliciano's first affidavit seems more restrained, but in his second he talks for a long time. It sounds like he was well at ease when telling his long story. This is in stark contrast with the bare minimum which Eileen provided. While she was seemingly (but this is a subjective interpretation) stiff with tension.
* The police interviews were all curt, clearly following a pre-written textbook question list. There was very little curiosity or prodding of the people being interviewed. In his second sworn statement of June 24, it was Feliciano himself who was very talkative and who - without being motivated to do so by the interviewer - spilled a lot of details and painted a very detailed image of things. Unlike Eileen.
* It is not clear if the extension of Feliciano's sworn statement was given because he was summoned to (for instance because authorities had new questions about his role in things), or because Feliciano himself requested to.
* His first statement was given on April 7, so at the start of the investigation. With Eileen W still present in Boquete and before any remains or evidence was yet discovered. The second sworn statement was given on June 24th and in it he elaborates even further, but at a time when the backpack had already been discovered. And with Eileen long gone from Boquete by then. Adding new details. Suddenly leaving out his sighting of Kris and Lisanne at the school on Tuesday morning (possibly because nobody pressed him on that detail during the previous months?).* Was Feliciano by then altering his overall story to fit with recent developments? Did he suddenly remember a lot more details, nearly three months after the event? Or is it possible that he did so because the location where the remains were found now made him look suspicious? By June the camera and phones and the real timeline of events could have also punched a hole right through the Old Timeline which Eileen and he helped to create. Could Feliciano have already known about the New Timeline so to speak by June 24th?
* I never understood anyway why the long published Old Timeline (with Kris and Lisanne having left SbtR around 1 PM) was so easily overturned, and without any fuss, by everybody including the press and the investigators by the time the backpack and the phones and camera had been found... That 1 PM timeframe was so well 'baked' into the public and media by this point. With Ingrid Lommers not exactly helping the cause by reposting these false 1 PM last sighting claims... Why did the authorities and local media downplay or even ignore the new timeline discovered on the camera and phones? Just like no one asked Ingrid or Eileen to explain themselves or pressed them on this absolute eyesore of a contradiction.. Which derailed and steered the investigation in the wrong direction for months! Even influencing how witness statements were valued. And Ingrid and Eileen themselves most definitely didn't bring the matter up or made any effort to untangle this self-made mess of theirs. Very frustrating!
* At no point did Feliciano suggest to Eileen that instead of invading these girls' privacy by going into their bedroom without police present, they should simply first try to call them on their cellphones.
* We know that on June 17th 2014, Panamanian journalists were already allowed to view photos from the Memory Card of Lisanne's camera. TVN mentioned it here, but not very extensively (I remember a long article, this must be a later edited version of it that is now online). TVN also published the photo of the backpack of Kris and Lisanne on June 17. Whereas Feliciano had very likely connections with TVN himself, something he alludes to in his affidavit. Feliciano in his statement also indicates that he took the photographs of the discoveries made along the river. And some of these happened to appear on TVN... Feliciano or his brother Domingo very likely also took that photo of the backpack in Alto Romero, which was also leaked to the local press. That backpack was kept in Alto Romero for several days between Domingo's workers 'discovering' it in the river, and police receiving the bag. What are the chances that the powerful and relatively affluent Gonzalez brothers took it upon themselves to go through that backpack during that time, photographed it and sent it to the media? In light of everything else Feliciano interfered with and took a leading role in? The poor and illiterate indigenous people probably wouldn't have the nerve or the camera equipment to do so, knowing that these were the Gonzalez brothers' workers and their discovery in effect. For all we know, they also went through the camera's photos during those waiting days. They had ample opportunity and already took all the belongings out of that backpack and ordered them, before photographing them. Which in itself is understandable, given how curious everyone was about what happened to these girls. If so, it must have stared them right in the face that the Pianista Hike photos disprove that Kris and Lisanne were still at the language school in Boquete by 1 PM. And Feliciano would then have known that his earlier statements about having seen Kris and Lisanne there in the morning, but at the same time not before 1 PM, were problematic. And so he ignored those previous statements he had made. This is just a theory of course! Feliciano has since also been denying this sworn sighting of the girls in the press.
* He always seems to have a good story or explanation ready. He interviewed the Pianista residents on his own behalf (very peculiar really in a running police investigation), also because he thought the authorities were not on top of it right away, in his opinion. He paints himself as the hero of the story, instead of acknowledging what police saw as a potential person of interest trashing through a potential crime scene without police present. Taking over police duties by starting to interview witnesses living on the trail, without being asked to do so. Being the one who knew where they had to look, even though the person he says he got this intel from has later denied telling him this. Who is to say if Eileen initially told that bit of info by her own initiative? He was also steering the investigation and the public opinion with his early stories about Monkey Bridges. Which turn out to be more than anything a personal fear factor of him. So quite a lot of initiative and messing with a professional investigation, when you realize that this tour guide had never truly met Kris and Lisanne, nor had any reason to feel any form of responsibility towards the situation. And even the location of the backpack was flagged as suspicious, relatively close to his finca and found by the workers of his brother... Or maybe he simply is a passionate helper. Or likes to feel important and be at the center of the action. Or he took the opportunity to gain more attention for his tour guide work, with the international press being everywhere in Boquete to cover this disappearance? (But you should not cry wolf later on then when people start to look closer at your actions).
* He always seems to have a good story or explanation ready. He interviewed the Pianista residents on his own behalf (very peculiar really in a running police investigation), also because he thought the authorities were not on top of it right away, in his opinion. He paints himself as the hero of the story, instead of acknowledging what police saw as a potential person of interest trashing through a potential crime scene without police present. Taking over police duties by starting to interview witnesses living on the trail, without being asked to do so. Being the one who knew where they had to look, even though the person he says he got this intel from has later denied telling him this. Who is to say if Eileen initially told that bit of info by her own initiative? He was also steering the investigation and the public opinion with his early stories about Monkey Bridges. Which turn out to be more than anything a personal fear factor of him. So quite a lot of initiative and messing with a professional investigation, when you realize that this tour guide had never truly met Kris and Lisanne, nor had any reason to feel any form of responsibility towards the situation. And even the location of the backpack was flagged as suspicious, relatively close to his finca and found by the workers of his brother... Or maybe he simply is a passionate helper. Or likes to feel important and be at the center of the action. Or he took the opportunity to gain more attention for his tour guide work, with the international press being everywhere in Boquete to cover this disappearance? (But you should not cry wolf later on then when people start to look closer at your actions).
EILEEN'S POLICE INTERVIEW
Eileen W gave a sworn statement to officials on April 7 of 2014, at noon. This was done in Alto Boquete at the Spanish by the River language school and in the presence of Ingrid Lommers, who served as a translator. The document mentions her German nationality, age (26 years old), date of birth, passport number and the names of her parents. Both Eileen and Ingrid were told to swear duly to the text of article 385 of the Penal Code, offering to tell the truth of everything and whatever is asked. The below information was summarized and translated from Spanish to English by me, Scarlet.
When asked if Kris and Lisanne asked Eileen to find them a tour guide, Eileen gave a peculiar answer: "She says no."
When asked if Kris and Lisanne asked Eileen to find them a tour guide, Eileen gave a peculiar answer: "She says no." But then Ingrid continued to state that Eileen called Feliciano González to do a tour for another day, Wednesday April 2nd, to the Las Princesas farm. For which the girls did not show up. But that Eileen does not know where this farm is. When Eileen was asked whether or not Kris and Lisanne ever told her if they had contacted another guide to go on excursion with, she answered with "no". By the same day and by Wednesday the second, Mr. Feliciano had been contacted/had contacted us for a tour. (Literally: “Dice que no. Para el mismo día y para el dia miércoles dos, el señor Feliciano se había contactado para un tours”).
She again denied with a one worded "no" the question if Kris and Lisanne had ever mentioned to her that they were experiencing any problems. Just like she answered with a simple "no" when asked if during the time she stayed in this place, people came looking for the girls at the school or called for them at the school or asked about them. When asked if Kris and Lisanne carried a large amount of money with them to her knowledge, Eileen replied "only what is necessary". And when asked if she had anything else to add or report, Eileen replied: "That is all". - The document was then signed by Lic. Lisis M. Cubilla P.
Thoughts and commentary
* Strange.. This is basically Eileen very clearly denying that Kris and Lisanne were the ones who asked for the Wednesday Farm Tour.. This was said by her very early on, with fresh memory. If we are to take her 100% seriously here, this sworn statement of hers blows a big hole in the whole story of that trip to a farm. (Sometimes called a coffee tour, then again a strawberry tour). This statement by Eileen, so early in the investigation, is so important then. If Kris and Lisanne did NOT ask her for tours in the surroundings, what was this strawberry farm tour all about then? Was that tour even arranged at all, or just invented later on by Eileen and Feliciano? Is this then a case of her and Feliciano not having completely finetuned the narrative (=alibi), perhaps? Which is just one theory, automatically making me wonder why Eileen would go along with a nonsense story? Why would they have conspired to lie about a nonexistent farm tour, in that case? Unless she was complicit in something or pressurized into it. With him needing a "confirmed" tour booking with Kris and Lisanne, giving him authority to go looking for them and invading their private bedroom. But I am straying very far from her statement now. Maybe she just got lost in translation, or didn't fully understand the question. In any case: both have been changing their story over time, indicating that neither of them are necessarily entirely trustworthy people. But Eileen stated here under oath that Kris and Lisanne did not inform nor ask her about any tours in the Boquete region. So that would include the mythical strawberry farm.
* So does this mean that Kris and Lisanne also never asked Eileen to book them a tour with Feliciano? Did Eileen book this out of her own initiative then? I thought that Feliciano indicated in his own affidavit that Eileen discussed it with Kris and Lisanne and agreed upon said tour with the three of them and that's when Eileen called Feliciano again to confirm this? So Eileen denied that the two ever asked her to find a tour guide for them, and that she booked a tour with Feliciano for some reason out of the blue, to a place she had no idea where it was, for all three of them? What exactly was she planning to do here? Leave the school and its hostel unattended and its desk empty for half a day out of her own initiative? Despite her being the only person in charge there at the time? So why did she call Feliciano? On whose behalf? Why no follow-up question from police about this inconsistent answer from Eileen? She is answering under oath, but skips the Baru booking, which she reportedly booked for Kris and Lisanne the day before, according to 'LITJ'. Something did not go well here during this interview..
- "And it was for the Las Princesas farm, and she does not know where it is."
* She knows the farms name, but not much else? No basic research before signing herself up for this tour? While Kris and Lisanne didn't even have the intention (Eileen says) to make a tourist trip in the Boquete region? Nor did they ask Eileen to find them a tour guide.. So why did Eileen call Feliciano on Tuesday then to arrange a tour for the three of them to a farm she knows close to nothing about seemingly? Surely that had been discussed among the three of them, prior? But Eileen mentions none of that in her affidavit. Just like she skips the subject of Feliciano having admitted to having been at Spanish by the River on Tuesday morning. Which by the sound of his sworn statements played into this supposed farm tour request later on, after he had left... Over the phone, with him in David in hospital. Police could have pressed her a bit on that subject.
* Technically, Kris and Lisanne were experiencing problems though. Eileen knew about their promised and pre-agreed work placement having fallen through. And how many practical problems this had created, both for herself and Marjolein as well as for the Dutch girls. It is documented in their diaries and through communication with their parents and Eileen was fairly stressed herself in fact about finding them replacement work. Or maybe German Eileen has a different definition of 'problems'? Which honestly is a bit of a broad term and can be interpreted in various ways. Or is this more a case of Eileen avoiding to answer the question to full honesty, given that it would make school owner Ingrid (present as her interpreter) look bad?
