Monday, December 2, 2019

Part 3 with all the photos and diaries in The disappearance case of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon in Panama, Boquete 2014 - an ongoing mystery (Part 3; archive)





The missing Dutch girls in Panama
part 3 - all the chronological photos and the diaries

October 11th 2019 - This is part 3 with the chronological photos and diaries of Kris and Lisanne. If you are new here, please start reading about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne in my first blog post, hereAnd in part 6 you can read the most important interviews with the parents and families of Kris and Lisanne. - Sas asked me below one of my youtube videos about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne: "Is there a website on which the readers here can see the official chronology of the Photos that were made by Kris and/or Lisanne? Which were taken with the phone, which with the digital camera and what are the times and days on which the pics were made..? Do you have a link to such a website for the readers here..? It could be convenient for the readers to have that oversight in this case." -  Great suggestion! I have photos from the fantastic Juan, who has done an insane amount of work on this disappearance case; not just in his own videos on youtube, but also from years and years of following and writing on different forums and doing a lot of investigation of specifically the photos and their EXIF data and whether or not some may have been photoshopped. Here you can see some of his videos. And here you can find a video I made, showing you all the photos Kris and Lisanne took with their camera, or at least: the ones we now know of. Photo's were taken mostly all with the Canon SX270 HS digital cameraDISCLAIMER: The quality of many (not all) of the photos is not ideal. The reason for that, as I also understand it from Juan, is that most (not all) of the photos as we know them have not been officially released in their original format by the family, but instead have been published by/leaked to the press or insiders. The Panamanian media who printed these photos readjusted the size of the original photos. Most versions as we know them are only between 1024x768 and 1600x1200 pixels in size nowadays, whereas the originals are 4000x3000 pixels. Lawyer Arrocha also gave a photo to a befriended journalist who posted it. And Dutch TV programs like 'Een Vandaag' and 'Break Free' also published some in their TV programs on this disappearance (whole series with subs can be seen in my main blog post on this case). We even had to work with screenshots from TV broadcasts sometimes, which resulted in even worse quality photos. There is also a better sized photo here and there. But the majority of the photos are too poor in quality to allow for proper zooming in. Which... results in us seeing all sorts of strange things when actually zooming in too much. It makes reliable analysis of the background difficult in most cases. The family have been asked in the past to publish all the original photos, to give the larger community online the opportunity to help 'detective' along, but at the moment only some people behind the scenes have access to all the original sized photos. So the mediocre photo quality is not the camera's fault: the original photos have a decent good size. It is the result of these photos having been resized before publication. It is great if the story of Kris and Lisanne is spread as far and wide as possible. But certain authors and online content makers have used more than just a little of my work (or plundered my youtube channel) for their own publications, without as much as a source mentioning. Don't be such a douche and give a shout out or a simple source mentioning when you use info from these blogs or my videos for your own videos or sites or publications. Give some credit, just like you yourself like to get credit for your hard work :)


Chronological order of the photos taken by Kris and Lisanne


Photo #167 (IMG_0167)
Taken on March 15th 2014 around 07:00 AM.
 
 
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama



First the photos taken in Bocas del Toro,
 between March 16 - March 29, 2014






Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama














  








Last two pictures are taken by Kris from two young Dutch men who Kris and Lisanne befriended in Bocas del Toro around March 21st; Bas van Lieshout and Edwin Cornelis. They were not in Boquete at the time of the girls'  disappearance and no suspects





Second, the photos taken in Boquete 
between March 29 - March 31st, 2014

On Saturday March 29th, Kris and Lisanne arrived by shuttle bus in Boquete in the afternoon. They met their host family and checked out the nearby Spanish language school that day. On Sunday March 30th they explored Boquete, had lunch in town in 'Boquete Bistro' and explored the direct area. On Monday March 31st they went to a local children's school in the morning to start their volunteer work, but were sent away and told they had no place for them that week. The girls then went to the Spanish language school to tell what happened and waited for a good part of the day there for a coworker to try to find them another volunteer job for that week. In the late afternoon they had a long massage with a Dutch lady. On Tuesday April 1st they hiked the Pianista Trail and possibly went for a swim. (Swim may have happened the day prior also). 


Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama
Kris Kremers, Panama

  



Since we do not have the photo originals with their original EXIF data, it remains a guessing game where this specific next photo was taken. A night out in Bocas or in Boquete? Bocas seems more likely (Power-Pixie believes this photo was taken in the Bocas Wine Bar, but I believe the white wooden panelling looks different there, from the few photos I could find from around 2014). Until the specific cafe has been positively identified, I keep all options open 🠟 



Video stills from a short video taken:






Third, the photos taken in Boquete on April 1st
 2014 

We know that 33 photos were taken this day with the digital CANON camera. Out of those, 23 photos have been made public, one way or another. The other 10 have been seen by several people, but weren't published. Matt wrote: "All 33 images were taken in 8 groups of 2 – 10 images each and show the same subjects or scenery from slightly different angles within those groups. Therefore, if there is one image from a group available, it is very easy to visualize what the missing ones show." On April 1st the known photo numbers start at #476 (IMG_476) and end with #508. From Matt's article I take it that there was also a first photo taken before #476, of the trailhead. It was shot at 11:08 AM. I don't know if this photo was taken with the Canon digital camera or with one of their smartphones. But we do know that 11:08 was also the starting time of their hike. With regards to these times: I show you both the real time and the recalculated time (minus 6 hours), because the girls had not adjusted the correct year and local time on their camera. It was set to 2013 instead of 2014, and had the incorrect time. - Although there was a seven hours time difference between the Netherlands and Panama at that time, not six, I learnt that investigators may have been going with a deduction of six hours instead of seven because the default time zone for Canon cameras is usually set to London time (GMT), which was six hours ahead of Panama on April 1st of 2014). 



Photo source: the BackpackerCoach


Specific photo numbers and times:
(*These are the official times as they were found on the camera, but they may or may not be correct/manipulated)

                                           Photo #475 (?)  -  April 1st 11:08 AM (Photo of the trailhead)
                                     Photo #476  -  April 1st 11:18:24 AM (officially 17:18 PM)
                                     Photo #477  -  April 1st 11:18:34 AM (officially 17:18 PM)
                                 Photo #478  -  April 1st 11:18:39 AM (Photo of a creek)
                                           Photo #479  -  April 1st 11:18:44 AM (officially 17:18 PM)      
                                Photo #480  -  April 1st 11:25:05 AM (Photo of a field)
                     Photo #481  -  11:25:11 AM (officially 17:25 PM)
                Photo #482  -  11:25:27 AM (Photo of a field)
                      Photo #483  -  11:25:31 AM (officially 17:25 PM)
                Photo #484  -  11:25:33 AM (Photo of a field)
                      Photo #485  -  11:25:35 AM (officially 17:25 PM)
                           Photo #486  -  11:25:45 AM (officially 17:25:48 PM)
                            Photo #487  -  11:42:14 AM (Photo of a small creek)
                            Photo #488  -  11:42:18 AM (Photo of a small creek)
                      Photo #489  -  11:42:26 AM (officially 17:42 PM)
                         Photo #490  -  12:02:40 PM (Same location as 491)
                      Photo #491  -  12:03:08 PM (officially 18:03 PM)
                           Photo #492  -  12:03:16 PM (Same location as 491*)
                      Photo #493  -  12:42:25 PM (officially 18:42 PM)
                      Photo #494  -  12:42:32 PM (officially 18:42 PM)
*D
istance thicket of the forest, with the small log over the
creek in the foreground - similar location to photo 491
---
The next photos are all taken at the Pianista summit (the Mirador):
                     Photo #495  -  13:00:23 PM (Photo at Mirador)
                     Photo #496  -  13:00:36 PM (Photo at Mirador)
                      Photo #497  -  13:01:06 PM (officially 19:01 PM)
                      Photo #498  -  13:01:14 PM (officially 19:01 PM)
                      Photo #499  -  13:01:38 PM (officially 19:01 PM)
                      Photo #500  -  13:01:44 PM (officially 19:01 PM)
                      Photo #501  -  13:01:56 PM (officially 19:01 PM)
                 Photo #502  -  13:02 PM (officially 19:02 PM)
                     Photo #503  -  13:06:15 PM (Photo at Mirador)
                      Photo #504  -  13:06:20 PM (officially 19:06 PM)
---
The next photos are taken behind the Pianista summit:
                      Photo #505  -  13:20:33 PM (officially 19:20 PM)
                      Photo #506  -  13:20:39 PM (officially 19:20 PM)
                      Photo #507  -  13:54:50 PM (officially 19:54 PM)
                       Photo #508  -  13:54:58 PM (officially 19:54 PM
    Photo #509 (Unknown) -  DELETED


Photo #476 (IMG_476)
11:18 AM (officially 17:18 PM)
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama

  

Photo #477 (IMG_476)
11:18 and 34 seconds AM (officially 17:18 PM)
+
Photo #479 (IMG_476)
11:18 and 44 seconds AM (officially 17:18 PM)


Photo #481 (IMG_481)
11:25 and 11 seconds AM (officially 17:25 PM)


Photo #483 (IMG_483)
11:25 and 31 seconds AM (officially 17:25 PM)


Photo #485 (IMG_485)
11:25 and 35 seconds AM (officially 17:25 PM)


Photo #486 (IMG_486)
11:25 and 45 seconds AM (officially 17:25 PM)


Photo #489 (IMG_489)
11:42 and 26 seconds AM (officially 17:42 PM)


Photo #491 (IMG_491)
12:03 and 8 seconds PM (officially 18:03 PM)
(Last photo by Alexander)
This photo was taken before the summit and can be found here


Photo #493 (IMG_493)
12:42 and 25 seconds PM (officially 18:42 PM)


Photo #494 (IMG_494)
12:42 and 32 seconds PM (officially 18:42 PM)

Power-Pixie found the matching location of photo #494 here


Photo #496 (IMG_496)
13:00 and 36 seconds PM (officially 19:00 PM)
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama


Photo #497 (IMG_497)
13:01 and 06 seconds PM (officially 19:01 PM)

Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama


Photo #498 (IMG_498)
13:01 and 14 seconds PM (officially 19:01 PM)


Photo #499 (IMG_499)
13:01 and 38 seconds PM (officially 19:01 PM)


Photo #500 (IMG_500)
13:01 and 44 seconds PM (officially 19:01 PM)


Photo #501 (IMG_501)
13:01 and 56 seconds PM (officially 19:01 PM)



Photo #502 (IMG_502)
13:02 PM (officially 19:02 PM)


Photo #504 (IMG_504)
13:06 and 20 seconds PM (officially 19:06 PM)


Photo #505 (IMG_505)
13:20 and 33 seconds PM (officially 19:20 PM)
 
This photo was taken after the summit and can be found here


Photo #506 (IMG_506)
13:20 and 39 seconds PM (officially 19:20 PM)


Photo #507 (IMG_507)
13:54 and 50 seconds PM (officially 19:54 PM)


Photo #508 (IMG_508)
13:54 and 58 seconds PM (officially 19:54 PM), 





Photo #509 - DELETED





Update: photos taken with the mobile phones on the summit 

On the summit of the Pianista trail, the Mirador, there were also nine known photos created with the iPhone from Kris and the Samsung Galaxy phone from Lisanne. Matt does not show them in his article, but he does describe them in little detail.
-IMG_2125; taken with the iPhone4 on the Mirador at 13:14. This was around 6 minutes áfter the last digital photo was taken on the summit, photo 504, which showed the views down towards Boquete. So there were six minutes where we have no idea what happened, but then these eight images are taken in quick succession with the mobile phones. And going by the numbers of these images, there may even be more that we don't know about?   
-IMG_2126; taken with the iPhone4 on the Mirador at 13:14.  
-IMG_2127; taken with the iPhone4 on the Mirador at 13:14. 
-20140401_131420; taken with the Samsung S3 on the Mirador at 13:14:20.
-20140401_131424; taken with the Samsung S3 on the Mirador at 13:14:24. 
-20140401_131430; taken with the Samsung S3 on the Mirador at 13:14:30. This image shows similar clouds and scenery as Image 502
-20140401_131456; taken with the Samsung S3 on the Mirador at 13:14:56.
-IMG_2128; taken with the iPhone4 on the Mirador at 13:15:00.
-20140401_131513; taken with the Samsung S3 on the Mirador at 13:15:13.


*******



Fourth, the photos taken in the 
dark of night, on April 8th 2014 





Specific photo numbers and times:

      Photo #510  -  April 8th 01:29:00 AM
      Photo #511  -  April 8th 01:30:00 AM
   Photo #512-540  -  01:30-01:37 AM
      Photo #541  -  April 8th 01:37:57 AM
      Photo #542  -  April 8th 01:38:12 AM
      Photo #543  -  April 8th 01:38:28 AM
      Photo #544  -  April 8th 01:38:46 AM
      Photo #545  -  April 8th 01:38:57 AM
      Photo #546  -  April 8th 01:39:12 AM
      Photo #547  -  April 8th 01:39:21 AM
      Photo #548  -  April 8th 01:39:32 AM
      Photo #549  -  April 8th 01:39:42 AM
      Photo #550  -  April 8th 01:39:54 AM
      Photo #551  -  April 8th 01:40:07 AM
      Photo #552  -  April 8th 01:40:18 AM
      Photo #553  -  April 8th 01:40:32 AM
      Photo #554  -  April 8th 01:40:48 AM
      Photo #555  -  April 8th 01:40:59 AM
      Photo #556  -  April 8th 01:41:16 AM
      Photo #559  -  April 8th 01:41:26 AM
      Photo #561  -  April 8th 01:42:07 AM
      Photo #562  -  April 8th 01:42:25 AM
      Photo #563  -  April 8th 01:42:45 AM
      Photo #564  -  April 8th 01:43:14 AM
      Photo #565  -  April 8th 01:43:28 AM
      Photo #566  -  April 8th 01:43:45 AM
      Photo #567  -  April 8th 01:44:12 AM
      Photo #568  -  April 8th 01:44:37 AM
      Photo #569  -  April 8th 01:45:01 AM
      Photo #570  -  April 8th 01:45:14 AM
      Photo #571  -  April 8th 01:45:23 AM
      Photo #572  -  April 8th 01:45:32 AM
      Photo #573  -  April 8th 01:45:52 AM
      Photo #574  -  April 8th 01:46:01 AM
      Photo #575  -  April 8th 01:46:11 AM
      Photo #576  -  April 8th 01:46:20 AM
      Photo #577  -  April 8th 01:47:31 AM
      Photo #579  -  April 8th 01:48:10 AM
      Photo #580  -  April 8th 01:49:47 AM
      Photo #582  -  April 8th 01:50:05 AM
      Photo #583  -  April 8th 01:50:26 AM
      Photo #584  -  April 8th 01:51:56 AM
      Photo #585  -  April 8th 01:52:28 AM
      Photo #586  -  April 8th 01:53:02 AM
      Photo #587  -  April 8th 01:53:13 AM
      Photo #590  -  April 8th 01:55:01 AM
      Photo #591  -  April 8th 01:55:36 AM
      Photo #592  -  April 8th 01:57:03 AM
      Photo #593  -  April 8th 01:58:26 AM
      Photo #594  -  April 8th 01:58:35 AM
      Photo #595  -  April 8th 02:00:37 AM
      Photo #597  -  April 8th 02:05:25 AM
      Photo #599  -  April 8th 02:12:11 AM
      Photo #600  -  April 8th 02:15:25 AM
      Photo #601  -  April 8th 02:20:48 AM
      Photo #602  -  April 8th 02:31:25 AM
      Photo #603  -  April 8th 02:31:25 AM
      Photo #604  -  April 8th 02:37:11 AM
      Photo #605  -  April 8th 02:46:16 AM
      Photo #606  -  April 8th 03:09:35 AM
         Photo #607  -  April 8th 03:09:51 AM   
                     Photo #608  -  April 8th 03:22:47 AM               
      Photo #609  -  April 8th 04:10:59 AM
                        
All new night photos printed here have been first published by JUAN. Later Matt confirmed their authenticity to me, based on the case files he has access to. These night photos have been taken mostly all at the same location. In this video I show how a very specific leaf keeps coming back and has been photographed from different positions and angles. The newly leaked night photos continue to show this leaf in different ways, just as the V-shaped tree keeps coming back. Details such as the exact timestamp have also been taken directly from these leaked photos. I later verified them all with the times mentioned in the official police files, as published by Matt. Also, there are a couple of new night photos that seem enhanced versions of others; not different photographs taken at the time. The parents of Kris and Lisanne stated that there were 90 photos taken that night, whereas Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf mentioned 77 photos. It is now confirmed that there were in fact 100 photos taken in the early hours of April 8th (the 'night photos'). The last known normal picture that was taken on April 1st was #508 (Kris at the small stream). The first nighttime photo is #510, which was taken on April 8th at 01:29 AM. Not all of the night photos have been made public, but Matt saw them all and has confirmed to me that the remaining photos all show the same dark surroundings and sometimes almost completely dark photos. Nothing of new interest has been held back, therefore. 

Quick succession
From photo #510 onward, photos were taken in quick succession initially. At times as many as seven pictures were taken within a one minute. Sometimes photos followed each other every 10 seconds, sometimes every minute. Most photos were taken in a cluster between 01:29 and 02:00 AM. Then the frequency of the photos went down a bit. The last known photo was taken at 04:10 AM. It seems that the person who took the photos was seated or laying down even in one very specific area. You see the same trees and foliage coming back in many different photos, and often the camera is aimed at the sky and the tree line. So all these photos are now proving us that the flash of the camera was not used to find their way while walking around. No evidence for this whatsoever; more evidence for the contrary in fact. The photographer was pretty staticAlso, the 'figure resembling Kris laying down in a ravine'  now proves to be just a leaf, lit up by the flash of the camera. The outline comes back in many photos, taken from different angles, and is clearly just a leaf, not a body. There are drops lighting up in the dark sky in many photos; either they are raindrops, or perhaps water mist from a nearby waterfall. If the drops are rain, then it is peculiar that the camera lens rarely ever seems to be wet. And it begs the question why the photographer spent nearly three hours out in the open air, in the rain, in the dark of night? And why all these photos were taken suddenly, after a week of no photos or videos? Also very strange; not a single photo indicates who exactly is taking these photos. Not a hand or foot of the photographer is visible; not one lock of their long hair fell in front of the camera lens in any of those 100 photos. No selfies, nothing. It could be anyone. After the last normal photo 508 on April 1st, these girls basically turned into ghosts. There is just no clear evidence that Kris and Lisanne took these photos. Only the back of the head photo of Kris seems to prove that the girls were present. But that image makes no real sense either, if Lisanne was supposedly taking these photos. It was not blurry and most likely not taken while on the move. It seems to prove that Kris was present in the night of April 8th. But then the question arises why, if Kris was alive by April 8th, there had been an absence of normal PIN code entries from April 5th onward already. Unfortunately this photo #580 does not show us if Kris is dead or alive. And neither can we see who is the photographer :( Although it looks like the photographer at the very least pretends to be Lisanne. As many people have openly wondered: why are these photos so utterly devoid of any human presence?

FIRST: these two new photos from the girls' camera also showed up recently, published by Juan. Someone numbered them as IMG_479 and IMG_480, but they in reality carry numbers #477 and #479. Then there is a swimming photo. However, that river is not situated near the Pianista Trail, but instead lies more south-east of the trail, in the Caldera hot springs. Could this be the evidence that - as stated by some witnesses who also claim to have seen them there on March 30th and/or March 31st - Kris and Lisanne had already visited the hot springs in the day(s) before their started their Pianista hike on April 1st 2014? Their busy schedule and diary entries seem to indicate that they did not go swimming there in the days before  April 1st however.. 






*******

Photo #511 (IMG_511)
Probably taken around 01:30 AM 


Photo #541 (IMG_541)
Probably taken around 01:37 AM 


Photo #542 (IMG_542)
Probably taken around 01:38 AM  

Photo adjusted with lightness settings etc:
  


Photo #543 + 544 (IMG_543)
Probably taken around 01:38,28 / 01:38,48 AM  



Photo #545 (IMG_545)
Probably taken around 01:38,57 AM  


Photo #546 and 547 (IMG_546)
Probably taken around 01:39,12 AM  
 


Photo #548 (IMG_548)
Probably taken around 01:39,32 AM  


Photo #549 (IMG_549)
Probably taken around 01:39,42 AM  


Photo #550 (IMG_550)
Probably taken around 01:39 AM  

Photo adjusted with lightness settings etc:




Photo #553 (IMG_0553)
Taken around 01:40:32 AM  


Photos #554 and #555 
Taken around 01:40,48/ 01:40,59 AM  


Photos #556 and #559 
Taken around 01:41 AM  


Photos #561 and #562 
Taken around 01:42.25 AM  


Photos #565 and #567 
Taken around 01:43.28 / 01:44,12 AM  


Photos #569, #570 and #572
Taken around 01:45 AM  



Photos #573 and #576 
Taken around 01:45 / 01:46 AM  


Photo #unknown (probably #577)
Taken around 01:46 AM  

Photo from Alexander:
Some of the papers found on the flat rock may have come from both part of the map Lisanne was pictured with a few days earlier during lunch. See Alexander's find in the photo above. Another matching detail was discovered by Dutch forum member 'Geruisloos'/ 'NostraSilencio' below:
It also seems that the previous photo #576 is of the exact same photo as 577, only altered in photoshop (by whomever leaked these photos I reckon, or even by investigators possibly) to make the details of the rock in the background stand out more. Hence why the foreground seems so over-lit suddenly. 
 

Here you can compare the two photos. When you look at the specific specks of lit up water drops in the sky, you can see that these two photos were taken at exactly the same moment in time. Even a second later and the background drops would have looked different. So they are the same photo, one had its brightness adjusted to show the details in the background. And whomever leaked them gave both photos (erroneously) a different photo number. 


Photo #580 (IMG_0580)
Taken around 01:49,47 AM  
See the full photo HERE
 
So we finally have the full photo of the hair of Kris. The uncensored one, I should say. No clear head wound is visible. Aside from some vague markings under the hair, possibly. What does stand out, is how clean and dry the hair is looking. It makes you wonder how someone's hair can look so clean, 8 days into a disappearance in what is assumed the jungle of Boquete. Sleeping without protection from the elements, without a cap to put your hair under, without even a pillow to sleep on. Or does it only look clean due to the flash of the camera perhaps? BTW: the time on the 'old' Polaroid version of this photo which was used in Dutch TV program Een Vandaag is 03:54 AM. But ever since the night photos were all leaked, the real times became known and it was actually taken at 01:49,47 AM. Matt, who has access to the official photos, confirmed that this is the correct time. I have no idea why the TV makers made these time errors. I will add the photo copy of it which has this timestamp (don't forget to extract 6 hours from it):



Photos #582 and #583 
Taken around 01:50,05 / 01:50,26 AM  


Photos #584 - #587 
Taken around 01:51,56 / 01:53,13 AM  



Photos #590 - #593 
Taken around 01:55,01 / 01:58,26 AM  



Photo #594 (IMG_594)
Taken around 01:58 AM  

Photo adjusted with lightness settings etc:



Photos #595 and #597 
Taken around 02:00 / 02:05 AM  


Photo #599 (IMG_594)
Taken around 02:12 AM  


Photo #600 
Taken around 02:15 AM 


Photos #602 
Taken around 02:29 AM 
 


Photos #603 and #604 
Taken around 02:31,25 / 02:37,11 AM 


Photo #605 (IMG_605)
Taken around 02:46,16 AM  


Photo #607 
Taken around 03:09 AM 


Photos #608 and #609 (IMG_608/609)
Taken around 03:22,47 / 04:10 AM 

Photos #609 is the last photo that was 
taken with the Canon camera, at 04:10

See all of this in video form here:



David pointed out to me that: "If the collection seen in Juan's album is accurate to the source retrieved from the original disc you meet huge problems in their credibility as several are indeed direct duplicates, and at least two of them are inexplicable: this one and this one. Look closer at the two, look at the raindrops frozen in time there, and you see that these are very clearly the same picture! The exact same photograph, but one has had the display completely smothered by a bizarre whiteout effect while the other is clear. How can this happen inside a digital camera? I have no idea. Surely it can't. And yet there is also a similar picture in the album showing the boulder/Marker display that has had a similar treatment... the exact same photograph but with one having extreme light strobing that obliterates the main object in the image. Are these leftover works from others who handled the images in the weeks and years since the Police received them, or original shots within the camera's memory card? We will likely never know. But as two examples of strange and inexplicable shots that are in fact duplicates of clearer images, you do wonder if deliberate manipulation was undertaken at an early stage and the 'originals' accidentally left saved to disc. And if that were to be the case then virtually all of the pictures have to be treated as suspect..."

I replied: "Yes those photos were of the same SOS marker, the same photos. With exactly the same water drops. They can't have been taken in quick succession of one another therefore, because even a second of added time would have changed the position of those lit up drops. Looks like someone brightened some of the night photos and left the adjusted photo in as well."





  

If you are new here, please start reading the main story of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne in my first blog post, here



Juan posted a remarkable photo in it (photo #541 taken at 01:37 that night)
All credits to Toni also for creating this overlap photo. One of the nighttime photos which were published by Juan, shows this odd picture. Around this point in his youtube video, Juan shows an overlap photo, very craftily found and made, which makes a convincing case for the assumption that the nighttime photo is an overly lit up close up of the face of Lisanne.. There are quite a few photos in Juans file, taken in the night of April 8th by supposedly Kris and Lisanne themselves - I have doubts about that personally - which show a strange round lit up 'something'. You can see them all here (press the arrow on the right of the photo to go through them all). In some photos it seems that perhaps a finger was held before the lens and flash, but in other photos there seems to be light almost in the right top corner. Sometimes it may be a chin perhaps, being overly lit by the flash. OR....... could this be the lit up (by the flash) bent middle finger in front of the lens? In that case, this photo was taken by a man. Hardly any women have hairs on their fingers/hands. Anyway, you can check them out for yourselves. There is a very lively discussion also in that google album of Juan, really interesting to read up on. 


And Mike made this photo overlap 
(although Lisanne would have had to grin then.. No..)

Although others think that photo 541 shows a jawline and the cheek, like here:

But it could also very very likely be just a finger in front of the camera lens. If so, 
this person seems to have had some hairs on his finger... I'd say it is more likely a male than a young female, in that case. 

 




Update: a video of ALL the photos taken by Kris and Lisanne's camera, chronologically

   


**********************************


 


Shoes of both girls






******




The diaries

The diary entries from first Lisanne and then Kris, show you solely what they wrote about their time in Bocas del Toro and then Boquete. They were photographed in the girls' bedroom and later leaked by a Boquete source. Juan and I both each translated one set of diary entries from Dutch into English for you. We're both aware of the fact that these diaries were private and not written by the girls with the intend to be published online. But in the light of this drama, we just feel that they are important pieces of information. Both covering facts of their day to day activities (important facts in fact, considering how much innuendo and misinformation is floating around this case), as well as first-hand information about their state of mind in the days leading up to their disappearance. Juan decided to make them public, because these diaries were traded behind the scenes for the highest bidder, and he did not believe such diaries should have been used for money; by publishing them for all to see, he tried to prevent this, considering they had already been leaked by someone else. And Jeremy Kryt already had insight in them also in 2017 and quoted from them. As for my decision to put them up here later on; I have tried to give Kris and Lisanne a voice throughout these blog posts, which I wrote and researched in my free time (and without monetizing my work). But ultimately I did not personally know Kris or Lisanne. And here we have their own voices, their own writings. Sad as it is to read this after their deaths, it is the most direct information into who they were at the time and what they did and felt like in Panama. Offering a small reality check for those of us who may be overly eager to fill in our own images of who they were and what their interactions were like. Had this been a collection of highly intimate revelations for instance, I wouldn't have published them. But the diaries contain interesting first-hand accounts of their everyday experiences and their state of mind at the time. Especially Lisanne seemed to not feel good psychologically after arriving in Boquete. It also shows that they were cautious, but at the same time young and fun-loving. These diaries give us a factual account of how they spent their time in Bocas, which may be the best indicator of what they may have looked for again in Boquete, after their volunteer work plans fell apart.

I also feel that we should not underestimate just how bad Lisanne was feeling initially in Boquete. Her panic and anxiety are palpable through the pages and have to be taken into account when it comes to trying to unravel this mystery of what ultimately happened to them. Most of all, these diary entries provide you with Kris and Lisanne's own voices, in an ocean of other people screaming about them. Or as Dave Mullen wrote me about this: "As for the diaries, I always see them as Kris and Lisanne’s inadvertent/accidental cry for help. It’s somewhat of a gold standard for me as I cannot imagine the case without their own words, even if they were careless or not as forthcoming on every detail. Without their own words we’re left with chasing two ghosts."


Lisanne
March 15th, 16th and 17th 2014
"Waaaaah it takes so long! What a trip. Luckily I almost forgot about it already upon arrival in the beautiful and cozy Bocas del Toro. I would not want to be found dead in San Jose, although the chance of this is quite high in San Jose. But I could live in Bocas for the rest of my life. Maybe when I ever retire? I am sitting in the sun, which I can't hold out much longer by the way (hot!) and I take a good look around me at my new accommodation for the next two weeks. The heat is already very special by the way, even in the shade I have the feeling that I can still burn alive. But despite this, the sun is actually quite nice. How intensely happy it can make a person. Kittens, stray cats, yes, they are regular customers here. They walk everywhere! Just like mini salamanders, even in the shower! If they manage to keep the spiders away, they could actually become my best friends."

March 18th 2014 "Red Frog Beach, one word A - MA - ZING!! We have also seen a dolphin, the ultimate enjoyment. Drinking from a coconut, a real one yes! And getting sunburned, I worked well on my tan, what more do you want?!"

March 19th 2014 "Spanish Class, it's pretty complicated. Yet I do notice that I learn to recognize more and more when I listen to conversations, which is a fantastic feeling. The rest of the day we enjoyed relaxing around the hostel. Three lovely afternoon naps in the hammock, a game of cards, some food and snacks. In the afternoon (medio tarde!) we had a nice cocktail at Casa Verde. Lovely time alone with Kris, we had nice conversations and afterwards we were, of course, a little tipsy. Long Live the Holiday. La puda vida [sic. The good life!] In the evening we had cooking class, tortillas and gazpacho were on the menu. Fortunately we live completely according to the Caribbean style so I will have to withdraw from the Dutch [way of] life. A 7-hour cooking class means that at half past seven the ingredients really still have to be bought, haha. And that also means that there is food on the table at 10 o'clock. A very educational evening for my patience and concentration. I believe I failed! But the food was very good. After dinner quickly with our behinds under the shower because Wednesday evening is Aqua Lounge Day! A disco a la Caribbean Style. Large outdoor area with swimming pools and ocean views. Amazing! Enjoyed dancing and drinking with the boys. Yes, Bas and Edwin. Our Dutch hostel friends and not to forget Mart! Later Ethan, our Australian negro, joined. Around 3 o'clock we were kindly asked to go find our beds, but a tropical downpour made us delay this about 3 times. Eventually we finally went. Nothing was dry anymore!! But it was a special experience to dance in the rain when it is 30 degrees outside. By the way, you have to use the water taxi here to go to places, really cool. For $1 you can go to the other side, a small beach and Aqua Lounge. You can visit other islands for $5. Two down, so many more to go! Hasta manzana! (see you tomorrow!) Haha apple!"

March 20th 2014
"I have such thick legs, it must be from the heat that my ankles look like rhino legs. We had FAN - TAS - TIC food with the boys in a little Caribbean restaurant. I have never before eaten such tasty pasta with tomatoes. Then followed a little Snickers cake and a 2 liter can of sangria. Yes, this was again the ultimate enjoyment. Now fingers crossed for nice weather tomorrow, because today was three times nothing. Hasta mañana! Today's slogan: it was AMAZING hihi."

March 21st 2014 
"This morning I had Spanish lesson, the last one for Ethan, Davis and Bas. It started raining at 8 AM and it only started to dry up again around 1 PM. Because the weather was so bad we couldn't really make plans. We have brought a deck of cards and have dived into Casa Verde! Initially together with Mart and later Edwin and Bas joined. It cleared up and the afternoon flew by with a number of beers and games. Wonderful! At 6 o'clock we had a BBQ with the whole group on the small island! We played volleyball and I got completely punctured by mosquitoes. Fortunately there was enough beer and fun! Later that evening we went out to La Iguana. A few dances and beers later it was suddenly 4 o'clock. Time to go to bed. Tomorrow the Deep Sea tour is on the program!"

March 22nd 2014
"Buenas dias! No Spanish class today! Secretly that is kind of nice though, lovely weekend! Getting up with a clear blue sky and sun is really as it should be, lovely lovely! At 09:30 on our way to Zapatilla. Crossing over the water with the boat to spot dolphins and sloths. Well we were successful! So cool! Then sailed through the mangrove. That really made me realize that we are in Central America, far away from the Netherlands. After the mangrove with 300 km/h over the open ocean water to Zapatilla. I could not believe my eyes, it was one big paradise. Exactly like in your dreams, Bounty Bounty Bounty Island. Deep sea boarding, diving with a board into the water like a mermaid, and coming back up again, and all that while you are hanging behind a boat. What a cool experience. After that we had some free time (yes, English, Spanish, Dutch, it is very confusing sometimes all those languages). Made a wonderful walk on the dreamy Bounty Island (after a deliciously prepared lunch). I also snorkeled a bit and swam a little. Seen so many beautiful fish! Now chilling out in a hammock and will have a bite to eat soon! Today was really incredible!!!"

March 23rd 2014
"Sunday morning, no warm buns at the Mathildehof but a watermelon smoothie and an omelet in La Buquita on Bocas del Toro. That's a different story! Learned a bit of Spanish and had an afternoon nap. In the evening we had a bite to eat together and were in bed on time, a real Sunday! 2 hours at the beach!"

March 24th 2014
"Monday morning, at 7 o'clock the alarm goes off, are we in the Netherlands? Noooo! We join Carlos's Spanish lesson. Nice guy, good teacher! Kris is still not feeling well, but we decide to go to Starfish Beach anyway. So cool! So many starfish in mega clear water. Another bit of paradise! Delicious dinner in our favorite restaurant on Bocas in the evening, two courses and a small jug of sangria! Holidays!"

March 25th 2014
"Kris feels very unwell and decides to stay in bed all day. I have to make a switch myself, but I decide not to let my day be ruined because of this. Off to Spanish class! It went pretty well! After the lesson I chilled and brought the laundry away. It is not really wise to take to the streets on your own, but I did it anyway! Bought some postcards and went into some shops. Some Lisanne time! In the afternoon I picked up some smoothies for us and chilled with the boys in Casa Verde. Nice!!"

March 29th 2014
"I'm sitting here, with tears in my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. The view of the mountains is beautiful, the house is spacious and the family is friendly. I'm even here with Kris, who is so very familiar. But still I want to go home. I had no problems for two weeks and suddenly I went completely crazy. The transition from two weeks of lively holiday to stepping into the life of a real Panamanian family is just too much for me. I cannot make myself understood and this is real life, not a vacation anymore. I was way too naive to think that I could handle this. Because this is exactly the type of situation that I just can't handle. Not even now that I'm 22 and living on my own. I'm in way over my head. I want mom and dad to hold me tight and tell me that everything will be alright. But I can't let them know how I feel now, because I don't want them to worry. It is precisely because I am 22 that I think I have to solve this myself. Still, I now feel like a small child of 2 yelling for her mother who is 2 metres away. I didn't really want this, but I went anyway. I thought I should be able to do this, the final test before I can be really happy with myself. So far I have failed badly. Shit."