- Eileen was asked on April 7: " Please tell us if during the time you stayed in this place any person visited you or called you that you told him/her about. (Literally: “Diga si durante el tiempo que permanecieron en este lugar alguna persona le visito o le llamó que usted le conté.”). To which Ingrid replied on Eileen's behalf: "She says no one."
* Correction carlosbrizuela: "The question refers to whether at the Spanish school Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon received a visit, if someone asked for them or if someone called them. Let Eileen be sure of that or verify that. The sentence at the end should have a spelling error in Spanish and should read "le conste" and not "le conté". That's why the translation seems strange to you." - Many thanks for this information. So they effectively want to know if people came looking for the girls at the school or called for them at the school or asked about them. And Eileen says no. Omitting here Feliciano's visit to the school on Tuesday.... Again.
- Eileen was asked on April 7: "State if you know that the young women carried a large amount of money with them." To which Ingrid replied on Eileen's behalf: "She says only what is necessary. (“Dice que solo lo necesario”)."* Necessary for what? What warrants to bring 88 dollars into the jungle? If we assume the money in the backpack is genuinely from Lisanne and Kris, then why would they take so much cash with them for a free mountain hike? Why is there no follow up question or explanation of this? Did they have other plans for that day perhaps that Eileen knew of? This woman either talks in riddles or says nothing at all. Why is nobody pressuring Eileen to elaborate? I long thought that Eileen was never questioned by police, before leaving Boquete seemingly in a hurry. SLIP triumphantly wrote that she was in fact questioned by police. But you can barely call this a questioning. Eileen was only asked eight simple questions. We're talking about a key witness here. I realize that people can sometimes read too much into such statements, but this is both from the investigators and from Eileen absolutely bare minimum of investment and effort. No wonder that people are saying that something stinks in this case.
- "The declarant is asked if she has anything else to say, add, or correct to this proceeding. ANSWER: That is all."
* Notice how a vital piece of information is not provided here by Eileen. Whether or not she was aware of their Pianista hike plans for that Tuesday afternoon! We have since been told by some authors and by Feliciano that it was Eileen who knew about those plans, who overheard them, and who told Feliciano. But even when asked if she has anything else to add, she says NO. She is either a useless witness or was somehow inclined to say as little as possible.
* Reading this, I couldn't help wonder: is Eileen naturally quiet and shy perhaps? Was she a serious employee or a fair weather one? Dutiful or immature? Impressionable or confident? Punctual and responsible, or looking for an easy internship with as much excursions for her own pleasure as possible? Was she entitled and workshy perhaps even? We don't know. She is a bit of a ghost in some ways, very sketchy outlined only, and this super restrained sworn statement of hers does not exactly help in lifting that veil.
* Ingrid barely knew Eileen, I think. She encountered her in Bocas in late March and must have taught her a few ropes there and then was happy to delegate Boquete to her. Because Ingrid was touring with a larger group past all the Locations of the School, which was an expensive tour, so $$$$ for Ingrid and perhaps this was given priority over SbtR, which had barely any language student present at that time? Just Kris, Lisanne and Petra from Lichtenstein, from what we now know.
* Once more.... Glaringly missing from this absolutely bare minimum of sworn statement from Eileen, and a major cliffhanger by now: why did Eileen declare that she saw Kris and Lisanne leave Spanish by the River by 1 PM? Nobody other than us sleuths seems interested in clearing this discrepancy up. At this point in time, the most logical explanation for me is either that Eileen was already confused on April 3rd and mixed up a 1 PM sighting of the two at the language school on Monday, or that Feliciano told Eileen to say this. To cover up that he himself saw Kris and Lisanne at the school that Tuesday morning and something was said or happened there, that cannot be known. A fact he first told investigators in his initial sworn statement. Only to ignore it later on and even deny it in the press by 2019. But perhaps there is another, more mundane explanation? Or is it even possible that the 1 PM last sighting is actually correct? I have a hard time going down this route tbh. Even though it is a persistent claim, continuing through the many witnesses on the trail, through the taxi drivers who came forward... And of course, Eileen's sworn statement about this was given very early on... So how to make sense of out it? It is a conundrum regardless, because if the 1 PM last sighting is correct in fact, then that must mean that someone messed with the Canon photos of the Pianista hike. Edited and altered the times of the Pianista photos taken that day. Yes there are theories about that too. But it doesn't stop with those edited photo times. The sun's angle matches the 11 AM departure time according to the NFI. Their phones connected to the network near the Pianista and had spotty cell tower connection as they hiked up the mountain: at 11:05 AM Kris's phone makes GSM connection - 11:49 AM Kris's phone loses GSM connection (with the assumption that Kris has entered the forested trail at this point) - 12:33 PM Kris's phone reconnects with the GSM but only with 1 bar (and as Power-Pixie stressed here; this could be anywhere and is not easy to guess when this would have reconnected and at what exact spot) - 1:14 PM the phone comes alive again, but reporting 3 bars because they are on the Mirador now. Power-Pixie: "This is obvious that they are at a spot that is open to connections to cell towers at that altitude" - 1:38 PM the phone loses GSM connection as they are on the other side now. So these are very specific phone patterns. That would be difficult to simulated. It is technically possible I suppose, and there are all those pesky afternoon witness statements as well of course. But this seems all in all a bit of a complicated mission, which comes with its own stack of questions and issues... But the sheer lack of interest and curiosity of officials in this 1 PM last sighting claim is wildly peculiar. Why did Eileen declare to officials that she saw Kris and Lisanne leave Spanish by the River by 1 PM?
* Everything that happened hinges on what went on that Tuesday morning, when Kris and Lisanne found out they had no work for the week. As Dave M. stated: "Was it really their own idea to head off out of town to the remoteness of the Pianista? Or were they nudged into it?"
* Why doesn't Eileen keep a straight story about this overhearing of Kris and Lisanne's Pianista plans?
* According to SINAPROC in the Miriam Affidavit document: "Later, we went to the Spanish by the River school, with telephone number x, since this is where the young women were last seen, according to the information we have. The young Eileen W, a German national, tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianist's path." So by April 3 (so with her memory very fresh still), Eileen informed SINAPROC that the two were searching the net for the Pianista path at about 1 PM.. Unbelievable really. Why was this issue not explored and explained by investigators? And who did her translation for her that April 3rd, when she testified to have last seen the girls in the school around 1 PM? Ingrid hadn't arrived yet from Costa Rica then. Given that she spent most of the day prior with Feliciano, he may have accompanied her to this SINAPROC talk? Given that he himself was also speaking with them that day. So then he translated for them, most likely. Interesting.
* According to SINAPROC in the Miriam Affidavit document: "Later, we went to the Spanish by the River school, with telephone number x, since this is where the young women were last seen, according to the information we have. The young Eileen W, a German national, tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianist's path." So by April 3 (so with her memory very fresh still), Eileen informed SINAPROC that the two were searching the net for the Pianista path at about 1 PM.. Unbelievable really. Why was this issue not explored and explained by investigators? And who did her translation for her that April 3rd, when she testified to have last seen the girls in the school around 1 PM? Ingrid hadn't arrived yet from Costa Rica then. Given that she spent most of the day prior with Feliciano, he may have accompanied her to this SINAPROC talk? Given that he himself was also speaking with them that day. So then he translated for them, most likely. Interesting.
* The LITJ authors wrote that Eileen said in 2020 "in a private conversation" to them that she never told anyone that Kris and Lisanne were going to walk the Pianista trail (p.217). The Dutch authors claim that Feliciano knew about the Pianista trail from Ingrid Lommers, who has of course intermittently denied knowing about this, as she wasn't even in Boquete at the time.
* To LITJ, Eileen entrusted that she didn't see Kris and Lisanne for the last time at 1 PM on Tuesday, but at 1 PM on Monday in fact. Something she also said to the two Canadian sleuths who contacted her. Which is also impossible, as they were at Aura at that time and Eileen must have seen the girls on Tuesday morning in fact. Which was confirmed by Marjolein in her letter.
* Eileen herself acknowledged this with a maddening casualty to the SLIP authors a few years later: "Kris and Lisanne were, of course, at the school on April 1st." Which was confirmed by pupil Petra from Liechtenstein, according to LITJ. The SLIP authors also talked with Eileen and Petra and wrote that "neither Eileen nor Petra can remember what time they saw Kris and Lisanne on April 1 - which is perfectly understandable as it was ten years after the incident."
* To LITJ, Eileen entrusted that she didn't see Kris and Lisanne for the last time at 1 PM on Tuesday, but at 1 PM on Monday in fact. Something she also said to the two Canadian sleuths who contacted her. Which is also impossible, as they were at Aura at that time and Eileen must have seen the girls on Tuesday morning in fact. Which was confirmed by Marjolein in her letter.
* Eileen herself acknowledged this with a maddening casualty to the SLIP authors a few years later: "Kris and Lisanne were, of course, at the school on April 1st." Which was confirmed by pupil Petra from Liechtenstein, according to LITJ. The SLIP authors also talked with Eileen and Petra and wrote that "neither Eileen nor Petra can remember what time they saw Kris and Lisanne on April 1 - which is perfectly understandable as it was ten years after the incident."
* So three different versions of events already here from Eileen. And these authors all combat each other, believing that theír version of events is the correct one. But how can anyone know this for sure? Eileen doesn't keep a straight story at all. And this Petra otherwise seems to remember nothing, declared nothing to police, never was invited along by fellow German-speaking Eileen to tours and she has basically only been dug up as a witness whenever it suited the book authors.. So take her with a grain of salt for now. Both books for instance make conflicting claims about whether or not Petra ever met Kris and Lisanne. LITJ: "Apart from Eileen, only one guest from Liechtenstein is present at the language school and she can't remember ever having met Kris and Lisanne". Versus SLIP: "Petra from Liechtenstein also confirms this [K+L having been at the school on Tuesday morning] to Annette: "I met them at school the morning they disappeared". As usual, we're stuck with conflicting statements...
Eileen is very clear to the LITJ authors that she never told anyone that Kris and Lisanne were going to walk the Pianista trail
* Aside from the chagrin about Eileen being unable (or unwilling) to even remember a couple of details about the two days she effectively worked at SbtR, all this unfortunately also makes Eileen a bit of a poisoned witness. She keeps changing her story.. As Dave M. commented: "We should not be struggling like this. We should not be in the dark and struggling with Kris and Lisanne's movements on the Monday and Tuesday - not when there are witnesses like Eileen who should have been able to confirm basic facts."
-And why did Eileen opt to spend so much time away from the school she was supposed to guard? And how come she was spending so much (important) time with Feliciano, only several days after arriving in Boquete and without previously knowing him?
So where does this leave us for now?
What if we take all this new information
from these sworn statements into account?
What if we take all this new information
from these sworn statements into account?