March 26th, 27th and 28th, 2014
"I just saw that I had skipped a few days, but I will of course quickly tell you what happened in those three days. On Wednesday the 26th we have lessons in the afternoon. Quite a shame for such a beautiful day, but we are in Bocas for the Spanish lessons after all. Around 5 o'clock we close off and we go into town for a bit, to see nice shops and stalls. We walked past the Wine Bar and decided to eat there. Shared 3 small appetizers and a glass of wine. Wednesday evening means only one thing: Aqua Lounge! Put on nice clothes and let's move it! We lose Bas out of sight already fairly quickly and so we celebrate the evening with the three of us. That evening I also meet the chef of our favorite restaurant, brilliant! Around half past three we are thrown out and it's time to go to bed. 4 o'clock in bed, and at 7 o'clock the alarm goes off for Spanish class oops oops oops ... the alarm clock rings ... I was just asleep! Groggy we drag ourselves out of bed. Today is the second last lesson. In the afternoon we decide to enjoy our vacation for a little longer. Off to Red Frog Beach! Yes!! Again beautiful and not crowded at all. The afternoon flies by. In the evening we join the boys. The restaurant with the fireworks show. Ate a delicious fish! Of course we play some more games of cards in Casa Verde. No matter how tired and broken we are, it is our second last night here so there shall be dancing in La Iguana. Again half past three, oops! Friday morning, 7 AM, the alarm clock rings. BROKEN! But today is our last day in Bocas, so we'll just have to work hard. Spanish lessons are fun! Learned animals, translated a song and learned games which we can play with the children in the children's school. Saying goodbye to Carlos. What a cool guy he is. In the afternoon also Skype with mom and dad and afterwards we spent a lovely time at the small beach. Stunningly beautiful for a "small" beach. Oh yeah! The power went out last night. All of Bocas was without! Very special to see how everyone conjures up their candles and emergency lights. Fortunately it was already fixed at 8 o'clock! Continued with the last evening. Of course three course dinner in our favorite restaurant, with the boys! Then we had a drink and played some cards. It was a perfect ending to our two weeks in Bocas. Saturday morning around 10 o'clock we are ready to leave for our new destination: Boquete! I am fairly ready for it, but it is also a shame to leave Bocas. We have booked a shuttle service to get to Boquete. Everything went well and 4 hours later we stood in the school in Boquete. And 45 minutes later we were sitting on the couch with our host family. Wow!!"

March 30th 2014
"Okay, the tears are gone but it is still strange. I still feel like a tiny intruder in this family. Delicious French toast for breakfast! Explored Boquete in the afternoon which was nice. What a world of difference with Bocas! Here its windy and everywhere around you there are mountains. Magnificent! You can go almost anywhere here for 60 dollar cents. In the afternoon we also went to the school to check out some excursions, that will be fine. We mainly eat rice here by the way! Tomorrow our first day in Aura! Exciting!"

March 31st 2014
"Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! Our first day was a disaster. As we arrive at Aura on time, we are not even recognized or given a friendly welcome. The only thing we hear is "no proxima semana" = we are only welcome next week. WHAT?! We returned to the [Spanish] school disappointed and indeed, the daycare only has work for us next week. But of course we don't buy anything for that*. Maybe we will be able to start tomorrow at Casa Esperanza. Fingers crossed! To alleviate our disappointment we went to Sigrid for a full body massage. Some enjoyment! Another day tomorrow, hasta la mañana!"
*
[Scarlet: a Dutch saying. It comes down to this 'being of no use'] 




April 1st 2014

Kris
March 16th, 2014
"The time has finally come. We are in Costa Rica. What a trip it was! 12/10 hours flying to Houston, waiting 4 hours there and then another 4 hours to San José, Costa Rica. We arrived here at the hostel around 10 o'clock, which actually felt like 4 o'clock in the morning due to the time difference. How tired we were, because we had already got up at 4 AM to arrive at Schiphol airport on time, so we had been awake for 24 hours! We were picked up by a friendly little mister, together with his wife. The same man will soon pick us up again to take us to the bus. It is now around 7 o'clock in the morning. The sun was already rising around 4,5. I am writing this now in the garden of the hostel. Very cute little courtyard with many plants and a kind of fountain/altar made of mosaic. I can't wait to travel to Panama soon. I think the bus trip will be very beautiful, hopefully we will see some nice things from the country. So exciting, the journey has really begun!"

March 16, Monday  (probably an error; should be March 17th)
(Drawing of a sun). "It is so hot here! I really have to get used to it. It's like 30 degrees here, sitting in the sun is way too hot. I am currently in the hostel. We arrived yesterday around half past six. The bus trip was an adventure in itself. The bus trip itself went well. But first we had to speed through San José by taxi because we had no cash on us. When we got out in Sixaola, we and two locals were the only ones left. We had to just figure out for ourselves how to get to the border. The bus driver only spoke Spanish. We were sent one way and with our backpacks we really stood out among the locals. We arrived at the border, which consisted of an old bridge. It was very bizarre to cross the border that way. Once on the other side we arrived at a building where we had to pay money for a sticker on a passport (I think we were scammed). When we stood at that real immigration [checkpoint] a man approached us and asked if we had to go to Bocas. We were a bit suspicious because we didn't know very well if we could trust him. All the people were in a great hurry because they thought we would not be able to catch the last boat. For this reason we decided to just jumped in the car and hope for a happy ending. And it came. After a hellish ride where the driver was driving so fast that I didn't even dare to look, we arrived at a small stepping stone for the boat to Bocas. After about half an hour we finally arrived. After two days of traveling it felt incredibly surreal to be at the destination finally. Yesterday we also had a bite to eat but I was so tired that it didn't really get through to me. But now that I am writing this I am sitting at the bar of the Spanish school with some nice Spanish music in the background and I am starting to realize that we are really here and that we can happily enjoy this holiday. Our first Spanish lesson will start in 15 minutes. I am very curious. It is wonderful here". (drawing of 3 suns and a sailboat). - Picture below of the border bridge, found by Power-Pixie.


March 20th, 2014
(drawing of cloud with rain). "We are in Panama and it is raining. And not just a little bit, it is pouring down. We already came home last night due to the pouring rain. We then went to Aqua Lounge for the first time, a somewhat larger club just across the street. Fortunately we have lessons today in the afternoon. Let's hope that the sun will come through a bit again. The day before yesterday we went to Red Frog Beach. It was really beautiful. We were dropped off at a jetty and had to walk a bit ourselves and that was beautiful. The jetty continued over the mangrove and turned into a path in the forest with giant plants and beautiful flowers. The beach itself was also beautiful, very clear water and few people. Davis was with us and he is really a sort of survivor. There we were, drinking from a coconut on the beach, delicious. Today we are planning to do a tour on Saturday, looking forward to it!"

March 25th, 2014
"It is Tuesday around 10 o'clock in the morning and I should actually take classes but I am sick. After having had a nervous stomach - gippy tummy – for 3 days, it finally all came out today. This morning at once I had terrible diarrhea which now persists. Which sucks because now I dare not to go anywhere, and so I spend the whole day in my little room. Super lame but now I do have the time to write down everything from the last days. Friday we went to a school BBQ. Was good fun and then we went to the iguana again and had a super evening with Bas, Edwin, Davis and Chad. Saturday we did a super nice excursion. We went in a small boat and first we went dolphin spotting. We then saw one that we followed for a while but then more and more boats were coming so he was gone again. Then we sailed to the edge of the mangrove and there we saw sloths in the trees. We saw at least three and one of them climbed all the way in a tree and at the end he then hung like a hammock. That was very cool, I am really happy that I could see those animals so clearly. Then we had to sail for another half an hour and it looked like we were going to an island in the middle of the ocean. When we arrived there we went deep boarding. This means that you hold a kind of clear plastic board and you let it pull you through the water by a boat. You wear goggles and with this you can view everything that is under water. We saw beautiful coral, also those plants with long thick strings and many different fish. I thought I'd be pretty scared because I don't really like fish but it was really nice to see everything. The water is also so clear here. Then we had a nice lunch, pasta and we had time left. Then we went for a walk across the island and arrived at the other side of it, and it was super beautiful. Truly a fairytale island. Then we walked back along the coast. Super. The island was called Zapatilla. On the way back we made a quick stop at a spot with shallow water to watch all the starfish. The trip was really super. Yesterday, Monday we went to Starfish Beach. In a super hot and super crowded van we drove to the other side of our island. On the way there people were dropped off at places of which I thought, where would those people live? More or less in the jungle. Then we were brought to the end location with a small boat and at first we didn't see any starfish and we thought, well that's just great.. But when we went into the water we suddenly saw a lot of them and with the snorkel that we had rented we could see even more, and also some nice fish. So those are the adventures we had. It feels like we've been here for centuries already, but it's only 1.5 weeks. We still have so much to go. Hasta luego."

March 30th, 2014
"Wow. How much has changed since the last time I wrote something. We are now staying at the host family. The last days on Bocas we mainly enjoyed the beach, good food and going out. We had quite a bit of sleep to catch up on. The time we had in Bocas was really amazing and we really had a holiday there. So it really felt like goodbye, because we probably won't be coming back there. I have never seen a place with such a beautiful coastline and palm trees and such. Really super. Yesterday we arrived in Boquete. The journey actually went very well. The small bus even had air conditioning. We also found the school in no time. We had to get out earlier than the other people on the bus, so that was a bit strange because we got off almost in the middle of nowhere. The school called the family where we would stay. It was really nerve-racking to wait for them because you really hope there is a click. Fortunately it went well. Last night we really had to get used to the new situation. You suddenly stay with a family that you are not (yet) part of. You know nothing about their habits and you actually don't know how to behave. On top of that you can hardly speak a word with them, so you also cannot express how you feel. We were also really exhausted yesterday, but after a good night sleep all is not so bad anymore. So once we have stayed here for a while I am sure that it will be all right. The family is very sweet. The mother's name is Miriam. The eldest daughter Y. Miriam also has 2 other children. A. and A. Y. also has 2 children, J. and S. The youngest is 1 and the other almost 3. They are all very friendly and used to visitors who cannot speak Spanish. The eldest daughter does speak English. But for our Spanish it is better to speak as little English as possible. We also went to Boquete today. Very nice and cute village. Tomorrow we will start at Aura. Very curious how that will go." [I removed the full names of the kids, Scarlet]

=April 1st, 2014 (although the day of March 31st is described..)
"Today was a strange day. We were going to the project for the first time. We were quite nervous and found it nerve-racking. When we arrived we introduced ourselves, expecting the woman to know who we were because she was expecting us, after all. But that was not the case. She showed no sign of recognition and said that it was not possible now [to start volunteer work there] and that we should come back next week. Very unfriendly and not at all warm or cordial. So when we left again we were very disappointed. We were not received openly and did not feel welcome at all, unexpectedly to us. We also did not understand what was exactly going on. Then we went back to the language school to tell our story and to get some answers. It turned out that there was no place/work for us after all this week, so we couldn't start yet. The school also found it very strange because we had planned things months in advance. Then we had to wait all day for Marjolein to hear if we could be part of another project for this week. Eventually we heard that she had not been able to speak to the volunteer coordinator yet, so she wasn't sure, but she did think we would be able to start there. She also said that it was a nice project and after reading about it we also became enthusiastic. Tomorrow they will try to get a hold of that woman and suppose that we really like it there, then we can also just stay there*. Because we both don't really want to go back to Aura anymore, because we didn't feel welcome at all there, and it was really a huge disappointment. Let's hope that the other project is really fun. Well, lets go with the Panamanian flow then."

*This formulation will read slightly wonky, but so does the Dutch formulation. In Dutch it states literally: 'and suppose that we really like it there, we can nicely stay there.' It is not perfect Dutch either. It is the sort of Dutch you can speak among one another, but cannot really write out like that. But what it would means in Dutch is that they may just as well continue to work there if they really like it at Casa Esperanza (and thus never return to Aura, neither a week later). 



The photographer of the diaries
As for Mark Heyer, who's name was mentioned in the file names of the leaked photos of the diaries as the photographer of them; he wrote the following on a Boquete forum. April 16, 2014: "Reflections on a tragedy and looking forward. The instinct of parents to protect their children is one of the most powerful human emotions. We equip our children as best we can and send them out into the world with confidence and optimism. Accidents happen and we accept those risks as part of life, painful as they might be. But the cruelest and most emotionally devastating loss is to have your children simply vanish without a trace. When it happens in a benign and hospitable place like Boquete, every one of us is shaken to our core. The sudden and unexplained disappearance of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers on April 1, 2014, following a casual afternoon of hiking has deeply affected everyone in this town. To have two such intelligent, aware and capable young women, serious in their life ventures, suddenly disappear from the known universe compels every one of us parents to walk in those shoes, and stirs our empathy, with the understanding that even our darkest thoughts can never remotely approach the pain experienced by the parents of Lisanne and Kris. The people of Boquete have been generous in their support of the families, the searchers and independent investigations, for which the families are eternally grateful. The Pianista trail has been scoured multiple times by search teams both official and private. But the painful truth of the situation is that there is not a single actionable bit of evidence pointing to what might have happened. Now that the official SINAPROC investigation has been closed, police and possibly private investigation will continue, but we have to face the reality that these young women might easily have been taken to Costa Rica or Columbia or beyond, which vastly expands both the difficulty and cost of the investigation. Once again, they vanished on the trail, or shortly after leaving the trail, possibly in a red truck - but without eyewitnesses, it could have been any car - and that's where the evidence ends. In the two or three days that passed before an official investigation got under way, their fate was probably sealed. In our personal thoughts we can all hope for a miracle that will return them unharmed. As a community, we need to take a hard look at what happened and our responsibility to prevent similar things from happening in the future. The cost of this one investigation, in helicopter time, personnel costs, injured searchers (yes, many), private donations of time and money not to mention the incalculable value of the two beautiful lives - that are apparently lost to us - would easily pay for a community-based tourist security system. A simple emergency transponder and/or a little education could possibly have prevented this tragedy. We should put it on our Boquete community to-do list and get it done, to honor the loss of Lisanne and Kris and recognize our mutual responsibility to protect the tourists who come to enjoy Boquete in the future." - Perhaps Heyer had as little trust in the Panamanian police as Lee Zeltzer had, and that is why he safeguarded the copies of the diaries. 

By the way, This photo of Kris' passport was taken on the same afternoon of April 8th when local Boquete man Mark Heyer took the photos of the girls' diaries in their bedroom. For documentation value. Only this passport photo bore the name of a local Panamanian journalist in its exif data, Mr. Rosario. He was also in their bedroom that day, together with Heyer, taking photos of the scene. One can wonder why a journalist and a local photographer were allowed to roam through this bedroom by April 8th, taking photos of a possible (?) crime scene, on the same day when the forensic investigators inspected this room. 



Lisanne's diary entries











Kris' diary entries

























Photos showing just how dry it was in the period of early April 2014
Despite claims of the girls having 'drowned in wild flowing rivers', this photo comparison shows just how dry it was in Boquete when Kris and Lisanne arrived there (and throughout their first week in Boquete it stayed dry, the rain season did not start yet). Right a photo of Lisanne posing next to a dry and run over river bed. Below there is on the left a photo I found here and taken in 2019, and on the right a photo taken on approximately March 30th when Kris and Lisanne explored the town. The entire river bed is dry. Plants grow in the gully where the river normally flows. This matches reports about the exceptional dry spell the town was in back then. You also see it on their photos of the Pianista trail; dry trails, no mud. And as we can now see also no 'wildly flowing rivers', as the tour guides like us to believe, as well as prosecutor Betzaida Pitti. As you can see in the shapes of the mountains in the background and other background elements, these photos were taken at almost the exact same location. But during very different climatological circumstances; one during normal conditions, the other during an exceptionally dry spell. And a Boquete local wrote this on a forum at the time (on July 2nd of 2014): "We must bare in mind that two months ago, there was a severe (fuerte) drought in the area, that affected the water levels in the whole cordillera of Talamanca." 


Although this photo from a news item on TV shows that water streams usually on the left side of the green wild plan growth. Nevertheless: in the photos taken by Kris and Lisanne, there really is no water visible at all, not even a small stream on the left. 




The Mirador photos revisited
Power-Pixie wrote me some more interesting things about the Mirador photos and the clouded sky in some of the photos. While looking back into it all, I realized that I have been wrong so far about my perception of where these different Mirador photos were taken exactly! Somehow I have assumed that the blue sky photos were taken on one side of the summit, while the cloud covered ones were taken on the other side. But this is not true, I only now realise. Very silly, as the Lost in the Wild crew has made it clear already what that summit looks like. 


So I used to think that the ongoing trail was facing the north-east and that the blue sky views were on its left, so facing West. While the clouded photos were aimed at the East. While in fact, all the photos were taken on the East-side of the summit, facing the (South-)East. Just as Hans Kremers already showed the meticulous viewer in the Answers for Kris video


Starting point for all this was that Power-Pixie brought a video of a group of Canadian travelers back to my attention. I had seen it before, but not been paying enough attention. Because these hikers actually showed the East-side view in one ongoing camera motion. I put it in a gif video for you:


The interesting part here is that I already felt that the clouded sky on one side (and in two photos) contrasted a lot with the blue sky on the 'other side' (and in most of the other summit photos). But now we have the fact captured on video that these Mirador photos were all taken on the same stretch of mountain, all facing the East/South-East. Here we can see the similar shapes of mountains in the background of 'our' photos, further proving this.




I still think that the contrast is extreme between both skies. Perhaps even more so, now that they aren't approaching one another on different sides of the mountain, but on the same side. Could this be a clue that those two overcast selfies on the summit were indeed taken on the way back, potentially? And that someone has been tossing the order and chronology of these photos, re-arranging some of them to make it look like all those photos were taken at the same time, after climbing up the Boquete side of the mountain? This is a big stretch of course and may not really be the case. Beides, there áre also some fluffs of white cloud drifting by in some of the sunny photos. Nothing like the coverage in the cloud photos, but with a bit of imagination, you can combine these photos and make a reasonable suggestion that it was just one of those cloud decks, which very suddenly cut off and went over in cloudless skies..


Power-Pixie posed an interesting question however: "It does look like significant cloud cover (in photos 500 & 501). Do you think that Kris and Lisanne, as they descended down towards the location of photo 508, would have been under all this cloud cover?" 
It is a good question and it was the reason why I looked into this sub-topic again. A question also, which I have not really seen posed before, as such. These clouds must be coming from the North or North-East, but they seem to stretch out all over the East. According to this weather site, on April 1st the wind came from the South at midday (noon). By 6 PM the wind turned to the north, northeast. However at noon, when these photos were taken, the wind would have blown that cloud cover straight up north. But since the trail continues in a North-Eastern direction initially, you would indeed expect that in the photos beyond the summit, Kris and Lisanne would have faced some clouds. And also: since the wind blew from the south, they would have logically speaking already encountered cloud overcast before they reached the summit. However, we have no evidence of this. Because none of their pre-summit photos show cloudy skies. They all show sunlight shining down. Photo #505 for instance, shows Kris goofing around with the sun shining on her through the foliage. It was taken about five minutes after the girls had left the Mirador behind them. And their other after-summit photos don't show any evidence of clouds either. Peculiar. But then again, we do not know what was pictured on the five photos taken on the summit by mobile phone. And how the sky looks in those photos. Still, there is so much cloud cover pictured in some photos, that I find it odd that there is no hint of it in the pre- and post-summit photos. And we know that it was not uncommon for that Pianista area to have dense clouds in juxtaposition with blue skies. 

But Power Pixie's wondering why in no trail photos the girls seem to have encountered clouds overhanging, does interest me. At some point before or after the summit, they should have been covered by that massive cloud deck if the photos are shown in chronological order. And yet, we have no photos with an absense of sunshine. My guess would be that either the wind was blowing the cloud deck North at a steady pace and the girls were just on the sunny side of things. Or those cloud photos were taken on their way back, and then we have to come to the conclusion that those photos or their numbering have been manipulated and shuffled. Perhaps on June 17th, when Pittí altered the memory card by photoshopping some of the original photos. The very different colour of the sky may then have been the very reason for them to take some more photos. To document the difference between having had clear views and blue skies at the ascent, versus sudden thick grey clouds all around them on the 'way back' (of which there is no hard evidence by the way). I am not convinced that they returned, I just keep the option open based on these photos. As Dave Mullen wrote: "Too many people are fixated on the other side of the mountain, but after the full phone logs were released we learned that what we had always been led to believe on the loss of signal, and where, was all wrong. But people won't let go of that 'official' idea that the two friends got themselves lost on the other side as they weren't paying attention. I feel whatever went on that afternoon is more complicated than that simple thinking though." - See a string of photos with these different background skies below, accompanied by the exact camera times. And also notice how there are sometimes only seconds between photos, taken at different spots on the summit with different backgrounds and even different hairstyles at times. The two photos that stand out from the rest, with the full clouded background skies, are also the only two photos where Kris and Lisanne suddenly stick their thumbs up. 


Notice also how in some photos it is Kris who wears the (light) backpack, while in others it is Lisanne. Did they simply switch carrying the bag on the way back, perhaps? People have also brought up the different hairstyles of the girls. This photo timeline shows that Lisanne had her hair still tied on the summit at 13:00:36, just like during the hike itself. But that she had thrown her hair loose by 13:01:38. One possible explanation is that these are two sets of photos combined, taken at different times. Lisanne wearing her hair tied back when they reached the Mirador for the first time, and loose when they returned there after taking photo 508 at the stream. Another possible explanation is that Lisanne untied her hair on the summit, just for the photos... To create more varied photos, where she sported different hairstyles. Perhaps the loose hair made her feel more glamorous. The same can be seen with Kris, who wore her hair tied back in most hike photos that day, but loose on the summit photos. Only in Lisanne's case, there are sometimes mere seconds between these photos. For instance, photo #498 (Lisanne with tied back hair) was taken at 13:01 and 14 seconds, while photo #499 (Lisanne with loose hair) was taken at 13:01 and 38 seconds.. At different places on the summit. Not a lot of time to do all that, ánd take a good photo of it.

UPDATE
in this travel program, I saw the following images come by of a cloud forest in nearby Costa Rica. Near the border with Panama. I screen saved them, because it does look like very localized patches of cloud seem pretty normal in this terrain.




WILDXPLOR
Look also once more at wildxplor's blog post and his photos. Still going by the afternoon (old) timeline, he went up the Pianista trail in the second part of April 2014, by 15.30 PM and was at the summit by 17.30 PM. Now compare his background with Kris' photo, which was said to have been taken at 13.01 PM (instead of 19.01 PM as the camera originally indicated). In his photo there is similar light clouding, but with a bit more blue still visible. The sunlight appears still pretty good for a late afternoon photo session. To me the light seems pretty similar in fact, despite the gap in time (according to police). Now in that regards: although it appears to be correct what police did in terms of recalculating these photo times to an 11:00 AM start of the trail and 13.00 PM summiting, I am also still not entirely sold on this. We have not seen the evidence, have not been presented the findings of the 'sun specialist' (which I have been told was not really a specialist at all, but just an employer from the NFI). Nobody bothered to explain away all the off witness accounts either. I don't exclude the possibility that the old timeline is correct after all. 






Power Pixie's thoughts on authorities messing with the photo chronology
"I think the images are mixed up. Especially #499, #500, #501, and they have probably had to remove #509 first before mixing that set. They may have removed even more after #509 or perhaps not, but in trying to be clever they left behind a gaping hole. EXIF information is written when a photo is taken/created. It contains all the technical information like date/time stamps, when it was created/modified, camera lens used, focal length, exposure, etc. It's just a digital fingerprint of a photo. Once this photo file is created and the EXIF information stored as part of the file, if opened at a later time whether it is just to view it or edit it, more information is then written to the EXIF file as part of a running record. So if you open and edit it with Photoshop, this information is then noted in the EXIF and date/time stamps are also noted along with this new update of information. Juan discovered the inconsistencies years ago when he looked at the EXIF files. He saw that someone used a Window based software to edit the files. The basis of evidence tampering is there for all to see after this, no matter what theory you hold. And no explanation was given at the time as to why or what was done.

The main aspect to their photography is the pattern that was established:
- Kris somewhere in the composition
- Lisanne somewhere in the composition
- Establishing location/area where they took the above two photos
- Selfies

All of a sudden past the Mirador we don't see this pattern repeated. While hey had nice weather and bright light for a few more snaps. If the intention was to turn back, there would have been a final closing photographs, at the very least of the upstream or downstream views with both Lisanne and Kris. Think back to the first two stream photos (#479, 480) that to me were mundane, but important enough for Lisanne to take a couple of photos at least. Expectation vs Reality. Very few photographers past and present knew/know how to capture what they see/saw in the moment. Most capture 50% - 80% of what they saw. I'm not knocking off Lisanne's attempts. I'm saying that at River 1 or River 3, compared to the stream by the Iron Bridge, these two river crossings offered her just as important and interesting a view up and downstream. Whether she took another mundane photo isn't the point. She nor Kris took any more photos in keeping with the pattern."



About photo #550
Bennengelly wrote me below this blog post in Spanish (translated here): "Hi. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the picture where you can see a branch with pieces of red plastic was taken at 1:05 AM."  -  I suspect he bases this for the most part on the Dutch TV program Een Vandaag, who showed this:

Good question! Yes unfortunately the Een Vandaag team made errors in their display of the photos. In this screenshot, they show that photo 550 was taken at 01:05 indeed. But this is incorrect information. [Update: Matt had access to the case files and confirmed that photo 550 was taken at  01:39:54 AM]. They may have been very sloppy there because in the same TV program they also showed extracts from the official police file documents. And on it you see the times for the photos 510, 511, 512. All taken in the night of April 8th, at or around 01:30 AM. Photos were taken in close succession and photo 550 comes obviously after photo 512, so could in fact never have been taken at 01:05 AM. As the program makers showed (screenshot on the right), they had the correct police file info, and they also had a public prosecutor/investigator and police member in the studio during the show, to emphasize that they indeed shared such case file info with these journalists. Juan also noticed this inconsistency and wrote the following about it:


Juan also checked the EXIF data of all the photos that have been made public, and found the following data, which match the ascending (time) order which we saw in the police case file screenshot above. So the general consensus is that photo 550 was taken around 01:39, corresponding with its EXIF data and matching with the screenshots we have of the official police case file report... Thanks to Juan for explaining me this further today.







Interesting 2-part podcast on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. They also discuss the missing photo #509

Here is the main page, below I add the youtube versions of this episode. Its from November 13th, 2018.

   

Some interesting comments below the video on the main page, concerning the missing photo #509Someone called Mary wrote about this: "I’m a photographer and wanted to answer your question about deleting the photo. If the photo was deleted from the camera it still exists on the memory card and can be retrieved. The only way to permanently delete the image would be to format the card, which can be done using the camera, but it would permanently delete all of the images on the card. You could probably permanently delete only a single image from a computer, but if you know that then you are probably aware of the fact that you could permanently delete all of the images right from the camera without going through the hassle of taking the card all the way to a computer and then putting it back."

Alex Poland wrote on November 15th, 2018: "So I fully expect this to be redundant by now, but jumping in before I even finish the last 10 minutes of the podcast: quick layman's terms explanation of How Camera Memory Works (and any electronic device's, really). Forget, for a minute, that a digital camera stores information as 0s and 1s and imagine its memory as a pile of Etch A Sketch toys, or maybe like an old timey slate tile they'd use to write on with in chalk in schools before paper became cheap to produce. One photo is always one tile. Say your camera's memory has fifty tiles and as such can fit fifty photos. At first all tiles are blank and all lie on one pile. The 'free to use for photos' pile. You want to snap a photo. You grab a tile on random from that pile and quickly draw photo #1 in chalk on what we will call tile #1. You put that tile aside. You then draw photo #2 on tile #2 and place it with tile #1. They are now a new, 'currently in use, do not wipe' pile. You continue snapping pics, but pause after, idk, photo #7. You've decided you do not like photo #2 after all, and you only have 50 tiles, might as well free up some space now. So you grab tile #2 from the 'do not wipe' pile and put it back on 'free to use' pile, but /don't actually erase the chalk drawing. This is what happens when you erase a photo from camera's memory. The data making up the photo is not instantly gone, the device just makes a note to itself that 'this particular tile/fragment of data can now be reused if needed'. If you don't do anything else photo #2 can still be viewed and recovered using special software after connecting to a computer, even though just by flipping through from camera it appears to be gone. Now, what happens when you want to take photo #8... This is where it gets interesting. You grab another tile from the 'free to use' pile. It might be a completely new tile #8 you haven't used before OR it can be the former tile #2. What you do in that case is erase the chalk lines of photo #2 from and draw photo #8 instead. At this point photo #2 has stopped existing and cannot be recovered anymore. That's theory. In practice this does not work quite like this, new photo will not usually immediately replace another for a number of reasons, including photo not being necessarily stored in memory as one chunk of continuous 0s and 1s. It could be in several pieces and some of it may be gone and some still possibly recoverable. Now, I have an engineering background, I'm not a forensic data recovery technician and don't have experience with recovering stuff from physically damaged memory, but some things that come to mind assuming the camera wasn't damaged:
- if nothing resembling the missing photo can be recovered from the 'free to use' memory it could mean it was deleted by a user (one of the girls purposefully deleting a bad selfie or someone's finger slipping, the fact that my old digital camera had a 'delete photo' button physically on the device comes to mind) and it has then been overwritten by the device itself in the course of taking further photos. This is somewhat likely if the camera was already quite full, if there were already 500 photos on its memory card and then it proceeded to take 90 more... well, exact type&specs of camera would be helpful to know here.
- if nothing resembling the missing photo can be recovered from the 'free to use' memory it could also indeed mean someone took the camera, connected it to a computer, went in with a software made to delete files forever and erased it... IE picking up tile #2 and wiping the drawing before placing it on the 'free to use' pile, which is not what happens by default."

Juan said about missing photo #509: "All we know is the Dutch Forensics Institute (NFI) couldn’t find a trace of photo or video #509. Not even 1%, or the name.. If this file was manually deleted by Kris or Lisanne, you’d expect a 100% recovery, if no one touched the memory card. Some people claim the camera can skip a number, which has never happened to me [Juan bought the exact same Canon photo camera and tested it out thoroughly], 20.000 pictures down the road.. So it’s very suspicious, especially since it’s sitting in between the last regular photo and the night pictures. And the girls never ever did even zoom in.. They didn’t have an understanding of the camera really. And deleting a file isn’t that easy, on the camera.. You need the right menu first and then push the trash can on the not so obvious second click wheel.."

I'm not even so sure that the Panamanian investigators don't know what's on photo 509. 
Juan showed that some of the photos have not only been viewed already on June 17th, before the card went to the Dutch investigators, but that some of the photos were also altered in a photoshop-type of program. So who knows if these people have seen things on the card, which the Dutch 'may' never had the chance to see. We just don't know... We don't even know if that photo #509 still existed on the card when it was handed to the police, or whether it was already missing before they had their first look. Surely the Panamanian investigators can shed more light on that. But if you consider what a botched investigation they did overall ... no fingerprints of the searchers were taken or stored, no soil samples taken from the place where the bones/bag etc were discovered, no soil samples compared to those found on the bag, no water samples taken from the water bottle, the guides house wasn't searched or checked for DNA, hairs, blood spatters etc, no suspects were interviewed and the list goes on and on. So maybe we shouldn't expect too much transparency from Panamanian police in that respect.. Isn't it astonishing that there was never any inquiry or follow-up investigation by the Dutch police on all this though..  From what we know and what has been made public, the Dutch basically said: we just couldn't find back photo #509. In this video, police explain what they do know about the phones and the camera.  

David M. wrote about this: "My phone has long-since made my digital camera redundant, but back in the day it received regular use from me and I have a fair bit of experience therefore in using the card for convenient storage and transfer, and then removing its content for editing etc. So what strikes me the most about the 'cut & paste' conclusion is that cutting and pasting from your card to your computer and/or image editor is not something you would do, it is easier and natural to just drag & drop or open the photo file directly by just double clicking on it - the photos are automatically Jpeg on cameras usually so every computer and image editor can open then up without any issue. So simple. To cut and Paste on the other hand requires you to create a new page/window in your editor and make sure it is of the right size (huge given the image is digitally captured) and it is far too much hassle to do that, nobody does that. As the fact is it isn't necessary to do that.... So all it tells me as a certainly is that this one photo, out of all of them on there, was struck from existence very intentionally and very deliberately. I myself had no idea it was possible to read the history of a card as Juan demonstrated, no idea, it isn't common knowledge at all you can actually do that, and without a doubt whoever first accessed the camera and card and interfered with that picture etc didn't know it either. I don't think #509 would show on the camera review screen when reviewing so whoever erased it from existence thought they were doing something that could never be detected, the photo was gone with no evidence it had ever even existed. That belief, that no one but they would know there WAS a photo, is an important detail in itself. There was something about what that picture showed that they felt was very inconvenient and had to cease to exist..."

Juan said about all this to me: "No one uses cut and paste in such a situation, no, when you want to get one photo off the memory card and onto the PC. Because if you can't display the 'paste', you've lost everything. But that's not the point. The point is, suppose that someone removes photo 509 on the camera, or removes 509 from the card and puts it onto a PC; even then you can always recover the entire file with recovery software, or at least a percentage of it. But certainly the title, certainly the evidence that that a file 509 existed. If you format a memory card, there is also no problem: then only the index is deleted, which tells you on which jumble of sectors that one photo is stored. But recovery software does not care about that: recovery software scans all those sectors and sees what photo fragments it can still find. Only if then new photos are saved, after formatting, do you have the chance that parts of photo 509 will be overwritten by new photos. But if you prepare a memory card as a murderer yourself, that will always come to light. Your PC ensures that the field LAST ACCESSED is changed with every photo, internally, by your PC . You won't get to that, you can't reach that part. And it is then possible that the LITTLE ENDIAN indicator may change to BIG ENDIAN. I think someone may have created his own scenario on that memory card, and he did so with a lot of ignorance and violence. And that is why the data looks so sloppy, bad and incomplete on the photo copies. It may have been a mistake of him that photo 509 is missing .. or the Panamanian investigators did that. Pitti's helpers.. They didn't care about doing that whatsoever. But in any case, it is highly unlikely that Kris and Lisanne did that.."

Jason Burbank wrote: "When files are “deleted” they are not actually erased. The operating system simply removes part of the file that says it’s an active file and it can now be written over. The way to truly delete a file is to write over it with other data, like all zeros. If you don’t, you can recover it with free programs such as: https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec This is probably why the investigators said someone must have deleted it from a computer because If you delete a file from your micro sd card on the camera, it doesn’t write over it. I know this because I’ve accidentally erased the wrong photo from the camera and was able to recover it."



Juan said some more interesting things about these photos 
He said regarding the year 2013 coming up in Kris and Lisanne's photos, instead of 2014 (the actual year); "Uhm it is just standard for every camera you buy, that the year of production is the first thing that shows up in the time/date settings. In this case 2013. But there is no default. With the Canon Powershot I bought after getting interested in this case, the first archive number was 102 by the way, and not 100. Pay notice; in Kris and Lisanne's camera the photos from April 1st started with archive number 102. But there is this thing with these Powershot camera's, that this number jumps up one digit EITHER  every new month OR every new day. And when you read out the memory card on a computer, the new archive number goes one digit up anyway once you put the memory card back into the digital camera. So, if Kris and Lisanne happened to have had my Canon camera, their photos would have started with the number 102 in Bocas del Toro (first stop in their holiday and first time they made holiday photos). The official EXIF name for those photos is then 102-0491.JPG. And then the next set of photos (for instance those of the Pianista hike) would have started with the number 103, automatically. I would love to have access therefore to the case rapport of those photos. See if the pictures taken in Bocas del Toro have the numbers 101-400.JPG. If not, manipulation has taken place."
But we do know that in the case of Kris and Lisanne's Canon camera, the night photos (taken 8 days later) also started with 102. Photo #542 for instance has the full code of 102-0542.JPG. Although this code is visible in the copy of the original photo, which we've had access to through the press. So in their case the file numbering does not jump one digit every day, automatically. Their default setting must thus have been 'file numbering - continuous'. And below it "Create folder - monthly'. It takes quite a few steps to manually alter these settings. Too many steps for the girls, considering their general straight forward, no fuss use of this camera. They never even zoomed in while making photos. Just like the different photographing modes their camera offered were never further used. With one click of the wheel, you could manually choose between 12 different modes, from manual to action to high speed to macro to video, etc. But their camera was always set to AUTO, going by the Exif data of their photos. 