THEORY, NOT PROVEN
* Best to skip this if you are tired of the Foul Play theories. All we can state with factual certainty, is that Eileen has provided conflicting statements and some incorrect information. And that she has not provided a whole lot of testimony. Of course people can interpret this in various ways. Many who follow this case are giving her all the benefit of the doubt and blame it on stress on her part, trauma if you will, a confused mind, a shy personality. Which is all fair to claim. Feliciano may have really scared and worried Eileen when he involved her in the search for Kris and Lisanne and the whole drama at Miriam's house. Telling her what could happen if they didn't act fast! Maybe Eileen somehow felt responsible and did not want to have such a disappearance and (ultimately) tragedy under her watch and direct responsibility linked to her professional CV? Or maybe she was witness to Feliciano meeting Kris and Lisanne (per his own sworn statement) at the school, and she saw or heard something there which she has since been trying to cover up, for whatever reason. Eileen may have been completely out of her depth in Boquete at the time, with her limited grasp of the Spanish language, of Panamanian customs and the rest of it. It is a fact that Eileen was shaken by this disappearance, as confirmed by Judith Scholte from the Dutch travel agency who described Eileen's state as "hysterical" at the time. But Power-Pixie, Dave M and myself cannot escape the feeling that a whole lot of white noise and fake information was provided early on in this investigation, with the effect that any truthful statements were snowed under by false ones, and nobody knew how to tell them apart anymore. Perhaps this happened out of the chaos of the aftermath. But it can also be a trusted deflection method. You drown the case in false allegations and details, so that there is a chance that the real evidence and facts will be forgotten or overlooked. Throw out as much nonsense as possible to confuse or cause doubt, while hoping something thrown along the way sticks. Not that different from what Eileen has been doing, perhaps unwillingly. While also coming across as dismissive of the importance of her early witness statements. Not a good look.
Factually correct for now appears to be that Kris and Lisanne arrived at the language school around 9 AM on this all-important Tuesday, and left there around 9:30 AM. And that the internet connection at Nelvis (as claimed by LITJ) really took place. Kris and Lisanne weren't likely to have spent hours at Spanish by the River once they heard from Eileen that Casa Esperanza fell through as well. And that there wouldn't be any replacement work that day and that week in fact. We theorize (and this part is just speculation of course) that Feliciano may have went back to the school after his short hospital appointment. Because on the way there, Marjolein talked to him about the troubles Kris and Lisanne had with Aura, and how Eileen and Marjolein herself had been stressing out trying to find them replacement work. Maybe he was hoping he could sell the girls some more tours, seizing the opportunity of this vacuum that had been created for that week. Within this theory, Feliciano returned to the school between 9 AM and 9:30 AM and convinced them to take a tour with his stepson, who may have been at Nelvis (his group more frequently went to that Nelvis cafe I have been told). The NFI failed to write down the Wi-Fi connection addresses unfortunately, but the phone logs of Kris and Lisanne's phones do allow for this to take place. As around 9:39 AM Lisanne no longer used the NOS site connection and 10 minutes went by then before she started browsing the internet again for 28 minutes, followed 7 seconds later by her activating Google Maps. Is it a coincidence that Kris and Lisanne then left that place no later than 10.30 AM? Both coincidentally heading in the same direction, given that father and son live in Alto Quiel? (Feliciano lived close to the Pianista trail). Just a theory.
There certainly has been a hell of a lot of effort put into making that Tuesday morning impossible to check on, and when it comes to the school departure, that stems partly from Eileen's lack of co-operation, and the police not pressing her at all on anything. Maybe Eileen helped convince Kris and Lisanne into making that trip to the Pianista. And so it became easier for Feliciano to manipulate her on the Wednesday, when he arrived and she found out that the two had gone missing. As just mentioned above, we know from Judith from the travel agency that Eileen was "hysterical" about the disappearance. And given how badly two of the Pandilla members were hounded and even killed in the aftermath (one murdered at the river with the pandilla group as the only witnesses, the other hunted down and killed in a road hit and run), it doesn't feel that far-fetched to imagine Eileen being put under some sort of pressure perhaps to keep it out of her narrative that Feliciano had been at the school to chat to these girls that Tuesday morning. Or what exactly was said and done then. Hence also why Feliciano does not mention the Barú tour planning in any of his affidavits (as he was by then trying to erase the fact he had a conversation with the two that led to them heading to the Pianista). Hence why he made that police statement where he 'sees' the two at the school, but doesn't 'meet' them? Emphasizing that he didn't "talk" to them. Then choosing to omit that meeting with Kris and Lisanne entirely from his later second affidavit. And hence why Eileen was replaced so soon by Tobias, and made it out of Boquete. But what would make Eileen want to lie under oath to investigators? Which is a very serious matter. She gave them all the wrong information, and I believe this wasn't due to incompetence, but rather out of choice. As she has been uncooperative and evasive ever since. But why? Why did she go along in Feliciano's story if it wasn't correct? Other than fear of being threatened to do so, what other motive could she have had? She was certainly not personally responsible for this disappearance. She is even unlikely to have nudged them towards the Pianista. So I fail to understand basically all her actions and all her possible motivations... - But anyway, this is just a theory of course and it may not be close to the truth at all. All these people are innocent until proven otherwise, and I cannot prove any of this. So please keep that in mind. But there are some glaring inconsistencies and contradictions when it comes to these sworn statements and timelines presented. And it is fair to point these out here.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Eileen's social media, showing how she loved her life when she was in
Bocas del Toro and how preoccupied she was with things happening in
her own life in the aftermath of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne:
MARTIJN FROON'S POLICE INTERVIEW
In accordance with the provisions of Article 2119 of the Judicial Code, Martijn as the declarant was then asked if he had anything else to say, add, or correct to this diligence. To which Martijn replied that he was in Boquete solely so that when the girls reappeared, he would be there. And that he planned to return to the Netherlands on April 17th. - The document was then signed by Lic. Lisis M. Cubilla P.
Thoughts and commentary
- Martijn said on April 7, 2014: "My sister entered through Sixaola. She was in Bocas del Toro studying Spanish for two weeks at a school called Spanish by the Sea. Everything was reserved through an agency in Holland for study and volunteer work. She will return on April 29th."
* So 'Het Andere Reizen' organized the whole trip for them. Including the package deal with Ingrid Lommers.
* So 'Het Andere Reizen' organized the whole trip for them. Including the package deal with Ingrid Lommers.
- Martijn was asked on April 7, 2014: 'Please state, if you are aware that your sister had any tourist program in this country?' To which Martijn replied: "Not just studying Spanish, not just volunteer work, no tours planned. (“No solo estudiar español, no solo trabajo voluntario, nada de tours planeados.”)."
* Martijn isn't aware of any tours... LITJ stated that Kris and Lisanne asked on Sunday for a Barú volcano tour to be booked. SLIP mentions how before her departure to David on Tuesday morning around 7 AM, Marjolein postponed a planned trip with Kris and Lisanne to the Barú volcano from April 2 to April 5. SLIP also mentions: "Why they would potentially book such a trip for that day seems strange, since Kris and Lisanne are still assuming they have to work on that day." Ingrid Lommers also posted on April 5th on facebook that Kris and Lisanne had booked a Saturday tour to Barú at her school Spanish by the River. She would have been given that information by her own employees, likely Marjolein (as Ingrid herself said in an interview to misdaadjournalist.nl on May 26 of 2014: "I do not automatically know what students do within our company because I no longer handle the reservations myself.").
* Although neither Marjolein nor Eileen mentioned actually booking this tour for them in their sworn statements.. SINAPROC also commented on this Barú tour in their interview with Miriam (covered below), stating that "According to Mr. Feliciano Gonzales, he had agreed to serve as a guide on Wednesday the 2nd to a farm in the Boquete area and on Thursday the 3rd to the top of Volcán Barú; agreeing to leave for the morning of Thursday." Kris' mother Roelie said in an RTL late night interview on May 1st of 2014: "They had made a plan for that week. They were also going for that volcano.. but they were going to do that later, on Saturday". (Roelie also added: "They were also going to see the waterfalls in that area later, but they had all planned that"). But Miriam stated: "They had no plans to go to the Volcano Barú, nor to another place for far here". And Feliciano mentions this Barú tour first in his extended affidavit ("Eileen called, asking if I remembered "the two girls who wanted to go to the volcano on Saturday") and then he refers again to this booking on May 13th in a Dutch interview article: "And the Saturday after, Kris and Lisanne would go to the volcano area, in Boquete".
* And lastly, in the Breakfree documentary about Lisanne Froon, this Barú tour is also mentioned: "For the climbing of the volcano Barú, which is known to be a serious climb, local guide Feliciano is recommended to the girls. They make an appointment with him to climb the volcano, two days later. But because the girls don't show up on their appointment two days later, the guide decides to look for them at their host families address." So for that information to be correct, Kris and Lisanne would have had to have made an appointment for Barú for April 2? And "two days later" indicates then that they already booked that tour on the day after their arrival in Boquete, on March 31. Something must be off about this April 2nd booking claim, as Kris and Lisanne were at the time still under the assumption that they were doing volunteer work that day. Therefore this Barú booking surely was made for Saturday April 5th? Why did some people claim the booking was originally made for April 2nd then? Or April 3rd? So... was this Barú tour genuinely booked with Feliciano and truly for the 2nd or 3rd, instead of Saturday April 5th? When was it booked and by whom? Why was the tour date switched and how did that come about? Or has there been some false claims made about it? I honestly expected to find these answers in the various affidavits, but alas...
TRANSCRIPT OF THE EYE INSPECTION PROCEEDINGS OF THE BEDROOM
.jpg)
.jpg)
%20Notepad%20(2).jpg)
On April 4, 2014 at 2:50 PM the Municipal Ombudsman of Boquete (Licda. Lisis M. Cubilla P.), the Court Clerk of the office (Marcel Carmona) and Second Sergeant Cinthia Ramos of the David Judicial Investigation Sub-Directorate went to Miriam's house to inspect the girls' bedroom there. She is indicated here as Mrs. Miriam Esther Guerra de la Torre (but at the end of the document her name is written as 'Myriam Esther Guerra'). She identified herself when the officials arrived and explained her their reasons for showing up at her house.Miriam described some of the (relevant) layout of her residence, consisting of:
*a living room;
*a dining room, divided into a kitchen;
*on the left hand side, in front of the living room, there is a bedroom with a wooden door and a lock.
The bedroom contained:
*two beds:
*one double bed with a nightstand
*a small 3/4 bed
*Documents, books and a small stereo system placed on the bed
*On the table was laying a light blue Rue Island purse-style wallet.
*This blue wallet contained a Visa card and a Maestro card with the initials "L Froom" [typo, Scarlet]
*The blue wallet also contained various colored and national currencies, a folded twenty-dollar bill, a five-balboa bill and two folded twenty-dollar bills.
*The blue wallet also contained various colored and national currencies, a folded twenty-dollar bill, a five-balboa bill and two folded twenty-dollar bills.
*On the other bed, a dark-colored purse-style wallet was seen with cards bearing the name "Kriss Kremers" [typo, Scarlet],
*The dark wallet also contained various national and Costa Rican currencies, as well as a seventy-five balboa bill, three twenty-balboa bills, a ten-dollar bill, and a five-dollar bill.
*Inside a patterned colored case a passport in the name of Kris Kremers was seen, date of birth August 20, 1992, Dutch passport No. 9880H1R1.
*Inside a patterned colored case a passport in the name of Kris Kremers was seen, date of birth August 20, 1992, Dutch passport No. 9880H1R1.
*A variety of women's clothing was seen in the room, as well as two large dark-colored backpacks, toiletries and a personal cup.
Photographs were taken and some were added to the file, depicting money bills, Kris' passport and a blocnote and glasses of Lisanne on the bed. Miriam was told that the personal items all remained in her custody and under her responsibility of care and protection. It was reported that no other documents were found that indicated where the young women had been going to or would be going to. Miriam declared that she had an agreement with the school to provide lodging for one month until approximately April 29th. The report was ended with: "In this state, and there being no other reason for this diligence, it is considered closed after being read and signed by those involved." [You can see more photos in colour of the bedroom for yourself here on my blog].
Thoughts and commentary
* Did Kris and Lisanne ever use that door lock? They kept their purses, money and ID documents in there, but it appears that they left their bedroom door unlocked, as Feliciano and Eileen could go in with only the spare key of Miriam's front door. There has been nothing said or mentioned by anyone about Miriam providing Feliciano and Eileen with info about how to get a second key in order to open that bedroom door. So the assumption is therefore that the inside bedroom door must have remained unlocked (but closed obviously). Did they lock their door before they went to bed on Saturday, Sunday and Monday night? It would make sense for two young women to opt to, but that doesn't mean that Kris and Lisanne actually did so. And about those valuables: Kris and Lisanne brought their phones with them to the Pianista and also their digital camera. They seem to have left passports, wallets and maybe some cheap jewelry behind in the bedroom, together with shoes, clothes, their diaries, a Spanish language guide, personal care products, an MP3 player, a pair of sunglasses... I have the impression that they traveled like backpackers in a sense and did not bring too much with them to Panama.
- "The blue wallet also contained various colored and national currencies, a folded twenty-dollar bill, a five-balboa bill and two folded twenty-dollar bills. On the other bed, a dark-colored purse-style wallet [..] also contained various national and Costa Rican currencies, as well as a seventy-five balboa bill, three twenty-balboa bills, a ten-dollar bill, and a five-dollar bill."
* So with money found in both their individual purses, it seems that the two friends didn't work with a shared money pot in Panama. But carried and withdrew their own money.
* It is very trusting to leave your purses and money in an unlocked room like this, thousands of miles from home, and both purses in plain view. But it probably reflects how safe these girls felt at Miriam's place. (Or they didn't want to offend anyone, perhaps). So Lisanne had roughly $60 left in her purse and a bank card probably. Kris's wallet had different currencies available. Balboa is a local Panamanian currency. Panama has two currencies in use: the balboa and the US dollar. Both have the same value (with the balboa being directly linked to the value of the dollar). Technically, Kris and Lisanne would not have needed to carry this balboa valuta. But maybe they were given it as change in a local shop. In any case, what they carried in those wallets does not seem an abnormal amount of money. What IS a peculiar amount of money, is the $88 dollars that were found in their backpack, tucked behind a phone. This amount is roughly the same as what was found in each of their purses. It has never been explained why they would carry so much cash with them on a free walk in the wilderness, without a tour guide to pay. Did they have plans for after the hike perhaps? Did they want to go to the Boquete Tree Trek perhaps? Or some place else? Or did they have a guide up there after all? Perhaps Plinio or Henry?
- The document mentions: "On the other bed, a dark-colored purse-style wallet is seen with cards bearing the name Kriss Kremers, variously written in Dutch, containing various national and Costa Rican currencies."
* Lisanne's insurance card being found in the backpack seems odd when you read this... She brought money with her, but also her medical insurance card? Was that intended to be a form of official identification perhaps? Or was this the work of a very well-prepared Lisanne, who wanted to have this document ready in case she made a slip and needed to be seen by medical personnel perhaps? A precaution which Kris didn't take though? Why didn't she bring her insurance card in the backpack as well then?
* Lisanne's insurance card being found in the backpack seems odd when you read this... She brought money with her, but also her medical insurance card? Was that intended to be a form of official identification perhaps? Or was this the work of a very well-prepared Lisanne, who wanted to have this document ready in case she made a slip and needed to be seen by medical personnel perhaps? A precaution which Kris didn't take though? Why didn't she bring her insurance card in the backpack as well then?
- The document mentions: "It is hereby noted that no other documents have been found indicating descriptions or locations frequented or visited by the young women."
* I can't help wondering whether they tried to get a translation of the diary entries though...
MIRIAM'S AFFIDAVIT
On April 4, 2014 at 2:30 PM, 'Mrs. Myriam Esther Guerra de la Torre' provided an affidavit to investigators. [Her name is sometimes written as Myriam and sometimes as Miriam in the case files, for consistency I'll stick to 'Miriam' myself here, unless sharing direct quotes, Scarlet]. Miriam had her sworn statement taken by the Municipal Ombudsman of the District of Boquete (Lisis M. Cubilla P.) and the Judicial Secretary of the Office (Marcel Carmona Tapia). They traveled to the residence of 'Ms. Myrian Esther Guerra De La Torre' for this in Barrio [later written as Barriada] Nuevo Boquete, Alto Boquete. All formalities were followed with the witness identifying himself, being read and explained the contents of article 385 of the Penal Code, which deals with and punishes the crime of False Testimony. Miriam identified herself when asked. She also gave her name, gender, nationality, date of birth (aged 46 at the time), the names of her parents, ID document number and cellphone number. She stated to have been educated to be a Domestic Employee, with studies up to the fourth year of Secondary School and that she knew how to read and write. I will summarize her sworn statement (affidavit), which was translated from Spanish to English by me, Scarlet. "I have not seen them since Monday night"
Miriam was asked if she knew the young women Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon and if so, if she was friends, enemies, or family of them. To this she answered that she knew them because they were staying at her residence since Saturday. She stated "I have not seen them since Monday night, I have no ties to any of them". She was then asked if she knew what happened to Kris and Lisanne and she replied that she first met the girls through contact with the school. That they required her lodging. That she received them on Saturday at four in the afternoon (4:00 PM) and that she saw them until Monday afternoon. "That was the last day that I saw them because I didn’t see them on Tuesday". [*Scarlet: Notice a discrepancy here between what she just said about not having seen Kris and Lisanne since Monday night]. On Tuesday night she waited for them around 10:00 PM and on Wednesday she left them breakfast on the kitchen table. That was when Mr Feliciano ("I don’t know his last name") came to the house and notified her of the fact that they weren’t there. When asked if she had any knowledge about where they could have gone, she replied that she knew nothing of the sort. Miriam was asked if she knew why Mr Feliciano Gonzalez was looking for the two young women, to which she replied "Yes. To take a tour". She didn't know where to, only that they "were not there" and when he called her, she couldn't really talk much as she was working. There was nobody home at that time. When asked if Kris and Lisanne had told her themselves what their plans had been, she said no and that they had only told her that they were going to do social work and would volunteer at the Boquete daycare centers. They were staying for a month with her, from Saturday March 29 to April 27, but never told her what their routine would be.
"I saw them until Monday afternoon"
When asked if the young women had received visitors at Miriam's house, she said not as far as she knew. "They didn't know anyone because they had just arrived on Saturday". She also did not know of them contacting anyone, either by telephone or the internet. When asked if they spoke any Spanish, Miriam replied: "No, they spoke very little Spanish, they were very quiet, they spoke English". When asked if they had left any belongings or ID documents behind in their room, Miriam replied that they indeed left clothes, personal hygiene items, their wallets, Kris' passport and money behind. When asked if anyone other than Feliciano had inquired about their whereabouts, Miriam said that only a girl working for the owner of the Spanish School whose name she didn't know did. When asked if she had anything else to add to her sworn statement, Miriam said that she did not notice any strange behavior in the girls, only that Lisanne had health problems, she had a cold ('resfriado'). With that, her interrogation was declared finished.
Thoughts and commentary
* This appears to be confirmation that Miriam's house didn't rely on (or even had) a landline, and that she used her cellphone instead. And both Marjolein and the police called this cellphone of hers multiple times, but could not reach her initially. And the Whatsapp contact 'Mytiam' in Kris' iPhone was also linked to this same cellphone number of Miriam: possibly the only way in which they could reach her.
- Miriam stated on April 4, 2014: "Yes, I know them because they were staying at my residence since Saturday and I have not seen them since Monday night, I have no ties to any of them."
* So "she saw them until Monday afternoon". And then almost in one breath Miriam tells the interviewer that "she had not seen them since Monday night". Nobody bothered to ask what time on Monday afternoon? This may just be a little inconsistency on Miriam's behalf, and something she said in the midst of the confusion of it all, but surely an investigator worth his salt would pick up on these inconsistencies right away and press for a specification by the witness? If that first statement is correct, and Miriam saw Kris and Lisanne until Monday afternoon, then we have to wonder where Kris and Lisanne went for dinner on Monday night then? Because Miriam has elsewhere said in the press that the girls stayed at her place on Monday night for dinner and that Lisanne had a cold then. April 8 interview: "Guerra explained that the girls, whom she described as "very calm and respectful," had dinner with her on Monday, March 31, and the next day they ate the breakfast she left on the table for them because she had to go to work. However, in the afternoon, "they didn't make it to dinner," according to the innkeeper. "On Wednesday, I prepared breakfast for them again and left it on the table," Guerra recounted, confessing that she thought the girls were asleep in their room." So here she confirmed that Kris and Lisanne had dinner with her on Monday. And she also stated that they ate the breakfast she prepared for them on Tuesday. But if Miriam says in her sworn statement in fact that she saw them until Monday afternoon, then we have to wonder where Kris and Lisanne went after having a massage at Sigrid's place? Investigators should have asked her a specific time here. This is a real misser on their part.
- Miriam stated on April 4, 2014: "On Tuesday night I waited for them around ten at night (10 PM), and on Wednesday I left breakfast served on the kitchen table."* Let's assume here that Miriam waited for them until 10 PM on Tuesday night. It is likely that she did the same then on Monday night, in between cooking, washing dishes and preparing for bed. Meaning she would have seen Kris and Lisanne return from Sigrid's massage appointment at some point. But she didn't, going by her sworn statement that she "saw them until Monday afternoon". It is not entirely clear to me what the truth is here, in between Miriam's various statements about when exactly she last saw Kris and Lisanne. I lean towards the version where Miriam DID see the girls on Monday evening at her place, but not on Tuesday evening. And that she mixed things up in her sworn statement. Or there was some translation error perhaps even. Or we misinterpret what she meant with the word 'since' (indicating in fact that all evening she didn't see them, instead of that the evening was the last time she saw them...). But if none of these explanations apply, then we have a new angle to this story. Because Kris and Lisanne went to Sigrid for a massage after 18:00 PM, until roughly 20:30 PM. How come Miriam did not see them come home after that? Before 22:00 PM assumedly, which is when Miriam would probably go to bed? Sigrid's house is not that far from Miriam's. So did Kris and Lisanne go elsewhere then, after that early evening massage?
* Miriam has also declared here in the press: "I arrived in the afternoon, I talked to them and asked them about the daycare, which should have started that same day. Lisanne told me that they had gone and that they hadn't had the opportunity to start the work and that they had even told her that she wouldn't have the opportunity to work that week. I asked them if they had found out about Casa Esperanza, which is another place that provides the same work, and they answered that they had found out, but that it was full," the owner recalled.* LITJ wrote (page 208): “At 4:42 pm Lisanne's Samsung is in contact with the wi-fi of the language school. At 4:44 pm, wi-fi contact with Kris' iPhone is registered. At 5:20 pm Lisanne takes another look on TripAdvisor. They use the wi-fi until 5:26 pm, when they walk to Myriam's house.” Both statements emphasize the afternoon, for what it's worth. Kris and Lisanne would have walked to Miriam's place at some point that afternoon, given the short distance from Spanish by the River. The 16:44 PM Wi-Fi connection and the 16:47 PM Whatsapp chat may be key here. However their Wi-Fi connection (Samsung) lasts until 17:26 PM. And the massage at Sigrid's was between 18.00 or 18:30 PM to 20:30 PM, and Sigrid lived close by. So it is completely plausible that this meeting between Kris and Lisanne and Miriam took place between 17:26 PM and 18:15 PM at the latest. And Miriam (if she really was a cleaner) would have likely been home later in the afternoon as her kids came out of school, so it makes most sense that Kris and Lisanne told her that Monday afternoon indeed about the Aura rejection, before heading back out to Sigrid's place. They appeared lively there according to Sigrid and enthusiastically told her about the volunteer work cancellation as well. And that their second choice of school was Casa Esperanza. Sigrid told local TV interviewers this. They also told Sigrid that they could not work at Casa Esperanza that week either though. So they must have heard about this before heading to Sigrid, or while being at Sigrid's. Maybe already telling Miriam about it that afternoon as well. But we have to remember here that Kris and Lisanne hád to have gone to SbtR first, in order to be able to find out about Casa Esperanza also falling through that week, and then being able to inform Miriam about it (who says she was told about this by the girls).