Juan: "And I would like to know when that digital camera of theirs was exactly purchased. Or when it was given to them at the very least, perhaps right before they took off to Panama. Because normally when you receive such a camera, you first make a round of test photos. And then watch these test photos on your PC. I would like to see for myself with what number their photo sequences started. If theirs did start with archive number 100 (and not with 102 like with my newly purchased canon camera, the exact same model as they had), then when exactly did their archive numbers jump to 101? Was this the next day? Or later? I'd want to know when exactly they started using this camera, because that may have been with their last Christmas for instance, meaning they could have already made 200 photos with it before even setting foot on Panamanian soil, and then it would have been impossible for their Panama series to start with 100. The numbering goes on, by the way. When I take photos 0 to 200 in February, meaning 102-0001.JPG to 102-200.JPG, then the first picture I take in March automatically becomes archive number 103-201.JPG. And you can not bring that archive number down yourself, not even with a hard reset of the camera; you won't get to that part of the memory. So, that once again tells us that that digital camera from Kris and Lisanne is the only reliable witness here, and the ignorant Dutch forensic institute did nothing with it. Too afraid to offend the Panamese." 




Another trail
Juan mentioned a link to a travel blog. Two tourists who went with the guide on a hike, describe how on that day, the guide discouraged them to walk the Pianista Trail, but instead suggested a 'secret trail' that only he knew about. This may or may not be a trail close to the Pianista Trail. They write: "From Bocas del Toro we went by bus to the mountain town of Boquete. This is known for its beautiful hikes, waterfalls and walks. Unfortunately we were both sick, no fun. We had to skip a few things. But when we recovered a bit, we set off with our Panamanian friend F. This was really fantastic. We asked him if he wanted to walk the Pianista Trail with us. That trail must be very beautiful and is also known for the disappearance of two Dutch girls, Kris and Lisanne ... F. soon asked if we knew for sure that we wanted to do that trail, as if he had doubts about it. You should always take advice from locals, so we immediately said that if he had a better idea, we wanted to do that instead. The mountain of the Pianista Trail was covered in clouds so that, according to him, it would not be so special there today. 

He has been walking through the jungle every single day for 19 years and had a "secret track", as he called it. A very nice walk and the weather was good there at the moment. No other guide knew which route he was taking and he was clearly proud of this track, we were looking forward to it! Along the way we spoke about Kris and Lisanne, how that was for the locals. He was very angry with the government, when Kris and Lisanne got lost they sent distress signals, but the government  responded much too late. There were also no signs placed along the road. He was very sad about what happened to them. Fortunately the trail has improved in the meantime, but we prefer to go into the jungle with a guide. When we arrived we were given a walking stick which turned out to be very handy on the way. Lots of mud and unpredictable plots of land, it could suddenly be slippery or suddenly collapse. However, the area was beautiful. We soon saw a beautiful rare bird with a kind of mustache. We walked up and down, it was quite a wild track. [..] We also ate a pineapple and bananas that he had brought for us from his own garden. He said that he himself had a small farm with a small coffee plantation."  -  Perhaps his 'secret route' coincides with the routes which Jeremy S. discovered and sent me:



UPDATE: In their new podcast series, which I cover in great detail in this post, Jeremy Kryt and Mariana Atencio went back to Boquete and discovered a secret trail. 

PATA DE MACHO TRAIL
Kryt and Atencio go out with Jose to explore the Palo Alto area and drive to The Crow, Cuervo's, house. The place with the mango tree. "Not thirty metres from a hotel". They do multiple drive by's in fact. 'The House' is described as a relatively small, one story building. Painted in a sickly shade of orange-yellow. There is a dog on the porch, the front door is ajar, a television plays inside. It does seem that Jeremy and company are aware there may be someone in the house. While they are stood on the door of the (empty?) house, one of the crew spots a mango tree on the other side of a fence, at the rear of this house. They sneak around. The tree is in or by a small creek, along with other small trees and shrubs. You can actually hear the breeze and water bubbling as Jeremy speaks while evaluating this space. This place is rather concealed, Kryt says, and indeed has no cell reception within a hundred metres, the podcast makers confirm: "Within about a hundred yards of the Property, headed into the jungle, there is no cell reception." Pondering a hidden, secret trail Jeremy speculates that "There may be a trail that connects this house, or the grounds behind the house, with the Pianista trail."  -  In the Aftershow of episode 6, Kryt describes the house and its surroundings as "A residential neighborhood. The road switches from pavement to gravel, just about 100 metres north of the Palo Alto neighborhood. There are plots of farmland sprinkled about. There áre houses nearby, and those houses were there in 2014. Certainly within earshot. In the vicinity. If they were calling for help, someone would have heard them. We've also been told it is a party house where there were commonly parties, so loud music or people shrieking with laughter.. the neighbours could have become accustomed to that. So they maybe didn't respond or didn't bat an eye. And from Margarita's description, based on what Murgas told her, Kris was killed very quickly, But she does talk about how Lisanne began to scream. So that made me wonder." Mariana adds that this is a rural place, and that she doesn't know really if people live there all year round. Jeremy: "There's a hotel not 30 metres away." And when they are on the Pate de Macho trail, Jeremy states that Cuervo's house is "about two kilometres down the hill". [Scarlet: This seems to roughly align with the area to the north  of the Tree Trek Adventure park].

There is also a back road leading from the Pianista trail to this Palo Alto area
. It's called Pata de Macho ('hoof of the tapir'). Interesting.. I long assumed there were other, unkempt and small trails leading away from the Pianista trail. Trails which could have been used to kidnap Kris and Lisanne, without them being seen. But this is a
 very interesting bit of information on at least one such a path, confirmed by Kryt and Martin who saw the trail and its linking to the Pianista with their own eyes. Mariana rightly makes it clear that this discovery is a *huge* deal and it really shouldn't be downplayed. Discovering the (back)trail that connects the Paolo Alto house to the Pianista should probably be a turning point for everyone. This Pata de Macho path is not used a lot, the podcast makers describe. It's flatter, longer, less strenuous and pretty empty. Only park rangers and possibly hunters [and local tour guides of course] still use it. It's also overgrown and hard to spot and it takes almost twice as long to lead to the Mirador than the Pianista does; between three and five hours. [Scarlet: So if Kris, Lisanne and their company had started marching after 14.00 PM, they would have most likely still been walking down this trail by the time the first two emergency calls were made. Given they were approaching civilization by then - going by this theory - is that a logical thing or not?] This route could have certainly been used to move people or remains around unseen. In theory... Jose Donderis, the former head of Sinaproc, confirms that this Pata de Macho route was NOT or barely searched"Because we were prohibited". "We had problems with the authorities. The director of the operation was not comfortable with my participation on the site, due to political problems." In the Aftershow of episode 6, Kryt and Atencio discuss this further and Kryt corrects Donderis here and says that the police report states that this area of Pata de Macho was in fact searched. The podcast makers also share that they ran into a puma on this trail, but that the animal ran off instantly and was very skittish. "It wanted nothing to do with us, and I think that is typical behaviour for those big cats", Kryt says. Jeremy Kryt also says something else interesting: "Even the bigger reveal is that when we sent our head guide up the Pianista to find the mouth of the Pata de Macho trail, he was told by multiple sources on the mountain that guide F. had ordered that trail to be closed. And he thought that was very suspicious. I think this is very interesting, if we're right and guide F's son Tito and the other members of the Bandida did use this trail. And we already know guide F. is threatening other sources. He's threatened the entire community of Alto Romero. So we know he has a history of trying to cover this case up. He actually threatened the landowner to get him to close that trail down. Of course, according to sources on the mountain."  How interesting.. Guide F. said nothing about the existence of this other trail when Roelie and Hans Kremers asked him about side trails on the Pianista. Roelie noticed a third path there. "A temporary path.." says guide F. Hans quickly diverted the conversation elsewhere, but when you look at the body language of guide F.'s assistants, you wonder if there is some fear there, While that particular side trail appears not to be the Pata de Macho trail (but perhaps it is, I don't know for sure), the guide also makes no effort to inform his paying customers about OTHER back trails. Guide F. may have been right about that specific side trail which Roelie points at. But they hired his services in order to scour that Pianista trail and the ongoing trail beyond the Mirador for possible exits. That was their goal. See if Kris and Lisanne could have exited or fell down at any place. So knowing this was their purpose and knowing why they were there, hiring his expertise, I find it very odd that he is caught on camera telling others in Spanish not to talk or tell the parents about .... (muffled) and that he never informed them about this Pata de Macho trail. A trail he clearly was aware of. Doesn't look good. And now we learn that guide F. also prevented people from searching this trail back in 2014... While single-handedly steering everyone to the wrong side of the Mirador. Why would that be? Peculiar. Not to say damning information, if those witnesses tell the truth. 






And something else: in my main blog post on this case, I refer to a short article in a Dutch newspaper, dated May 15th 2014, in which tour guide F. is interviewed. Somehow I only really highlighted what he stated in that interview about the need to search through abandoned houses and sheds, in the search for Kris and Lisanne. But now some other people have re-read the interview and they focused on some other details. The tour guide also stated in this short interview with the Dutch newspaper Algemeen dagblad (I translated it in English): "Because he had walked the trails as a guide countless times, and during the first track he had brought a lot of fruit in his backpack. 'The girls will be hungry, I thought.' But in subsequent searches he no longer did that. Now his searches for them are not as coordinated anymore as in the beginning. He doesn't know where to look and does not believe that the girls are in the jungle. because it has already been searched." "They can be everywhere, also here in Boquete. I think there is a chance of that." There are many new built houses that are empty in Boquete. "None of those empty houses have been searched by police. Nobody knows who lives there. You can easily hide two girls there", he said to reporters. So, what did I overlook? The following statement: "When the language school manager told me that the girls were missing, I was convinced they were lost. All their belongings were still with the host family where they were staying. I saw it myself, I went with them when they looked in their room. I saw the bags, their identity cards, the cell phone. And they were last spotted on the Pianista Trail, where you can go for a walk."

This is what Juan wrote about this: "I saw the bags, identity cards [plural, meaning passports]... THE MOBILE PHONE. ----> Yet both the (two) mobile phones were found inside the backpack, found outside Alto Romero. Also, Lisanne's passport was missing, and now he claims he saw two (or both their) identity cards in the room. So, is this a case of, a slip of the tongue? The backpack was found on June 13th or 14th of 2014, one month after this interview.. In other interviews in Spanish, this tour guide talks about seeing mobile phone chargers when he speaks about what he saw when he entered their rooms.." Great detective work Juan. So if the tour guide literally saw a mobile phone in the girls' room at April 2nd of 2014, when we know that both the girls carried their phones with them when they went missing (and they didn't carry extra mobile phones), then doesn't this mean that they did make it back from the Pianista Trail hike? Or that a 3rd person was involved in their disappearance and got hold of these phones, placing one back in the room? Or that they brought a 3rd mobile phone with them theoretically? (No word about this from the families or the investigators, however..). A strange statement, for sure.



I tried to make some more detailed and comprehensive maps of the exact area where Kris and Lisanne walked and where their remains were found, also indicating where approximately were finca's, wooden huts and houses in the vicinity

Was helped tremendously by Jeremy who found great online maps of the area and did a lot of searching work for finca's. I'll keep reading on public forums (some have thousands of pages..) about this disappearance case, and adjust the maps accordingly if needed. As the map shows, Kris and Lisanne could have walked wrong already after the meadow (where Kris' parents end up near the end of this video), but then they must have also found small wooden sheds and even the first inhabited house. And if they walked further even more houses (Alto Culebra). 




And David M. also pointed me to Satellite Pro, where you can see very detailed maps of the world 
Here you can zoom in on the Boquete area. Dave wrote: "Something that has affected the way I read what may have happened to the two friends is discovering the excellent Satellite Pro site, which offers astonishingly detailed and powerful aerial views of the Pianista wilderness and the ability to zoom in in a way that leaves Google.maps far behind in terms of quality. Using it, studying the area and potential routes, really opened up my mind to the reality that this is a story that can be divided into two halves. The first act is the initial disappearance on April 1st, and when I say disappearance that is exactly what happened to the two friends, although the Elvis Gonzales camp suggests their presence it remains unconfirmed, and so the two have literally dropped off the face of the earth, not got 'Lost'. But vanished. So anything anyone can think of here is largely meaningless as there is almost nothing to go on after the final Photo of the day. Act Two however begins with the finding of the backpack, and here is really where the attention should be as by its discovery (planting) comes virtually everything we know - the remains, the phones, the camera, etc. It all springs from the finding of that backpack. And that point has long fascinated me as this part of the story is where it is all at: the backpack leads to the remains discovery, Kris Kremers' shorts which have miraculously stayed in place in some eddy beside the river not far from the cable bridge, meanwhile we are to assume 97% of their remains have been washed away into oblivion... which when you study the route of the river on Sattelite.pro is a near absurdity really. A winding rubble strewn river would catch much of the remains along its channel, any flood powerful enough to wash away all of two bodies would certainly take a pair of shorts with it, and geographically if this had all washed down the river it should collect some remains at certain points. This is what happens on mountains and river channels - debris tends to funnel to certain points thanks to gravity and the geography, but all along the river and past Alto Romero no one notices all this human debris washing by, over at least several days...? I find this hard to believe to say the least. Something that also occurred to me was that given the searchers found numerous small fragments of bone, which turned out to belong to bodies from possible washed out graves of locals, it demonstrates that the search was reasonable thorough. If they found such small fragments like this, many years old, where is the rest of Kris and Lisanne...?"

Thank you Dave, that is indeed an excellent site and I already made some great screenshots from it in the past, of the places where Kris and Lisanne's remains were found along the river. I agree that the river is littered with rocks and it winds all over the place. It is unbelievable that entire bodies would be dragged away, never to be seen again, in such a winding bendy obstructed small river. The professionals agreed on this. They would in that case have found bodies or -parts stuck in bends.... Professionals stated the same, they found bodies in river bends who had been there for over a year. Intact bodies, despite of course being altered in appearance by decomposition. But it is unbelievable that those tiny rivers who go all over the place and have rocks everywhere, stunting flow of objects, could have made the bodies for 98% disappear the way they did. People also live alongside these small rivers, there are houses and farms nearby. The backpack was found by people bathing in the river, supposedly. So entire bodies floating by... exactly. Bodies with a 40.000 dollar reward, no less. Here are some photos showing just how teeny tiny those rivers are. They also show just how much open terrain there was in this area. Just how many places where Kris and Lisanne - had they truly been lost by themselves - could have stood, waving their coloured shirts, signalling the helicopters which flew over this area many, many times. But the helicopter pilots saw nothing, no sign of the girls. These are the locations where the (few) bones were found close by:


Going by the old timeline: 
if Kris and Lisanne started their hike later (matching the witness statements from the language School staff and the taxi driver), they would have started their Pianista hike around 13:45 PM, would have been at the summit around 15:30, then at the quebrada (first stream) around 16:30, so ten minutes before first calling emergency services at 16:39 PM. Within this old timeline, the girls would have started calling emergency services either 10 minutes after crossing the stream (pictured on photos 507 and 508), or they would have turned around and called 10 minutes after the start of their walk back to the summit. At the first small stream, the distance from the Mirador (summit of the Pianista Trail) and this small river crossing is around 45 minutes worth of (normal) walking distance. It is possible, not to say likely, within this timeline that the first emergency call was made somewhere on a hill that can be seen in the left side screenshot. It’s actually a decent increase in height. With thanks to Jeremy S. who made these screenshots. One shows the elevation, another shows roughly where the girls would have been when they made their first emergency call - assuming the witness based timeline. Again: the distance from the Mirador to the stream is the equivalent of 45 minutes, and we for now assume (with this screenshot) that the first call to 112 was made 10 minutes after crossing the stream.

Maps
These images also show quite clearly that the girls had gone no real distance after the Mirador yet and that they were still a long way from the first cable crossing over a further away river. It also clearly shows the girls were no real distance from the stream they'd just crossed and in fact, given it was a hill rising from the stream with worn areas it's possible that when they made the first call they could look down and see the stream crossing still. It's also possible that they called when they reached the top of the hill and realized that the way ahead didn't lead to a path taking them back to Boquete, but instead further away. Jeremy S. also wrote me: "Although I firmly believe the girls were victims of crime I'm open to the possibility that the girls got lost first. For that reason I've created this map with shows all possible routes to the 1st stream." Thank you also Jeremy for your great maps.

The waterfall
These days there are signs placed at the top of the Pianista Trail, warning people not to keep walking further without a guide, because there is more treacherous terrain ahead. But there is also a small water fall ahead... On the photos 507 and 508 of Kris crossing a small river, a trail is shown that goes to a waterfall. A larg waterfall beyond the Pianista summit. But it is hard to find. Is it possible that the girls deviated from the main path at some point to find this waterfall? And that they got lost along the way? Jeremy S. managed to find aerial 3D imagery of this mysterious waterfall! See screenshots below:






On guide F's TripAdvisor review site, there have been 27 lovely positive reviews so far. 5 out of 5 stars. But 4 weeks ago, someone posted a rather negative review. 

Sophie J. wrote around July 22nd 2019: "Great guide, but not for women traveling alone. - It took me almost a year to finally post this review. I strongly recommend women to not hire F as your guide if you’re by yourself. It’s a big contrast if you look at the other reviews, where F. is described as a very nice person, which he probably is for many people. I have to say, he’s very charming, funny and you can probably, as you will read in the other reviews, have a great day with him. Did a walking tour with him. He’s the guide that knows the area by heart. Not long after we left he subtly started to flirt with me and also touching me, first my hand, but also my arms, shoulder and legs, even after telling him many times to stop doing that. He wears a big machete and suggested to chop off my legs (this of course was a joke but still...). He has an obsession for Northern European women and I felt very unsafe. It’s a personal story, but google his name and you’ll unfortunately find more stories like this about him." - Date of experience: September 2018

Violet rose commented on this topic: "I’ve read some of the reviews, and the fact that one of them commented “The hike we did was very cool and completely off the beaten track. We saw no people other than the indigenous people who live in the area” struck me. There are photos the girls took, of which locals said they couldn’t have gotten to those areas without a guide."

But others disagree: And say that most comments are positive, and one negative comment shouldn't be given more attention or credit that is reasonable. This tour guide jumps out because he was involved in so many steps along the way in this disappearance case. He claimed that he talked to the girls before they disappeared; he was the first to enter their room; the photos from the room show their belongings having been rummaged through and a business card from this guide having been placed on the bed of one of the girls. He was the first to look for them in the jungle (but still two days after being alarmed that they never showed up); he was called first by the woman who found the backpack before it was handed to police. He is said to have found all the bones, including a foot-in-shoe that lay behind and "almost under" a tree, by his own admission. The bones were found relatively close to Alto Romero, where he is said to have a finca. He personally guided the parents of Kris and the brother of Lisanne around, and he popped up in many video reports on the case. He gave contradicting statements in the media about when he saw them or not, and when he first went looking for them. So I suppose that is why some people ask questions about this specific person. But even if he was too flirty or pushy with one client; that does not mean that he is a criminal or involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. By all accounts, he spent a lot of time and energy trying to find the missing girls and help solve this case. And his services were used by both the families of the girls. The Froons call him a family friend. 

These travelers also walked the Pianista Trail in 2019
and knew of the tragic ending of Kris and Lisanne. They paid their respects to them at the top. They also wrote some more interesting things: "Before you enter the dense jungle, you walk for about twenty minutes through open fields with an total clear and open view. The paths largely lead themselves, but there are still a few points where you can go the wrong way. After a 5-minute walk, you can cross the river through a small bridge and then turn right onto the path. If you don’t do this, you have to cross the river through the water a few minutes later. Once in the jungle we had to cross the river again and immediately afterwards we missed a path that led us to continue our route across the river. Fortunately, a friendly local gave us a little further the advice to climb up and follow the usual path. The higher you go, the narrower the paths become. You will also notice that the path is getting soggy and that the necessary grip is required (think of good shoes and possibly a walking stick). Just when you think there is no end to the climb, you are there. What a nice feeling to be ‘on top of the mountain’ in the clouds. And yet you also get a completely different feeling at this place because you will also find the memorial to Lisanne and Kris here. Goosebumps. It is nice to see that the memorial to this terrible event is well maintained by the local guides. The Pianista Trail is a much harder trail because it has many height metres. If you are not trained at all, then we do not recommend this draw. In addition, it is quite muddy, and it gets slippery the higher you go. We were there during the dry season and for the most part walked the way back with a stick to avoid slipping. When it has rained for a few days, it seems uncomfortable and irresponsible to go to the top. The trip takes about 4 hours and we personally do not recommend doing this hike on your own. You encounter very few people along the way and especially during the last part there is a risk of slipping. We met one boy at the beginning and otherwise only one Dutch girl with a guide. She indicated that she was happy that she used a guide. She has chosen F., a famous guide in the area who also maintains the memorial site of Kris and Lisanne."



Power-Pixie summarizing the links of Guide F. with this case
The person mostly connected with all of this is guide F.. Thanks to Power Pixie for the following summary. Mind you, I don't think guide F. is directly involved in their disappearance. There is also no evidence for this. But the following links do show that it was really poor investigating from Betzaida Pitti, to not even look into him (and his phone, computer, whereabouts, properties etc etc)  and prove his innocense. As David M. stated: "If this was any western police investigation, Feliciano would have been an immediate figure of interest as his story in those first days is questionable, and his interest in all aspects of the disappearance very odd indeed - why would two young clients who never showed up concern him so much? Even when the authorities had the matter in hand and a search was launching? Eileen meanwhile runs off after the first few days. Why? Did the police not pursue this key witness?" 
  • "Told the media that he saw Kris and Lisanne, waved and said hello to them some time before they disappeared
  • Non-existent Booking for April 2nd (Coffee farm, strawberry farm, overnight stay or Pianista Hike?)
  • First one along with Eileen to go in K&L's room on April 2
  • First one to know Kris and Lisanne were missing from looking inside of their room on April 2
  • First one along with Eileen to file a missing persons' report on April 2
  • First one to report to the town council about K&L missing on April 3
  • First one to search the trail and find no trace of them on April 3
  • First one to mention in the media that Kris and Lisanne may have fallen off a bridge
  • First one to also mention in the media that vultures would be seen circling around if Kris and Lisanne had an accident or been attacked by wild animals
  • Was involved in leading some of the search parties in April
  • Was involved in finding the backpack
  • Was involved in discovering Kris's shorts, though he seems to not try to take credit for it these days
  • Was involved in discovering the remains of K&L
  • Was involved in guiding the Kremers on the trail
  • Was involved in accompanying Martijn Froon on his return to Boquete and the trail for the breakfree video
  • Told the media that he never saw Kris and Lisanne as well as that he greeted them ('Hola!') while they were out at Spanish by the River.

Feliciano:
  • Knows the trail and generally the area beyond the continental divide based on his decades of experience hiking this terrain with tourists
  • Knows of secret trails that he has mentioned to tourists as late as 2018. Feliciano knows of secret paths
  • Knows of various other geographically similar locations to the one shown in the night photos to which he's taken tourists to like the Caldera Hot Springs, Los Quetzales trail, Lost Waterfalls, the Hidden Waterfall somewhere off the Pianista trail, parts of the Baru Volcano
  • Drives a 4x4, owns a farm in Alto Romero, and in Alto Quiel, and some fincas
  • Employs residents of Alto Romero and his step son Henry to work on the ranch in Alto Romero

This graphic makes me think that Kris and Lisanne were returning from their last photo location River 1, when they may have been intercepted by Henry and his friends, and they convinced Kris and Lisanne that the hidden waterfall was nearby. Taking them through one of these secret paths, but that did not lead to the hidden waterfall but may have taken them further away from Boquete and into very unfamiliar territory."



Interesting Dutch blogger has dedicated string of blog posts on the Kris and Lisanne disappearance and calls Ingrid Lommers a spider in a criminal web

Here you can read his blog series. They are all written in Dutch, but I am sure your web browser has a translation option if you don't speak Dutch. I will summarize some of the authors findings more elaborately below. Author Ilidio Tavares has combined information he found online on the case with his own ideas of what happened with Kris and Lisanne. He tries to paint a full story, from A to Z, which he believes can explain all the strange details in this case. In his version of events, Kris and Lisanne met Eileen already in the Netherlands, where she studied tourism. Through this connection, the girls came into contact with Ingrid Lommers, the owner of the Spanish language schools in Bocas del Toro and Boquete. Ilidio calls her The Empress, the black spider in a web of intrigue, crime and corruption, who used the girls as pawns and sacrificed them to a crime cartel. Ingrid was the one who not only arranged the volunteer work in a local school (despite neither of the girls speaking Spanish), but she also cancelled it for the girls, without their knowledge. That is also why the staff of children's school Aura never gave Kris and Lisanne a proper explanation for the refusal to have them start their volunteer work on Monday the 31st of March. Ingrid and her staff pushed Kris and Lisanne to go explore the area in their first week there, feeding them with info on the Pianista Trail. He writes that in his scenario, the girls were already dead women walking at that point. Ingrid is the bad one in this story, not a tour guide. He had heard something about the kidnapping, but only wanted to help in the end. And Eileen is the beautiful but naive pawn in his scenario. The Empress wanted to gain more power and let her empire grow. She got involved in the dark world of the cartels. She received money and protection in exchange for western good looking female tourists, and according to Ilidio, she delivered. On Tuesday the 1st of April, the staff of the language school arranged for a taxi to pick the girls up, to bring them to the start of the Pianista Trail. They have been given orders by their boss, who resides still in Bocas at that moment. 

Ilidio thinks that the taxi driver and the other 2 males in the cab were all part of the conspiracy. Once they got in the cab, the people of the cartel took over. He believes that the girls had already visited the area that morning, when they spoke with a hostel owner, who advised them to instead walk the shorter track behind his house. This man may have been Pedro himself, or perhaps José Morales. After that they returned to Boquete where they had lunch and then visited the language school. After which they return to the trail to walk the proper Pianista Trail. But because it was already after 2 in the afternoon and because they were already a bit tired, they accepted the offer of a lift. A lift by a red truck, which was seen by several witnesses that afternoon. Ilido believes it was this red truck which could have brought Kris and Lisanne to the summit of the Pianista trail. I think that may be incorrect though, as the girls took many photos along the way, also of each other, and they seemed to walk the trail. Witnesses confirmed this also. But perhaps the red truck picked them up halfways. It could explain why the sun still seemed to stand high up in the sky by the time they took selfies on the summit. They took a shortcut. (Scarlet: Or perhaps the red truck is involved, but instead took them down later. Giving them a lift to that swimming location..?). Anyway, going by Ilidio's scenario, the girls were dropped off at the summit where they took selfies. They were not alone however, and any other people captured on camera were photoshopped out of the photos later. On one photo Lisanne looks stretched out and someone has been erased from the photo, Ilidio believes. Between her right arm and her waist, you no longer see the landscape behind her, but a sand colour. When the girls walked a bit further, they found themselves followed by men with machete's. They felt scared now and tried to escape. They ran back to the summit but they were caught. Their screams were heard all the way down the trail, by a local living at the road to the summit. Their captors locked them up in a cabin in the woods, which belongs to a coffee farm. They were hidden and abused there for 6 days. Cartel members and their friends did what they wanted with them. This was not their first time; they have captured, abused and murdered many young women in the past. But they were locals, women who hardly anybody was looking for.. Kris and Lisanne are different. Only when they were brought back to the cabin and were left alone for a bit, the traumatized girls tried frantically to call emergency services. But there was no cell phone reception. Then on day 6, one person felt remorse and secretly opened the door for them. Kris and Lisanne ran away with their backpack and tried to scramble back to safety. This is the moment when the call attempts stopped. The girls tried to run for their lives. But they got lost in the jungle and fell down a ravine of sorts. Kris broke her pelvis, Lisanne her foot. The criminals went out to find them. Perhaps they brought dogs, but anyhow, they found the girls. Lisanne was killed and Kris was dragged back, sometimes literally by her hairs, where she met a gruesome end. But not before she tried to find phone reception one more time on April 11th, a last desperate attempt to make a connection with the rest of the world. But she couldn't enter her pin code anymore. Lisanne was buried and Kris' body was dissolved partially with a chemical. Only a few remains were strewn out in the jungle, to make it look like the girls got lost and perished. On the night the girls were found again, April the 8th, one of the criminals had taken series of photos in the dead of night, to reinforce the evidence for an accidental disappearance in the wild by Kris and Lisanne's own doing. These photos are part of the artwork of a killer, as Illido calls it. A proud killer. He even pulled the strawberry blonde hair of Kris up to photograph it, as a memento.

I always like reading theories and scenario's from other people who closely follow this disappearance case. Ingrid, the owner of the language schools, had arranged the volunteer work at the local school for Kris and Lisanne. The girls had called and contacted her multiple times beforehand, asking again and again confirmation if they really could start working at the school, Aura, on the morning of Monday 31st of March? Yes, they were told consistently by Ingrid and/or her staff. The parents of the girls confirmed this on TV, they also read the confirmation emails. So how is it possible that the school staff knew nothing about these Dutch volunteer workers when the girls arrived there? And sent them away? You'd normally assume that there was just a kink in the cable and a problem with communication. But, could it even be possible that Ingrid set them up, as Ilidio suggests? Or cancelled their work, without their knowledge? And then had her staff push them for excursions that week, including the Pianista hike? It sounds pretty extreme. But some people knew they were up on that mountain that Tuesday April 1st. Some locals said and wrote that she has some bad connections in Boquete. Maybe some criminals put pressure on her to deliver female tourists, in exchange for... protection? Or something else, money, power? At this point, nobody can probably with 100% exclude this hysterical sounding option, although it is probably not true. But Ingrid knew they were coming and helped set it all up when Kris and Lisanne were still in the Netherlands. She said to have arranged the volunteer work at the local children's school for them. She or her staff seem to have made errors with this, as the Aura staff were rude to the girls and sent them away. Or were the Aura workers to blame? 

Regarding the rest of this Dutch bloggers' views, his theory as a whole attempts to explain the disappearance, the motive of the criminals, the broken bones and the phone use and night photos. It isn't completely fitting however, theoretically, in my view. Some open endings for instance:
*If Kris was still alive but too weak on April 11th to type in her PIN code in her iPhone, how come then that on April 5th/6th (when she supposedly had fled her ordeal, carrying her backpack) she no longer entered her correct PIN code? While her phone had 70-something attempts to activate it?
*If both girls took a serious tumble during their escape after April 6th and did fell into a ravine of sorts, how come their backpack and shoes were found showing no signs of this? No serious tearings or extensive slid marks. The backpack would certainly have showed specific signs of a fall in that case. The jeans shorts showed some damage, but not seemingly matching with a huge fall. 
*If Lisanne's body was buried already at the start of the second week of April 2014, how is it possible
that a near intact foot of her was found in June of 2014? With skin and meat on it and all? And how can an intact rolled up ball of skin from her have been found then at the end of August of 2014?
*Why would cartel members allow the girls to keep their mobile phones? Kris and Lisanne could have hidden all sorts of secret Dutch messages in those phones, for instance under the contact data of others. And what a risk it would have been to later place those phones in the backpack again and have authorities investigate them.




Dutchman Rick M. walked the Pianista Trail and wrote this about it:
December 23rd, 2019.
 (Source)

"Scary! When I first heard about the El Pianista trail, it gave me shivers down my spine! Two girls (Lisanne Froon & Kris Kremers) lost their life's during this trail, when supposedly they got lost. What exactly happened is a mystery to this date. As Lisanne and Kris were from my home town, I wanted to do this hike even more to show my respect, despite all that could happen. The track was easy to navigate and I nowhere felt unsafe. The hike was actually very beautiful, besides the uncomfortable feeling I had about what had happened here 5 years ago. As I already reached the summit after 1,5 hours of hiking I spotted a memorial that was placed to remember the girls. To this day, there now is a sign that says not to walk further, as it's dangerous to continue. Despite all the horrors this Forrest holds, and me being curious, I went past the sign. As I descended more down along the muddy road it started to rain heavily, as from that moment, and with the story of the girls in the back of my mind, I decided it would be too risky to continue and turned back from hence I came. All by all it's still a mystery what happened, but I can say this hike gave me the shivers all the way."


Michael K. replied to Ricks post: "You don't know me, but I knew Lisanne. I've been working on this case for a while. I don't know how much research you've done in advance, but in this area there is probably a serial killer at work. In addition to these two girls, several tourists were found dead. And according to local residents in that area, more than 20 people were killed. Many suspect that a 'much too friendly tour guide' has something to do with it. Good job of you though! But I don't know how prepared you are .. Just .. don't make the same mistake. Expect the unexpected in such a country, but don't let it blind you to have fun. Good luck, have fun!"

Rick replied: "Hey Michael, how interesting to read. I did look up a few things on the internet before I did this hike and came to the same conclusion. I also came across this specific tour guide during the hike, but at that moment I did not yet know who he was and that it was him. All in all very crazy. I hope I don't disrespect someone by sharing this story this way, I wanted to do the hike out of compassion for the girls. Hopefully you could give her loss a place."




Photos from Kris at a 
Halloween party in 2011






3D images of Kris and Lisanne Photos from Zachary Womack
Zachary made up several 3D images from some of the pictures which Kris and Lisanne took on their trip. He explained to me that 3D photography relies on taking two pictures (one for each eye) and then blending them together in one image. 3D images can be useful as they provide depth information compared to a normal 2D image. Also, items that are in one image and not the other “pop” out making them easier to spot. Last, 2 images of poor quality can be “enhanced” in 3D allowing you see more than if looking at one image. Colored glasses, or other types of glasses are needed to give the 2D image a 3D appearance. For these images, you will need to get the “red blue” (Anaglyph type) glasses to view them. Zachary also explained that the 3D images are in no way perfect, as the girls were not trying to create them… He did the best he could given the angles and the fact that there was only a few that could be converted. 

Thank you! Click on each photo to view it enlarged










Injury on Lisanne's foot 
Host family mother Miriam Guerra has stated to the Panamanian press at the time that Lisanne was not feeling good the day(s) before the Pianista hike. From her diary we know that she wasn't feeling good psychologically when she stayed in Boquette. And physically she was said to suffer from asthma-related respiratory symptoms, as well as a leg injury. This non-specified leg injury may have stemmed from her volleyball sport. But in this close-up from Lisanne's right foot for instance, taken the week prior to their Pianista hike (while in Bocas del Toro), you can see that Lisanne had a red swelling on the bridge of the foot. In her diary Lisanne confirmed also to have suffered from circulation problems due to the heat: "I have such thick legs. It must be from the heat that my feet look like rhino legs".








Near the end of the year 2014, an American tourist couple was robbed at gunpoint on the Pianista Trail, on the same stretch which Kris and Lisanne walked

"UPDATE on La Pianista / Palo Alto Criminal activity - - Before Christmas this year, a tourist couple was robbed at gunpoint while walking on the Pianista trail above La Pianista restaurant in Palo Alto. In collaboration with the victims, who had left the country, a private investigation was conducted, which resulted in the identification of two suspects, whose names were handed over to the police by Alto al Crimen. Unfortunately, because the victims had already left the country and because only untraceable cash was taken from them, no further action was possible at the time. Since then, the home of Carol and Tom Hurst was broken into in the same neighborhood, and a failed break-in was attempted of the Rock Restaurant. And a few weeks ago another tourist couple was robbed at gunpoint on the same trail. These victims reported the incident to the police, and immediately the previous suspects were brought in and positively identified. Unfortunately, the victims had to leave the country before they could testify and the suspects were let go and allowed to run free again. It's only a matter of time before these guys are eventually removed from the community, but in the meantime, it would be a good idea to prevent anyone from walking the trail above La Pianista and especially to alert visitors for this area."  -  In addition: the two turned out to be two brothers who lived along the Pianista Trail, or so I read. Also, a woman has been physically attacked nearby the Pianista Restaurant, several burglaries took place (example of an armed robbery here) and several foreigners living nearby have been murdered. And that is only for the year 2014, there has been a lot more crime in the years prior. It is clear however that known criminals walking around in Boquete, of which police know that they have committed crimes in the past, who either were or were not prosecuted. But NOBODY was officially interrogated in the Kris and Lisanne disappearance. Not a single person was interviewed or had their house checked for DNA or scent or blood of the two young women, just in case.. Another example:

"August 8, 2012. BREAK-INS – PALO ALTO LOOP AREA. Unfortunately, over the last two weeks, we have seen an eruption of break-ins on the Palo Alto loop between The Rock restaurant and the area of the Palo Alto bridge. We can confirm the following: About a week ago, a single female walking on the road was assaulted in the vicinity of la Pianista restaurant. She was attacked from behind by a male Panamanian 15-19 years old, but was able to kick him in the genitals and scream, which ended the attack. Apparently the objective was to steal her backpack, which commonly have laptop computers in them."