* It is clear from this that Miriam never made any attempt to message Kris and Lisanne... Or call them. She did put dinner on the table on Tuesday evening and left breakfast for them on Wednesday morning, without any fuss or worry. She must have been surprised herself when Feliciano did cause all the fuss by calling Miriam at work about wanting to search her house. But if Kris and Lisanne had "Mytiam"s number in their Whatsapp and phone, then it is very likely that Miriam had theirs too. I find it hard to understand how a host mother failed to send even one message to them during those first few days. Especially given how she knew very well what sort of characters they had, by her own media statements: quiet and modest girls, who kept to themselves, spoke little Spanish and were no party people. On the other hand: Miriam did this tourist hosting work for six years already, by that time. Maybe she compartmentalized it to some degree. Perhaps she primarily cared for the things she was obliged to do, such as providing them with a bedroom, breakfast and dinner, but otherwise did not fret too much about their comings and goings? That may simply have become her modus operandi after 6 years of hosting young adults? Not sure though.. But it remains strange to me how Feliciano was the one who had to point her towards their disappearance, and also how he did her job basically, by going to police.
* Apparently Miriam only knew Feliciano vaguely. 'From the school's neighborhood', so to speak. And yet, she allowed him and a foreign woman she didn't know into her house, telling them where she hid the key. So that they could go through her guests private affairs, without her present. This may just be a cultural thing though, where locals all trust each other and have a bit of an open door policy. Not sure.
- Miriam was asked on April 4, 2014: "Please tell the declarant if you were able to notice if Mr. Feliciano Gonzalez told you why he was looking for the young women Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers." To which Miriam answered: "Yes, to take a tour. He didn't tell me where to go, at the time he called me. I couldn't talk because I was working. He came to look for them and there was no one at home. He only told me that the girls were not there."
* So Feliciano called Miriam and stated to her that he was there, at her house, to take her two host children on some tour.. She didn't seem to know anything about a tour and she said in the press later that she didn't even believe the girls would have gone up the Pianista, given that Lisanne had a cold and was sickly the day prior. Feliciano did not inform her where this tour was supposed to go to. Was that tour even real? Or just an alibi and excuse to raid their bedroom? Also peculiar, Miriam stated: "He came to look for them and there was no one at home. He only told me that the girls were not there." If no one was home, why did he need to go inside that house to see there was no one home? Because ringing the doorbell and knocking on the window and Eileen calling out their names for some time was not enough to assure them that these two tourists weren't oversleeping, but were actually out the door? For any normal person, that would have been enough. They would assume that these girls forgot the appointment, and that would be that. Miriam was now up to date, and this was no longer a matter for the tour guide. But no.. that is not how this case panned out of course. And the persistence of Feliciano is getting to us every single time, again and again. They don't just knock and check that bedroom window: they make the effort to walk back to Spanish by the River to look for Miriam's (new) phone number. A timely matter. Then they decide to walk back a second time to make sure they can call Miriam (who they both either didn't know or barely knew) and get her to give them that spare key. Despite knowing nobody was at home after all their previous attempts. He wanted inside that house.
- Miriam also stated: "No, as far as I know, they didn't know anyone because they had just arrived on Saturday."
* Miriam gives good insights in her statements. She knew of nobody they got to know there, so Kris and Lisanne also didn't mention Eileen to Miriam. Just like Eileen isn't mentioned by either of the girls in their (rather detailed) diaries. And yet Eileen knew how Kris and Lisanne would behave and how punctual they were.
* It is good to have this confirmed once more. It may have played a role in them being perceived (by Miriam, by Ingrid) as on the shy side. Miriam also called them "very calm and respectful". But being in a strange country where you cannot express yourself in the local language is bound to cause some hesitance in social interactions. All this after their very social and happy weeks in Bocas del Toro. From their own diaries we also know that both did not feel totally at ease in Boquete. Lisanne less so than Kris. And then on Tuesday comes 'Hola Feliciano' breezing through the school door. (By his own admission). We know he can put on the charms and can channel that happy energy when he wants to. Unlike a more solemn type such as Plinio for instance, or so many other men from the Boquete region.. I bet they were susceptible to his cheerful attempts to speak some Dutch with them even. No wonder that a multilingual guide such as Feliciano would have sparked their interest. His son Henry apparently is not so fluent in English, although it depends who you want to believe here probably. He had been helping his dad as an assistent tourist guide for years at that stage, after all. And he had worked for the touristy Tree Trek business as well, so I don't believe that he spoke no English at all or hadn't picked up the basics from his work environment. Don't forget that Feliciano himself used to be a school teacher. So in Bocas, Kris and Lisanne had been outgoing, cheerful. They spent almost every evening with a group of new made male friends. Playing cards, going out to dinner, dancing. Those day trips in Bocas were also group tours. The cooking in Bocas was done as a group. They played volleyball with a group of fellow tourists.. The best predictor for future behaviour is past behaviour and I'd not be surprised if Kris and Lisanne were in fact susceptible to group tours in Boquete or to befriending Henry and his pandilla friends. Osman (murdered a few days into the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne) worked for foreign expats, and Murgas (also murdered within a year) was part of their posse. And this modern day MTV and American HipHop loving younger generation would not have spoken some broken English? I don't buy it. And didn't Henry also speak in English to Jeremy Kryt in a bar? Also telling him: "With this left hand I put my victims in the hospital, and with my right hand I put them in the graveyard"? I may be not-so-neutral anymore these days, but this guy is like Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear in my view:
* We know from the NFI info that Kris and Lisanne did in fact contact family members during those initial days in Boquete, both by mobile phone and the internet. The way this question is posed, makes it seem like Miriam never even saw or heard them call anyone at all though. (Or maybe they meant to ask her if Kris and Lisanne ever used Miriam's phone and internet to contact others?). Miriam does not appear to have had Wi-Fi in her house also, from what I can tell by now. Miriam told the media on April 8th however that she knew what Kris and Lisanne's last words were to their parents: "We're fine, we'll talk later," was the last thing they said to their parents." Odd.. So it seems that she was in fact aware that Kris and Lisanne contacted their family... How does she know what they last said to their parents though, if they weren't on their phones or laptops, or skyping with their parents? Did she overhear them say this? Was she eavesdropping at their door? They would definitely not have talked in English with their families, so how come Miriam even knows this? It is pretty bizarre actually that she told this detail to the press.
Overall:
Miriam's sworn statement is interesting to read and she seems a lot more open and willing to help than Eileen. There is also something frank and sincere in her words, it feels. Even though she had her hosting business to protect. She isn't trying to steer opinions or paint herself in a more favourable light. She just wasn't asked as much as she should have been asked by investigators.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE EYE INSPECTION PROCEEDINGS OF THE CULEBRA RIVERBANK
"It was located on a dry stick near a waterfall".
The group inspected the river upstream and found a weathered piece of blue cloth by 12:10 AM on the right riverbank, placed on a stone near the shore. They photographed it and collected it. It was found at the coordinates N 08 ° 53' 31.3 "W 082 ° 24' 15.8". [Scarlet: this appears to be a different piece of fabric than the one discovered around May 14 by a private search group; a blue t-shirt which turned out not to belong to Kris and Lisanne. See photo added]. The search then continued and by 4:02 PM the group discovered on the right bank upstream along the Culebra River a worn jeans shorts size 38. "It was located on a dry stick near a waterfall". "It appeared to be dirty". The group collected the jeans shorts for further research and took photographs. The coordinates for the jeans shorts finding spot are: N 08, 52' 39.5 "W 08 ° 24' 30.2". The document was signed by A. Bolivar and G. Espinoza at June 23, 2014 in David and ends with the words: "At this stage, and since this procedure is not the purpose of any other investigation, it is considered concluded, which, after being read and found to be correct, is signed for the record by those who participated in it". Reminder: the first added photo is of a blue shirt found around May 14, 2014 and which did not belong to Kris and Lisanne, it was later determined. This is not a photo of the blue cloth found on June 20th. I could not found further information for it and whether or not it turned out to be (part of) Lisanne's shorts for instance.
Thoughts and commentary
* Caught on a stick. This is an identical description of early reports of how the backpack was found: also reportedly caught on a stick and lodged into place in the river, basically waiting to be found by someone. [Later changed into being lodged in the middle of the river into a riverbank]. If I omit the theory for now that these remains were dumped or planted, and instead go with the monkey bridge accident narrative, then these sworn statements appear to paint a picture of the two bodies of Kris and Lisanne having ended up in the Culebra river upstream of those monkey bridges. Despite searches in that area, these decomposing bodies were then somehow never found or smelled. It was down to a burst of rain and increased waterlevels that they got dislodged and ended up in these riverbeds, several walking hours away from Alto Romero. Two boots, a pelvic bone, the backpack and a jeans shorts were found, but not the rest of the remains. No skulls or larger skeletal parts were ever discovered. Their coloured and stand-out tops were never seen again either. The pelvis bone was caught on rocks, the jeans shorts was caught on a stick, Lisanne's boot made a detour into a catchment area and hid behind a tree trunk. While the heavier backpack somehow made its way all the way towards Alto Romero, up north. But given the time since passed and the immense notoriety this case has gathered, I am very surprised that so little has ever been recovered of Kris and Lisanne.. In this relatively small area with locals and tourists passing by regularly.
Indeed. Nobody in my opinion can convincingly argue why a tired Kris and Lisanne, 5 hours into their hike which they knew was a loop that needed to be travelled all the way back again, would choose to walk all the way to the first river crossing.... and then further even to the next one? They were casual city hikers, looking for a short hike to clear their minds. This was their first solo hike in that area. Apparently undertaken without a tour guide, so going against Marjolein's advise there. Lisanne was a cautious person. Why would they behave in such a way? It makes no sense, and Kris' parents said exactly that. There is a sheer lack of logic in Feliciano's Monkey Bridge-to-sell-story. They couldn't even be lost at that point, as the same trail that brought them to the monkey bridge was the one to take them back to the Pianista.
ÁNGEL'S AFFIDAVIT
When asked if he often goes to the Culebra river, Ángel replied that it is far from his house and is difficult to get to. But that he went there to help in the searches for the missing Dutch girls. And that the area he went to was "well upstream from the Culebra River." When asked if foreigners had been there in the past, Ángel replied that he didn't know. But that he personally had only ever seen one single foreigner in the area. When he was asked if he had anything else to add to the testimony, Ángel stated "No, that's all". With that, his interrogation was declared terminated.
LORENZO MONTEZUMA'S AFFIDAVIT
Lorenzo was first asked if he knew the citizens Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon or met them. To which he replied "No, never". He was asked what he knew about their disappearance, and replied that on Wednesday June 18th, he and the members of the Alto Romero community were searching for clues regarding the disappearance of the Dutch women. And that while searching and walking up the right side [of the river], he "looked down between two slabs of the river, there was a large bone that looked like a person's bone. I was nervous. I grabbed it with a stick and threw it in a bag". Afterwards they kept searching but found nothing else. They then returned to Alto Romero to notify the authorities.
When asked if he often goes to the Culebra river, Lorenzo replied that "That's not the Culebra River. I don't go to that river often". And that he was there to help with the search for the missing women. When asked with who he was there that day. Lorenzo replied that he was there only with Lucianio Bejerano and Moisés Bejarano. And that they live in Alto Romero and can call him on his cellphone if they need him for something. When asked if foreigners often would go to this area of the Culebra, Lorenzo replied: "No, because we are in an area that is difficult to access". When asked if he wanted to add anything to his statement, Lorenzo replied that the search upriver should be continued in order to locate more remains. With that, his interrogation was declared terminated.
BEJERANO'S AFFIDAVIT
Luciano Bejerano was first asked if he knew the young women Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon or met them. To which he replied "No, never". He was asked what he knew about their disappearance, and replied that he knew nothing about that. Except that on Wednesday June 18th, he and community residents [of Alto Romero] were searching upstream the Culebra river. After half an hour of walking alongside the right river bank, going upstream, they found a bone. "It looked flattened, but it didn't smell rotten. We didn't know if it was actually human remains, so we collected them and went to call the authorities."
When asked if he often goes to the Culebra river, Luciano Bejerano replied that he does not go there often because it is very far away. But that they "collaborated with the authorities to continue the search". When asked if he had frequently observed foreigners in this area of the Culebra, Luciano Bejerano said no and that foreigners are not seen there. When asked if he had since found other human remains, Luciano Bejerano replied "not yet". When asked if he wanted to add anything to his statement, Luciano Bejerano replied that his statement was correct and fine. With that, his interrogation was declared terminated. [Scarlet: I am not sure if Luciano Bejerano is a relative of Laureano Bejerano, or whether or not he may even be the same person with his name being slightly different officially].
Thoughts and commentary
* Just to remind you: Luis Atencio is the husband of the woman who discovered the backpack of Lisanne on June 11, 2014: Irma Mirando. Here we have 'Angel', who was a member of the June search parties and who helped find the denim shorts. And on his request, he wasn't interviewed alone by police, but in the presence of this same Luis who found the backpack. It may not be related at all, but this made me think of the comment which the Travel Channel reporters made about only being allowed to interview Irma Mirando and Luis Atencio back in 2019 after a private village meeting was held, in which was decided that the couple were allowed to talk.. Was Angel only comfortable in the presence of a witness from the village? Or did he perhaps want a second pair of ears and brains, to be certain he properly understood the police questions and gave the right kind of answers?
- Mr. Angel Palacio Sanchez said: "I was going up, going up the river, it was in a trail of sand in the river and since the river had risen, it stayed there. It was a boot, it was a gray boot that had nothing on it, that was the only thing I found." * This is a new detail and firsthand confirmation of it being "A Grey Boot". The interview does not provide additional information on this, but it appears clear that this grey boot was the boot of Kris. And the "smelly" boot found two days later was Lisanne's brown boot. We have new information now about the discovery of Kris' boot, which was brown to begin with and turned into a grey type of blue by the time it was found. (Betzaida Pittí never wanted it investigated in the lab, to the astonishment of the lab workers, so we also never found out why that brown boot turned bleached and blue, and whether or not any chemicals played a role in this for instance -> As Dave M. said: It's behaviour that is in line with Pittí shutting down Calderon's study of the discovered Skin fragment of Lisanne. Perhaps because both discoveries could have gone straight against her new-found and embraced Accident at the Monkey Bridge narrative?). Kris' boot was found in the river, and Angel described that since the river had risen it had stayed there, in place. Indicating that in this particular river and area, at that time, debris had a tendency to stay in place. Making it all the more noteworthy that barely any remains of Kris and Lisanne were ever found.
* As to who photographed the boot when it was discovered: this may have been guide Feliciano, who admitted in his affidavit to having been the one in the search groups to handle the camera and document the discoveries. Power-Pixie said about the shoe of Kris: "Every time I've seen that collage of Kris's boots I always find it remarkable that the sole of the shoe isn't worn down or that the sides of the sole has no marks on it, even if it was in water and "cleaned" as a result. Reminds me of what Mostly Mystery had noted in her old blog article #4: "What the guide had standing behind his belief was experience, and one thing he related was very telling. It was the story of two men he’d agreed to take on an all-day trek. Unfortunately, they were forced to return to Boquete after only two hours as his clients’ boots had become hopelessly shredded. It was his experience, he said, that most foreigners do not buy boots that are capable of withstanding Panama’s arduous terrain.'"
* As to who photographed the boot when it was discovered: this may have been guide Feliciano, who admitted in his affidavit to having been the one in the search groups to handle the camera and document the discoveries. Power-Pixie said about the shoe of Kris: "Every time I've seen that collage of Kris's boots I always find it remarkable that the sole of the shoe isn't worn down or that the sides of the sole has no marks on it, even if it was in water and "cleaned" as a result. Reminds me of what Mostly Mystery had noted in her old blog article #4: "What the guide had standing behind his belief was experience, and one thing he related was very telling. It was the story of two men he’d agreed to take on an all-day trek. Unfortunately, they were forced to return to Boquete after only two hours as his clients’ boots had become hopelessly shredded. It was his experience, he said, that most foreigners do not buy boots that are capable of withstanding Panama’s arduous terrain.'"
* Guide Plinio indeed (also?) told that to a local journalist, quote: "Although next to nothing has been recovered that belonged to Kris and Lisanne, two boots were found, blue shoe one - horribly - with a foot still in it. And while one boot showed medium signs of wear, the other was almost pristine in appearance. The girls, the guide believes, were abducted soon after they began their trek, perhaps not long after they crossed the Continental Divide and headed unknowingly down the Caribbean side instead of back to their hostel in Boquete." "The boots did not show enough wear he thinks, to have endured a 15-hour trek to the place where the handful of bones, backpack, and footwear were finally discovered."
* Another interesting new detail there. One boot found for both girls. The other two still missing.. Lisanne's boot was found on the banks of a catchment area. Subjected to water rising and dropping again. A heavy boot no doubt, with her foot still inside. Makes you wonder how the tide could carry it like that and deposit it in this lagoon. Instead of having it sink to the bottom of the river, given that the boot would have been too heavy to float (I'm sure Betzaida Pittí will explain this by monster riptides and 'bone-grinding flooding' in the area...). But no other remains were reported to have been found there. The men found Lisanne's brown boot by smell basically, and were able to reach this spot on foot. Feliciano had a different narrative about this boot of Lisanne however. He has stated that this shoe was found "behind and almost under a tree", in the vicinity of Alto Romero and away from the river... Which is corroborated by the photos he took of the boot behind a tree. So... this lagoon of sorts must have had big trees on it? This testimony of Angel makes it sound more like a riverbank that floods or falls dry. But in the photos they clearly are standing on land, and there's no water visible at all. Maybe Angel confused the location where the boot of Kris was found here (a sandbank in the river) with the location of Lisanne's boot..? Or maybe the photo does show an overflow area and the composition of the photo just doesn't do the place justice.
* We now have an idea on where and how both boots were found. Angel seems to also say that rising water levels had the ability to wash the remains of Kris and Lisanne down the length of the river. Depositing them in catchment area's, sweeping them onto sandbanks, or hiding them behind tree trunks and rocks on land. Some were delivered miles away from each other. For a boot with a decomposing foot inside that was reportedly discovered by smell alone (a smell detected from a significant distance), the group is not showing anything in the photo in terms of grimaces or covering their nose. Despite being very close to the boot. But without the scent factor, you would have to be looking very hard for this item IF you didn't know where to look; hidden behind that log the way it was. And let's emphasize here that the boot of Lisanne was the ONLY remain ever found that had a pungent smell. No other such smells were ever again detected by the searchers. And these men were searching all the way up to the infamous Monkey Bridges (which guide Feliciano blamed for the girl' demise). Meaning that we can be fairly certain that there were no other body parts and remains to be found in or along the riverbeds within the search area. Or they would have smelled those too. And it is pretty strange that only this boot with foot of Lisanne was ever discovered in that respect... given the distance these men have walked upstream. There is really no evidence to be found here that two entire bodies were "broken up by the river".
* Dave M.: "If I'm supposed to imagine this boot gets washed into this overflow area, what then pushes it into this strange position behind and under a log and a large stone? The water cannot have been that high, and I have a hard time thinking this boot would be buoyant and float."
* Power-Pixie: "How come this boot with a severed, water-logged foot inside it was able to float or be carried here? While the empty boot of Kris and the backpack were both lighter in comparison, and were found elsewhere downstream? Come to think of it, even Kris's boot would have filled with water as it was ankle high and would have soaked with water as well."
- Mr Lorenzo Montezuma said: "They live in Alto Romero and they can call me with my cell phone and I will let them know if they need anything."* This confirms that in 2014, Alto Romero did indeed have phone service for the most part.
- Mr Luciano Bejerano Rodriguez said: "We walked for about half an hour along the right bank, going upstream, and we found that bone. It looked flattened, but it didn't smell rotten. We didn't know if it was actually human remains, so we collected them and went to call the authorities."
* So the foot of Lisanne did smell of rot, but the bone on the riverbank did not. It is not clear to which specific bone Bejerano refers here, but from case info shared over time, it seems it was either the pelvic bone of Kris that was found here, or a leg bone of Lisanne: "The day prior, on June 18th, the commission has already been presented with two bone fragments and two shoes by locals Luis A., Angel P., Luciano V., and Lorenzo M., which they had found on the banks of the Culebra in the previous days. According to the report, they are "a black sneaker with pink edges, a dark shoe with a green sole, a bone with similar characteristics to the hip (pelvis), and a bone with similar characteristics to the one found in the knee."
- Mr Lorenzo Montezuma said: "No, I don't go there often because it was very far away, but we collaborated with the authorities to continue the search."
* As Dave M. stated: "I point out how, if you study an areal map, the spot where Luis and Irma were working and found the backpack, is really the only place on the river that you could make such a discovery. It is a cleared spot on that stretch of the river, where people from the Village would walk down to over the decades to bathe and wash goods. If Feliciano wanted that backpack to be found in the river, then this is really the only way he could do it. He was being governed (and limited) by the basic geography of the area."
* What are the odds. That exactly in that one clearing the backpack was lodged and found by his brother's employees. A critical find, as it turned the case from a Kidnapping investigation into an Accident investigation. Couldn't have come at a better time also for Pittí.
OTHER CASE
RELATED INFO
*On Thursday April 3, 2014 the Ministerio publico, personeria municipal del distrito de Boquete communicated the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne and shared in an internal document Kris and Lisanne's passport numbers, nationality and details about the place they were staying (Miriam's address and contact data). The Ombudsman was also informed that Mr. Feliciano Gonzalez, living in Jaramillo Centro and with his ID number added, had presented himself to the office in order to report that the two young missing Dutch women Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers had been missing for two days in the mountains of the Pianista sector in Alto Lino.
ee.jpg)
"The young Eileen W, a German national, tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianista trail."
*On Thursday April 3, 2014, Panama's National Civil Protection System wrote a document (Situational report) in which they shared that after receiving the notice of the disappearance of the young women Lisanne Froon (22) and Kris Kremers (21), the following information had been collected. It was established that the young women stayed with Miriam Guerra, who was spoken with and had said that the young women had arrived on Saturday the 29th and that she had not seen them since Monday afternoon. Spanish by the River was also visited "as this is where the young women were last seen", according to the information they had. "The young Eileen W, a German national, tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianista trail." Feliciano was also spoken with and he said that he had agreed to serve as a guide on Wednesday the 2nd to a farm in the Boquete area and on Thursday the 3rd to the top of Volcán Barú; agreeing to leave for the morning of Thursday, and when they did not show up at the agreed point, Mr. Gonzales went to Mrs. Guerra's house to investigate the girls and that is where they realized that the girls were not at the residence either. Due to this situation, the police was contacted to report the situation. At this point the personnel of the National Civil Protection System had mobilized personnel along the entire route of the Quetzales trail that connects Boquete with Cerro Punta to look for any clues and rule out these areas. A team from Boquete was also deployed to the top of the Barú Volcano. And also along the trail known as the Pianista. A poster of Kris and Lisanne had also been dispersed and put up at bus stops and in different commercial establishments in the Boquete District. Taxi and bus terminals were contacted to request any information regarding the missing women. Nothing had at that point lead to new information about their whereabouts.