And these Dutch bloggers and tourists also went to Boquete; their blog details their experience with the Pianista Trail in July 2013 (so 3/4 year before Kris and Lisanne went there, and look which dog accompanied them)

July 20, 2013 (Translated from Dutch), bloggers are Thijs and Anique: "We arrive in Boquete mid-afternoon. We notice immediately that it is indeed cooler here. Through the accommodation of our choice, which is full, we arrive at a great hostel where we are the only ones. We continue with our culinary wizardry from the past weeks, and start cooking here as well. For the remainder of our stay we remain the only ones in the hostel, except for one night. In the evening we watch movies in a communal space. Good for our Spanish. The day after our arrival we make a walk through the pleasant, but otherwise not very special village. We also make a plan for the coming days, because over here it is more about activities in the area, than about Boquete town itself. We make a great hike, partly through meadows and mountains and we get company of a nice husky dog. Safer and convivial! However, we only hike to the point where the cloud forest takes over from the grasslands. Both in the hostel and on the way we are warned that tourists have been robbed on this trail in recent months. This, combined with the cloudy weather, makes us decide to [turn around earlier and] go back to the hostel."





Gruesome slaughter in an area relatively close to Boquete
January 16th, 2020. (SourcesourceI have always cast the suggestion aside that Indigenous people could be behind the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. It seemed to me that they had no reason to do so, other than what some suggest to be cannibalism. Now it is breaking news that members from this Indigenous Ngobe tribe, which has been mentioned so many times in this disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne because it were members from this large tribe who helped to find their bone remnants as well as their backpack, have now fallen victim to a crazed religious sect. Panamanian police have discovered a freshly dug mass grave in the community of Alto Terrón, with the bodies of six children and one pregnant woman in it. All but one were siblings and descendants of the woman, ranging in age from 1 to 17 and according to police they belonged to the Ngobe tribe. They were most likely the victims of bizarre exorcist rituals, according to officials. Police came to the remote area after three tribe members showed up in hospital with extensive injuries and told that they came from a sect, who were torturing other members. The police had also been made aware of a social media post, showing one victim being burned. “The victims had been kidnapped from their homes by other members of the community, beaten and killed, said Rafael Baloyes, the chief prosecutor for the province of Bocas del Toro.”  “On their arrival, the police interrupted a haunting religious ritual unfolding inside a makeshift church. “There were people held against their will, being mistreated,” Mr. Baloyes recalled. One of those detained was a nude woman. Al Jazeera: “There was a naked person, a woman inside the building, where investigators found machetes, knives and a ritually sacrificed goat. The rites had been going on since Saturday, and had already resulted in deaths. They searched this family out to hold a ritual and they massacred them, mistreated them, killed practically the whole family," said Baloyes, adding that one of the suspects in the killing is the grandfather of the children who were slain.” - The captives, who had been tied up and tortured, as well as beaten with bats and Bibles, were going to be killed “if they did not repent their sins,”. 15 people were freed from captivity by the police, including several pregnant women as well as children. Ten suspects — nine adults and one minor (nine males and one female) — were arrested and placed under investigation on charges of deprivation of liberty, homicide and sexual abuse. Newspaper El Siglo mentions the names of all the suspects here. Staggeringly, one of the suspects was the grandfather of the children whose bodies were found in the grave. The authorities also seized machetes “and other tools” that were presumably used against the victims, according to a statement from the Public Ministry of Panama. “The suspects are members of an evangelical church called the New Light of God, officials said. Interviews with community members revealed that the sect began practicing rituals more than three months ago, Mr. Baloyes said, though the kidnapping and torture started only last Saturday, when a sect member claimed to have received a message from God. Investigators have found no evidence of other victims or secret graves, the prosecutor added.” All the victims and suspects were residents of Alto Terrón, a community in Ngäbe Buglé, an Indigenous administrative region in a densely forested peninsula in western Panama, between the Caribbean Sea and the Chiriquí Lagoon. I am curious if we will ever hear of more victims. Update: some of the perpetrators have been arrested, but more than 8 other perpetrators/killers are still out on the loose.





Cody_nzealand also got slightly lost on the Pianista trail, and díd in fact video document it, here and here

   




And this is a video that shows very clearly the start of the Pianista Trail
After 23 seconds you see the house of Oliva on the left.
After 1.04 minutes you see the garden of Martina.
After 2.32 minutes you see the bridge you have to cross according to Lonely Planet.
After 5.00 minutes you see a truck (with people).
And on the right another good video showing the Pianista Trail:

  







Excellent work from an online sleuth named Barbarossa170, who investigated the angle of the sun in the summit photos

Here this disappearance case is discussed in detail. Barbarossa170 writes on May 8th 2020: "I worked in IT forensics in the past, supplying services for local as well as state law enforcement in my country. I have worked on digital evidence relating to cases ranging from copyright infringement to homicide. I'm not an accredited subject matter expert however (I worked under the supervision of several during my time in forensics though), do not represent any official forensic institution or law enforcement agency and haven't worked in the field for a while. None of what I am going to put forward here is based on a claim to authority in any case. You can research and recreate all of this yourselves. This is just to put my interest into this particular aspect of the case into perspective. In this case there has been ongoing discussion about the veracity of EXIF file data (data embedded in images on the womens' camera showing the time and date of the pictures taken). Discussion specifically focuses on the timeline as the EXIF data shows Kris and Lisanne on a mountain summit at around 1300h local time when several eye witnesses place them in the village where they had been staying at that time, making it unlikely that they would have reached the summit before 1500h. The camera on which the pictures where found was missing for some time after the girls' disappearance, alongside their cellphones, only to be found by locals, contained in the women's backpack, in good condition, despite them allegedly having been "dragged to death" by a river. This opens up the possibility of the files having been tampered with to plant false evidence. The time the women reached the summit is of importance since it would put the first distress call they made at 1639h into perspective. The pertinent question being: was there enough time between them reaching the summit and the first distress call to make the hypothesis that they walked on for a long time after the summit and thus got lost at some point (more or less) likely. The official position of the Panamanian government as well as the Dutch investigators is that the EXIF data is correct. Various online sleuths have called this into question, in the case of the Panamanian officials with good reasons since the case was botched at every turn, with such enthusiam in fact that one cannot help but think that they intentionally tanked the investigation.

When I first read this, I was taken aback at how much credence was given to the metadata given the camera may have been in the hands of the perpetrator for a long time. EXIF data on a camera/SD card can be easily manipulated given access to a computer and the willingness to research how to do it. It is by no means complicated at all. Added to this is the fact that one picture seems to have been securely deleted from the camera, which would not have been possible for the women to do but would have required the camera to be hooked up to a computer. The picture I looked at in particular is image IMG_499, showing Lisanne Froon on the summit. In the koudekaas blog I linked above, it is stated the experts determined the EXIF data to be correct and the picture to be taken around 1300h local time. I set out to see if I could replicate that result, especially since the blog calls the determination by experts into question and since there is no further information as to what exactly the experts did to determine the time of day retroactively. My methodology was as follows: I used a rendering engine commonly used in visual effects (Octane Render) to light a 3D model of a human. Octane Render has a so-called daylight model, which enables the user to input coordinates, date, time of day and GMT offset (for the local time zone). Thus, the user is able to accurately replicate lighting conditions of a clear sky at any given time anywhere on the planet.

I used the following data;
Coordinates: 8.78024 | -82.441360
Date: 1st of April
GMT offset: -5

I then rotated the model so the lighting direction matched the photo (meaning Lisanne's rotation relative to the sun, not the sun's position) and input 1300h, 1400h as well as 1500h as the time of day. Here is the result. As you can see, the image most closely matching the pattern of light and shade on Lisanne's face and body, particularly the arm, is in fact the rendering with the setting of 1300h. The lighting pattern on the arm and the face changes drastically as the sun's position changes, the forehead receives much more light at both 1400h as well as 1500h and the angle and extent of the cast shadow of the head also changes noticeably.

The conclusion to this analysis is that the Dutch investigators where in all likelihood correct in assuming that the time of day contained in the EXIF files was authentic. In fact they probably used similar methods to the ones I used to test their hypothesis.

There is a word to be said about the next photo, showing Kris Kremers standing at a similar spot but with much more diffuse lighting. There have been allegations that these photos were in fact completely "photoshopped", with the disparity in lighting between these photos as well as distortion often cited as evidence. Regarding the changing lighting conditions: every photographer will attest that this can happen very quickly. A cloud drifts in front of the sun and suddenly you don't have clear cast shadows anymore, only diffused light. The change of lighting can also be seen in the surroundings; less harsh shadows overall. As to the allegations that these photos are completely photoshopped (as in: the girls were pasted into the images) - Without the original files, no conclusive judgement can be made, but suffice it to say that photoshopping people into photos like this, especially with hair blowing the the wind, as is seen in IMG_499, is far from trivial. It would have taken a person with professional expertise in retouching to "fake" these photos. Personally, I see this option as very unlikely. There is an obvious drawback to this analysis: while it does show that the time of day contained in the EXIF data is most likely correct, we have no way of proving the date was not tampered with (meaning the pictures could have been taken a day before their vanishing, for instance). That being said, the Dutch investigators also had access to the data contained on the women's cellphones, including at least one picture taken on that day. If there had been a disparity between the date of that photo and the photos on the camera, it would have been noted in the investigation. Could the data contained on the cellphones have been tampered with as well? Technically yes, of course, but practically it would in fact require specialized hardware, software and extremely niche know-how to extract and the re-import the files. This hardware, manufactured by companies such as Cellebrite, is very expensive and only available to law enforcement, the military and intelligence services. The bottom line here is: the official timeline, placing the women at the summit at around 1300h is in all likelihood correct and the hypothesis that the EXIF files were tampered with in regards to date or time of day seems highly improbable."

When asked in the comments below his post what Barbarossa170 thinks of the phone and camera use in this case, he brings up arguments which I have stressed as well all throughout these blog series on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, and he answers: "There usually is a single reason for such a bizarre array of evidence, clues and lack of data, and that is shoddy-beyond-belief police work. We're left to wonder about all of this because this whole case was botched so thoroughly. What sticks out to me most in terms of IT related issues is what in IT forensics is called the "pattern of usage" of the cellphones and the camera starting from the first distress call, which is highly unusual to put it mildly. People who get lost or in trouble at some point start to record videos, messages or write up texts in their cellphones. This was 2014, cellphone usage was not that different from today and the women were young and competent users. It is also really strange that only 112/911 was called, right from the start and all throughout the recorded cellphone activity. Does this indicate foul play, the perp perhaps making those calls? It might look like it, but the cellphones were in fact logged into with the correct PINs (until one wasn't anymore, usually this is taken to mean that Kris Kremers had become incapacitated somehow by that point in time). Could the perp have forced the women to give up their PINs so he could manipulate the cellphones, e.g. to erase data? Possibly, however, particularily in the case of erased data the Dutch forensic team would with 100% certainty have found traces of that. You can securely erase data from a PC if you know what you're doing, but data on your phone once deleted isn't really deleted at all until it gets overwritten (there are ways to secure delete on a phone but that requires specialized apps, the presence of which again would have been noted in the investigation). So either the women for some strange reason showed very unusual usage behaviour while they were in distress or the perp got them to give up their PINs to do nothing else but periodically call 112/911. Did the perp have insider knowledge about IT-forensics and knew he couldn't do much else besides dialling without leaving traces? Seems even more unlikely. Just bizarre."

"Regarding the night time photos, again they are just bizarre. I keep using that word but it's just a perfect fit for all of this.. The only time I've ever seen something vaguely similar is when I examined cameras used by a person suffering from mental illness. They were taking pictures in their dark basement, hundreds of them in fact, showing nothing in particular. Some of the pictures in this case do show something however (hair, the little twig contraption with the red material, the paper/receipts arranged on the floor) but all of them seem to be shot in such a way that it's impossible surmise what is really happening. That not one out of 90 pictures clearly shows, for example, the SOS written in paper (which is the prevailing theory) is just bizarre, yet again. Now, I wasn't a police officer or criminal investigator, I only worked in tech, but in all cases I had access to the corresponding case file and in some I spoke with the investigators about what they had been doing, so I have some experience with police procedure. Based on that second hand experience alone I can tell you that there is no way in hell that had this happened in North America or Europe, there wouldn't have been several people brought to the police station to question with a high degree of scrutiny and a lot of pressure applied via interrogation techniques. Beginning with all the eye witnesses, including the taxi driver, the restaurant owner and the school teachers, who place Kris and Lisanne in the village/ at the trail much later when in fact the photos show they were on the summit at around 1300h. They just let that go. Baffling. The often brought-up guide F. would undoubtedly been taken into investigative custody, due to his highly suspicious behaviour (going to the place of residence of two customers who didn't show up to a tour, whom he had allegedly never met before, entering their rooms and also inserting himself into the search effort with such enthusiasm. Not saying any of this is proof he is guilty, but it is more than enough to hold him and question him thoroughly). But Panama wasn't interested in clearing this up, and so we're left with this mess."

Lossincasa replies: "The night photos, I said elsewhere, at first impression were as if taken by an animal. What you say, is how I rationalize it immediately after, a sick person or injured, confused etc. If it had happened earlier and not that eleventh(?) day of their ordeal it wouldn't have been as mysterious. There are a lot of days in between with no evidence at all. Great catch on the 911. Why not use or enter another number? Call their parents out of panic etc. I understand conserving battery, but when in panic or fear you tend to at least attempt something. All their possessions neatly placed in a bag is also highly suspicious. As if someone gathered everything idk and placed where water or elements couldn't harm. The police handled this extremely poorly."

Barbarossa170 replied: "When I told a former colleague of mine who doesn't know much else about the case about the backpack- how the sunglasses, cellphones, the camera, the bras etc. were placed inside it, his first reaction was "they went for a swim". Which gave me goosebumps considering the theory that is sometimes brought up that the girls did not go missing on the trail in the first place but went to some sort of hot springs with a group of unknown people. Considering the timeline placing them at the summit at 1300h is most likely correct there would be plenty of time for them to reach a different [swimming] destination altogether and meet foul play there. But, again, even assuming they did "go for a swim" voluntarily, their cellphones were used to make distress calls for days after their vanishing and yet still ended up in the perfectly preserved backpack. At this point we're just guessing again..."

About the discrepancy between image 499 and 500 in which the sky and shadow angle change considerably in the span of 6 seconds, he says: " I don't really see a huge red flag here. We don't see the patch of sky containing the sun (it's off-screen to the right), so we can make no conclusions if there were clouds there or not. What we do see is: diffuse light everywhere- including the foliage. If you compare 499 and 500, it's not just Kris who is lit with diffuse light, it's also the surroundings. So that much is consistent at least." "I'm also struggling to come up with a reason for a perp to mess with those daytime photos. The night time photos are another matter entirely. I'm not sure at all who took those and why." "Regarding the EXIF/ XMP data, it would be interesting to see the original forensics report from the Dutch investigators. This kind of nitty-gritty detail is often lost even on the police officers and prosecutors assigned to such cases. Given what we know from public sources the report should have clearly stated that there are anomalies in the data which cannot be explained without intervention with other means than just the camera, at which point all of the information gleaned from the data is potentially tainted and not to be trusted. Pretty much the only thing we can test as far as I can tell is the sun's position in the photos vs. the alleged time, as I did. They seem to have done that. It is possible that much of this digital mess was produced without bad intentions due to ineptitude of the Panamanian investigation. The way this usually works is that the drive containing the data (whether that's a hard drive, a flash drive, an SD card etc.) is backed up and all the digital investigation is then done on those copies to preserve the original state of the evidence. If Panamanian investigators were just completely inept as well as ill-equipped (meaning they didn't have forensic software) they may have simply plugged that SD-card into a PC and examined the files, perhaps even moved files to the PC's hard drive and back onto the card. At this point everything beyond what is actually shown in the images is pretty much completely unreliable. I've personally "lost" complete drives during forensic analysis, because of technical issues or human error. Not a problem in those cases since those were just copies, you just start over again, but if you don't have the technical know-how you can end up unintentionally destroying evidence."

Barbarossa170 acknowledges some other inconsistencies though, regarding the often changing hair styles of the girls and the appearing and disappearing 'bracelet' on Lisanne's wrist: "The hair observation is interesting. Both Kris and Lisanne have their hair done up at the beginning of the trip. At the summit, Kris has her hair open in all shots, then done up again in the subsequent shots until the last daytime photo (as you said of course). Lisanne has the hair done up in all summit photos except two, one of which is #499 (which I looked at) and doesn't appear in the pictures after the summit. This is from the blog, showing the second photo of Lisanne with open hair and #500, showing Kris. And this photo shows Kris standing in the same spot as Lisanne, with the same lighting conditions. I'm not sure what to make of this. I hadn't noticed this before. Could just be the girls letting their hair down for (some) pics and then doing it up again of course. But it somehow resonates with the arm rings/bracelets that Lisanne wears in the summit photos but not in the photos before, as if we might be looking at two separate sets of photos here somehow. I can see them letting their hair down/ doing it up again for sure. But they changed their hair style in the course of seconds for the different photos, especially on the summit." The 'bracelet' on Lisanne's wrist is probably the hair elastic (ponytail holder).

(1) Here No 'bracelets' (=hairband), hair done up:

(2) 'bracelets' on both wrists, hair open:

(3) 'bracelets' on, hair done up:

Good posts from Barbarossa. The bracelet is a hair band and coincides with Lisanne's hair being loose or tied up. It's not so much a mystery what the 'bracelets' are exactly, that is clear. The question is more so why Lisanne had her hair up and down and up again within seconds, minutes, of rushing from one spot on the summit to another one for photos. It can be vanity, girls sometimes like their photos to be taken with their hair loose or the other way around. But I still believe this detail leaves the option open that the order of these photos has been messed with and we are looking at summit photos which were taken some time apart; one set when ascending the summit, another set from when they returned to the summit from the stream and were ready to descend back to Boquete. It remains to be seen if Barbarossa's light/shadow analysis is correct, but so far the only person who did something similar is a member of the Dutch forensics team. And we the public never saw those end results on paper or heard about the details. So I consider this a much welcomed second opinion. As you can read further down this part 2 blog post, there has been a swimming photo unearthed which shows Kris and Lisanne with some male youth, who both also died relatively shortly after. I do think that Kris and Lisanne turned around after photo 508 was taken and made some more photos on the summit (2nd time). This may also explain the different clouds in the summit photos, the many shots taken in super quick succession supposedly, the changing hair styles within 8 seconds. And then went back down the mountain. The missing photo 509 may therefore not so much show a person they met, but possibly also a location which would have completely discredited the official (Panamanian) reading that they kept walking into the jungle and got lost. In fact, they went back down, were seen by several witnesses around 16:00 looking for a taxi and they went swimming. The local youth they met there.. well they met their own different fates and I think they were kidnapped afterwards. But also keep in mind here that there is one more very important witness to mention: Kris' boyfriend spoke with her on Tuesday around 14:00 PANAMANA TIME. If they really were at the stream of photos 507 and 508 by then, they wouldn't have had cell tower reach, so how could Stefan call or text with her then? (The family says 'contact' but didn't specify what exact type of contact). They told this a few days after the disappearance, very early on, when memory was still very fresh about such details. Roelie even corrects Hans on it. To me that says they turned around and walked back. In theory it also leaves the door open for a 13:45 PM start of the trail, because up until the summit there is cell phone reception. But not after the summit. 








Also check out the great artwork made by Dwain Reynolds to go by this youtube video on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne; The Lost Girls of Panama


Also check out this fab video from the same makers about the 
Mystery of Mysteries: the Dyatlov Pass Incident!

  






Below one of my youtube videos on this case, youtuber Missing Mysteries mentioned something interesting            
Missing Mysteries, June 14th 2019: "If you pause @ 12:32.... that is the exact spot where Kris was standing. Except the rock she was standing on is gone... quite literally where the stream is now cascading down.... that's where the rock was. In fact... all those big rocks are gone. Could that be from the river? Those rocks were pretty big... I don't see that river moving them. Its almost like someone wanted to redirect the stream. But why? I'm sure its not anything crazy and completely natural... just found it peculiar that those big ass rocks she was standing on are now gone.
I replied: "Well spotted!! You are right. I made photo comparisons of the photo of Kris in April 2014 and this stream in August 2014 when the Kremers family walked there. Wow, only a few months between them but there is more water and you are so right, where is the big rock where Kris stood on? Perhaps with the rain season starting late that year, by August the amount of rain flowing down had somehow created a new stream path. But how did it get rid of that large rock? Your guess is as good as mine! I have no clue how such a heavy rock could have moved by natural forces like that either... HERE and HERE are the original photos from Kris in that same stream.

I honestly don't know why some of the bigger stones would have been removed.. The rainy season did start from April onward and the video from the Kramers was shot in August of 2014, so perhaps a lot of rain had fallen, making the stream swell up. But would it have been able to dislodge some of the bigger stones? Who knows. The day after the girls went missing, there was also an earthquake. It had its epicenter more south, in David, but it was noticeable for the people in Boquete. Perhaps the earthquake was to blame? Another more far-fetched explanation could perhaps be that something happened at that point to Kris and Lisanne. And there was blood from one of the girls on one or two of those bigger (missing) rocks for instance, and it was disposed of by a 3rd party soon after photo 508 was taken? Seems really far-fetched though. Besides; the rock Kris was standing on would have been heavy, is someone really going to move it to confuse people? The missing rock isn't in the Answers for Kris video at all, so if someone moved it then they carried it completely away from the stream crossing. The key question would then be: why? It doesn't make sense for someone to move the rock, the photo of the stream crossing isn't crucial evidence or that picture would have been removed like 509. And aside from A. natural causes and B. human intervention, Jeremy S. also suggested to me a third possible option here (C): the Kremers were led on another path after the Mirador than the one Kris and Lisanne were following. He marked several routes down the Mirador, all passing the same stream, but at different locations. Could it be that the Kremers simply were led along another path and another stream crossing? 

I have to say: for me the above photos from the Kremers' video and the photo 508 are shot at the same location, without a doubt. I cannot imagine that another route, passing the same stream but at a different location, could look also so alike to the original. I just cannot imagine that, I reckon the other stream passing will look different from this one. But by itself, it is an interesting proposition; that guide took them on another route. I just have never seen photo evidence of different trails to choose from on the Mirador... Everything everyone always writes and says (incl the Kremers) is that once you follow the path (clearly filmed by them) on the Mirador, it is one ongoing clear route. NO crossing paths, no ways to go left or right, no intersections; just a clear to follow trail, embedded in rocks and walls of stone initially and then easy to follow near the streams. So where would the family exactly gave been whisked off to an alternative route? And why has no blogger or writer (as far as I know then) reported and documenten these alternative trails? Also to me the river crossing in the Kremers video is identical to the one pictured in photos 507 and 508. To assume that another trail passing the same stream further up or down the road, would look identical to it.. I find it too far fetched personally as long as there is no photo evidence to back it up. Below images of the alternative routes which could have theoretically have been taken, down the Mirador and past the first stream:


UPDATE: Juan mailed me a photo he took himself in the past, overlapping the photo 508 with a video still of the Answers for Kris videoAnd it does look to be the exact same crossing.... He first thought the same: that Kris' parents must have passed that stream on another route than the girls did. But he is now convinced it was the exact same crossing. That leaves us with the unexplained missing stones.

Update 2: see much more up to date footage of the streams behind the Mirador in my latest update blog post 4





Video footage of two photo locations: #491 and #505
The first footage is taken before the summit and can be found here. The second footage is after the summit and can be found here. It looks like these are the two locations of both photos..





Aerial footage of Boquete and Alto Boquete, where Kris and Lisanne stayed with a host family

   




More reports on local crime

February 2nd, 2021
 
I find it important to emphasize, again, that nobody has been found guilty in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. And that everybody is innocent until proven otherwise. I realize that people following this case all have different ideas and suspicions about what happened and who may or may not have been involved, but in a free democracy you just have to live with that and hope that the actual law enforcers do their job properly and give any possible suspects a fair trial (and a fair grilling.. without corrupt protection systems being put in place). I personally found it impossible to write about the details of this case without mentioning some local people who have been on the forefront. But the fact they have caught high winds does not make them prime suspects. I personally think that the people who are most visible here are actually not the most likely to be directly involved. Sure, there are some criminals in this world who love to play cat and mouse games with authorities and who show up at the funerals of their victims and who revel in meeting the relatives, or in interfering with the investigation. But they are a statistical minority. In most cases, perpetrators are protected from higher up or by their own protectors, and actually stay out of the limelight. So instead of only focusing on those who had their faces appear most in TV reports and articles about this case, nobody should forget about the silent unknown people who have kept mostly out of the aftermath of this disappearance. They may have helped with the searches, together with other volunteers. They may have put up posters. Or maybe not even that. I try to also look at general public reports about crime and violence in the area of Boquete. It does not mean that Kris and Lisanne couldn't have simply gotten lost and died by accident. Many people who follow this case believe so. We hardly know anything for certain in this case, neither how they died. But as you know, I think that Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon met foul play. Highlighting general crime in the area, for me, serves as a reminder that the local tourism agencies and the diplomats may tout Boquete as a quaint, sleepy expat village, but people actually living there sometimes tell a different story. And so do the statistics. Below some more info about all this.

A forensic anthropologist with Panama’s Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science (IMELCF), a high-ranking examiner, told Jeremy Kryt: “The lesson, unfortunately, is that women still can’t walk safely alone in the campo in Latin America.” He agrees to be interviewed only under the condition of anonymity, saying he has received death threats after discussing sensitive investigations in the past. “That [Bocas] area is swarming with sicarios,” the  IMELCF source says, referring to the cartel smuggling routes that link Panama’s porous eastern coastline with Colombia and Venezuela to the south, and Mexico to the north. “There ought to be a national red alert for foreigners, and especially women,” he says. “But of course that would be bad for tourism.” “Panama is a commercial port for the Sinaloa cartel and others,” he says, and goes on to mention both forced prostitution and organ trafficking as other threats posed by organized crime operating on the isthmus. Part of the problem is that publicizing such dangers could weaken the crucial influx of tourist money, which makes up almost 20 percent of Panama’s GDP. But the problem goes beyond a lack of will, the forensic scientist says. It’s also a lack of skill. “Without competent [law enforcement] officials,” he asks rhetorically, “how can you hope to control crime?”  -  There have been many dozens unsolved murders and disappearances in this remote, rural stretch of Panama since 2009—with more than two thirds of those in the years around 2014. In the majority of these cases, no bodies have been recovered, no rigorous investigations launched by authorities.





Boquete's forum members discussed also a warning safety leaflet, issued locally in town

By Linch K., April 16th 2014
Source 

"Despite what people in Boquete think, Human Trafficking is here and has been for a long time. Panama is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution. Although some Panamanian women and girls are found in forced prostitution in other countries in Latin America and in Europe, most Panamanian trafficking victims are exploited within the country. Although statistics were lacking, both NGOs and government officials anecdotally reported that commercial sexual exploitation of children was greater in rural areas and in the city of Colon than in Panama City. NGOs report that some Panamanian children, mostly young girls, are subjected to involuntary domestic servitude. Most foreign sex trafficking victims are adult women from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and neighboring Central American countries; some victims migrate voluntarily to Panama to work but are subsequently forced into prostitution. Weak controls along Panama’s borders make the nation an easy transit point for irregular migrants, from Latin America, East Africa, and Asia, some of who may fall victim to human trafficking.

The Government of Panama does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period authorities increased public awareness about the prostitution of children through seminars in schools and an outreach campaign with the tourism sector. Despite such efforts, the government showed little evidence of progress in combating human trafficking. Law enforcement efforts remained weak, the Panamanian penal code did not prohibit trafficking for forced labor, and the government failed to provide adequate assistance to victims and to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations; therefore, Panama is placed on Tier 2 Watch List. Recommendations for Panama: Amend anti-trafficking laws to prohibit forced labor, including involuntary domestic servitude; intensify law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses and convict and sentence trafficking offenders, including any public officials complicit with trafficking activity; train government officials in anti-trafficking laws and victim identification and care; dedicate more resources for victim services; and develop a formal system for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, particularly women in prostitution.

Prosecution
The Government of Panama maintained its law enforcement efforts against trafficking crimes during the reporting period. Article 178 of the Panamanian penal code, which was updated in 2008, prohibits the internal and transnational movement of persons for the purpose of sexual servitude or forced commercial sexual activity. The prescribed sentence is four to six years imprisonment, which is increased to six to nine years if trafficking offenders use deceit, coercion, or retain identity documents, and is further increased to 10 to 15 years if the victim is under 14 years of age. Article 177 prohibits sexually exploiting another person for profit. Under aggravated circumstances of threat, force, or fraud, this constitutes human trafficking as defined by international protocol, and carries a sentence of eight to 10 years. Article 180 prohibits the internal and transnational trafficking of minors for sexual servitude, prescribing prison terms of eight to 10 years imprisonment, and Article 179 prohibits subjecting an individual to sexual servitude using threats or violence. Prosecutors may also use other statutes, such as anti-pimping laws, to prosecute trafficking crimes. The above punishments are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for rape. Panamanian law, however, does not specifically prohibit human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor, including domestic servitude. During the reporting period, the government investigated eight human trafficking cases and seven cases of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, which is comparable with last year’s efforts. During the year, however, authorities achieved only one conviction, compared with two achieved during the previous reporting period. The trafficking offender was sentenced to 72 months for pimping a child, which was reduced to 48 months incarceration for unreported reasons. This sentence does not appear to meet the standards established in the Panamanian penal code for this crime. Authorities maintained a small law enforcement unit to investigate sex trafficking and related offenses, and Panamanian law required that one prosecutor in each of Panama’s 13 provinces be trained to prosecute trafficking crimes. One prosecutor based in Panama City was dedicated exclusively to prosecuting trafficking crimes. There were no reports of partnerships with foreign governments in joint investigations of trafficking crimes during the reporting period, although Panamanian authorities met with Colombian officials to exchange information. The government opened no formal trafficking-related corruption investigations during the reporting period. Some judges received training on sex trafficking. There were no reports of training for the members of the diplomatic corps abroad.

Protection
The Panamanian government sustained limited efforts to assist trafficking victims during the reporting period, though overall victim services remained inadequate, particularly for adult victims. Authorities did not employ systematic procedures for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as women in prostitution or detained irregular migrants. Panamanian law requires the National Immigration Office’s trafficking victims unit to provide assistance to foreign trafficking victims. During the reporting period, however, authorities did not report extending victim services to repatriated Panamanian victims or foreign victims of trafficking, and the Immigration Office indicated that there were no foreign victims of trafficking over the past year. The government continued to provide partial funding to an NGO-operated shelter with dedicated housing and social services for child trafficking victims. This shelter, in addition to another NGO shelter working with at-risk youth, and the government’s network of shelters for victims of abuse and violence could provide services to child victims of trafficking, although the government did not report assisting any child victims last year. A shelter for child trafficking victims, funded by a foreign government, was in the process of being constructed. There was no shelter care available exclusively for adult victims of trafficking. The government could house adult victims in hotels on an ad hoc basis but did not report doing so or providing any legal, medical, or psychological services or long-term care to adult trafficking victims during this reporting period. In past years, Panamanian authorities encouraged victims to assist with the investigation and prosecution of trafficking offenders, although few victims chose to do so. The government did not provide foreign victims with legal alternatives to their return to countries where they may face hardship or retribution, although in past years foreign victims were allowed to remain in country during investigations. Trafficking victims were not penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked; however, due to the lack of victim identification strategies, not all foreign victims may have been identified before deportation.

Prevention
The government maintained efforts to prevent human trafficking during the reporting period. To raise awareness about commercial sexual exploitation of children, the government conducted seminars in 84 schools, reaching 6,900 students, 230 teachers, and 140 parents. In collaboration with the ILO, the National Commission for the Prevention of Crimes of Sexual Exploitation, a multi-agency task force, sent 300 letters to the tourism sector to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Child sex tourism is prohibited by law, though there were no reported prosecutions of sex tourists during the reporting period. During the reporting period, the government implemented its National Plan for Prevention and Elimination of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents by publishing a comprehensive guide on health care of children and adolescent victims of commercial sexual exploitation and through supporting a study of sex trafficking in Panama. The government undertook no initiatives to reduce demand for forced labor.

This was taken from a Department of State Report on Human Trafficking. I thought I would put this out there since I read a post by BEC that made mention of preventing future issues. From what I hear around Boquete, most people are naïve or simply in denial. It is common around the world even in quiet Boquete. I love to point out statistics and facts, and this would be a primary reason this particular popular tourist destination was most likely selected. Keep in mind that this is the 4th case in the last 10 years, which is extremely low by most agency or country standards. However it does lend credence to the fact that it's here. There are many steps that can be taken to prevent or slow the rate of Human Trafficking, I would suggest that training be attained from Qualified Professionals in the field. And the neighborhood watch does not count, well... unless it involves the responsible use of a boat horn. If Ning users want to be proactive, and personally contribute to the search for these young ladies I would suggest going to a website named Backpage.com and breaking it up by country and compare the pictures of the escorts to those of the missing girls. I have personally worked 4 recovery missions that were given actionable intel from this site. Start with the middle east, UAE being my first choice.         

Replies (some of them)

Lee Zeltzer wrote on April 21st, 2014: "I have thought a lot before taking the action of closing this thread. It was of interest although the information cited was years out of date. Panama is a tier 2 country as are most non "first world" countries that do not fall into tier 3. Panama is not great on protection of victims of human trafficking in fact they offer Colombians a special sex trade Visa. None of this except the claim of four possible abductions in all of Panama is relevant. Since the one I know about, and the only other case in Boquete was a 29 year old British male. I doubt he was abducted for sex trade so that tragedy is probably not related to the content of this thread. I do not want to discount the problem nor the risk of abduction or being lost in the wilderness surrounding Boquete. I realize closing the barn door after the horses have escaped is important as a precaution for others still inside. There are people trying to do that now, Fran, Lori and the Spanish Language Schools are all trying to prevent this from occurring again. We are all hoping for a positive event and positive ending of this horror for Lisanne and Kris but this thread has become shopworn and is now closed."

C. B. L. wrote on April 20th, 2014: "Don't believe me then! Keep skipping around town pretending everything is la di la. Go check yourself. It's public record. Go to the DIJ and the sala judicial and ask them for files about the child porn case in Boquete. I don't need to give you specifics, do the work yourself if you want verification. I was there. I saw the kids and the perps. I don't need verification that Boquete is about to go the way of Costa Rica. [..] Isn't the sex traffic theory speculating as well? Give me a break. This is reality. I can't sugar coat this nor it shouldn't be. My heart goes out to the family, but this is the real world, the 3rd world. This idea, you call it speculating, should have been investigated on day one. Many investigations and crimes are solved in the first 48 hours, after that, the odds of solving drop exponentially. You can read about the 2007-8 case, I don't know the exact date in the Prensa archives. there is also a youtube video about child porn that mentions Boquete and that case. The DIJ has info as well. You won't read about it in any Boquete welcome center."

Linch K. replied on April 19th, 2014: "Susan, I gave credit where it was due, the call center is a good thing even though I personally disagree with it. I feel if you chose to live in a Spanish speaking country then you should be able to communicate in said language. I have no axe to grind other than AAC has no business involved in a case such as this. They should know their place and stay in it. As far as being a true professional, brutal honesty just comes with the territory, sorry my chosen profession does not afford me the privilege to hug a tree every time my feelings are hurt. I tell you what, when everyone involved with AAC produces some credentials that validate their existence, I will close my ning account and leave the neighbor hood watch alone."

Henrietta V S wrote on April 19th, 2014: "WOW! Your post - your novella - is so wrong on so many different levels it's actually quite sad. I mean WOW. Good luck with that."

C. B. L. wrote on April 19th, 2014: "Why argue with these people? They're nothing but hero complexed expats with no achievements. Ask for credentials, you get silence. Ask them for schools, nothing. All they do is brag, and brag about what they know is good for other people just to reprimand them later. You can't praise and scold in the same paragraph. Just leave them alone. Let them waste their energy.