*On Friday April 4th, 2014 Chief Officer Fatima K. Rios J. reported that Miriam Guerra had been called by telephone "on several occasions", but that no one answered the phone.
*On Friday April 4th, 2014 the personeria municipal del distrito de Boquete reported that the investigation into the alleged crime against LIFE AND PERSONAL INTEGRITY of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon resulted in the knowledge that the young women stayed with Miriam Guerra, and an urgent visual inspection of her house was ordered. A sworn statement from Mrs. Miriam Guerra was also requested.
*On Friday April 4th, 2014 the Municipal Ombudsman of the District of Boquete (Lisis M Cubilla) informed the head of the fire department system of the Boquete district about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, adding their passport numbers, asking them to urgently share any information they may have about the young women. Likewise Boquete's municipal observers were commissioned to investigate whether Kris Kremers or Lisanne Froon had been registered in any health centers, tourist venues, lodges or transportation terminals after April 1st.
*On Saturday April 5, 2014 Chief Officer Fatima K. Rios J. reported that they had been able to speak with the Dutch ambassador, "who handed over a business card and told us that if we needed him for any business or information, we would call him using the card provided."
*On Monday April 7, 2014, Boquete's District Municipal Prosecutor's Office described the disappearance case as being an ATTACK ON LIFE AND PERSONAL INTEGRITY, to the detriment of the young women Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers.
e.jpg)
*On Monday April 7, 2014 Lisis M. Cubilla P. from the Public Prosecutor's Office ordered that sworn statements were to be taken from Martijn Froon (called simply 'the relative' of her) and Eileen (it made the error of calling Eileen the owner of Spanish by the River). It is stated that Lisanne's relative was staying at the time at the Spanish school (SbtR).
*On April 29, 2014 medical director Dr. Jorge Guevara wrote to the municipal prosecutor of the Ministry of Health in the Alanje district (Erika Quintero) that none of the Ministry of Health facilities in the Alanje District (Alanje Health Center, El Tejar Health Sub-Center, Guarumal Health Sub-Center, Querévalo Health Sub-Center, or District Health Posts) had clinical records for or provided care to Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon in 2014. - Scarlet: notice here that investigators did check many hospitals in the region about a sighting there of Kris and Lisanne, but never seem to have verified with the hospital Feliciano claimed to have gone to on April 1st what time he was actually there.
*On May 23, 2014 Carolina De Gomez, Head of Health Records and Statistics of Hospital Rafael Hernández L. replied in response to a letter with No. 1453 that the hospital had no records of medical care for Kris Kremers or Lisanne Froon in the index cards, medical records and care lists of their Hospital Center.
*On May 28, 2014 the municipal prosecutor of the Ministry of Health in the Alanje district (Erika Quintero) wrote a message to the Policlínica de Divalá (a medical establishment) to urgently request any information they may have had about Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon registering there after April 1st that year.
*On May 29, 2014 medical director Dr. Juan Molina from the Policlínica de Divalá replied to the municipal prosecutor of the Ministry of Health in the Alanje district (Erika Quintero) that neither Kris Kremers or Lisanne Froon had received medical care at his health facility.
*On May 29, 2014 medical director Dr. Don Manuel Guerrero Monteza of Hospital Rafael Hernández L. replied in response to a letter dated from April 11th that the hospital had no records of medical care for Kris Kremers or Lisanne Froon in the files of their health facilities.
(Photo above right of Ingrid and Marjolein)
SUMMARIZING
What stands out most from all these new case file details, is that we now know for a fact that tour guide Feliciano declared under oath to police on April 7th that he did see Kris and Lisanne at Spanish by the River on Tuesday morning. "Yes, I saw them on Tuesday the first of April of this year, and I saw them at the Spanish and English school, which teaches Spanish to tourists and is in Alto Boquete, on the road that leads to Palmira about five hundred meters from the entrance to Palmira, after the San Francisco plaza, only that day and it was in the morning. From there I did not see them again." In this same (early) April 7th affidavit Feliciano stated: "That same day, while I was in David, at the Hospital, they called me and told me that the two girls I had observed at the school wanted to go to Mr. Fillo's farm in Alto Quiel [..]".
And they do not add up, because Marjolein also wrote in her letter that she told Kris and Lisanne to be at the language school Spanish by the River around 9 AM on Tuesday. So not at 7 AM. The daughter of Miriam, Yaileth, also said that she still heard Kris and Lisanne rumble in their room around 07.45 on Tuesday morning. Going by their NFI-investigated phone data, there is also no indication that they were at that school by 7 AM already.. Kris' iPhone was not powered on until 11:05 AM, but Lisanne's Samsung phone received Whatsapp communication at various times between 02:12 and 07:52 AM. (It is not detailed in the NFI file what the internet source was). At 08:10 AM the clock app of the Samsung phone was used (opened for four seconds). At 09:07 and 09:09 Whatsapp was used "through a Wi-Fi connection" (this is all that the NFI specifies, no source, but this was likely at Spanish by the River where they regularly used their Wi-Fi). The Samsung phone used Wi-Fi in between 09:07 and 10:10 AM. - This paints a picture of the girls making sure they'd get up at the latest by ten past eight in the morning. Then making their way to the language school around nine (a five minute walk), just as Marjolein told them to. So both Marjolein's provided info and the NFI data point to Kris and Lisanne being at Spanish by the River around 9 AM, with the girls hoping that Eileen or Marjolein had already managed to contact Casa Esperanza for replacement work at that point. There would have been no reason for them to be already at the school by 7 AM, as Eileen nor Marjolein wouldn't have had the opportunity yet that early to call around for replacement work.
That other book, SLIP, was ferocious in their defense of the Gonzalez family, but also slipped this statement by Murgas into their book, the guy who died under suspicious circumstances: "An anonymous whistleblower contacts the CID in October 2014 and states that Murdog knows that his buddies Henry, Sam, and Edwin are involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. The investigators seek him out and he reports that the three of them could be holding the girls captive. Shortly before Kris and Lisanne disappeared, Henry told him (Murgas) in a pool hall that he had arranged to meet the Dutch girls for a trip to the Pianista Trail or the Barú volcano to spend the night with them and enjoy the sunrise. He was the last person to see them.[184]". And SLIP continued: "After their disappearance, Murdog claims not to have seen his buddy for six days. When he is later able to ask him where he has gone, Henry allegedly tells him that he was with Sam on his father's farm outside Alto Romero. When the Personería summons him two days later, Murdog says something else under oath. In his second interrogation, he states that he is merely referring to widespread rumors. "Everyone" was saying that Henry and Edwin had killed Kris and Lisanne." And SLIP also printed: "However, Feliciano tells us that his son stood in for him on the day of the disappearance because he was in hospital. According to the story, Henry helped his friend Franklin look after a group of tourists. As evidence, Feliciano shows a calendar entry that supports this statement."
I understand that skeptics will be very quick to cast this Murgas declaration aside, or to throw up doubt about the entire pandilla relevance in this case. Ultimately, it are a lot of loose ends indeed and there is no rock solid evidence that the pandilla antics are directly linked to the deaths of Kris and Lisanne. There are unseen photos also of the girls, taken on Monday March 31st for instance, of which I have no idea what is depicted. For all I know, there are other people depicted on them, indicating who they may have met in the days leading up to the disappearance. And going back to this pandilla: to me Murgas' and Osman's words make for pretty shocking statements. Especially in light of the swimming photo (which many understandably reject as well, although I clearly see Kris, Lisanne, Osman and Murgas in that photo). And the fact that both lads were murdered soon after Kris and Lisanne disappeared.. Notice also how Murgas mentioned the only two tours that we now know Kris and Lisanne were actually interested in: the Pianista trail and Barú. And as Dave M. observed: "Sam Downer and Aguirre have kept themselves out of the narrative, keeping well away from any publicity. I recall a story of Sam Downer also being confronted by Osman, whether this is true is anyone's guess. So were Henry and Downer in on Osman's fate? And this suggestion he was with Henry, out in the distant wilds of Alto Romero, is extraordinary - allegedly for six days? Which incidentally covers the strange Phone usage." Also, I have been contacted by various people from Boquete myself over the years, declaring to have overheard Henry and Edwin in a bar, saying that they were the last ones to have seen the Dutch girls alive. For what that's worth.. But this is yet another possible angle in this complex disappearance case.
And for those with an open mind, this Feliciano declaration under oath of having met Kris and Lisanne on the morning of their disappearance at the school, and him telling police that he knew about their Pianista plans should probably open that (theoretical) door. A door to a scenario where it is documented that he often did tours together with his son Henry. NickyAbroad for instance wrote about her March 22nd 2014 tour with both Feliciano, Henry and Marjolein: "We stopped for lunch at a clearing (and a very welcome break it was) at 2,200m and afterwards, continued on up what seemed like a vertical track with some very steep steps. Guide F. expressed his disgust on more than one occasion at the workmanship that had gone into the construction of the fences and picnic tables along the way and considered there was a lot of money being wasted by the Government. The whole day had turned into not only a hike, but also a language and political lesson. We arrived at the top near Cerro Punto, where F’s son was waiting and extremely disgruntled at having had to wait for an hour for us because we were late. The views here were superb and reminded be very much of the Kaimais at home." Jeremy Kryt also published that Henry has admitted to Murgas that he knew about the girls' Pianista hike plans and had arranged to meet them there or at the Barú volcano. Kryt proposed that Henry "Tito" Gonzalez was supposed to take Kris and Lisanne on a guided tour that Tuesday. Henry who would go to Nelvis café, which was also reportedly the last place Kris and Lisanne went to on Tuesday morning before getting a taxi to the trailhead. Cafe Nelvis was also the place where some witnesses have claimed to have seen Kris and Lisanne for either breakfast or lunch on Tuesday April 1st, in the company of two young men.. Dutch press also published about this, as did the NOS news. On the local Boquete Ning forum, this sighting of the two in Cafe Nelvis with young men was also discussed: "The Panamanian police urgently require information as follows: It appears now that both Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers had lunch at “Restaurante Nelvis” in Boquete around noon on Monday, March 31st. While at the restaurant, the girls were approached by two unknown young men who started a conversation with them. The police urgently request information about the identity of these two young men." And their taxi also carried two other mystery men according to cab driver Leonardo (who died less than a year later under suspicious circumstances). So how did Henry know about the girls' Pianista hike plans? Maybe because his dad heard it from them when interacting with them on Tuesday morning. Or because he suggested it to them? Knowing he would have to be in the hospital that morning until the afternoon, could he have suggested the guidance of his son instead? Guides there are always looking for tourists apparently. An interesting anecdote from these bloggers and hikers who did the Pianista hike, which shows just how important this guide work is for them: "There are some rudimentary red arrows at a couple of intervals earlier on in the trail, but seem to completely disappear once you actually need them. We have heard that the authorities have tried to place more signs, but certain tour guides - presumably worried that they’ll lose business - keep removing them."So would Feliciano have jumped on the opportunity, when finding out that Kris and Lisanne had time to kill that day? And sold them a tour through his son? Which didn't end well? Hence him jumping in and redirecting the investigation and lying under oath himself: to cover up for something so important for him that he was willing to risk this? Or maybe he simply was told about the plans of Kris and Lisanne to hike the Pianista that day by Marjolein, during that car ride to David, lasting at least 35 minutes. Marjolein was still busy and preoccupied at that time with that Aura fiasco and finding these girls replacement work, so there is a good chance that she chatted to Feliciano about it while on the road. He could have easily picked up on their interest in the Pianista trail and in the waterfalls. Henry could have learnt about the girls' plan through his dad. And even if he didn't get the offer to guide them up the Pianista, how easy would it have been on that one-way-up-same-way-down trail to have someone (with bad intentions) position high up to intercept them? It is almost the perfect spot for it. There is no hard evidence for anything though, not for murder, not for kidnapping, not for an accident. But there is indirect evidence, the sudden stop of taking photos on a scenic trail, the illogical use of the phones, the unusual night photos. The difficult part to prove is mostly how the night photos came about and who created the phone use patterns: Kris and Lisanne themselves? Or a smart and calculating third party? Many people don't believe that anyone can pull that off though. Even though it isn't all that complicated. So I don't care how much sleuths try to insult people away from this scenario, because it should be a possible scenario of interest at the very least for everyone with an open mind and a willingness to look at all avenues. Whether you choose to believe in it or not is then of course another matter.
* The OP, Lokation22 writes: "My theory. Kris and Lisanne were at school from around 9:00 a.m. on April 1, as agreed with Marjolein. This is confirmed by Lisanne's use of the Wifi network from 9:07 a.m. They were most likely found there by Eileen. Eileen confirmed to SINAPROC that Kris and Lisanne had inquired about hiking the El Pianista. "The young Eileen W, a German national, tells us that at about one in the afternoon the girls were looking for information according to the computer history they used on the Pianista trail." Kris and Lisanne were met by Feliciano, who truthfully stated as much in his affidavit and also to the press. It makes sense that a brief exchange with the guide would be arranged before the two tourists set off on a hike. If Feliciano took Marjolein with him in the car and he was at the hospital in David until 1:00 p.m. (a 40-minute drive), then the departure time was later (probably around 9:30) and not as early as 7:00 a.m. My theory is that all three, Marjolein, Eileen and Feliciano, met Kris and Lisanne at the school on the morning of April 1 and that Feliciano and Marjolein specifically recommended that they hike the Pianista Trail because you can't get lost there and you can walk the trail without a guide.
When K&L didn't return, Feliciano felt guilty and wanted to conceal his involvement in the two women's decision to take the trail. He asked Eileen not to tell anyone that K&L had hiked the Pianista trail alone on his advice. But they wanted people to look in the right place, so they gave clues about looking at maps and the school computer. This means that in her letter to Ingrid, Marjolein deliberately gave the wrong time for her departure in the morning. Eileen also deliberately gave a wrong time and Feliciano deliberately did not give a time at all. Feliciano kept quiet about his conversation with the two women. This explains why Feliciano was so worried and acted as if he was responsible for these two tourists. This explains why Eileen messed up the timeline. Perhaps Feliciano also influenced the residents by giving the wrong time when he first searched the trail and spoke to some people. This theory also explains why Kris and Lisanne went out over the Mirador so quickly and purposefully: Feliciano may have told them about the monkey bridges, which are a bit of an adventure. Perhaps Kris and Lisanne resolved to do something special on their hike and tell the guide the next day about their success in crossing the monkey bridges. Or perhaps Feliciano told them about another destination, a waterfall that nobody else knew about, near Q1. A direct talk and booking for the next day, when Feliciano is available again, is also definitely more obvious than the cumbersome telephone booking via Eileen, whom Feliciano allegedly called at the hospital and who only wants to have observed the girls on Monday but not have spoken to them on Tuesday. I think everything was discussed at a meeting on the morning of April 1: Possible further work assignments, the earliest start of a job and further tours with Feliciano. Feliciano's self-protection by concealing his advice is also understandable. Many people would blame him if he let Kris and Lisanne run into the jungle and to their deaths without a guide. For me, this theory is a piece of the case puzzle that explains many oddities in one fell swoop. He advised them to do El Pianista without a Guide because it is an easy trail. And that is why he felt responsible for their disappearance and therefore acted like a responsible person."
* Good writing. That is another possible explanation for his behaviour I suppose. But I would ask in return: why would Eileen and Marjolein and even Ingrid go along in his request to lie for him? This was all done during the first and start of the second week of April. For all they knew, Kris and Lisanne would be found alive and it would become abundantly clear then that all three lied immediately to investigators and the media. (Unless he already knew that they would never come back of course..). Just like these lies would have been easily dismantled if investigators had checked phone logs, hospital appointment times and such. This seems too extreme a thing to ask for simply nudging them to the Pianista unguided.. All he had to do was give a tearful interview, saying that he had made them enthusiastic about the Pianista and desperately wanted to accompany them, but through no fault of his own, he had to go to hospital instead. And how he rued the day that he gave them information about that Pianista trail now. There would be no repercussions at all, I reckon. It also does not explain the need for all these different versions of events. They would have all stuck to one new storyline more likely. Not have Eileen give three or four different versions of events. And if Feliciano wanted to conceal his involvement in the two women's decision to take the trail, would he and Eileen then direct investigators directly to this same Pianista trail? Instead of playing dumb and pretending not to know anything about their plans? Or if they did want them to be found and did want investigators to go immediately to the right spot - as OP proposes - then why have Eileen tell Lee Zeltzer that they seemed to want to go to the Quetzal trail and tell LITJ that she had no idea at all where they went? She also urged investigators to check those computers at the school, seemingly forgetting that she told others that she herself saw the internet history of those computers. And if they thought this was a clever strategy, then they surely didn't think it through? Because any decent set of investigators would have noticed the inconsistencies in their stories immediately. Why would Feliciano admit at all then (under oath) to have seen the girls on Tuesday morning? Since that immediately clashed with his hospital timeline and the 7 AM departure admission by Marjolein. It just rambles, this theory, I think. Feliciano was making himself so much more suspicious here than he would have been if he had just remorsefully said: "I wished I never gave them advise about that wretched Pianista!". And if they did conceal something (which I do think is the case), then it would make more sense for them to cover up something much much worse than him giving some tips about a hike he couldn't join. Something which Marjolein and Eileen would also directly get into trouble over personally, if it came out (as their motives for covering up for a kind and caring Feliciano here, are just not strong enough in this theory, I think. Given that Eileen lied under oath). But it's fair to include this theory here, which does a good job at connecting all these people together. And none of us know what went on there and what sort of decision making took place.
* Oh and as for suggestions that Feliciano spoke with Kris and Lisanne at the school on Monday instead: that would also mean that he lied under oath, multiple times, to conceal this. I am not sure what the urgency was about lying about this, in the big scheme of things. Plus he would risk being caught in that lie easily, if Kris and Lisanne for instance wrote about it in their diaries (or is that why he and Eileen somehow hád to go into their bedroom; to check those diaries?). Or if they had told their parents or Sigrid about that meeting with Feliciano (they didn't). So also a possible but not entirely likely theory I think, with also too many people he would then have to involve in the scheme for no apparent payoff for them. It just doesn't pass the Occam's Razor test. Add to this that on Monday they were still in limbo about replacement work for that week, which was what they aimed for. Why book a tour on Monday already for the Tuesday?
* And Dangerous-Pea6091 wrote about my blog post: "I thought that she hadn’t took into consideration that he might have been so engaged into the search bc they planned to do the guided hike tour on the day they went missing, and he would be taken as a suspect/ into spotlight if they would have stayed missing (well maybe this reason isn’t so convincing, I realize now that I am writing it, bc being engaged puts you into spotlight nonetheless)." - Yeh.. I just don't understand why he wouldn't just say openly that he had planned to do that hike with them, but had to go to hospital instead and oh no, oh no... if only he hadn't told them about the hike. But this hike, it was not his responsibility. It was Marjolein who told them first about that hike during the intro talk. We know this for a fact, as the parents have stated that Kris and Lisanne told them about their interest in that Pianista hike. They knew about that hike well before Tuesday and the school has a lot of information available also about it. This would never have been seen as Feliciano's responsibility. So again: for Eileen, Marjolein and even Ingrid to have been in on the scheme (plus all those witnesses if we also throw the 1 PM last sighting claim of Eileen into the mix - although they could have seen the girls there on Monday afternoon perhaps, in case they used those unaccounted hours by the phone logs that afternoon for a short explorative hike to the trailhead and to Pedro's place)... something much more serious would have to be covered up, imo. And it is important to stress just how serious these lies are. They were given their duties verbally beforehand during their interviews. It was abundantly clear that it was a criminal offense to lie under oath. And to do so at such an early stage of the investigation, is WAY more serious and criminal in fact than being known as the people who sent them up that mountain without a proper tour guide. People hike that trail alone all the time, such as these hikers also blogged about.
And I completely understand how there are basically three camps formed by sleuths following this case. A camp which believes these girls got lost or had an accident. A camp who thinks they met foul play. And a small 3rd camp who believes in a combination of both. I also understand that in order to formulate any overarching theory in this case, you are not only up against an opposing camp, so to speak, but also against the inevitable illogicalities that come with any theory. Because not a single narrative makes total sense in this wild case. To believe in a cover-up of a crime, you need to believe that a person would have had a lot of power and influence over others. And a lot of smarts about him. For many westerners who follow this case, this may all feel like a bridge too far. And there is an innate intuition and inclination to blame things on what is considered to be the most logical in the west. So a hiking accident. Or a fall. Or something more mundane basically. Reading case related comments from people from Latin- or Southern American countries is a completely different ballgame. The majority of them calls this a kidnapping and murder. To many of them, it is not far-fetched at all to have a landlord type of smiling gangster involved and a youth gang and a prosecutor's office and even a president who wants to cover things up. If the local culture is used to mafioso practises and is used to keep their mouths shut to cops, that is something that many westerners just refuse to believe or take into account in this case, I feel. Just as that in Panama, family often comes before everything else. Also before the law. On the one hand there seems to be little point in trying to convince staunch nay-sayers (from both sides), but this discrepancy is probably also contributing to what makes this case interesting as we had two Western young tourists in a Latin-American country and culture. I myself also can't judge properly what the habits and dangers in Panama were back in 2014.
In any case, this was very interesting to read for me, and I hope it was interesting for you as well ☺
Here is the page where F is mocking a client for being scared of the cable bridges. https://highonadventure.com/Hoa08apr/Panama/Panama.htm
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I read her blog in a far, far past, but had all but forgotten about it. But this is such an interesting comment he made to her, making fun of her for hours she writes, for someone who also claimed to officials that he was almost too afraid to go to his jungle finca because of his deep fear of those same monkey bridges...
DeleteDid the hospital ever confirm that F was there that morning?
ReplyDeleteNot that I could find, no. There wasn't even a specification what hospital he went to or more importantly, at what time he had his appointment there. I did find a clue in a blog called NickyAbroad that just over one week prior (March 22), she did a hike with him and Marjolein and that he had a big bandage around his left hand. She hints at an incident with his machete while tending his coffee plantation.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteSome more articles promoting our beloved guide:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reisjevrij.nl/rondreizen/panama-reisroute/
https://www.sherulestheglobe.nl/avontuurlijke-rondreis-panama-in-2-tot-3-weken/
https://travelrebels.com/panama/el-pianista-trail-boquete/
https://www.baseneelco.nl/2005/12/13/investeerders-en-vechtersbazen-in-boquete/
And here he is pictured at Cafe Mirador Crystal ("Coffee Shop With A View Of The Valley In The South Mountain"): https://yesretired.com/panama-beautiful-mountain-town-of-boquete