Safe Home Security of Panama wrote on April 18th, 2014: "No one did a damn thing to research human trafficking/kidnapping or think about "what if there is one ounce of merit to the stories and the mayors warning".  Hey "we have many young people that visit here maybe we should have the hostels, and other venues have some basic warnings and guide lines for our young visitors". Thankfully my kids school did up the security and protocol for pick up at the time of the reports. We are all aware of the evil in the world, especially to young women but most made the choice to dismiss the mayors warning and media coverage in Oct 2013. Instead of being pro-active, the warnings I posted were considered rumors and made fun of. I just feel bad, if our community would have used common sense maybe two young women would be home with their families. Hopefully in the future, young visitors that vacation in Chiriquí will be given some safety advise on their arrival." [..] "I posted several stories from local tv and newspapers in Oct 2013 about alleged kidnappings in Chiriqui on Ning. Many of the usual negative people chastised me for writing and called it a rumor. Many did not take me or any of the kidnappings seriously. I was overreacting and all the media outlets were lying, even the mayor.. A statement from the mayor Nov, 2013: the Mayor of San Lorenzo district, eastern Chiriqui, issued a statement alerting parents to pending departure of students in the college, and also monitor small when they are at home. Mireya Rodriguez Moreno, Deputy Mayor of San Lorenzo district, said the statement is a warning to parents, mainly because information was received from the National Police over an alleged kidnapping in the village of Mount Boca, San Lorenzo. "Yesterday the police told us of an alleged kidnapping in Boca del Monte community. Well if the community would have taken any of it more seriously, maybe tourists would have been warned about traveling alone, recommendations about not taking rides with strangers, not hiking alone or informing foster homes where they were going and when they were scheduled to return. Pathetic... Linch..good job, tag your it!"

Mark Heyer wrote on April 18, 2014: "Linch, Your comments are right on the money, thanks. Although we don't know for sure, this event fits the profile: Attractive young women traveling UNACCOMPANIED are spotted at airports (San Jose) and turned over to catchers who befriend them and get them into a car under some pretext and convey them to the "business." Boquete itself is not being targeted, it was just the place where they let their guard down and took a ride, if indeed that is what happened. Human trafficking is an international problem, but it is also preventable if we took it as seriously as, say AIDS. Much more to be said going forward."

C. B. L. replied on April 20th, 2014: "When I started to come back to Panama to visit my parents and contracting with the U.S. embassy, in 2008, the child sex ring was recently busted in Caldera. It surprised me because I grew up here and that was unheard of. Among those found were many missing children that were kidnapped from around Panama, Costa Rica and Columbia and used as sex slaves. I did many details with the embassy and no one paid much attention because none were American. It was found that some kids were sent to other countries or even murdered. Some of those bodies were found without organs. No one can tell me crime is not a happening here. I am here because of crime, a personal one. There are murders, kidnappings, rapes, burglaries and simple attacks on people here that did not happen before. The Pianista trail is famous for those attacks. No one knows if the girls were kidnapped and used for sex slavery. It is just a theory. Another is that it was foul play, and the girls are... you know what. The thing to know is that if that's the case, the person or persons are still on the loose and will strike again. I've done too much and been though hell training to not know that. All of you should too. Take your hands from your eyes and ears and wake up."

Jim T. wrote on April 17th, 2014: "Don't forget the owners of Montañas de Caldera. Maybe this explains their disappearance.:)" [..] "When I first came to Panama I was standing in Line at the airport talking to a man from Miami. I asked why since he lived in Miami would he be going to Panama. He looked me up and down for a moment, got a small smile on his face and said "Because señor, You can get anything you want in Panama".






Panama mission doctor from Zionsville faced with multiple sexual abuse allegations in Boquete

March 13, 2018 "Mission Coffee has been a staple at the Carmel Farmers Market, practicing “entrepreneurial philanthropy” by donating its proceeds to a medical mission in Panama, according to Mission Coffee founder Peter B. But others who have spent time at Panama Christian Evangelism in Boquete, Panama, said the mission isn’t what it seems to be. They said it serves as a shelter for its founder, Dr. A., to sexually abuse teenage girls who are dependent on him for jobs and security for their families. [..] Dr. A., 79, was detained in Panama last week and will voluntarily return to the U.S. in the coming days, A spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Panama said authorities detained A. - former director of public safety for the City of Indianapolis and former senior vice president of medical and academic affairs at St. Vincent hospital - through migration law articles 50 and 63, which outline requirements for emigrating or leaving a country temporarily and give the ministry of the interior authority to expel a foreigner whose presence is contrary to national interests. 

Dr. A's wife told her of "her husband’s issues with control, anger, manipulation and inappropriate behavior with girls at the mission"

Lynn Pike of Anderson spent a week at the mission in May 2014. A campus minister’s wife and veteran of short-term mission trips, Pike said she spent the week delousing children’s hair, picking up trash and assisting students with homework. Dr. A's wife told her of "her husband’s issues with control, anger, manipulation and inappropriate behavior with girls at the mission". “I also suspected that his inappropriate behavior with the young girls was not simply inappropriate but much more serious.” So one night she reached out to the Panamanian teen to see if her suspicions were correct. When she awoke the next morning, she said she found a string of messages detailing the sexual abuse the girl said she suffered at the mission between ages 12 and 15. “My 19-year-old friend begged me not to tell a soul. Her mother, brother and she all owed their livelihood to and were dependent on this angry, abusive husband, doctor and director of the medical mission in a third world where men and white skin wield the power and influence over those they deem of lesser intellect and value,” Pike said. After much “distress and prayer,” Pike said she contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report what she had learned. An official with ICE referred Current to the United States District Court for more information. USDC Spokesman Tim Horty stated in an email that he could neither confirm nor deny a criminal investigation before formal charges are filed. 

Dr. A's wife spoke with Panamanian authorities, asking them to investigate allegations that her husband had sexually abused young girls. Court documents show that she stated that a 19-year-old female said Dr. A. inappropriately touched her when she was 13 or 14 years old, and by age 15 the two had sexual relations. In the document his wife outlines other allegations of sexual abuse she heard about from the young employee, including an alleged incident from earlier in the summer of 2014 involving a 15-year-old student/employee and allegations that Dr. A. had sexual relations with a student in 2007 and required her to get an abortion. “I had heard rumors that A. had sexual relations with minors, but I didn’t believe it considering that one time he started to touch a girl in public and I called him out on it and he told me he wouldn’t do it again and he didn’t do it again,” his wife states in the complaint, translated from Spanish. “I did see that A., while giving temporary jobs to the girls, gave them gifts and responsibilities that called for them to be near him. We had several arguments because I was not in favor of this action, but I didn’t suspect that there were sexual offenses behind all these attentions.” She later retracted the statement she gave to authorities. 


At least two girls gave testimony to Panamanian authorities in November 2014, after Dr. A's wife made her statement, outlining how Dr. A. had allegedly sexually abused them.

At least two girls gave testimony to Panamanian authorities in November 2014, after Dr. A's wife made her statement, outlining how Dr. A. had allegedly sexually abused them. One girl stated that Dr. A. repeatedly had sex with her despite her objections beginning when she was 15 years old. She also stated that she tried to commit suicide. Another girl stated that he touched her private areas when she was 12 years old. On May 18, 2015, the Panamanian court dismissed the complaints, as authorities were unable to prove that a punishable act could be tied to Dr. A. But this wasn’t the first time Dr. A. had faced allegations of sexual abuse. In October 2007, three sisters who were 9, 12 and 14 years old at the time gave statements to Panamanian authorities accusing Dr. A. of sexual abuse. The statements outline details of the alleged abuse and state that he threatened to fire the girls’ father. The oldest girl stated that Dr. A. forced her to have sex with him repeatedly beginning when she was 12 years old. Her 12-year-old sister stated that he touched her private areas, and her 9-year-old sister stated that he grabbed her private areas. But on Feb. 28, 2008, authorities dismissed the charges also, stating that medical examinations showed that all three sisters were virgins and that the Dr. "suffered from a condition that made some of the allegations impossible". [Scarlet: Or perhaps the good doctor only suffered from such 'inabilities' when it came to his old wife?] The complaints were cast aside as lies and attempts of extortion

She was troubled to see that Dr. A. would have young girls spend the night at his house when his wife was gone.

But others had also been raising questions about Dr. A’s interactions with young girls in the years leading up to the formal complaint. T. H. and her family sold almost everything they owned to move to the Boquete mission indefinitely in May 2005. A nurse now living in San Antonio, she said she helped do a lot of good during her time there, even attempting to help a very sick baby who had been dropped off, unwanted, get adopted. The family enjoyed working with the local population so much that they’d like to still be serving there. But they left in August 2006 after finding it nearly impossible to work with Dr. A., whom they had been warned about by another missionary family before heading to Panama. “They told us, ‘It’s not what it looks like,’” H. said. “They told us they suspected Dr. A. was abusing girls. They didn’t have any proof, but they suspected it.” “It was always weird to us, this man who has all this money but yet he wants to run around with little girls all the time,” said H., adding that she never saw him touch anyone inappropriately. H. said she was troubled to see that Dr. A. would have young girls spend the night at his house when his wife was gone. “That was totally inappropriate,” H. said. “We just knew you couldn’t say anything to him about it.” But looking back, she wishes she had done more. She said she wasn’t surprised to learn of the content of the allegations against Dr. A., but she was shocked that the girls shared details with the authorities. “He has so much power down there. I couldn’t believe they had stood up against him like that,” H. said. “If you make him mad he will make your life hell.” D. Emberson also “knew something was wrong” as “there was rarely a time there weren’t little girls following him around.” She found Dr. A. to be harsh, controlling and deceptive and left after seven months.

“He has so much power down there. I couldn’t believe they had stood up against him like that,” H. said. “If you make him mad he will make your life hell.” 

The missionaries weren’t the only ones questioning Dr. A’s actions. The mission, Panama Christian Evangelism, originally operated as a nonprofit, governed by a board of directors. As early as 2006, board members were troubled by Dr. A’s interactions with young girls. Board chair Joanie Grimm wrote a letter to her longtime friend on behalf of the PCE board in 2006 outlining several steps they’d like to see him take to improve the mission and its image. The letter requested that Dr. A. be more careful about his interaction with the girls at the mission. “It should be agreed that girls, regardless of the number, not be in A.’s home, truck or anywhere alone with him,” it states. Grimm said that Dr. A. didn’t seem to make any of the recommended changes and continued to see the girls, so the board agreed to dissolve. She alerted supporters that PCE would no longer need their funds. In 2012, the IRS automatically revoked PCE’s nonprofit status because it hadn’t received a filing in three years. But Dr. A's supporters say that “This has been investigated three different times by three different levels of government and everybody concluded that there wasn’t anything to it”. Nevertheless Dr. A. was arrested, also in relation to him being wanted in the US for sexual abuse of minors, and was sent away from Boquete, back to Zionsville in  the United States. "He was detained for violating Article 50 and 65 of the Panama Migration Law which states that it may deny any foreigner entry or transit through the country, as well as revoke the visa or permit if there is a criminal record in the country of origin. Article 63 states that the ministry of the interior may agree to expel a foreigner whose presence is contrary to national interests. He was referred to the National Immigration Service and is now behind bars awaiting deportation to the US  to face the criminal charges." [Source]
*****
If all this is true (and it does sound like the good doctor made such a mess of things that not even his influential position nor his money could keep him in Boquete), there was more going on in Boquete behind the scenes. This does not have to do anything with the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, but it is but it is important to keep an open mind always and to realize that the few local people we have seen appearing in the news and in interviews most of the time in this case, are not necessarily suspicious therefore. If you believe the girls met foul play as well, there is always the possibility that people who stayed out of the media for the most part and people with means and power who are protected from higher up, just stay out of the narrative alltogether. What this news about the American doctor shows is that there was an authoritative and 'respectable' person out and about in Boquete in 2014, who has been accused by many minors of sexual abuse; who was described as aggressive, forceful and manipulative and who was regularly out on the trails and in nature behind Boquete. Someone rich, intelligent and connected, with a medical background. Who - if allegations are true - not only seems to have ruined many young lives, but who also helped with the searches for Kris and Lisanne. Someone who had been working for years in Boquete at the time, when allegations came out by three different local girls in August-November of 2014 that he had sexually molested them as minors. There were other sworn statements filed against him in Boquete of sexual abuse of other local girls. This case was dropped at the time by the Panamanian authorities for lack of evidence. It is said the dr. paid a high amount of cash to the attorney/medical examiner and that the medical exam done came back “inconclusive”. Parents of the victims were bought out. That case was dismissed for lack of proof. But eventually Dr. A. was arrested and deported to the U.S. by the Panamanian authorities in early 2018. It may be a complete coincidence that all this played already while Kris and Lisanne went missing. It most likely was a coincidence and unrelated. But after finding these news articles while googling, I felt I needed to post this here for more context. [Did these girls visit his volunteer work center?] And if rich and powerful people can buy off investigators in something as - frankly - disgusting as child abuse, it can be done for a crime committed to foreign tourists as well. Theoretically, of course. Shove a guilty looking tour guide to the forefront for distraction and have the big guys handle things behind the scenes? But as usual these are all thought experiments; no hard facts. Betzaida Pitti turned the case from a crime investigation into an accident in no time. Move along people, nothing to see here! Boquete is and remains a quaint  tourism and retirement hub. 






Matt looked more closely at the night photos
Chris from Imperfect Plan published his findings. I will summarize the gist of it for you here. I will add first that I know that these photos are the more eerie and fascinating part of the case for many people. I understand that, I watched the Blair Witch Project in the cinema at the time; these photos are appearing to us like potential messages from the grave. But I personally see them as red herrings. Staged photos, taken by someone other than Kris and Lisanne in an attempt to make it look like the girls were out in the jungle alone in the night of April 8th. I've written enough already in this blog about my own suspicions, but this is why I am not that keen on analyzing these photos without end. We have already established long ago that there is no head wound or blood clearly visible on the back of Kris' head. That it is not certain without a doubt where these photos were taken (in a gully/on top of a cliff looking down/on a rock along the river looking up?) and that we have no proof whatsoever of who took these photos. No selfies, no arm or hand from the photographer visible. No bag with belongings or a leg with shoe pictured from the girls. So all the hours and metres of text spent on the analysis of these photos may just be wasted energy to the amusement of whomever did make these photos. But because not much in this case is certain at the end of the day, and I may be wrong with my suspicions, here we go. 

The quality of the photos
Matt looked at the night photos, numbered #510 to #609, which you can find in my part 3 blog. Going by the date and timestamp on the Canon Powershot SX270 HS digital camera, they were shot between 01:29 and 04:10 in the early morning of Tuesday April 8th. Of these 100 photos, only about 50 have been made public by Juan after leaks by an anonymous source in November of 2019. Matt observed that these photo files were damaged to some degree: most photos have been resized from their original resolution of 4000 x 3000 pixels. Matt writes that "the publicly available images were all resized to 1280 x 960 and 772 x 963". But just to be precise; a couple of photos that were taken on the summit are in fact 1600 pixels. For instance this one, photo #499, which Martijn Froon used as a background photo on his facebook. It has 1600 x 1200 pixels. This one is also 1600 x 1066 pixels and this one 1600 x 1205. And the last two photos of the day, #507 and #508, are also 1600 x 1200 pixels. But even then, they are unfortunately still a lot smaller than the original files. This is a problem with all the photos from the girls' memory card. They were mostly all published through media sources or leaks and all those photos were made smaller. And it is tricky to zoom in too much on them, therefore.

Nothing but darkness
Matt establishes that a lot of the night photos had their brightness and contrast enhanced in a straightforward manner before they were leaked. I assume this was done by the anonymous source, because in their original state many of the photos truly seemed to be mostly black. Matt writes that he thinks it was a truthful description by Dutch officials and the Dutch families to describe the night photos as nearly black: "This is also an explanation for the statements made by people that saw the original images. Apart from a few of the night photos, the original night photos would have been mostly black. Furthermore, it would be a fair to refer to even almost black pictures as “black” unless you are examining them meticulously, as is done here. Thus, I’d like to point out that the statement describing the night images as mostly black was truthful and not intended to be misleading."  But what the investigators said was that the remaining night photos show mostly nothing, or 'nothing but darkness'. I probably have to disagree therefore. We're not talking about inexperienced people who just took a quick glance at the photos and came to this conclusion. The Dutch prosecution had investigated these photos at that point and this includes inspecting if changes in brightness and contrast could show more in the darker photos. They already knew there was information on these photos about rocks, about trees, about surroundings. But they had no intention of sharing them with the public, and thus they were downplayed. Which in itself is fine, but based on that non-correct statement, the discussion out on the internet has been warped before these other night pictures were leaked. We could have known all along that the person who took the photos was not running around, on the run or picturing her dead friend down a ravine. On top, the following photos were also included in the 'nothing but darkness' comment and these are not photos of nothing:

Matt confirms what Juan and I also concluded, that some of these leaked night photos are simply manipulated originals with the brightness adjusted. Nothing strange about that, whomever leaked these files had clearly already done his or her homework, as we all would have done. But some of the photo numbers could be incorrect, possibly because the source may have mixed some of them up while handling/working with these photos. Matt also notices that the camera bag on the photo of all the collected belongings of the girls seems not a good fit for the camera. 

Table of the night photos
Then follows a table with all the night photos numbered below each other. There is a gap between known photos #511 and #541 (taken at respectively 01:30 and 01:37am) and Chris tries to fill in the hiatus by adding approximately 14 seconds to each photo in between. This elapse time is of course an estimation, as neither these photos themselves nor their real times are known. But it seems a reasonable estimation. The police report, as seen in the Een Vandaag tv program, only went as far as showing the data until photo 512. I'd want to go as far as saying that we also cannot even fully trust the official photo times and neither those of night photos 541-609. The source who leaked these photos could easily have added them or (theoretically) made them up. We have no certainty here. So, we also do not know if photos #512-#540 were taken for instance in clusters of quick succession, followed by a minute here or there when no photo was taken, or if the photographer indeed clicked systematically, every 14 seconds. But taking a photo with the flash on, as was the case here, would have required a minimum of 6,5 seconds per photo, Matt says. He also keeps the option open that no more photos were taken after #609 because the battery of the Canon camera ran out. But I don't think this could be the case. Because when the camera was found mid June, it was found in good functioning order and to still have normal battery function.

Camera temperature
Matt also writes: "The internal camera temperature is also recorded in the EXIF data and this temperature rose from 19C (ambient) to 34C after 331 images." Juan wrote me the temperature of the camera was around 24 degrees, not 34C. I couldn't see in his text where He found a 34C. degrees reading. Juan found these data:

               Photo 491:                       24 C. degrees.
               Photo 493, 499, 500:       22 C. degrees
               Photo 505:                       25 C degrees, the peek
               Photos 507, 508:              23 C. degrees
               Photos 542, 550:              24 C. degrees

Juan added that the camera temperature is measured with a censor within the device and that it does not reflect the outside temperature. It could be 30 degrees during the day, or -10, and you will normally still see a 24 degrees camera temperature. 

Photo overlay collage
Matt created an overlay of the night photos. A very interesting and pretty looking collage. He more or less digitally stacks a selection of the night images on top of each other, showing you how many of them overlap in the center. But also showing the parts where they do not overlap. He writes about this: "The images are simply overlaid so that common features show the most overlap. Perspective is not considered so that image that are to the sides are distorted. In order to create a perfect panorama, it would be necessary to stretch the images to correct for the perspective. Since there are not enough images and the angles they were taken under are too great makes this impossible." For each image there is a red frame that shows how the camera was held and a red dot that shows the center of each image. He also shows the process step by step in this video

Location
Matt also writes: "Although many aspects of the official investigation are questionable, it appears that there’s little doubt that the images were taken in the “Boquete Area”. Followed by: "They may not have been taken near El Pianista trail though. We cannot be certain of the precise location.". Personally I have not seen a single piece of hard evidence for this. But this is one of the biggest and most important questions regarding those night photos. Where were they taken? None of these night photos have been claimed by someone to have been for a fact taken here or there. Everybody hoped this would happen once these other night photos came into the public domain, but nothing. No official has ever identified the location of the night photos with evidence, nobody has made photos of any location and put them next to our night photos to show they were from the same location. Many people think that these night pictures were taken somewhere else entirely. Some people seem to have made the suggestion that these photos were taken at the first river crossing behind the Pianista summit, a good amount of hours of walking up north. But all the evidence for this is a photo of a rock next to the river, which in my opinion looks just like any other rock of about that size over there. Regarding collages, I did something a bit different last year, placing these night photos together by matching edges. You can read about it in my part 2 blog. Also a video from me about how the same V-shaped tree can be seen in the majority of these photos, and a video about the returning typically shaped leaf which was first confused with a dead body. 

Recreating the hair photo #580
Then follow some other observations, such as who could have possibly taken these photos (Lisanne, Kris, Kris and Lisanne, Someone else). No sublist of possibilities for Someone Else unfortunately. Matt tries to recreate the hair photo of Kris, pretending to be Kris herself. Wearing a beautiful wig :) In other words; can one take a selfie of one's own back of the head? Fast forward: no. "Having longer arms than Kris, being rested, warm and dry, not in a state of distress and having had time to think about how to take the picture and the issues that arise, e.g. how to aim. I was able to take the following image":

"I did not even manage to get the back of my head into the image." An interesting observation from Matt has to do with the location of the flash on the camera: "It is important to remember that the camera has the flash on the left side so the light, especially at close distance would come from the left and cast a shadow on everything on the right that is further away from the camera.  This explains the lower right corner where the hair is darker and appears to have a different colour.  This is caused by the flash being shadowed by the head." Matt thinks that photo #580 could have been an accident. That Kris may have been walking close by Lisanne and that she got in the way of Lisanne.... who was trying to make a 40th photo of the V-shaped tree? This is by far the most interesting photo of the series. But Matt himself also deems the accidental photo theory unlikely, because you'd need to focus to get such a sharp photo. In other words: you'd need to have intent. He also finds it astounding that Kris' hair is completely dry, with not a spec of dirt and not a single leaf or twig or anything in the hair. "At the time this image was taken Kris would have been outside for 7 days and 7 nights and it is hardly imaginable that her hair would be completely clean and dry. The only possible foreign object in the hair is in the upper left corner. This could be a leaf or torn piece of paper.  It is difficult to say for sure due to the low image resolution. I do not think that it is hair." Mind you, he worked with a wig. But he tested the wig anyway outside in the rain. "I have taken the image below after 15 min. exposure to 40 – 70 mm of rain. It is very clearly visible that the hair is very wet after only 15 min." But not a hint of wetness on Kris' hair in the photo, after hours in the rain by then. The dark spots under Kris' hair, I have discussed them for lengths in part 2 of my blog seriesMatt thinks they are shadows caused either by the flash or by two crossing hair strands. He does not believe that the spots are stab, bullet or other wounds, because there is no blood visible anywhere and no disturbance of adjacent tissue. He believes that we truly look at the back of Kris' head, not at a frontal with hair flipped over the face. Matt: "It is remarkable that the image is framed in the way to show just hair, which raises suspicion that something might have been cropped out that is not supposed to be visible."  But he sees no evidence for this in the pixelation and dimensions of this photo (although we know that it is reduced in size, like all the other photos

Who took these photos
(Photo on the right is from Juan). As for Kris and Lisanne alternating the camera to take pictures in turn that night, Matt quite rightly comments that there is essentially no way to prove or disprove this, but that it seems unlikely to him because most images show similar compositions. But if someone other than Kris or Lisanne took those photos, then there is a good chance in Matt's opinion that he had bad intentions and may have acted in a fit of rage, confusion or mental illness. (I'd say; because he wasn't completely stupid and knew how easy it was to make some abstract photos of absolutely nothing of interest in a jungle, making it look like Kris and Lisanne took them). Matt disagrees: "For someone not to at least delete the photos or destroy the camera, the person would have to be extremely stupid or a psychopath. It is unlikely, given the circumstances, that the assailants were truly stupid enough to take photos of their crime, and then let the photos get away to the police, unless they are also very incompetent, and the camera got away inadvertently." Hmmm, no. I think he may be overlooking the reality that is glaringly staring us in the face. The photos were found and did they prove that a crime took place? Nope, exactly the reverse. Did anyone high up in the investigation teams even suspect that these photos were taken by a 3rd party - despite having zero visual evidence of who held that camera? Nope. I always find it interesting to read online how many people deem this very simple thing, a 3rd party zapping away some photos of the exact same location for over three hours, some sort of extreme psychopathic scenario. It's bloody simple and effective, folks. Nothing more and nothing less. Anyone of us could replicate that string of night photos, if we wanted to. And I think a couple of hours in the rain does not deter any tough Panamanian man either, not at all, and especially not when there is a potential jail sentence on the line. It rains more often than it does not in the cloud forest above the Pianista trail, and people absolutely don't huddle around the fire all day if it does rain there. And as for someone else finding that camera and having taken those pictures; passing on the chance to gain $30.000 dollars at that point in order to make not one accidental photos, not ten, but close to a hundred? And then dumping the camera and the bag with belongings that came with it near Alto Romero, again without cashing in on the reward money? Ludicrous. Matt concludes that Lisanne most likely took these photos. 

White dots
As for the white dots, Matt believes they are either specks of rain or water drops from a waterfall, that are lit up in the flash of the camera. He tried to recreate the situation, going out at night in the rain (40-70 mm), picturing bushes and trees with the flash on. The photo was resized to 1280 x 960. Left photo is one of our night photos, right is Matt's result. His conclusion: "It is very apparent that the white objects look identical to those in the original images and we can concluded that the white objects are raindrops.  I marked one dot with a red circle as it exhibits a phenomenon caused by the flash.  It gives the drop an elongated shape and it points IN the direction of travel of the drop.  This is a completely normal instance of flashing a moving object. Waterfall spray is less likely the culprit. Based on the location of the camera, pointing away from the edge of a ledge, we can conclude that the white dots in the original photos are rain, which must have been strong at times.
"

Red orbs
Several images show red hexagon shaped “orbs” for example in image 585. Matt concluded that these orbs are caused by the flash hitting skin and reflecting back into the camera. It is possible that in our night photos, "the reflection was another person that stood close to the camera to the left of the photographer (the flash is on the left side of the lens) or it is possible that the red reflection is from the hand of the photographer who placed one hand in front of the flash either while holding the camera or while trying to shield the camera from rain with one hand. It is likely that in most cases the orbs are caused by fingers or a hand close to the flash and the lens." Very interesting. And bright blobs are caused by a skin coloured object close to the camera, Matt writes, when an out of focus object near the camera is lit up by the camera’s flash. In our photos they were exaggerated when then image’s brightness and contrast were increased with photo editing software. 

The same happened in photo #577, as I in the past already illustrated with this gif: same photo, but two versions were leaked by the anonymous source. "By increasing brightness and contrast, it is possible that even an object in focus was overblown and therefore looks like an object that’s nearer and out of focus. Here the existing bright detail was totally overblown and turned into a bright white blob."


Photo 541
Matt looked more closely at this mysterious photo. It has been the subject of a lot of discussion online, because no one knows for sure if we are looking here at an over-lit close-up of Lisanne's (or Kris') jaw and cheek, or perhaps at a finger? Especially the presence of some strands of hair is fascinating. Is it scalp hair or the sort of fine hairs some men can have on their knuckles/ fingers? Matt adds another possibility: someone’s bare arm, where we see the elbow in the lower portion on the real image (but where do those hairs then belong to or come from?). Matt: "it is very likely that this image shows skin and hair that was 12 cm or closer from the lens of the camera unless the image is heavily modified and detail lost.  However, I don’t believe this is the fact since the hair is not overblown." Matt tested if he can recreate the photo while using an artificial head "and the best I can do, with many tries, is this" And"It took me several attempts to get the camera close enough to get this angle of view and I was essentially pushing the camera into the head and holding the hair out of the way. I could still not duplicate the original. And there was not even a "upper body" in the way since the dummy is only a head.." (Left the original night photo, right Matt's photo)

Not a bad result, I'd say! Thumbs up to the model also, a makeup dummy with wig and hair tied together in a pony tail. But Matt is critical: "The photo was taken from behind. The bright area is the “chin”.  It is nearly impossible to get as close as necessary. And it would be even more difficult with a real person because their body would be in the way." He comes to a very good conclusion: "Photo 541 also shows one reoccurring problem that we see with many of the images…. even if something is visible, they show very little or it is not distinguishable exactly what they show. Although it is easy to take bad or blurry pictures, it is very difficult to take numerous obscure photos that show something but also show nothing at the same time." This is a conclusion which I have also discussed in the past with someone called David M. in the comment sections; why are all these photos so unclear? Why is it in their composition always just out of reach for us to see what we're really looking at? A few steps back before clicking the shutter and we would have known. Matt concludes that photo #541 most likely shows a head or arm or arm/shoulders, no more than 12 centimetres from the camera lens. The person was not laying on the ground (because otherwise the ground would have shown up in the pic) and the photo was taken accidentally. "The camera has a built in focus light that impressively illuminates objects and therefore, it is rather easy to take photos in the dark. Photo 541 demonstrates that the focus light was intentionally ignored in taking the photo. It must have been taken accidentally." (Of course I think this was the work of a 3rd party, who showed us just enough of a dead or incapacitated Lisanne to make us believe she was out there with Kris, alone, trying to survive). 

Photo 542 shows water
Matt believes this to be the case, because he thinks that "To the right is a small puddle and water is seen flowing into this puddle." And: "There are also leaves on the rock face which is further evidence that it is not steep." The rock face looks to be formed by water erosion, so the image must have been taken by a river, He thinks. "It is possible that this is a small waterfall and there is a river to the right. The river water levels are likely low since it had been a very dry season up to April 2014 in Boquete." He also believes that a small spindle or clip-like object is visible on the ground. He doesn't know what it is. Some rain is visible but the ground is dry or only slightly wet. "This is remarkable since it was raining pretty strong in image 511 that was taken only approximately 10 min. earlier, yet the ground is still pretty dry.


Photo 550
Regarding photo 550 Matt thinks we are seeing the red plastic from a local shopping bag and that the markers are not likely intended to be a marker. Instead it may have been used to collect water (a bad attempt at this then) or to hit insects with. Or built out of boredom... But another person could not have put the thing there. Very unlikely, he believes. Anyway, we all have our own theories. I really enjoyed reading this piece and the photo recreating attempts were very interesting, thanks so much! Great initiative and very comprehensive research. 

Last bits and pieces
-Matt thinks it most likely that the girls took the night photos in an attempt to signal someone. Search troops and helicopters were not out in the middle of the night, but perhaps they expected a house to be nearby or a farm, or even a search teams' camp.
-He thinks that the images must have been taken at the shore of a river.
-In image 550 is also a remarkable straight line visible.  This line does appear to be man made and could be a cable for a money bridge or a cable that is installed for climbing or other leisure activities. 
-Matt deems it unlikely that the night photos were cropped by someone.
-The objects in the background of #590 are less than 30m away.  
-He also sees no evidence for photo manipulation where things were added or erased from the photos.
-Matt deems it possible that more photos were deleted. "It is possible that unwanted images were deleted as it might have been done with image 509.  This would require that there are gaps in the image numbers, like image 509 is missing or that all images were renumbered and the EXIF data edited.  It is possible that images after image 609 were deleted.  Considering that at least one image is missing, it is possible that more images were deleted." 

Update: The night photos have by now almost completely lost their fascination for me. It was chilling to first see them. Then it was interesting to look at those newly leaked night photos last year and to discover that the 'body' was just a leaf which came back again and again in the photos. Or to make the first overlap collage and discover how the night photos were NOT taken while on the run, or even while moving. But I don't think much more can be extracted from them. Certainly not who took those photos. And the location has so far also proven to be too vague and generic to be discovered, going by the continued lack of hard evidence of the location of this spot. These night photos were not made by Kris and Lisanne in my opinion, so analyzing the work of a 3rd person for years on end is probably useless up until a certain point... They seem to have been made vague and dark and non-descriptive on purpose, by whomever took them. 





Newspaper La Estrella de Panamá published a guide for tourists and hikers back in 2014, preparing anyone for a jungle walk
July 9th 2014 - "The disappearance of young Dutch women Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers in the Boquete area has been the front page of the main national media during the last weeks, and it has also had an international impact. Without entering into speculation of what were the real reasons and causes of this disappearance, it seems obvious that people very often venture into nature without the right equipment and precautions, thinking that they will enjoy a simple walk, without realizing that many areas of Panama's forests are still very remote and desolate. On this subject, check out my last collaboration with newspaper La Estrella de Panamá.

EXPLORING NATURE The love of excursions to the countryside and the mountains has become popular lately in our country, but we must take certain precautions so that they do not end up becoming unpleasant episodes. The news of the disappearance of two young Dutch women in the area of ​​Boquete when they were apparently trekking the area, has unleashed a deep public debate in recent weeks about the dangers that such situations can entail. Panama has many forest and mountain areas that can be ideal destinations for outdoor and country activities, but you don't have to be reckless: take care of the activity planning, as well as the equipment that we are going to take with us.

THE PREPARATIONS When going out to nature, the most important recommendation is not to go alone. Having at least one or several companions (better if someone is an experienced guide) will be vital for emergencies, and for a successful rescue if needed. Family members, friends or authorities in the area must be informed of our planned route and schedule. We always have to obtain prior information on the route, distance and difficulty of the route that we are going to make, as well as consult the expected weather conditions, postponing the activity if they forecast heavy rains and storms. Before starting the route it is suggested to apply insect repellent, and even if it is jungle land, wear the legs of your long trousers tucked into long socks, to avoid unwanted visitors.

THE PREPARATIONS When going out to nature, the most important recommendation is not to go alone. Having at least one or several companions (better if someone is an experienced guide) will be vital for emergencies, and for a successful rescue if needed. Family members, friends or authorities in the area must be informed of our planned route and schedule. We always have to obtain prior information on the route, distance and difficulty of the route that we are going to make, as well as consult the expected weather conditions, postponing the activity if they forecast heavy rains and storms. Before starting the route it is suggested to apply insect repellent, and even if it is jungle land, wear the legs of your long trousers tucked into long socks, to avoid unwanted visitors.

MINIMUM TEAM We must wear comfortable and appropriate footwear for the ground you'll hike on, as well as resistant clothing if we are going to transit through areas of forest or closed jungle. You always have to bring water and some food, preferably foods that provide a lot of energy and that are light to carry, such as nuts, cookies, chocolate, or fruit, even when we only anticipate a short journey. If we are going to make a long walk of many hours, or if we even have the plan of ​​spending a night in nature, it is convenient to carry in our backpack the following implements, protected in plastic bags: an identification and some money; a clock or GPS to control the time and distance travelled; dark sunglasses; cell phone with charged battery; an emergency kit to treat cuts, blisters, insect bites and relieve of pain; toilet paper; a whistle to make us be heard from a distance; flashlights or headlamps with charged batteries to illuminate at night; sunscreen cream; a raincoat for rain; spare clothes, especially socks; a lighter in case you had to make fire; a machete, knife or razor to break through and cut; Quality tent / sleeping bag if you have to spend the night.

DURING THE HIKE It is necessary to maintain a constant rhythm but adequate to the capacities of the less strong member(s) of the group, so that the group always stays together. Make scheduled stops of 5 or 10 minutes every hour to rest. None of the members should stand anywhere where they cannot see the others, because when you lose track of your team for even a short period of time, you may end up lost if the land is dense wilderness. With steep slopes it is preferable to climb them in a zigzag motion, and when passing through private farms you have to leave the gates closed to avoid their cattle to flee off.  Do not ingest natural fruits or fungi that you find underway if there is no full conviction that they are edible.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY If due to bad weather conditions, disorientation on the route, exhaustion, accident or illness, we must suspend our planned itinerary or be rescued, the following tips will be very helpful: if one of the members of the expedition cannot continue the hike, others they will seek support while someone stays with the injured / sick person; if we lose the path we should be following, it is best to return along the same route looking for the starting point, and not improvise alternate routes; In case of a thunderstorm, you have to stay stuck to the ground squatting away from metal elements and trees.

RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT In nature we must have environmental awareness, leaving the areas we pass in the same conditions in which we have encountered them. Therefore it is not necessary to cut or destroy vegetation on a whim, or more than strictly necessary to facilitate a passage. We will never contaminate water resources with soap or detergent, we will carry the waste with us back in a cartridge intended for that purpose, and our toilet stop needs will be away from camps and roads. In case of lighting a fire, do so with caution and only in authorized places, paying attention to the direction from which the wind blows, and extinguishing it perfectly with dirt and stones on top once we leave the area.

CANINE COMPANIONS Many people like to take their dogs on the walks in the countryside, both for company and for protection. Keep in mind that not all races are trained to withstand intense physical exercise, so they should not be accompanied by specimens that are not accustomed to long walks, are old, or are sick. Dogs have a very good sense of smell and sense of direction, being able to give advance notice of the presence of certain animals or unscrupulous people and defend ourselves from them. You always have to count on that, just like we will need water and food, and although they will usually walk without a leash in unpopulated areas, in case of camping at night they should be left tied tightly next to our tent.





This writer from local Boquete forum said about the Kris and Lisanne disappearance on April 23rd of 2014:

"Youth has nothing to do with it. You only have to be fearless and trusting to become a victim. Maybe only trusting. It has been over three weeks since their disappearance, and while I would like to think they might still turn up alive, the odds are not high for that happening. There was a university student that was killed a year or so ago and it was said that it was to harvest organs. While older people may be mugged for money, young people may be mugged for more sinister reasons. [..] I believe the population of Boquete is doing all that can be done in the search, however, crime investigation is not one of Panama’s strong suits. I hope there is some finality to this case by the time I return from my trip, but I wouldn’t count on it." - Nevertheless the official Panamanian reading is that Kris and Lisanne got lost and fell off a cliff.

Then follow a host of safety advises for those living in the Boquete region, underlining that even back in 2014 it was not the peaceful sleepy expat-retirement village that the Panamanian media wanted to portray it like: "While I am gone, I want you all to be cautious. Be aware of your surrounding and who is close by. When you get out of your car, lock it as you stand by it. Do not walk away and lock it as you walk. When you get money from an ATM, do it is a secure location and be aware of anyone watching you. There are many areas even in David that it aren’t wise to be walking at night. If you do so, don’t do it alone. Don’t make a practice of wearing a lot of jewelry. Leave gold watches and large diamond rings at home. In fact, it is better not to bring them to Panama. Panama is a poor country. It is easy to be a target if you appear to have money. It also doesn’t have to be that much money. Don’t allow anyone to enter your house that you don’t know. There have been recent cases of people dressed in high profile company uniforms that appear to do repairs that don’t work for the companies. All doors should be locked at all times. Unlock to leave and lock once outside. In this house, every bedroom is locked when we retire for bed. That is right, All rooms have doors with locks and all of them are used at night. Iron gates are double locked. Once with a lock and chained and locked. Our neighborhood is vigilant for strange people and cars in the neighborhood. Most houses have dogs inside and or outside. Our neighborhood also has a paid security that patrols at night. Some houses have alarms and cameras. There is so much beauty in Panama and it is such a tranquil place that it is easy to lull yourself into thinking that nothing can happen in paradise. If you live correctly, you will most likely enjoy Panama. If you live thinking that nothing will happen to you in your neighborhood, them you may have a rude awakening. It might be to a man standing over your bed with a gun. The current case of the two Dutch girls is another wake-up call that everyone needs to be careful. My heart breaks for the parents who are wondering what is happening and can do nothing but wait. Be safe."

Ross Blankert replied on April 24, 2014: "[..] My advice is the same. Don’t be a target. Don’t do stupid things. I don’t go out at night. I don’t drink and I try to make friends of my neighbors. For the girls, I believe these two spent time on the internet in the Bibliotecha each morning."





Boquete's forum members discuss a Jeremy Kryt article and a removed news item that said Lisanne's entire foot was found in June and that it was intact
By GP91, July 31rd 2016
Source and source

There were two interesting discussions on Boquete's own forum community, called Boquete Ning. I highlight a couple of things that were discussed mid 2016 about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. These are people commenting on this forum who mostly all live in Boquete.

"The title of this second article ['The last man to see the lost girls of Panama alive', by Jeremy Kryt] in the series is misleading, as the writer did not even get an interview with the unnamed guide thought to be “the last man to see the lost girls of Panama alive.” And then the writer says in the article that this local rancher/part-time guide was “one of” the last people to see the women alive. Other questions/inconsistencies that have surfaced in this latest installment from The Daily Beast:
-  “The pulverized remains weren’t sufficient to determine the cause of death”
-  “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.” - What witnesses? When were the girls last seen by the school/hostel? Why is there no interview of the staff of this small school/hostel?
- “Early the next morning, Kris and Lisanne set out to climb up to the Continental Divide on their own.” -  How is it known they were on their own?
- “Contradictory testimony from eyewitnesses also hampered rescue attempts. It would be months before investigators confirmed Kris and Lisanne had in fact set out on April 1, instead of the day before.” - Again, what eyewitnesses? When were they last seen?
-  “The pack was wedged into a mess of flotsam on the bank, the Ngobe woman said, and she was sure it hadn’t been there the day before.” - So the backpack had just recently washed up, after over two months in the elements, but in good condition, with cash, phone, and cheap sunglasses intact? 
-  “By the end of August, a total of 33 skeletal fragments had been linked to the missing women using DNA tests. Twenty-eight of the recovered bones were the small metatarsals of Lisanne’s left foot, still in its boot and sock, and reportedly found behind a tree near the river.”- We are not anatomists, but according to Wikipedia, the human foot has 5 metatarsals, and a total of 26 bones.

  Further, we remember seeing photos and reading at the time of a complete foot, undecayed in the boot, which was a shock to the examiner conducting the autopsy. 

There was reported at the time a part of a pelvis found and identified, why no mention of that? And finally this journalist does not bring up the fact as stated by La Estrella de Panama at the time that Kris was wearing brown boots as was apparently Lisanne, yet the empty blue boot that came forward as evidence was assigned to Kris, without DNA testing.
- “If it was really an accident why couldn’t they find more remains?’ says guide Tornblom. ‘Where are all the big bones? Where are the skulls? There are no animals up there that would eat a skull.’”-  Good questions.  If you were finding “pulverized” bone “fragments,” why wouldn’t you also be finding large bones?
- “At some later point, the same guide who first invited the women up to the Divide became involved in the search for the girls. ‘He’s the last guy to see them alive—and then he’s the one who finds their bones,’ says fellow guide Tornblom. ‘Something about that just feels wrong to me.’”-  So is this unnamed guide in question thought to have led the Ngobe search workers to the bone fragments they then collected and submitted?? And how exactly does anyone find bone fragments washed up on a riverbank?  And if they were submitted by the Ngobe in a bag to authorities, how does anyone know they came from the riverbank?
This writer has a lot of questions to answer, and in a short amount of time/space… If this journalist is going to focus on a guide, who according to “witnesses” met with the girls concerning a hike to his ranch, as the “last man” to see them and a possible suspect (really these theories are not explained clearly at all in the article), then why did he completely ignore at least two others in national/international news reports from the time who saw them after that? 
-  One, taxi driver Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez, who died under strange circumstances in a river in Gualaca in March, 2015, and was headlined by the Panamanian news as having been investigated for having transported Lisanne and Kris to the Pianista trail. (Fallece taxista investigado en caso de las holandesas, tvn-2.com , 03/03/2015 - 7:54 AM,  also in elsiglo.com, critica.com, and laestrella.com)
-  Two, “an inn keeper” who saw them on April 1, “when the women asked him for directions for their hike. Tired, they later returned to the man and asked for help getting back to town. Police said the man advised them to take a taxi, but he said he didn't see whether the women returned to town or went back to the mountain.” (Dutch Police Hint at Criminal Activity in Women's Disappearance, NBCNews.com, Apr 22 2014, 11:47 PM ET

Also we did a quick search for the whole foot and boot online as it was all over the internet when it was first found. Can't find it anywhere, just the empty blue boot. Changed dates, changed evidence- is this rewriting history?

Concerned replied on August 1, 2016: "In this article Jeremy has accepted wrong information about the date (April 6th) Sinaproc started searching the Pianista and surroundings. The date of April 6th serves as a basis for the following proposition present in his article: If Sinaproc would have started their searches earlier than April 6th, the two young ladies could have been found alive. Well, Sinaproc did start searching earlier than April 6th. At least TWO days earlier. Why didn't Jeremy verify this properly? Numerous postings in BoqueteGuide/ning at the time show when and where the searches were taking place and there are numerous other records, here is one of them. Sinaproc was physically involved in the searches as from April 4th. So, to go back to the proposition: If Sinaproc would have started their searches earlier than April 6th, the two young ladies could have been found alive. Sinaproc started on April 4th. Were they found alive? No. Were they found at all? No.

GP91 replied on August 1, 2016:
 "Yes, proposition is unfounded based on inaccurate dates given, not to mention other factors.  Also we did a quick search for the whole foot and boot online as it was all over the internet when it was first found. Can't find it anywhere, just the empty blue boot. Changed dates, changed evidence- is this rewriting history?

Concerned replied on August 1, 2016: "In all accounts about hikes on the Pianista trail, there are encounters with others on the trail. Regardless the weather conditions, rainy or not, muddy or not, there is always someone else on the trail. The trail serves as a pedestrian highway between Bocas and Chiriquí. So why should two beautiful young ladies be the only ones not to have encountered anybody on this trail? On a warm, sunny and dry day without any mud on the way? Here are some recorded encounters. You can find more recorded encounters along the Pianista trail in internet. For instance the most recent one, the Colombian lady who went missing. She supposedly bumped into her saviour Aristides."

Paul Jones wrote on August 1, 2016: "Personally, I would not consider it accurate to say that someone is always on the trail. In the half a dozen times we've hiked Pianista, I've only come across one other person, and that was a farmer working off the trail in the land before reaching the actual trailhead (there is a significant hike from parking to the actual trailhead). 

Concerned replied on August 2, 2016: "That's good to know. How far on the trail did you get? Did you cross the CD? One of the links I posted, shows an encounter with 1 person behind the Mirador so at the bocas side."

Paul Jones wrote on August 2, 2016: "We would only go to the CD [summit] and turn back. However, since the search on Pianista, we no longer hike this trail."

Concerned replied on August 7, 2016: "3rd part: The Lost Girls of Panama: The Camera, the Jungle, and the Bones. If the two young women were at the river crossings, than that alone is proof for them not being lost. The crossings in question are found on the main path. Why would the two women want to cross at night? How sneaky. Why not in daytime?"According to the official necropsy reports, those fractures could only have been caused by a “fall from a high place,” likely while Lisanne was still alive." The same forensic expert who examined the bones and who worked on that report, Van der Goot, says that those fractures don't have to be caused by such a fall: The fractures can easily be caused by long distance hiking. "every year we see such injuries in hikers".

Regardless the weather conditions, rainy or not, muddy or not, there is always someone else on the trail. The trail serves as a pedestrian highway between Bocas and Chiriquí. So why should two beautiful young ladies be the only ones not to have encountered anybody on this trail?" 

Concerned replied on August 8, 2016: "I understand what you mean. But sadly enough, the parents were compelled to accept the lost and accident scenario because they did not get any support by the Dutch authorities. There are many discrepancies in this case that could still be tackled."


And GP91 wrote another great post on August 7th 2016
"There is no evidence that the pictures were even taken by the girls.
1.  There is no picture of the girls, lost and in the dark.
2. The time/date stamp on this camera can be changed. According to Wikipedia entry for this model, “the timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.” Therefore, someone who got their camera could have stood in the same spot and clicked the camera repeatedly, and even changed the date and time while doing so.
3.  None of the pictures are clear, so the writer had to draw in and explain in great detail what we are supposed to think about them.
4.  Pictures taken over and over in the same spot in the dark were stated to perhaps be  (Lisanne) “trying to use the camera to tell us something she thinks is important,” but it is anyone’s guess what that might be.
5.  The picture “possibly” showing a wounded Kris is not shown or verified by anyone as Kris, nor where she is. Yet it is used as the sole evidence for another far-reaching theory of how Lisanne may have left her there.
6.  Articles placed around the rocks and identified as “possibly” signals for rescuers could also be entirely consistent with a cover-up of a crime. Anyone could have put them there. Then the article presents the thoughts by email of Dr. Reichs, “world-famous forensic anthropologist and best-selling author,” who offers these theories: A “flap of Lisanne’s skin that survived intact” can be explained by rainforest “micro-environments.” Concerning the fragmentation of the remains, she says, “Further damage from animal scavenging can be very diverse due to multiple transport modes: avian, fish, turtle, crab, small and large carnivores, etcetera.” (Though there is no noted damage to the remains from animal scavenging_. And her most 'powerful point': “Why would any criminal or criminals ‘leave cash, a passport, and electronics in the back pack?’”(That is a no-brainer, because again, it would be consistent with the cover-up to a crime).

Other Ning posters have spoken very well to questions about the conditions of the trail and how the girls could have ended up at the cable bridge, which was still part of the trail. And further, no one saw them there over the span of several days? None of this is in keeping with them getting lost, or that they even would have attempted to go this far.  It is a stretch to think they did. Yet this entire article engages in wild and far-flung speculation, to arrive back at the official conclusion. Major unanswered questions remain, that fit a “crime and cover-up” more than “lost in the jungle”:
- The backpack and bag of bones brought in by the Ngobe, and no one even knows they were ever at the river.
- The condition of the backpack and the contents (they sure don’t appear they were ever at the river).
The condition of the remains, and lack thereof.
The forensic reports, and lack thereof.
The lack of interviews as evidence from multiple eyewitnesses, including: guides (the one named in part 2 and Walter’s), hostel/school staff, people who sighted them near the trail (and don’t forget Blue), the Ngobe man and woman who reportedly found and brought in the bag of bones, and others.
- The reason for this whole article which leads us in spite of all these unanswered questions to believe, “this is a story with no real villain.” Therefore, we do not even know that Kris and Lisanne died on the Serpent River. Boquete, the authorities of Panama, local resident expats, the school/hostel who received them are all responsible to take care of guests who come as tourists, or to do volunteer work. If there was a failure, then it is the responsibility of those in the community to submit the facts of what is known for the safety and decency of the community.  Further, if this is a crime, the perpetrator went too far this time, and the international community will find out what happened.  He/they left too many clues.

Paul Jones replied on August 7, 2016: "I, for one, do hope that answers are found. No, Lisanne's father had not accepted the "lost in the forest" theory the last I heard, but this was around the time I attended the candlelight vigil in the square. I'm sure there's no harm in any new information coming to light. I hope someday it does. I've always leaned towards the foul play theory, due to several factors, but I'm definitely not sure of anything at this point. I do think that a particular guide and his son should have been investigated, and seemingly was ignored, as they own a place near the Pianista and he was one that was in the middle of it all (down to actually finding remains). That being said, I'm sure we don't know all the info obtained in the investigation. The government does have the motive to lean towards a lost girls theory, as tourism is good money in this country."

GP91 wrote on August 8, 2016: "Walter, I didn’t know the investigation was closed. Concerning “Mission Director,” if you were here, you would know he’s still cruising the streets. So again, why did you take your replies off the first part post about the missing girls?"

Concerned replied on August 8, 2016: "I still have to read the 3rd part properly, but I can say this: the forensics expert said that the girls "intelligently" left signs. How intelligent were they then?
- intelligent to knowingly cross the CD? Knowingly, because apparently they knew that the trail took to Bocas province, they were told the day before. They knew that they had to turn around to get back to Boquete.
- intelligent to supposedly follow the trail up to the official river crossings and not to take any side path? Many a time Boquetenos warned about the Path: "El sendero se bifurca..."
- intelligent to stay hidden for a full week and not to make photos in daylight?
- intelligent to make strange photos of their signs in night time?
- intelligent for not leaving a message to their loved ones, in plain Dutch instead of in gibberish (their signs)? I understand that hikers in distress leave such signs, but they also had the opportunity to leave some kind of message in their phones.
- etc"

GP91 wrote on August 9, 2016: "Thank you Walter for clarifying some important information. You are forgetting, however, that “Dutch police said an inn keeper saw them on April 1, when the women asked him for directions for their hike. Tired, they later returned to the man and asked for help getting back to town. Police said the man advised them to take a taxi, but he said he didn't see whether the women returned to town or went back to the mountain.  Dutch police spokesman Bernhard Jens said Tuesday on Dutch media that "it was unlikely the women would have returned to their hike." NBCNews.com, Apr 22 2014.  There were other reports of them at the time that they were seen on their way back to town.  So if anyone reading this has a sighting to report, it would be helpful to post that to establish again if the girls returned from their hike or not. And Walter, are you saying that the guide you talked to and know is the same guide Jeremy Kryt is referencing in the second part of his article as “the last man to see the lost girls of Panama alive”?  If not, please clarify.  Because again, if Jeremy is zeroing in on your guide, seems like he didn’t do his homework if this guide was already thoroughly investigated, and wasn't the last one to see them."

Concerned replied on August 9, 2016: "A Panamanian criminologist studied this case too. I don't have the details at hand, but you can find some in the internet, published by La Estrella. Her conclusion was clear: manipulation. I wonder whether the Canadian criminologist mentioned in Jeremy's account, has studied the whole picture or whether she only looked at the photos and concluded that the girls were very intelligent to use their toilet paper. It's the pattern that counts. The selfies and demeanour of the girls before they reached the Mirador, and records of whatever happened after are a huge contrast."

GP91 wrote on August 9, 2016: "The job of an expert who’s analyzing photographs is to determine the time of day they were taken by the shadows from the sun which is fairly easy to do, the dates and times on each picture’s original jpeg file, the number sequence, camera name, person’s name, to first establish if the files have been altered.  Instead of that to attempt to figure out what is going on in someone’s head by looking at unclear and dark pictures, is strange fiction.  No, nothing too intelligent here."

Concerned replied on August 10, 2016: "I agree. The authenticity of the nightly photos remains uncertified."

GP91 wrote on August 10, 2016: "Why wasn't it certified?  Does anyone know who has the disk from Lisanne's camera?"

GP91 wrote on August 10, 2016: "To say that we shouldn’t look at what may have happened to the lost girls because it is too hard for the families or just too sad and uncomfortable is one thing. But to say after all the questions raised by professionals who have looked at the case and now again this investigative reporter that the possibility it was a crime is near “zero” is demonstrating extreme defensiveness of the “official” conclusion, to say the least. These girls’ smiles are etched in our minds. To think a possible perpetrator(s) may still be running free in the area should drive us all to find answers in this case. In addition to many unanswered questions and discrepancies, there’s the witness of absolutes. In spite of our instructors telling us from the 60s on that there are no absolutes, now that we are old we realize indeed there are. There are absolutes in chemistry, biology, physics, that can’t be changed. One of those absolutes is that when we step out of our body, it starts a process that returns us to the earth. This process is consistent, you can google it yourself.  

To simplify, the body will be nothing but skeletal remains within as little as a month in hot climates and two months in cold climates. The only “micro-environment” that would slow this process would be refrigeration (temperatures between 2 °C (36 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F)).  

The environment of these trails and the Culebra River with its temperature, moisture, and diverse and abundant scavengers, insects, and microorganisms would in fact speed up the process. Delivering the remains to the authorities in a plastic bag, with no crime scene to examine, eliminated the evidence that this environment would have provided.  What were the examiners supposed to do with that?

Concerned replied on August 10, 2016: "Thanks for sharing. However, many discrepancies remain. Firstly, the girls had dry sunny weather and could tell the difference between the Bocas and Boquete side. It is new for me to know that they were offered an excursion to the finca behind the CD, just the day before (or perhaps 2 days before?) I assume that the cable bridges were described as well. In other words, at some point they should have understood that they were descending on the wrong side. But no, the supposedly went on, kept low, kept quite for a full week, making no photos or selfies at all and then decided to make pictures of their signs AT NIGHT. Why not in daytime? There are other ways to make signs without offering the only pair of pants you are wearing. And place them at an official crossing near a cable bridge?"

Concerned replied on August 11, 2016: "I think the family has or the Dutch / Panamanian forensics. But it's my guess that the disc will not be released. The data should have been analyzed."

Concerned replied on August 11, 2016: "I appreciate your standpoint. Yes, I have hiked in the jungle, many times. And I know that you can get lost and unlost. I agree that it is hard to find the way in the dark, but why oh why would the girls have attempted to cross a dangerous cable bridge AFTER MIDNIGHT? Why not wait till sunrise? After a full week in the jungle?

GP91 replied on August 11, 2016: "The Panamanian examiners did the best they could with what they were given, and reported accordingly. Does anyone remember what was actually submitted of Kris and Lisanne’s remains, as reported at the time? The story from The Daily Beast seems to be altering and leaving out details of what is known of the evidence, in its quest to settle the “no villain” conclusion. 
Lime was found on the femur and left foot of Lisanne, and the pelvis and rib of Kris“This would explain the state of the bones; without traces of blood, appearance almost intact, off-white, and without trauma”
- “The bones found do not have marks from the current or from blows by rocks...”  Further “at the beginning of April the Culebre River did not have the force sufficient to sweep a person away.”
- “The evidence showed the first signs of decomposition and was covered in dust. The remains were found on 29 August.”
“If we suppose that the girls died during the first week of April, right now, after 5 months of death, larvae shouldn't be seen. This points out that the body is or was kept in a humid place, under shadow and in low temperatures, according to the reports.” (i.e. refrigeration?)
- “During an examination to the tibia, the medical examiner stated that it didn't have any alterations.  When he cut the bone to the bone marrow, he detected a dry, well-kept bone without any signs of putrefaction. The same happens with the femur, where the bone marrow is almost intact. How could the persons who picked the bones conclude that the mass covered with earth was part of the evidence?”
- According to the criminologist Calderon, “We don't know if it was plain ignorance or a plan, but all the information that could have helped us find out the truth behind this case was destroyed”. Los huesos presentan rastros de fósforo, Laestrella.com, 24 Sept 14

Concerned replied on August 12, 2016: "This is about it, I think. The journalist who wrote this report in La Estrella took the trouble to visit the IMELCF where she was shown around and where she interviewed the examiners. If I recall correctly, the examiners were struck by the piece of skin. How could it have been spotted and recognized as such by the finders?"

GP91 wrote on August 12, 2016: "Yes, they were surprised.  That is a huge red flag on this evidence. Use of lime by a perpetrator on the bodies would have explained the condition of the bones and why a piece of skin could have escaped decomposition as the spreading of the lime was uneven. Another quote from the first article above regarding this: “Humberto Mas, director of IMELF, is analyzing the possibility that the dismemberment of the bodies is a product of treatment with lime. Mas explains that the effect of lime is corrosive and previously he has had the experience that by covering the body with calcium oxide it is possible that the extremities are detached. If we continue this line of hypothesis, this would explain why the left foot does not present traces of cutting.”

GP91 replied on August 12, 2016: "True. The zigzagging conclusions of The Daily Beast on this story and the final angle of “lost in the jungle” is yet another huge mystery in all this. For any police investigator, this is in your face, a crime. One thing we can say for Walter’s posts about the guide in question, he might have saved him from getting thrown under the bus, as that seems to be where Part 2 of the article was heading. Clearly a crime of this nature would have had to involve more than one person, and someone who could/would plan out psychopathic twisted trails of evidence, much like a crime novel. 

Concerned replied on August 12, 2016: "Tnx. It doesn't make sense to spend a full week in the jungle, not making any photos nor selfies (even if you are in distress) and then decide to cross a dangerous cable bridge AFTER MIDNIGHT. Unless you are fleeing from somewhere. That criminologist from Montréal failed to point this out."

Concerned replied on August 13, 2016: "The photo of the cable bridge in Jeremy's article, where the young lady wearing the green shirt is crossing the bridge: she is walking in the direction of Boquete. Westbank = boqueteside, eastbank is Bocas side. Kris' pants were supposedly found on the eastbank. She therefore supposedly had crossed the river already (from Boquete to Bocas). Or: Lisanne managed to cross the bridge in the direction of Boquete, coming from Bocas. So presumably on their way back from where?"

GP91 wrote on August 13, 2016: "Very interesting points.  Either scenario is illogical and unbelievable, to take your shorts off and leave them “zipped and folded and set on a rock high above the water line” perhaps “placed at the crossing as a marker” as per The Daily Beast.  These are apparently the same shorts that were later found to have “no evidence of blood or DNA” per the lawyer quoted in the La Estrella article “Los Huesos Presentan Rastros de Fósforo.”  Even top Boquete Ninger Walter blogging from Montreal concluded in what was to be his “final post” that the shorts could have been “placed to draw attention to the fact that there was an accident.”  It is not a fact that there was an accident.  What is a fact is that this article from The Daily Beast is the latest chapter in the continual manipulation of the evidence and story of the missing girls." 

Concerned replied on August 14, 2016: "IF the girls are the authors of the night photos and the timestamps are authentic, then what do we see? The night photos (taken AFTER midnight) are close-up images. One (or more?) shows a close-up of what is supposed to be Kris' hair. That would indicate that Kris and Lisanne were next to each other at that moment on one side of the river. Presumably the side where the items were placed? The items and the paper seem to be DRY, indicating that they had just been placed. In other words: Kris removes her pants and places them on a rock and then crosses the bridge. Remains the crucial question: why in the middle of the night instead of waiting till dawn? And why try to attract the attention by placing items if you are sneaking around in the dark? Because of the fall? And seeing the place where the items were placed (if correct), then couldn't they have just climbed out of there? And, being an official crossing, wouldn't anyone show up eventually? I don't believe that these 2 young women would have created so many questions for their loved ones without leaving behind some kind of concrete message in their mother language."

GP91 replied on August 14, 2016: "These are all key questions.  So, this series of images all taken at night; none are clear; supposed markers placed in odd unintelligent way; though the girls were likely weak and possibly injured, one or both had the strength to cross the bridge and place the shorts high on a rock; no one saw them over a week span on a main trail at an official crossing; and…no note/message/picture left to loved ones in their native language.  That this could have actually happened as presented by the articles defies the imagination.  It appears to be a total and complete illogical, botched attempted cover up of foul play, no matter what levels of status were solicited for help."  

Concerned replied on August 15, 2016: "And TWO governments go along with it, shaking hands."

Concerned replied on August 26, 2016: "There is something else: one of the phones (Samsung) connected to GSM on April 2nd."

Guy Craig replied on August 28, 2016: "Money and expensive electronics left in a knapsack? .... not very ominous."


And GP91 wrote another great post on July 25th 2016
"Sure, everyone for a time was led to believe that the girls had likely gotten lost and perished in the jungle, which is entirely plausible.  But if the investigative journalist at the Daily Beast and others he interviews and provides documentation from were nearly sure of that, then he would not be providing this investigative report with so many question marks, including:
- “Why had so few remains been found?”
- “Why were there no marks on the bones?”
- “What did the presence of other human remains mean?”
Why “after the discovery of the identified remains, [did] Panama’s attorney general [call] the case ‘a crime against personal integrity,’ but when forensic examiners reached an impasse, the Panamanian government simply declared the case closed”?
- Why does the lawyer for one of the families believe “the evidence seems to have been manipulated in order to hide something”?
- Why though there were “more than 30 unidentified fingerprints” on the backpack did Panama fail “to record prints from any of the Indigenous people involved in the case”?
- How can “the intact conditions of the clothes and wallet,” backpack, and electronics be explained?  (and we heard reported that the pack was found hanging on a branch, not “washed up on the riverbank”; which was it?)
- Why is it that “no forensics examination was ever done at the crime scene”?
- Why as Concerned already posted did “none of the dog teams ever [get] near the scene either—including the Dutch dog teams”?
- Why were the local resident Ngobe the acting ‘forensics’ team, with the bag of bones they brought in not even verified?

Though we can’t imagine the pain of the parents of these girls, a full investigation of whether or not it was in fact a crime would serve to PREVENT other victims and other grief-stricken parents.  So we look forward to follow these reports and anything else that comes out to see if any light will be shed on these unanswered questions."

And GP91 wrote on July 24, 2016: "I also find it interesting that I saw the Volcancito Mission Director (who we've posted about before) visited by the local police for advice about the missing Dutch girls (so he told me after they left) the day before the backpack was found.  He also announced at Sunday night church early in April that he had gone with his head groundskeeper to help with a search on the Pianista Trail, as a good Christian should do. So glad this case is being investigated.






Disappearance of Dutch women affects tourism in western Panama

May 30th, 2014
Source
"The disappearance at the beginning of last month in the sector of Boquete, western Panama, of the young Dutch Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, aged 22 and 21, respectively, has affected the economic activity of this area based mainly on tourism. According to a report by the Boquete Chamber of Tourism, published today by the local press, the impact on tourism has basically been due to inaccurate information on social networks and electronic media. The morning paper "El Panamá América" ​​highlighted that these versions confuse people abroad and "mistakenly sell Boquete as an unsafe district." The president of the regional Chamber, Jorge Tovar, estimated the damages that have occurred in the area at 10 percent, although he indicated that the economic losses could not be quantified now due to what has happened. Tovar added that the effect of "the bad image" created by the news among tourists can be clearly seen with the reduction of the so-called "backpackers", which are the travelers who are more exposed because they do not make reservations and arrive in the district. for recommendations.

"75 percent of Boquete's economy is generated from tourist activities"

He recalled that 75 percent of Boquete's economy is generated from tourist activities and, he ventured that there will therefore be damages if the other side of the district is not sold, which includes the security and diversity of activities that people can carry out. He calculated, as it was added, that each backpacker spends an average of $150 a day in the community, paying for lodging, buying food in supermarkets, transportation and expenses for activities such as hiking and canopy, among others. He added that the problem goes much further, because in the district (of Boquete) there are 46 businesses dedicated to hosting tourists, including hotels, hostels and cabins, and that they are already receiving calls from tour operators to cancel reservations, specifically to cause of the news about the disappearance of the Dutch. The Chamber acknowledged that tourist activity is low at the moment in the area, but that generally people prepare for the months of July and August, when the summer holidays are given and the increase in flights from Europe is expected. It was added that there is therefore concern about the repercussions that may have due to the disappearance of the two young women.

Ramón Hernández considered what is happening worrisome, and assured that it is urgent to ask the media to handle the information about the Dutch with much more restraint.

The vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Chiriquí -province border with Costa Rica-, Ramón Hernández, considered what is happening worrisome, and assured that it is urgent to ask the media to handle the information about the Dutch with much more restraint. Tovar immediately explained that strategies are being considered to try to counter the negative image that the case is giving Boquete. This week a team of rescue experts arrived in Panama from the Netherlands, accompanied by 13 dogs to help search for the young women. According to some known versions, the young women disappeared in the mountainous area of ​​Boquete, and when they were apparently preparing to start an excursion along an ecological trail with a guide, F."  -  Here the article is discussed on a local Boquete forum. 







Telemetro's video report on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, translated in English

Aired on youtube on January 7th 2015. I translated a Panamanian report on the case from Spanish into English for you and added subtitles to the video. I do not speak Spanish, but there is a way to reliably convert the audio into text, and translate it like that. Apologies if small errors slipped in. I add the translated video here and will write out the translation text below also. 

Presenter: "It was between March 31 and April 1, when Boquete, little by little, learned about the news. Two young Dutch tourists, Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, had been declared missing two days before we went up the tourist trail of El Pianista. Everything pointed to the fact that they were lost in a closed forest in the Pila International Park, thousands of hectares between the rescuers and the European ones by land and air. Sinaprocs' own volunteers in the area tried to cover all the possibilities. It was a mobilization that was never before seen in Boquete's history, but so far the mountain has swallowed some clues about the girls' disappearance. Boquete is known worldwide for its climate, its wooded and mountainous areas, but above all for its people and safety. Coming here is for many foreigners a beautiful achievement in their lives. In fact, some 60,000 people a year come to Boquete's national parks, but especially foreigners. Some of these last foreign adventurers, sometimes in that quest for adventure, break the rules and may face danger." Local: "Including women, single ladies, and girls aged 22 to 26"

Presenter: "Lisanne and Kris did not go straight to Boquete, but first spent time in Bocas del Toro, where they made all kinds of friendships in their adventurous quest. There was a desire to volunteer, helping Indigenous children in the area. Tobias: "Where they disappeared, they didn't have a guide, no." Other guy: "They didn't have a guide?" Tobias: "But neither did they have plans to - mumble mumble - go (there?) with a guide." (I struggled with the translation of these three sentences, but KaT came to the rescue, thank you so much! Scarlet). Tobias is a Dutchman who runs the Spanish school where the two young women interacted. He says that many like them want to venture out alone, without guides. "The reason: it costs a lot. Of course."

Presenter: "It is six o'clock in the morning and I am here in Boquete, right on the path that leads to the Pianista Trail. A mountainous area. Here's where the women were last seen, at least by the taxi driver. I go with a guide, Mr. Ezequiel Miranda, who has years of experience in the area. He is a guide and also a conservationist. And with him we are going up the same route that the young women apparently took before they disappeared from the sight of everyone in the area. But instead of the morning, these two young women of 22 and 21 years of age walked the trail in the afternoon. A five-hour round trip was waiting for them. Most likely they would be caught in the evening. 

Dozens of tourists come up here every day, so it didn't attract much attention from Mrs Oliva, who lives nearby. I only saw them for a few seconds. She adds that they were quiet. "Then I was struck by the short pants they wore and the amount of bare legs. They will get sunburn that way without skin protection, I thought. And I thought about how they were going to get scratches on their legs once they got up." Presenter: "In total, about four residents, plus the taxi driver who drove them to the spot, saw the women for the last time. From here onwards, rumours arise. One of them is that they might have been intercepted by strangers."

Resident: "They are not here. They have them. They were moved elsewhere. Let's hope so, right? God willing. But this case is so difficult. If they had been on the mountain, we would have found them by now". Presenter: "There are at least two testimonies, among these that of the taxi driver, who points out that some time after the climb, these girls saw an off-road vehicle arrive in the area. The road narrows and we haven't even climbed the mountain range yet and there is no sign of any kind. There is a lack of warning or attention, or at least something to guide the person who is climbing, whether he is a national or a foreigner. Where are you? How many kilometres have you travelled? How much farther do you have to go? And the most important thing: where do you have to go? For several days, the possibility that the young women met foul play was gaining strength in the face of the fruitless searches in the forest area. However, getting lost here included the possibility of falling up to 50 metres or taking routes that could take you to the province of Bocas del Toro in the area. Mr. Ezequiel Miranda: "You will always go down, down and there. And there are several similar very steep rock faces and cliffs, many similar or much, much larger than this one." Our guide is sure that walking at night is almost fatal, but a third clue points to possible assault on these tourists. And that would not be the first time.

In fact, they assure me that a few months ago a married couple was attacked when they were making this same journey. Local living on the trail: "Know that the police have assaulted foreigners. Yes, yes". How did they assault them? Explain to me. "Well, they say hooded". 

Another local: "The situation is emerging that Indigenous people who live in the area observe the tourists when they arrive. When they leave the area they assault them, often with a knife and they take away everything of value these tourists carry on them."

Presenter: "[Two hours into the climb] There is a fork here, there are two different points, two different trails, and I myself at least brought my guide along here and he can inform me of where I am supposed to be going. But these young people who unfortunately went up without a guide, could easily get lost."

[This seems the voice over from guide F. but it is more likely Ezequiel Miranda] "You can walk in all sorts of directions, believing you are able to walk in there. The paths take you to the central mountain range, which is the highest point on this trail. And when you get there, if you lose track because you don't have the experience of walking in the mountains, you can walk towards Bocas del Toro thinking that you are going to Boquete."

Woman talking over the radio: "Law enforcement officials are requesting that if you have more knowledge of what happened during the past month to share it, because there is little concrete data."

Presenter: "Because there is little concrete data, the Complex Case Analysis Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office intervened. Many people fear that the disappearance of these two young women goes far beyond them getting lost deep in the forests. The families of each of the young women expressed their gratitude for Panama's support during a press conference, while increasing the reward from 30,000 to 40,000 dollars.

Representative of the girls' families: "Maybe there are some new news signs, of which we do not know if they are positive or negative. We don't know what." Presenter: "There are reports based on the arguments issued by different sources. It reflects the four main possibilities of what could have happened to these girls. An attack by attackers in the forest area, who have left the country without warning now or who disappeared in the thousands of hectares of forest. [In the background you can read: *Abduction in the wooded area; *Attacked by assailants; *Departure without notice from the country; *Lost in the forest.]

A local: "People comment that it is extremely rare that these type of girls have disappeared in this way, without leaving any trace. If they did get lost, we would have found at least some traces. For instance, some piece of clothing on a fence they passed can sometimes be found." 

I have noticed that since their disappearance, the Boquete forces have been rethinking the issue of security, even though Boquetes criminal level is one of the lowest in Central America. They know that they cannot turn their backs on the current reality. Interestingly, when a young foreign woman is asked what level of security she uses when she arrives in Boquete, this is her answer: "Nothing". "Nothing?" "No"

The family of Lisanne and Kris clings to any data or rumour, like never before. They have faith that everything will end soon. Mother Lisanne: "We call for people to please, please share it if you know something."

Sometimes a mother's distress does not require any translation. Only Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremer know. It is the faith of despair. Two families who saw how that which began as their daughters' adventure, turned into their worst nightmares. 
On camera: Hiceki Santamaria.
Reporter for Telemetro Reporta: Ángel Sierra Ayarza





Another Telemetro video report: La ruta de las holandesas, su última caminata - translated in English

"The route of the Dutch, their last walk". Aired on youtube on August 8th 2014. I translated it from Spanish into English for you and added subtitles to the video. I do not speak Spanish, but there is a way to reliably convert the audio into text, and translate it like that. Apologies if small errors slipped in. I add the translated  video here and will write out the translation text below also. So this video is a reconstruction of the route the girls may have taken. I wrote in the past that the presenters of the Travel Channel were among the first ones to show us how (long) you have to walk from the Pianista summit to the first river crossing, but this presenter does it too (and already in 2014), accompanied by local guide Laureano. Although the presenter does a good job and tries to really examine which tragic route the girls most likely took, and to experience what Kris and Lisanne would have been through if they had kept walking on and on, this video differs from the one I translated yesterday, the video in the topic above this one. That presenter leaned towards foul play. This one hardly wastes a word on a foul play scenario, and neither do the locals and the guide who are interviewed. They all believe that Kris and Lisanne made it to the cable bridges of the 2nd river crossing and that they both perished here. The current then washed away their belongings and remains. Interesting comment I heard from Laureano and the presenter, as they made their way to the Mirador: Two hours later we reached the mountain range. This is the only place where there is a mobile phone signal.  Does this mean that under the summit, on the Boquete side of the mountain, there may also be no cellphone reception? Not on cloudy and foggy days at least? We still have the small mystery of Kris' parents declaring that Kris' boyfriend Stephan had last contact with Kris by phone at 14:00 on Tuesday April 1st. When they were far beyond the summit according to the camera times, in a zone of which everybody seems to agree that it has no cellphone reception.

In this video reportage, there are some subtle magical realism terms added here and there, which could have come from writers like Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez perhaps, about the mountain and the jungle being very beautiful but also luring you in, far away from civilization. As if these forces of nature have a will of their own and are containing dark energy. Anyway, that's more the personal feeling I got from watching and translating this video. It is more material of interest in this case. Even though I believe that just because this terrain and these circumstances allow for tourists to get lost (and they do at times), this does not mean that they can stay lost there and stay hidden with half the province out looking for them. This presenter was one day late and already Sinaproc were out to pick them up. With the help of a GPS device they gave the presenter and the tour guide before embarking on their hike, but still. The search area to cover wasn't massive (when you compare it to an area like the Darién Gap). There is also a lot of weight given to the findings of some of the clothing of Kris along this route and the bag and shoes and foot. But findings those remnants along this route deep into nature also does not mean that the girls were out there alone, or even that they themselves left them there at all. Neither was it explained by the presenter or the guide how both or even one of the girls could have stayed alive for at least 11 days, if the location of their demise was a day's walk up north, to the 2nd river crossing. The iPhone from Kris was still used by day 11. So what did they do in the 10 days in between? This river crossing was searched at the time and is passed daily, yet nobody found them here. Anyway, here we go: 

Presenter: "Because doubt still persists about which route the missing Dutch women took in Boquete, Jaime Saldaña went into the mountain that divides Chiriquí from Bocas del Toro to try and find out what could have happened to these young women."

Betzaida Pitti: "One of the findings belongs to the young women".

Presenter: "It's six o'clock in the morning and we're starting to climb the Pianista trail at the break of dawn. And here is Laureano, who apart from living in the sector is also going to serve as a guide. We are carrying the provisions and also a GPS apparatus that SINAPROC provided us with. Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers entered this trail at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. [Scarlet; this was apparently still assumed back in early August 2014]. According to witnesses, it is a wooded, forested area with a cool atmosphere that makes you fall in love with your surroundings. After 20 minutes walking, there are already different trails. Are we on the right one? Where are they leading to?"


Laureano: "The path of the Pianist (Pianista Trail) is heading towards the mountain range".

Presenter: "So whoever follows this route has to take this way?" 

Laureano: "To the right-hand then another path, where they have to pass a fork in the road" [? I don't understand what is said then, something about the mountain payback according to the translation device] 

Presenter: "And if someone doesn't know where to go and takes this wrong route here?" 

Laureano: "They may be lost at once."
Presenter:
 "You don't have to walk far to find the first stream. You cross about five such creeks before and after the summit of the mountain range. Some even have a little current and others dangerous ones. At this one we found a shirt and underwear in the nearby bushes. The guide says that they could have been from Indigenous people who pass through the place often. Two hours later we reached the mountain range. This is the only place where there is a mobile phone signal. 
Then there is the viewpoint, the Mirador. After a little more than two hours of travelling, we arrive at this point which divides the province of Chiriqui with the province of Bocas del Toro. This is the main point of the route; the point where any tourist wants to arrive at to observe the two oceans in both distances, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The fog does not allow to see this now, but if a tourist arrives it is almost obligatory to get to this point and from here to return to the Boquete sector. The experts say that the foreigners decided to follow the trail from here. That whole walk is downhill and when the girls went here, it was already getting dark along the way. [Scarlet: they still believed the old timeline then].
Presenter: "What could have happened to them at this point where we are going down?"
Laureano: "I think that they were deceived at the top of the mountain range. They continued on the same trail, thinking it would lead them back to Boquete. But instead, they were walking away, towards Bocas del Toro."
Presenter: "And at night it is impossible. You see much less."
Laureano: "You see much less and everything is mountain. The only thing you see here is the path."
Presenter: "After five hours of walking, exhaustion is inevitable. On the route there is a lot of water, but nothing to eat. The trail becomes narrow, almost impassable, until you reach the first arm of the river Culebra." 
Laureano: "Hold on to the waves. Lean on the stick".
Presenter: "After that hour, we obviously got caught in the rain here and we wondered if the Dutch girls passed by here, how they managed to cross the river. 
Laureano: "We conclude that they did pass by here, but we keep in mind that at the time, in early April, there was not as much current here and there was a tablet of that stone in the river which they could step on. One could still pass through here safely and without any problem, therefore."

Presenter: "The rain was brief. We continue among pastures where we see a destroyed NÁM hut. The young women were able to take shelter. However, the people of the area believe that that night, with the darkness and fog, they may not have seen the hut. They continued to walk to the second arm of the river. This tributary always has a current. The hypothesis of the people living in this area is that the girls could have entered through here, this way." 
Laureano: "Yes." 
Presenter: "And what could they have passed?"
Laureano: "They didn't dare go over the cable wire. Maybe they looked for the trail. They have had to go down to the river to drink water and try to cross the river. [The rest is] History."

Presenter: "And that's because down this river, down the river, is where they found the bones and so on." 
Laureano: "Yes they did. From here to the villages. Over there."
Presenter: "For those who know the place. This was the final destination of the Dutch. We were going all the way to the Alto Culebra. Two more rivers have to be crossed on these cables. We reached our destination 12 hours after we entered the trail. Ángel was the one who made most of the discoveries, who did most of the findings. But he revealed something to us that the Prosecutor's Office has not said. Clothes were also found, according to him. Clothes from Kris Kremers." 
Ángel: "Yes, I found the clothes." 
Presenter: "What kind of clothes were they?"
Ángel: "They had a light colour. [Inaudible for me, sorry.. seems like he says 'No glaring']. We found that [the clothes] that day already, arriving at the second cable up there." 

Presenter: "On the way back, he showed us the place where they found the remains [the clothes], below the Culebra River crossing. All the findings were made at a spot before other rivers and streams join, to continue towards Sanguinolenta.
Ángel: "In front of the Alto Romero community they found a bag and it had not previously been there. Not even the presence of authority has been seen here. So we proceeded to cooperate, to search, to see if we could find things that belonged to them. We could find more and then there was the surprise in others who found the pink [Scarlet; the foot?] and the shoes. That is what we found."

Presenter:
 "On the third day we returned, it was dark and we hadn't reached the halfway point. We had to take refuge in a small-scale ranch. It is now already the third day of the trip and the intention was to leave for Boquete, but the first cramps and pains in the legs have started. This didn't allow it [to move on]. The rain didn't either. But we were able to take refuge in this ranch, something that would be difficult for a person who does not know this, because this ranch is off the path or the trail that goes from the planet to the Alto Culebra sector, where we were located. In the morning we came across a team of SINAPROC. We had by now built up a delay of a whole day from what we had planned.  At this point we had no more provisions."
SINAPROC member: "We already ran into people and took them with us at about half an hour from the Pianista's viewpoint. Let's see, they are keeping up well. They are getting food. I was about to go down."
Presenter: "We were prepared and still we had problems. Maybe Kris and Lisanne just thought they'd enjoy the trail for a while, but let themselves be carried away by its charms. The four day trip to the mountain range made it clear to us that precautions have to be taken. Or the mountain will cost you dearly.










I received some interesting observations from someone called Jeremy, who pointed me to a possible hiding of the dog Blue in one of the photos from April 1st

He found an image on a Russian forum on this disappearance case (when your computer allows you to auto-translate, it is very well readable when you're not speaking Russian), where forum members really studied photo #491, taken at 12:03 AM - according to the New Timeline. So after some meddling in photoshop with the photos brightness and contrast, people think they may have found, in the bottom right of the photo, the dog Blue. I have to say, I had to ask Jeremy for an outline of the dog, as I didn't see it myself, but after he kindly did I did see what he meant. The dog appears to be keeping himself cool in the shade, laying down with his mouth open or even his tongue hanging out. Of course, this may be like one of those infamous Rorschach tests; either you see 'it' (and once you do, you can not easily 'unsee' it), or you don't... So I may see things that really are just the equivalent of a suggestive ink dot, but is it possible that the black and white outline on Blue's face is visible here?

The colour pattern does roughly match the real colouring of Blue I think..? The white patches with the dark above. Of course, when you look long enough at something, your mind can see mostly anything in it. In the original photo I hadn't noticed a dog whatsoever and the tongue/mouth looked to me like the extension of a sunlit leaf. I truly saw nothing in the original, but did my own attempt to lit things up with some simple photoshop actions; adjusting brightness, contrast and such. I ended up with a photo with lots of chessboard type of patterns all over the place. Asked Juan about it, he said: that's due to the poor quality of the photo (which isn't the original from the girls' camera, but the photo we could all see through leaking of it in the local Panamanian media). This photo we have only has a small size: 1024x768. So once you zoom in or enlarge the photo, you can see the strangest stuff, according to Juan. But truth be told, once being pointed to this dog outline I find it just as hard as Jeremy does to not see the lighter and darker patches that could be the dogs fur markings, the eye sockets, the ears and one leg (dogs front left). Jeremy emphasized that it’s also the sort of behaviour dogs are prone to in warm weather; to lie down in the shade, sometimes with tongue hanging out, once the humans stop for a break or to take photos. Interestingly, if it is in fact the dog, then that implies the picture of Kris may have taken some time. The camera data does show that aside from this photo #491, another photo (#492) was taken within a minute. So they did stand still for a bit. And if the dog Blue was indeed with Kris and Lisanne on April 1st 2014, when they ascended the Pianista Trail, then that also tells us something perhaps about what may have happened to them; I don't believe that a known to be loyal dog like Blue, who features in several blog posts from tourists he accompanied on their own walk up there, would voluntarily leave Kris and Lisanne alone. He would more likely have been sent away then by them or by someone else, or got scared by something, or perhaps (theoretically) a relative of the owners of the dog - Giovanni and Doris from the Il Pianista restaurant at the start of the trail - 'may' perhaps have even been up there and took the dog back home (some locals linked him to a youth gang). I don't even exclude the possibility that Blue was never up there. Update: IP had insight into the police files and all the photos and confirmed that there is no Blue the dog visible in any of the photos on that camera from Kris and Lisanne.  

I asked Juan about this photo #491, where Jeremy outlined the contours of a dog. He said: "I looked at the original photo 491, and I understand what and why he has outlined this. But I am afraid it is pareidolia [the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as seeing shapes in clouds, seeing faces in inanimate objects or abstract patterns]. Its something I am guilty of myself too at times: we have little to go by in this case, the photo resolutions are poor [we've got most of these photos through media leaks or publications and they down-scaled the photos size], so when you just glance long enough at a photo and blow the size up enough, you will find something. Your brains will make connections. If you look closely at the zoomed in photo 491, you see these patterns of black and white squares turn up all over the background of the photo. Yes, you can vaguely see a dogs outline, but then you see similar patterns all over the forest, criss-cross, only in the other cases they don't resemble a dog. Problem is that if there would really be a dog lying there, its outline would be more clear than this. It wouldn't be looking as vague as a ghost then. I think this is just coincidence and the result of too low a photo resolution. But it's normal to see all sorts of things when zooming in, as this case is lacking in material and we all desperately want to solve it. Something else however, I think, is the more than prominent photoshop suspicions of photo #499. There you really do see dark contours around the arm, seemingly something that was forgotten to be erased. Or Lisanne's face which looks blown up suddenly, as if it was stretched. 



DISCLAIMER: The quality of many (not all) of the photos is poor. The reason for that, as I also understand it from Juan, is that most (not all) of the photos as we know them have not been officially released by the family, but instead have been leaked to the press. It was Panamanian media who printed these photos, always readjusted the size of the original photos therefore, and most are only 1024x768 in size nowadays. Lawyer Arrocha also gave a photo to a befriended journalist who posted it. And Dutch TV programs like 'Een Vandaag' and 'Break Free' also published some in their TV programs on this disappearance (whole series with subs can be seen in my main blog post on this case); there we had to work with screenshots from the broadcast in the case of some photos, which resulted in even worse quality photos. There is also a better photo here and there, one of Lisanne's relatives uploaded a large size photo of the girls on the summit as a facebook background photo and that one has a better resolution therefore. But the majority of the photos are too poor in quality to allow for proper zooming. Which... results in us seeing all sorts of strange things when zooming too much. It makes reliable analysis of the background impossible in most cases. The family hás been asked to publish all the original photos, to give the larger community online the opportunity to help 'detective' along, but they're not all that well-wishing towards 'us'. So it is not the camera's fault. The original photos have a decent good size. It is the result of these photos having been resized before publication (after leaking) and us having to do with these second hand versions. My verdict: there is no dog visible here. It's pareidolia. Question then: did his owners really say they saw Blue walk off with Kris and Lisanne? And if they did see that, how come there are no photos of the dog?Just to be clear once more: I share on this blog all sorts of information on this case, including other people's theories. Just because I share them with you does not mean that I myself believe in each and every one. Try to keep in mind that this is a cold case currently and that not even the cause of death of Kris and Lisanne is known. Let alone what exactly happened. So any theory that could be theoretically true, I try to cover here.







I received more interesting observations and ideas from Jeremy. I will paraphrase some of it here

He wrote that nighttime pictures may really not have been taken at the second monkey bridge, as is assumed by some people. Or at any monkey bridge for that matter. J. doubts that their location was in fact by the rocks or on one of the riverbanks near one of the cable bridges, because to him, the specific patterns of rock eroding on the nighttime photos point more towards a place with consistent water erosion: for instance near a waterfall. J. looked at many pictures of the rocks surrounding the various cable bridges over the river: the rocks are right next to the crossing and whilst naturally higher than the river, these rocks are significantly above the river bank. Looking at these rocks, they are towering (in height) above the surrounding ground. So water erosion should only be seen on those rocks that are directly near the cable crossing and which thus catch water. [Or these high up rocks should be subjected to flooding regularly, perhaps, but the river had been very low and calm for a long time already however in the first week of April 2014 and the rain season had not yet started]. The rest is too far away and above the water to get that type of erosion.  Honestly, I am not a biologist myself and I do not know if this is a correct assessment. Perhaps the markings on the rocks from the nighttime photos were created by mosses or after rainfall or whatever, I honestly don't know and it must be difficult to judge with certainty based on photos for many people. But I do like people who think outside the box and there may be truth to these assessments perhaps. So it's worth exploring a bit. -  But, the nighttime pictures do show rock that is not only elevated by the look of it, but that also shows the effect of water erosion, J. thinks. Going in the direction of the drop off. He claims that the only type of place that has permanent erosion at the edge of a drop, are places surrounding waterfalls. Waterfalls also tend to have considerable drops offs, otherwise they'd just be rocky rivers rapids. So J. proposes the theory that the night pictures therefore weren't taken by a bridge, but by the edge of a waterfall. This may also explain another problem with the nighttime photos: One of the pictures is meant to show rain, even though the picture that covers the immediate area to its left shows no rain. [Same for the 'SOS' photos; supposedly taken on the same night, but there is no clear rain damage seen on the mirror or on the toilet paper - something which is usually clear to see, just try it yourself and spatter some water on toilet paper]. Of course, it could just be fine rain - even though the drops that light up in the flash look of a normal size. But maybe another possible explanation for this, J. proposes, is that it's actually water spray from a waterfall that lights up in the flash from the camera. Hence why you do see water drops against the dark background, but no real signs of water on the rocks and anything placed on top of them. This also means that the place where these night photos were taken does not necessarily have to be on top of a waterfall, but could also be (theoretically) around a mid point - a waterfall often has a series of levels. Then spray droplets could quite easily be in one picture and not in another, taken in the area immediately adjacent. 


And another interesting aspect of the waterfall theory, is that often near waterfalls you can find caves. The lawyer of the Kremers family as well as the parents have long suggested that these photos could have been taken from a cave. (I don't see that myself in the photos however; they seem to have been taken outside I think, but it is true that despite the rain, there weren't many water drops on the actual camera lens in the night photos). Perhaps that could also explain why Lisanne's remains managed to stay intact for as long as they did; in late August 2014, a rolled up ball of skin from Lisanne was found after all, and turned out to be rather intact and in a very early stage of decomposition, just like her foot; this did not fit the time since death and the forensic specialist has stated that her remains must have been kept or stored therefore in a cool and dark place.... Indeed, caves generally are noticeably cooler than the local area. But even then we have the problem that her bones were found nowhere near a cave, and in fact near the hamlet of Alto Romero. There has been no information released however on the exact finding spot of the rolled up skin that belongs to Lisanne... The fact that many people have made the good point that the location of these cable bridges are far from desolate,  reinforces this theory; the places near those monkey bridges have been searched and the girls were not found there. They are also daily crossed by people and have inhabited finca's nearby. No sign of the girls ever having walked around there or been looking for help there. Also, I am not convinced that the "give away" sign for the location of the nighttime photos are some cables in the background of the plastic wrapper photo. In the attached photos you can see where some people think those lines may be visible. I don't see them very clearly myself and even if they are there, they don't seem to match the direction which the cables make on photo. See my attached photo where I showed the cables direction with red arrows. None really match the very low (supposed) double lines in the nighttime photo. And none of the rocks appear to be near the point where these cables come together in reality. J. is also not convinced that the digital camera time and date stamp are 100% reliable, so doesn't rule out the option that these nighttime photos were not taken in the early hours of April 8th, but instead may (theoretically) also have been taken much sooner, even on the morning of the 2nd day already. 

Waterfalls in the area So, J. wonders if there are many waterfalls in the area, and if so, whether or not they lie on the same main trail which the girls walked, or on a branch off the main one perhaps. Or perhaps there are more waterfalls in the area that are not on any trails, and only known to locals or guided groups. Waterfalls in the vicinity are the Three Waterfalls, also called The Lost Waterfalls. This chimes in with the messages I received from Sas, and which I already posted. I will combine these two updates therefore as there is a good overlap in information. So how far is the area of the Three Waterfalls (aka The Lost waterfalls), from the Il Pianista Trail? In this blog post, hikers describe it as follows: "Today we had something much more mellow in mind – we wanted to get to the “secret” waterfall that Susan and I had not seen yet, but the others in our group had been raving about. The trail begins at the Il Pianista Ristorante (outstanding Italian food, BTW) in the Alto Lino area just north of Boquete. You need to wade across the Rio Pianista after 200m, but then it’s a steady, leisurely incline for 2km before you start to climb a steeper, narrow path. Today, we were accompanied by two young guides, Jefferson and Miguel (as it happens, these cousins are nephews of our gardener, Sergio) – and it was a good thing, because finding the waterfall required us to get off the trail and take another cow path that leads into the cloud forest. We could not have found it on our own. Since we’re right in the middle of rainy season, it was a pretty muddy slog – but not too bad."  - So part of the trail is indeed the same route that Kris and Lisanne took. But then you deviate (to the left on the map) and go in another direction. Still, it is technically very well possible that Kris and Lisanne wandered around in the vicinity of where their last normal photos were taken, and ended up near the hidden (and thus not that easy to find) waterfalls on day 8. And with all the talk about the night photos 'possibly' having been taken in a cave - which has never been identified further by the way - these waterfalls also are near a cave: "Upon your arrival to the second waterfall you can explore an underground cave and enjoy a picnic at the base of one of Boquete’s most exquisite waterfalls & rejuvenate yourself with an invigorating shower in the falling waters." Issue is that they are often visited by tourists, as well as by volunteers and search teams, ánd that they are only about 20 kilometres/15 minutes drive away from Boquete... So why wouldn't Kris and Lisanne have been found if they were holed up there?


So the waterfalls are in the vicinity, but not very close by. It's a big hike to the west. On a smaller map of the Il Pianista area, websleuth member Matteo_111 has discovered some side trails. See the map he made on the right here, with the side trails marked in red. We know already that you can reach the Lost Waterfalls by cow paths through the jungle, while starting at the Pianista Trail, as the cited blogger confirmed this. Matteo_111 may have marked this path on his map, or maybe the cow path is too small to find on satellite images online.. So it is possible to reach those waterfalls from the north-east, if you are desperate enough to get there. But it is not the official way to get there; these three waterfalls lie on private land and you normally need to sign in to enter the grounds. But maybe there is another way to reach the waterfalls without having to pass the main entrance and sign-in post, when going through the jungle and coming from the other side.. The Lost waterfalls also have a cave. At first glance it does not look like the nighttime photos though... 
Blogger Ian Mackenzie wrote about his hike to these waterfalls on August 2018: "My hike to find the “lost waterfalls” of Boquete began. A hike that would find me climbing up through thick jungle via a steep, muddy and rocky trail, occasionally aided by ropes. A hike that was undoubtedly one of the most taxing I’ve ever done. But one where the payoff of three beautiful waterfalls surrounded by jungle dripping with every hue of green imaginable was more than worth the effort. Located just outside Panama’s backpacker and ex-pat hub of Boquete up in the coffee-growing mountains of Chiriquí Province, the lost waterfalls aren’t really “lost” at all, of course. “Hidden waterfalls” would probably be a better description." He wrote about the first of the three waterfalls: "Directly ahead of the trail, a huge stone wall covered with foliage played host to a single-drop fall that plunged into a deep canyon below. I looked for a way down to its base for a closer look but that proved impossible. So instead, I made the most of my time alone to enjoy what seemed to me like a hypnotic slice of jungle paradise. Where the only sounds were the persistent calls of the forest and the plummeting river. A lost waterfall indeed. And then it was time to move on deeper into the jungle. The lung-busting steps that led up from the waterfall eventually brought me back on to the main trail. And that was by now on a distinctively upward trajectory."


And about the second waterfall he wrote:  "So, after checking out a nearby cave, I took the rope-enabled trail to the top of the waterfall and stepped out on to the rocky precipice. Holding back the vertigo whilst triple-checking my footing on the slippery rocks, I stood there for a while to drink in the incredible view over the jungle canopy to distant Volcan Baru. Once again, without anybody else around, it felt as if I’d truly found something special. I’m sure that in the high season (between December and March) this spot wouldn’t be so tranquil. But right then, at that moment, it seemed like this jungle wilderness was just mine to discover."  -  So there is a cave, visitors can go in and April would be outside of the tourist season and possibly not very busy there... 



About the third waterfall Ian Mackenzie wrote:  "Things started to get very serious when I set off again in search of Waterfall 3. This was by far the most challenging section of the trail and it’s one that many don’t even attempt. No wonder given the steep, muddy conditions and a not-so-obvious route at times. The jungle began to thicken and I became aware of the foliage closing in around me. Of particular concern was the warning I’d received about looking out for snakes in the trees rather than on the ground. So not only was I searching for firm ground to step on but my eyes were at the same time looking around for signs of slithery movement above. at last, I arrived at the end point of the trail and another stunning waterfall. [..] This time it was more about the sense of achievement in getting there rather than seeing the waterfall itself. It was also an opportune moment to rest and regain my strength while the spray from the falls provided a welcome cool down." Thanks for the information Ian and here you can see his great blog with lovely photos. He also uploaded two videos from the waterfalls, here they are:


  

And there is more... This blogger, Susan Saundercook, describes the road towards the entrance of the Three Waterfalls: "If you are renting a car, drive up the Bajo Mono loop, passing prime tourist sites: the rock climbing wall, the San Ramon waterfall and the abandoned castle (a beautiful, possibly haunted, home right next to the river). You'll get to a point in the road where you have to go left or right – turn right, following the Lost Waterfalls signs and drive for about 1 kilometre. Park on the side of the road and walk in. If you are taking a taxi up, let the driver know you want The Lost Waterfalls (there is another great trail in Bajo Mono called the Waterfall Trail, which can cause some confusion). Most of the taxi drivers know the owner of The Lost Waterfalls (either personally or by reputation) so if there seems to be some confusion, clarify by saying 'Wendy's Waterfalls'. The little buses you see in town (buses ruta urbana) also go up there."  So, this abandoned castle, I had seen it come by on a youtube video already... Locals had gone to this eerie looking abandoned place, when out look for Kris and Lisanne, who were still missing at that point in time. They talked in Spanish to each other about how good a location this place would be to hide someone. Well, turns out it is right on the road to the Waterfalls! Could it be, theoretically, that the girls were kept in that solemn looking horror building? And managed to escape in the night of the 8th, make it to that touristic park and up that waterfall where they tried to hide? Covered by the natural sounds of the water?  -  Ok this is not the same video, I cannot find it back now, but this one does show this freakish abandoned place better than a photo. I think you can actually hear the noise of one of the waterfalls in the video.

  

So.... the Lost Waterfalls are on a private trail and on private property  (maintained by Eliecer, a caretaker who lives on site with his family) and you are required to sign in and pay a fee. And the trail features three waterfalls in three different locations. The first two are more easily accessible, but the third one lies in more wild terrain and is the one for the more adventurous types. And the second waterfall features a cave to the left of the waterfall, a trail that allows you to hike up to the top of the waterfall and look down on its clear pool. I honestly don't know if this is the location of the nighttime photos... I am certainly not convinced that they were taken near one of the cable bridges, as I don't see any bridge lines in the background and I also don't think those supposed lines would follow the general direction of the wires as you can see them in photos. But it is also a matter of guessing and believing that the night photos' location is a waterfall. But let's play the thought experiment game again, and assume it is correct; the girls or someone else took those photos in the cave of Waterfall Two, or on top of/near one of the other waterfalls. How would that link to our information about Kris and Lisanne? 

Possible Scenarios for the night time pictures  There are 5 possible scenarios then, Jeremy elaborated further, and some are more likely than others in his opinion. Aside from the OBVIOUS scenario where the girls got lost and were out there alone, trying to notify search teams from afar. But aside from that obvious possibility, there are: 1) The Attackers take the photos to support the "lost in the jungle" theory. 2) The Attackers take them as part of a game with investigators, like a hidden message; the attackers know the girls and the location they've been held in are documented but they know that investigators will just see a black picture. The real location is documented in theory, but the photo settings are so poor that no photoshop specialist will be able to unveil them. It allows them to have a good laugh at the investigators whilst congratulating themselves at how clever they are. 3) The Attackers let the girls escape as part of a "fun" cat & mouse game and then take pictures of the game as it plays out. 4)  One of the girls takes them as part of a brief escape*, knowing they can't outrun their attackers in the dark in an area she doesn't know, she hopes that the flashes might be seen by someone. She climbs to a high point above Kris (or above Lisanne depending on who is in the picture) and flashes until caught. 5) One of the girls attempts to sacrifice herself as part of an escape* hoping to draw all attention to her and leaving the other free to make a run for it.

Jeremy's opinion:  It's entirely possible, assuming the night pictures happened on the 8th and not the morning of the 2nd, that the attackers weren't on location all the time (jobs, other commitments) but rather only there on an ad hoc basis. If the girls somehow managed to escape, but were entirely unsure where the attackers were in relation to themselves, they may well have opted to try using a sudden burst of activity, in the hope that something would be spotted, or in the case of the sacrifice theory, in the hope that one of them got away. Jeremy: "If the girls did escape, then the sad part of course is that on the left of this FBI enhanced photo you can see a light source, with what looks like a person holding it and almost directly behind the girl, slightly to the left, is a man with a hood I think, his lower part is obscured by foliage i.e. their escape failed totally. There may be another light source on the mid upper right". And Jeremy also has a theory about the night photo that shows sticks with red plastic attached to them: "The way illusionists/magicians work, is to get the attention focused on something specific, whilst something else is actually the important part. I wonder with this particular picture, whether or not we've been tricked. That we're focusing on what's in front of our nose rather than what we should be looking at, given that it's most likely one of the attackers taking the photo. The attackers are probably having a good laugh at us trying to work out the meaning whilst in the background waiting to be revealed might be the girls, the rest of the attackers, the location, who knows what. It's a pity we don't have access to a copy of the source photo data so we could do our own manipulations because I suspect that hidden in the background, waiting to be revealed, is something we need to see.

The big question is of course if this area has cell phone connectivity; can you call here with your mobile phones, yes or no. If the answer is yes then the chances of Kris and Lisanne having been here and freely using their own phones is smaller... But it would still be possible then that either this phone data was incorrect or meddled with, or even (theoretically) that someone else handled their phones and called from a cellar or from the jungle. And if  Kris and Lisanne were indeed at the waterfall at any night, either the 8th or earlier, then they must have been there temporarily; perhaps during a nightly escape. Because these waterfalls are tourist attractions and they have been searched by volunteers and Sinaproc, plus there were tourists there regularly; possible every day. The girls would have been found if they were holed up there. Same for the big cave, people would have found them there I think. But perhaps there are some caves behind the waterfalls which we've not heard about? Seems unlikely, or else tourists would have written about them in the many blog posts available online on these waterfalls. But I do think it could still be possible that the girls encountered foul play, and that the perpetrators loved to toy around with not just Kris and Lisanne, but also with police and everyone else investigating. If so, they must have a right laugh about all the videos and blog posts still coming out, seriously discussing their false leads. And the suggestion from Jeremy that one of the girls may have sacrificed herself to give the other a chance is original. I'd never thought of that yet. It is hard to explain those 90 nighttime photos, taken over just less than three hours in the middle of the night. Could that perhaps be a possible explanation for them? But in the end their bones were found more or less in the same area, near Alto Romero. There is no doubt that they either died in the same area, or these few bones were thrown out in the same area. But Lisanne's remains had a peculiarly slow decomposition rate; flesh and skin still on the foot, a rolled up ball of skin from her shin bone was found, still intact and with maggots. This was found at the end of August and it did not match a 5 month deceased state. Whereas Kris' bones were bleached and looking like they'd been out there for years instead of 9 weeks. May this mean that Lisanne died much later than Kris? Its remarkable that intact skin from Lisanne was found at the end of August. Either she had not been dead long, or her skin and bones had been stored in a dry cool place for a long time. For some poeple, all this points toward a 3rd parties involvement, while others think ti does not.

The Hidden Waterfall nearby
Then there is also a hidden waterfall, located closer to the last known location of Kris and Lisanne (the stream of photos 507 and 508). Here and here you can read blog posts about this waterfall. Perhaps the night pictures also look a little bit like the top of one of the big waterfalls? Which would be much nearer to their last known location... Shame there is no photo taken from the perspective of the top of the waterfall, so we can see what it looks like from above....






Sas also wrote me about this and wondered also if the night photos could have been taken near the Three Waterfalls in Boquete?  
Sas wrote me: "I was looking on the internet and I was on this site called ailishinwonderland [since removed, Scarlet]. I think its from a woman that makes journals of her trips ..the photo that catches my eyes was this one: the type of rock does remind me of the photo in the Kris and Lisanne case. I don't say its the same spot, but the rock type looks in my honest opinion the same.. Maybe that woman on that website knows more about the location of the photo.." [..] "Because the 'looks' of the rock parts look to me quite the same kind as on one night photo. I think that night photo was taken from above, looking down. Where in that area are the same kind of rocks and views..? To be honest when I compare this with these photos, I see an open part in the bushes on the right side...on both pics.. (On the place where some people think there could be laying someone, mostly thought Kris). Could it be the same spot as on the night photo? I don't know..but the shape of the rocks, and those brow/pink dots (vegetation plants) on the rocks.. look to me the same. Even the rock on which the girl stands.. In the area next to her left foot, it has the same kind of carving as on the night photo.. The night photo was taken further to the right, and you see that shape from another perspective.. Those lines and carvings in the stone are almost like a signature or fingerprint of the stone." (Added is a photo of a woman standing on a rock overlooking one of the Lost Waterfalls).

I replied:  "Ahh ok, yeh I understand what you mean. Hmm... The grey rock looks kind of comparable in colour and texture. Although similar looking rocks may be found all over Panama of course... But the night photo seems to have a lot more foliage, green plants etc around the edge? I think (?) that it also has a more gradual descend down, whereas the photo you shared has less green foliage and plants at the edge and shows a steeper decline in height perhaps? But its hard to say with certainty, because of the night versus daylight and the angle also of the photos. Ah yes I agree, the brown/pink dots principle on the grey stone is kind of similar. (Btw: I don't know how common such speckles are on all the other rocks in that region?) Indeed they must have taken the photo then at another part of the rock. But the more dense vegetation at the end of the rock of the night photo does seem different perhaps? Ah yes I understand what you mean with the lines and indentations in the rock making it like a personal marking of sorts. And the discolorations do indeed look a bit similar. Here the three waterfalls are on the map. Compared to the Il Pianista Trail (not a huge deviation and in the same area).

And there may be another waterfall.  In fact, next to the small and narrow waterfall which the girls would have passed after the small stream where they took the last daytime photos #507 and #508, there is also another, larger waterfall beyond the Pianista summit. But it is hard to find. Is it possible that the girls deviated from the main path at some point to find this waterfall? And that they got lost along the way? Calista Hart wrote about the girls' disappearance in her blog:"In April my Spanish teacher told me that two young women had gone missing from the sister school in Boquete, Panama. They had left all of their belongings, and not told anyone where they were going that day. The last anyone saw of them they were talking to two strange men, making plans to see the waterfall."  In this blog post, a description of how to get there is given, plus photos of the fall. This waterfall is considered the hidden one, as there is no official description of how to get there. "The Pianista really is a knockout, winding through meadows with stunning mountain vistas along the rushing Rio Pianista, and with an abundance of lush cloud forest vegetation. This trail goes up to the Continental Divide (a more ambitious hike that we did with a group last year), and if you’re especially adventurous, it can take you all the way to Bocas Del Toro on Panama’s Caribbean coast. (CAUTION: no one should EVER go beyond the Continental Divide without an experienced guide. Just Google “Dutch Girls in Panama.”) Today we had something much more mellow in mind – we wanted to get to the “secret” waterfall that Susan and I had not seen yet, but the others in our group had been raving about. The trail begins at the Il Pianista Ristorante (outstanding Italian food, BTW) in the Alto Lino area just north of Boquete. You need to wade across the Rio Pianista after 200m, but then it’s a steady, leisurely incline for 2km before you start to climb a steeper, narrow path. Today, we were accompanied by two young guides, Jefferson and Miguel (as it happens, these cousins are nephews of our gardener, Sergio) – and it was a good thing, because finding the waterfall required us to get off the trail and take another cow path that leads into the cloud forest. We could not have found it on our own. Since we’re right in the middle of rainy season, it was a pretty muddy slog – but not too bad."


View of the Lost Waterfalls from above...







Crime in general in Latin-America

I always assumed that Panama was unlike Mexico, to name a rogue Latin-American state. That Panama was a cute little country with small friendly people who may love pan-flutes and who have a famous canal. Well, that is most likely a wrong assumption. A lot of people have spoken out about crime in Boquete and how cartels are drughuman trafficking are tolerated and pretty common in Panama. I have covered some of this information in my blog series here. I have also watched many series and documentaries about the state of Mexico (not Panama, but still interesting) with its rivaling cartels, brutal violence and mass corruption. Journalists are also killed there (assassinated, murdered I mean) at a staggering rate. There is a good BBC documentary on youtube called  'Dying to report - BBC News', its not very long but very raw. Here you can find a database of those Mexican journalists killed in the past 19 years only. It's claimed in one of those documentaries that up to 90% of Mexican state officials and politicians are in the back pockets of these cartels. Police included. Sounds wildly incorrect, or so I hope.. I wouldn't know myself though, never been to Mexico or done any further research into it. But it's estimated that an average 90 people are killed every single day in Mexico (and that figure does not include drive-by shootings, kidnappings, extortion and other serious crimes, as cartel and gang violence continue across the country). Anyway, Mexico is not Panama, but Panama may have its own share of small and large crime, with the drugs routes from Colombia crossing the country, and with the general level of poverty. Over 20 people went missing in this exact same region (near Boquete) in the few years after 2014. Some were found eventually, murdered, some have never been found at all. As a youtuber called Dorian Gray wrote about this: "I was reading an email report about forced prostitution and slave-labour, in Panama as well as other areas, where criminals tend to pick off poor migrant for "work". They call them "meat". Victims include many Russians and East Europeans, too. [..] I see no reason why Kris and Lisanne weren't (or couldn't have been) targeted, due to their looks, figures, youthfulness and vigour. I'm not sure why people cannot get their heads around this possibility, as it happens all the time in these corrupt places. Also, Kris & Lisanne were "shy", so their 'isolation' from large groups could have made them a greater target, as I truly believe they were targeted as far back as in Bocas." 


And for anyone just reading up on this disappearance case: it is never too late to chime in and to help think along. There are lively discussions in the comment sections under youtube videos dedicated to this case, as well as on forums for instance. Anyone can always join in. Because nobody knows for a fact what happened. I may highlight crime scenarios here, but not even that is proven. The girls may have gotten lost and by sheer bad luck never have been found. It happens all the time. People go missing all the time in nature, never to be found back, or some are found back eventually and turn out to have been close to civilization all along! But mysteriously never made it out nor were found. And every new set of brains that helps with brainstorming, may help broaden the spectrum of discussion, so to speak. But there is no all-round consensus. I think this disappearance case speaks to the imagination of many people because there are so many puzzle pieces to work with. The phone usage, the times of calling or switching the phones on and off, the photos, the found items, the bones, the fingerprints, the things they did and also the things these girls DIDN'T do. You could pick so many angles to approach this disappearance. I mean, I think there have been metres and metres worth of texts written about the folded up bras alone, no kidding. Would they or wouldn't they have voluntarily taken them off, while lost in the jungle? And there can be things said about dozens of other little aspects of this case. It often feels like the truth is there in plain sight, in front of us. We just have to see it. So many puzzle pieces.. But we lack the vital ones. It will never be solved as it stands now. Of course, if it ever were solved and we'd know for a fact what happened to Kris and Lisanne, discussion forums, videos like Juans and blogs like mine and others would no longer have much appeal. It would only be funny to see how 'right' or how 'wrong' we have been all along with our suspicions and analysis (I may be totally wrong too in my beliefs!). Yet everyone wants to see a breakthrough, me included...





An interesting discussion on Websleuths about the different clouds in Lisanne's photos 

Het Lichtpuntje wrote: "I know this is already discussed, but I would like to bring this up again, because in my opinion there is something not correct. This is a photo of the Mirador (see photo A. below). Taken by local guide P.. Lets compare the photo with both the photo's of Lisanne (photo B. and C. below). Let's compare all three photo's (photo D below) and you can see that the two photo's of Lisanne are a Panoramic photo. The mountain in Lisanne's photos is almost fitting except in the middle. But that's a little, tiny bit. In the photo beneath, the top of the mountain is not visible due to the cloudy weather, as you can see. So both photo's of Lisanne are made within 6 seconds of each other?? The photo data confirm that these photos were taken within a 6 seconds interval, in which Lisanne had to walk to another spot, with a different background, change her hair from swept over one shoulder to the other and then the camera had to be aimed right too, without a screen that allows you to see if you focused correctly. Also true that the difference of the sky/clouds seems like night and day. It's not a fluid motion, like the mountains in the background. The mountains, they fit perfectly. Could these photo's therefore have been made on different times of the day? Morning/afternoon/late afternoon. One on the way up and one on the way back? Or is this just the special effect the Continental Divide shows some days; clouds on one side and blue skies on another? 

Photo A.

Photo B and C.

Photo D.
If it is true that the girls turned around and went back to the Mirador after taking photo 508, then by the time they started making their two emergency calls from 16:39 PM onward, they could then not be lost in the jungle...  Instead they would have been on their way back, down the mountain already. Possibly already had reached the main road again, going back to Boquete. This then changes the possible reasons why they could have called emergency services. They wouldn't then have called because they lost their way beyond the Mirador. They also wouldn't have called because they had fallen off a cliff: the cliffs along the Pianista trail were combed through and descended by volunteers, Sinaproc and local guides in the subsequent days and there was no trace of the girls. In fact, this scenario would then reinforce the chance of them having been followed or taken by a third party. Because someone or something may then have forced them away from the same path they had taken to walk up the mountain. 

Het lichtpuntje then continues: "This was the weather at that day, April 1st. You can see that at exactly 13.00 PM was the highest amount of cloud(s) 14%. Is this what we see in the left photo of Lisanne? And then we have the photo on the right with less clouds, from which we can see due the shadow/sun that is was approximately 13.00/14.00? Don't tell me now that the sky/clouds are the difference between Caribbean and Pacific. This is too much of a difference. Also the right photo of Lisanne......it looks like she is way bigger than at the left. Also her hair is at one photo on her right shoulder and the other her left shoulder. There are things that don't make sense. But the point is that within 6 seconds, there would have been no time for (new) settings; they used the same camera, the same sun... the same light.... Maybe the only difference is where the photographer is standing. 

DutchTreat replied: "IMO there's no way that the 2 pictures of Kris were taken within 6 seconds. Some other observations I made: - Lisanne on the right looks a lot more 'sweaty' on her forehead. There is no way that the sky is that different within 6 seconds and literally divided by a vertical line. I think that when you look at the sun's position in the sky and the shadows cast on Lisanne's face/body where Lisanne is on the right, that it does not match the position in the sky on the picture with Lisanne on the left. If you would put the picture with Lisanne on the right and Kris on the right next to each other, there is NO WAY those two pics were made around the same time. Look at the sun's position/shadows on faces/bodies. To me it looks like the picture with Lisanne on the right is made at 13.00 PM. But I think the other 2 pictures were made much later. My guess is on their way BACK TO BOQUETE. And by the way, the resolution of the picture with Lisanne on the right has a different resolution/pixels than the others. How is that possible? If the sun is shining from the right upper corner in the pic on the right. It is IMPOSSIBLE that Lisanne's butt in the left picture is illuminated by the sun, while her front is shadowy." 


Het Lichtpuntje replied:
 "Next photo.....same sky....same sun.....almost the same cloud(s)........how much time is there between the 2 photos?? I think not much, because of the cloud. So where are the sharp shadow lines at Kris?? The ones on Lisanne are clear. The sharp straight shadow line on her left arm (on the photo) looks still very strange to me. Next photo shows the clouds. 

DutchTreat replied: "Kris' entire front and face should be covered with shadow, because she's completely standing with her back towards the sun. Baru, do you know how the sun moves during the day at the top of the Pianista summit? If it is a the right upper corner at 1.00 PM, at what time is it on the left side almost vertical?"


Matteo replied to Lichtpuntje: "All of this can be explained by looking at the position and angles from which the pictures were made. See comparison in this photo. In the three pictures, you can detect one plant. It is standing different towards its background. That indicates the direction from which the picture was taken. You can also notice the arrow marks at the horizon of the mountain rim. The horizon on the left picture of Lisanne stretches far more to the left (bow) than on the upper picture, the same goes for the right picture, but then to the right (bow). Considering the foreground, you should overlay the indicated same plant, but considering the background there is a part of the horizon / mountain rim not on the pictures. I split the pictures according to the background. So Kris AND Lisanne changed places in the 6 seconds between the pictures. Clouds are often very locally at the northern side of the CD as we know. The difference in angle is some 80 degrees I guess, so that makes it quite possible to have one sunny and one cloudy picture at almost the same time."

Het Lichtpuntje replied: "Well it's 6 seconds between the photo's and at the right photo there is much sunlight if you look at the bushes, leaves, shadow etc. The leaves are glowing in the sun in the right photo, you can see that very clearly. And then 6 seconds later at the left photo, where are the glowing leaves, where is the clear shadow on Lisanne..? It's all about the 6 seconds."

Het Lichtpuntje wrote: "I was only trying to explain that this photo and blue sky and abrupt clouds also look weird, but I believe this. And if I cut it in half, I still believe it. Like I said, this is 1 photo. The photo's of Lisanne are 2 photo's. You can fit them perfectly!



Chiatos replied"I don't know what to think about this. Apparently, there isn't a gap between the 2 pics with Lisanne, but an overlap. You can deduce that by looking at the vegetation. So if we place the pics overlapping each other, then the clouds indeed do not coincide. I have also recognized the leaves and plants Matteo has pointed out. [..] Right photo: It seems as if the sunlight is perpendicular, so coming from straight up. Left photo: It seems as if the sunlight is coming from left. But: because Lisanne is leaning forward, she creates her own shade on her shirt with the upper part of her body. So actually, also here, the sunlight may also come from straight up? I'm not an expert in sunlight, but what I do see, is Lisanne's wrinkled shirt in both pics."

DutchTreat replied: "Regardless of the Lisanne on the left and Lisanne on the right picture. If you look at both Lisanne and Kris on the right, you cannot deny that there is something not right. Kris' entire front and face, should have been covered with shadow. Those two pictures cannot possibly have been made within 2 minutes time. It's more like 2,5 hours time difference. And what would be the implications of that ......."   
                                     
Romijn replied: "The fact that it is the same plant IS important, because it makes clear that both pictures were take from a different angle, one in the east direction, the other to the south and that has a huge impact on the view and explains why on one picture we see a totally clouded sky and on the other an almost blue sky. You just should not put these pictures next to each other as if they were made in the same direction. It also explains why shadows and wind directions are different."

DutchTreat replied: "It does not explain why the sun is shining from the right upper corner on the picture with Lisanne on the right. And from the left upper corner, where Lisanne is on the left. The sun is at a fixed spot in the sky at a certain time of the day. The photographer cannot manipulate the sun's position. If the left side of a person is covered by shadow. The left side of that person will not suddenly be illuminated if the photographer takes an other angle/position.

Matteo replied: "Hi Lichtpuntje, Cameras do lie. Not deliberately of course. When you take a picture the camera measures the light and adapts to it, to make the best possible picture, all done by computer nowadays. When you turn and take another picture and the light is very different, the camera will create another optimum for the length of the opening of the lens and how far it is opened (diaphragm). You will notice that on the picture. This explains the big difference between the sunny and the cloudy picture of Lisanne. On the cloudy picture of Lisanne you see less contrast and the whole picture is lighter: the clouds are white and lighter than the blue air and everything is less sharp lined out. Even when you take a picture at the same spot but you capture less blue air or more dark corner, the light will change, and the camera adapts to less or more light. That is normal: With the picture of Kris it is more or less the same. Less blue air and Kris against a darker background makes her better visible in the picture. she is given more light by the camera. Lisanne at the same spot though, is taken against the clear sky. The picture suffers from contrast and Lisanne has much more contrast and shadow and less light. It must have been like this, so 6 seconds were no problem at all: Try some of these things when you take pictures next time.

DutchTreat replied: "[QUOTE: danyoromijn said: "On the picture where Lisanne stands on the left (with thumbs up), I actually get the impression the sun shines from up and a bit right, since the shadow of her arm on her t-shirt stretches out a bit to the left. When the sun would shine from the left side, the shadow would stretch out more to the right of her elbow.] - "You're wrong. Look at the picture where Lisanne is standing on the left. Look at the thumb of her right hand. It casts a shadow on the fingers of her right hand. That is impossible if the sun would be shining from the same position as in the picture with Lisanne on the right. These pictures were NOT taken within six seconds. There should really an expert be looking at these pictures. Because if it can be established that this is not possible, it would also mean that the data of the pictures has been tampered with..... and we all know what that would mean."

Danyo Romijn replied: "I see what you mean with the thumb, but the shadow formed, looking as if it goes from up-left to right-down is caused by the shape and the direction of the thumb itself. On this picture the sun comes from up and a bit towards the photographer. The sun never could come from the 'left' side, because there is the north and the sun never shines from the north. It just is a bit difficult with those shadows and directions, mainly because the sun at this place on earth and a bit after noon shines from up (and not that obvious from the south)."

IceT wrote: "Here is another picture that illustrates your point. It shows tendrils of thinner clouds extending across the Continental Divide from the thicker masses of clouds north of the Divide. A photo taken from the Mirador toward the SE could show small individual clouds in a mostly clear sky, while a photo aimed 90 degrees to the left could show a much thicker cloud cover north of the Divide. This seems to be what we see in the photos of Kris and Lisanne."


Also, look closely at the shadows of the sun in the different photos on the summit 
which were all taken within the same 15 minutes according to their digital camera data. In some there are strong shadows on Lisanne's body, while there is hardly a shadow visible on Kris. Is it certain that these photos were all taken at 13:00, going by the angle of the sun? But then again; check out the aerial photo below; it clearly shows the way in which cloud packs can close in suddenly over there:






Looking at the blue sky versus the cloudy sky in the background of the new Pianista photos, are these new photos perhaps indicating that the girls did in fact make it back down the Pianista Trail? Photos from the way up (sunny and blue skies), versus photos from the way down (cloudy)? 

These summit photos were all taken within the same 15 minutes according to their digital camera data. Firstly there are the difference in sky in some of these photos. Although I must admit here that both the cloudy sky photos were taken facing the 'other' side the the Mirador. Possibly there was a very extreme division line during those 15 minutes between cloudy on one side of the mountain and sunny/blue skies on the other? I don't know, the contrast is quite extreme I think. Then secondly there is also the other matter, that in some there are strong shadows on Lisanne's body, while there is hardly a shadow visible on Kris. Is it certain that these photos were all taken at 13:00, going by the angle of the sun? 



If it is true that the girls turned around and went back to the Mirador after taking photo 508, then by the time they started making their two emergency calls from 16:39 PM onward, they could then not be lost in the jungle...  Instead they would have been well on their way back, down the mountain already. More likely they would have been already down at the start of the trail by 15:30, and they may have been already at the swimming location of the new photo by 16:39 PM. This then changes the possible reasons why they could have called emergency services. They wouldn't then have called because they lost their way beyond the Mirador. They also wouldn't have called because they had fallen in a cliff, or drowned in the river, as Betzaida Pitti keeps holding onto. In fact, this scenario would then reinforce the chance of them having been followed or taken by a third  party.

Or could it be the other way, and were the cloudy photos taken on the way up, and the blue skies from their way back down again to Boquete? This was the weather at that day, April 1st. You can see that at exactly 13.00 PM was the highest amount of cloud(s) 14%. Is this what we see in the left photo of Lisanne? And then we have the photo on the right with less clouds, from which we can see due the shadow/sun that is was approximately 13.00/14.00? (Notice also by the way how on the right photo of Lisanne, it looks like she is way bigger than at the left). Also notice how Lisanne's hair is at one photo flipped over on her right shoulder, and in the other photo it falls over her left shoulder. And in a third photo she has her hair tied back. Supposedly those photos were made within 6 seconds of one another. On different sides of the mountain. Lisanne on the right also looks more 'sweaty' on her forehead. So maybe they are in fact taken at very different times; one on the ascend, the other on the descend again, after having walked to the little stream from photos 507 and 508. Also, there seems to be quite a different sun angle present in these different Mirador photos. Sometimes the suns position on the faces and bodies of the girls are more diagonal, coming from straight above, other times there are more shadows and a different angle of the sun. Some seem to have been indeed taken around 13:00 PM, but others may have been taken later in the afternoon, in fact. My guess is on their way BACK TO BOQUETE. I mean, these two pictures below of Lisanne and Kris have officially been made within a 2 minute time-frame. It looks more like a 2,5 hour difference though, going by the extreme difference in shadow on the face and body. Shouldn't Kris' entire front and face have been covered with areas of shadow? By the way, in none of the other photos of the girls, taken in those precious week of holidaying, are the ever photographed with their thumbs up like that. Could this be an indication that they were not alone on that summit? 

CLOUDY
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama

CLEAR


Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama

HALF CLEAR
HALF CLOUDY
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, Panama 


Although this photo from a day or two before their hike does show that there can be tight cloud formations hanging over the mountains, right next to blue patches of sky:

Juan made an excellent photo collage of the known photos, picturing together the scene on the Mirador and showing (in my opinion) that these clouded skies were taken at a different time of day than the clear sky photos. It also shows I think that the girls were not facing the (opposite) other side of the mountain in the cloudy photos:  





Pictures of Casa Verde Hostel 
& Guesthouse (Bocas del Toro):











A lying, insensitive machine

Poor police work can not only be seen in places like Panama, but also in the Netherlands. (Thanks to Juan for finding this article). Master of law Sébas Diekstra concentrates on cold cases. "In one of my headache dossiers at the time, a group of individuals was completely mangled by the machinery that is the Public Prosecution."

April 16th, 2016 - Lawyer Sébas Diekstra dedicates himself with heart and soul to the relatives of people who died under suspicious circumstances. Cases which the police have insufficiently investigated and parked as an 'accident' or 'suicide' and which the ministry of justice prefers to sweep under the carpet. “It is abominable how the government leaves next of kin with important questions. As if someone is drowning while everyone is looking the other way. Then I will help." Lying to the media. Blatantly lying with a straight face that you threw away a dead girl's fingernails which you needed for forensics research. While in reality, the Public Prosecutor's Office has no idea where they left those nails. Then you really no longer understand as a government organization, with what task you are on this earth." Talking to us is lawyer Sébas Diekstra from Leiden. Together with  Job Knoester en Richard Koner, he is one of the very few lawyers who stand by the relatives of people who died under suspicious circumstances. Cases which were directly labeled a 'suicide' or an 'accident' or a 'voluntary disappearance' and which as a result have hardly been investigated by the police and the Public Prosecution Service. For the next of kin I am the last straw and I pull out all the stops for them. Why I have this dedication? That goes back to the time when I ended up as a professional soldier in the military police service. I started out on the street as an investigating officer and I also studied law. Later I became an integrity officer and was responsible for investigations into my own personnel. There I saw how individuals can be crushed by a government agency. 

I noticed how short-sighted the police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can be. Shouting from the rooftops that people are of central importance to them, while those organizations are too often concerned with egos and public opinion. 

That is partly my drive to defend people. I noticed how short-sighted the police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can be. Shouting from the rooftops that people are of central importance to them, while those organizations are too often concerned with egos and public opinion. In one of my headache files at the time, a group of individuals was totally mangled in the machine that is the OM. I want to save people from this, if I have to. By fighting that big insensitive machine.

Your first cold case case was Talitha the 25-year-old Amsterdam girl who was found dead on the trail three years ago. Suicide? Or not?
Talitha was found lying between the train tracks. By police officers who had rushed to the scene, it was instantly ruled a suicide. But much in this case is atypical. The train driver stated to the officers that he had seen her lying motionless before the collision, between and parallel to the railway tracks. Her injuries also did not fit with a run-over. Yet Talitha's mother was immediately told by the police that her daughter committed suicide by jumping. Later she was allowed to pick up a bag of bloody clothes from Talitha. At the station, of all places. When the mother knocked on my door for help, I started a huge complaints procedure. Eventually, Chief Public Prosecutor Steensma apologized and said that the case officer should never have come to that conclusion."

It is unbelievable how many mistakes have been made. The police did not investigate anything, the train tracks were immediately cleared. Forensic investigation was not started, any perpetrator DNA and trailing or footprints were not secured. A medical examiner could not say whether it was suicide or murder. 

What do you know about this scandal by now? 
It is unbelievable how many mistakes have been made. The police did not investigate anything, the train tracks were immediately cleared. Forensic investigation was not started, any perpetrator DNA and trailing or footprints were not secured. A medical examiner could not say whether it was suicide or murder. There was some correspondence between the prosecutor and the deputy officer, but we still don't know what that involved. What I do know is that Talitha's body has been taken care of [washed and prepared for a wake site]. Later the officer started having doubts and ordered for a section after all. But any traces there may have been, were almost certainly destroyed by the previous care of the body. We called in an external pathologist. He concluded that the injuries could have emerged earlier. There is a real possibility that someone else is involved in her death.

Like in so many other cases, justice seems to do a flip here too. What was the story about those fingernails?
Talitha's nails were clipped during the post-mortem. Those fingernails are important though, because they can contain culprit DNA. The OM then casually says to the ANP to have thrown away the nails. If I later confront the justice department with this, I am told: 'The nails are missing. We don't really know about it.' In other words, 'We had to say something to the media. The fact that we don't know doesn't make us look very smart. So we just say we threw them away.' I find that bizarre, this lying. Meanwhile, we still don't know what happened to Talitha and the family still has questions. I then think: make up for that and do that last bit of research. But they refuse to, because there is no detection indication; no suspicion of a crime."

Meanwhile, we still don't know what happened to Talitha and the family still has questions. I then think: make up for that and do that last bit of research. But they refuse to, because there is no detection indication; no suspicion of a crime. Because they didn't do anything to find one."

This is often argued by OM and investigators.
It would almost be funny if it wasn't so sad. The police and the judiciary usually reason in a circle in these cases. They claim to have done nothing in those cases, because there is no detection indication. Then I say: there is no detection indication, because you didn't do anything to find one. Then the answer is: that is because we have no detection indication. You could write metres of text about it, in the end it comes down to that idiotic little circle."

Is that different in other countries?
In some countries, the premise is that with any unnatural death, a crime should be rule out first. That means a forensic section to the cause of death. That is pure. The Dutch system leaves too much room for errors: the public prosecutor decides what he or she does. With this, you accept errors of judgment."

The big problem is that the police and the judiciary system are far too concerned with public opinion. Improper interests play a role in this. Moreover, they are hierarchical organizations with too many officials who are busy keeping their own street clean. 

You now have seventeen such cases under your care, including the case of the Polish boy Tornasz Kosmala. There must be a pattern in this error festivals.
The big problem is that the police and the judiciary system are far too concerned with public opinion. Improper interests play a role in this. Moreover, they are hierarchical organizations with too many officials who are busy keeping their own street clean. The essence in these cases is that the emergency aides who arrive first - often insufficiently trained surveillants - are directly focused on one scenario and are blind to other possibilities. When a body is found on the train tracks, it must be suicide. When a body is found in the water: suicide or an accidental drunkard. If things go wrong there and the forensic investigation does not arrive on the scene immediately - you see that in all those cases - then it's over. Then it is finished. The police and the judiciary sometimes admit that they wrongly assumed one leading scenario and delved into it incorrectly. But they don't learn from those mistakes. How long has this misery been going on now?"

There is contradiction these days. Highly educated employees that are brought into the police force to combat tunnel vision.
"That only looks nice on paper. The results turned out to be downright poor. What do you think? Those contradictors are crammed somewhere within the hierarchy and do not have the position they should be given. They are part of the clique. They become infected by the clique-thinking and go along with it. Contradiction is supposed to be independent. You should not stuff them within your own ranks and give them a rank or scale that makes the opponent subordinate. Hierarchy and criticism do not mix well. 

The essence in these cases is that the often insufficiently trained surveillants are directly focused on one scenario and are blind to other possibilities. When a body is found on the train tracks, it must be suicide. When a body is found in the water: suicide or an accidental drunkard. If things go wrong there and the forensic investigation does not arrive on the scene immediately - you see that in all those cases - then it's over. Then it is finished. 

As a surviving relative, you are therefore at the mercy of the gods?
You are without rights. It is difficult to initiate proceedings because there is insufficient research to substantiate a crime scenario. You are left with all your questions and can actually only start a crusade. You are then seen as a nuisance or someone who gets stuck in his grief [Scarlet; this seems to be exactly what happened to Hans Kremers; deemed a pest and a troublemaker by the OM, in Hans' own words]. In the meantime, justice will do everything in its power to prevent you from getting the police files. The bullshit argument that is always put forward, is that the privacy of the deceased should not be violated. But that doesn't matter to you, as a surviving relative. After all, you want to know what happened to your loved one and what has or has not been investigated. There is only one reason why these files are not provided: the police and the judicial authorities do not want errors to be discovered."

Lawyer Job Knoester previously argued for an independent committee that can have an investigation instituted after all.
I don't see much in a blunder committee. In my opinion there should be a civil court that can order Public Prosecution Services, police or other authorities to investigate. As an outgrowth of the right to life, there is also the right to know what killed someone. I am working on a letter to the House of Representatives with that proposal. I have already have the approval of [political parties] D66 and VVD."

It is difficult to initiate proceedings because there is insufficient research to substantiate a crime scenario. There is only one reason why these files are not provided: the police and the judicial authorities do not want errors to be discovered."

You must have made many new police friends by now?
Not exactly, but that's not what I'm here for. Of course some people are scornful towards me. Whatever. All this work does not benefit me. I usually assist relatives free of charge. Name recognition is nice. But for me it is all about that text message I receive from a surviving relative, with the message 'we are glad that you are here'. That is enough."


Update: below I added is a recent (US) case from 2015 which is another example of shockingly bad and prejudiced police work. Of course many police investigators do a great job on a daily basis. But it also happens regularly that cases are cast aside as one thing or another too soon, based on too little evidence. And I also watched the beyond excellent (5 part) series 'Outcry' lately. About a Texan kid who was wrongly accused ánd convicted of child abuse. It is truly astounding how the police, prosecutors and even his own laywer went about there. The docu maker did an incredible job also, telling this story. I for one am not automatically convinced that police and prosecutors are always after the truth. This series shows it by the own answer from one cop; they do not look for the truth, they look for the opportunity to win the case. And then the cover ups afterwards, ugh.. This is a universal problem with people in power. Sometimes even prosecutors have one narrative in mind, and fail to honestly and neutrally look at any other options. Completely convinced of their own tunnel vision.




Back in 2013, four of Mexico’s Cartels operated in Panama
September 17th, 2013
Marguerite Cawley 

[Source] "Panama’s intelligence sources have identified four major Mexican cartels operating in that country, another sign of the widening reach of Mexico’s criminals across the region, and of Panama’s importance as a regional depot for drug traffickers.

According to Panama’s La Prensa, these groups are: the Sinaloa Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, the Zetas and the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO). Intelligence reports and officials have confirmed that these cartels operate in the country, says the paper, using it as an operational base to transport cocaine to Mexico and the United States. One sign of this is recent violence committed in the style of Colombian or Mexican hired assassins, Panamanian prosecutor Geomara Guerra told La Prensa, with dead bodies dismembered or showing signs of torture. Officials believe the Sinaloa Cartel and the Zetas may be killing off rivals in the country as they move more deeply into Central America.

In 2012, then-Attorney General and current Supreme Court judge Jose Ayu Prado said 100 Mexican prisoners held in Panama were accused of membership in drug cartels. Alleged Mexican criminals arrested in Panama include 16 Sinaloa Cartel members caught in 2007 with 19.5 tons of cocaine, the newspaper says. Members of the Zetas and the Juarez Cartel have also been caught moving cocaine through the country. In 2010, jailed capo Edgar Valdez Villareal, alias “La Barbie,” also testified that the BLO moved cocaine through Panama to Mexico. The evidence collected by La Prensa is another indication that the connection is deepening between Mexican organized crime and Panama, an important hand-off point for north-bound drug shipments, as well as a traditional money laundering hotspot. Earlier this year, an alleged link between Colombia’s Rastrojos and Mexican Cartels was arrested in Panama, and more recently, Colombian officials intercepted a FARC-owned cocaine shipment allegedly destined for Sinaloa Cartel contacts in Panama. Mexican capos have also been reported to do business in Panama, including captured Gulf Cartel boss Andres Vieda Duque, alias “El Duque,” and La Barbie. The cousin of Panama’s President Ricardo Martinelli was arrested in Mexico and charged with money laundering in 2009, but was later absolved. The Sinaloa Cartel and the Zetas have shifted much of their operations into Central America, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). One major battleground is Guatemala, but the Sinaloa Cartel also operates in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the Zetas in Belize."


And here is an article from 2014 from the BBC: 'Has Panama weaned itself off drugs and cleaned up? in Panama

August 2nd, 2014
Will Grant 

"In 1988, a US Senate subcommittee headed by then-Senator John Kerry came up with a new word to describe Panama - "narco-kleptocracy". It referred to the years of corruption, cronyism and theft of state coffers under the government of military strongman Manuel Noriega. Noriega spent decades on the payroll of the CIA as an agent while simultaneously rising in importance in the powerful Medellin drug cartel. For years, Washington turned a blind eye to the Panamanian leader's blatant drug trafficking and money-laundering until it could be ignored no longer. The United States invaded Panama in 1989 in what it called Operation Just Cause. Noriega was ousted from power and arrested. Since then he has served consecutive jail sentences in the US, France and now in his native Panama. [..] So has Panama genuinely moved from a "narco-kleptocracy" to a peaceful and orderly democracy in just 25 years? "It's a difficult question to answer," says Prof Orlando Perez, of Central Michigan University. "Panama's institutional system has certainly improved significantly since 1988. There is no question about that." [..] That said, democracy and governance in Panama are still far from perfect. "Where I hesitate is in the question of corruption," says Prof Perez. "Corruption is still a major problem inside Panama. To some extent it's systemic to the way Panama's economy is structured."

Corruption
Panama has a very open, dollarised, service-based economy. In fact, more than 75% of its gross domestic product (GDP) comes from the service sector. While that has attracted significant foreign direct investment (FDI), it has also brought an undercurrent of less transparent business interests too. "Openness can be positive in terms of trade and FDI. But it can also mean openness to drugs, money-laundering, arms-trafficking and so on," says Prof Perez. The Russian mafia is believed to control some prime real estate in Panama City while the Sinaloa Cartel - perhaps the most powerful drug-trafficking organization in the world - brings its cocaine from Colombia via Panama on its route north. Compared to the Noriega era, the government has made significant in-roads in terms of improving cooperation with international organizations, tracking flows of money and strengthening the local police. But despite those advances, key structural problems still exist. "Many Panamanians tell me, 'We want to cooperate with the United States, Interpol, Europol and others over these illicit money flows,'" says Orlando Perez. "But they say we can't do anything to jeopardize the competitive advantage that Panamanian banks have. That would essentially destroy our 'brand'." [..] 

Unequal society
Panama currently boasts much higher growth rates than the Latin American average and attracts greater levels of FDI than even Chile. But it is also one of the most unevenly distributed economies. While parts of Panama City are often compared to Dubai, Singapore or Miami, others have more in common with the slums of Rio de Janeiro or Caracas, and poverty levels in parts of the countryside can reach 90%. Furthermore, Panama is also yet to throw off its reputation as a haven for international criminals, fugitives and tax exiles. "Panama is a country of contrasts," says Prof Perez, "truly a country of paradoxes and contrasts."



The search troops at work:
   





It seems there were some risks involved with this Pianista trail

People had been robbed in the past. People had gotten lost in the jungle. A guide was recommended. The girls seemed confident however, perhaps due to the low difficulty grade of the walk. It takes around 1,5 to 2 hours to climb to the top, which has stunning views, reaching all the way to the coast on clear days. Then downwards is achieved in around an hour, depending on your level of fitness. Especially the climbing part can be tiring when the day time temperatures and sun are high, combined with the high humidity in Panama. But for young, fit people it should not be a problem. Lisanne was known to be sporty, she played volleyball at a high level and liked to go for walks. Kris was slightly less athletic but in good physical shape nonetheless, which is also visible in their photos on the trail and at the top. At the start of the trail, the path is clearly visible and well defined. But as you ascend, it gets more narrow and the jungle does close in. Nevertheless, it should be clear which is the main path and where to go. And once you descend again from the summit (which is cooler than the valley), moving on instead of the recommended turning back, the trail is for a long time still clearly distinguishable, especially on the dry and sunny day of April 1st 2014. However, the further you move on, the more risks of getting lost. It drags you further and further into the jungle, and the next settlement is a multi-day walk. And there are risks with the rivers too; they have monkey bridges; dodgy swanky frail cables where you can move over, but which can easily make you lose your balance. They are placed high above the river and a fall can cause injuries. If the water is high and runs fast, you can drown too. At the start of the girls' trip however the water was relatively low and slow flowing. There is also said to be another bottleneck on the route, where you need to pass a metal gate to continue the Pianista Trail, instead of walking along it (which would direct you in the wrong way).










La Prensa also criticizes the investigation
May 30th, 2014

Article. "The officials of the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) who initially attended the case of the two Dutch tourists lost in Boquete, did not follow the proper procedures of a judicial investigation.

Sinaproc overstepped the line in the Dutch investigation. This was announced by Rafael Guerrero, head of the Complex Cases Unit of the Public Ministry (MP), who since last Monday has been in the Chirican mountains along with the multinational search teams, trying to find the whereabouts of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kramers, lost since last April 2. "Sinaproc carried out proceedings that were not for them to do, without the endorsement of the MP," Guerrero explained to this newspaper, indicating that Civil Protection officials entered the room where the Dutch women were staying, without the company of criminalistics technicians. This action, he affirmed, prevented the scientific collection of clues that would have allowed for a better orientation of the investigation.

Guerrero also believes that if Sinaproc had initially entered the bedroon in the company of technicians from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, it would have been clear [now] if it was a case of disappearance, kidnapping, homicide or if "they simply left Boquete".

“The alert for the disappearance was already being investigated by the MP. However, Sinaproc unilaterally began a process of interviews and judicial investigations. They even entered the residence where the young women had been staying. It would have been preferable if (they asked for the help of) the criminalistics technicians. (Thus) more scientific information would be obtained ... more evidence”, he added. Guerrero also believes that if Sinaproc had initially entered the bedroom in the company of technicians from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, it would have been clear [now] if it was a case of disappearance, kidnapping, homicide or if "they simply left Boquete". “If Sinaproc had entered with the technicians, we would have a fingerprint survey. We could have seen in the garbage cans if there were written notes, cigarette butts or any other evidence that would allow us to have clearer theories," added a source from the Judicial Investigation Directorate. “Obviously what happened was a mistake. I don't know why Sinaproc did that, considering they only have to deal with emergencies and disasters. The investigation processes do not correspond to them. I think they rushed and got carried away with urgency," the source added.

When asked about the statements of the representative of the MP, the director in charge of Sinaproc in the Chiriquí region, Francisco Santamaría, denied the information. “I don't know who collected the belongings. We didn't go. We are not empowered for that,” he replied. Despite this information, the head of the Complex Cases Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office ratified his statement, and pointed out that Sinaproc's detailed actions appear in the case file, which already reaches a thousand pages. "Sinaproc even asked the police not to participate at the beginning of the search operation and when they inspected the Dutch girls' room," added Guerrero. On this matter, the director of Sinaproc, Arturo Alvarado, confirmed that officials from the Boquete delegation entered the room and took photographs and even questioned some witnesses before beginning the search. He explained that, in his opinion, his officials did not do anything inappropriate “because at that time there were no yellow tapes on the house. (When we entered) a criminal process (sic) had not started, ”he continued. Alvarado stated that to start a search "Sinaproc must carry out a preliminary investigation."

“If Sinaproc had entered with the technicians, we would have a fingerprint survey. We could have seen in the garbage cans if there were written notes, cigarette butts or any other evidence that would allow us to have clearer theories," added a source from the Judicial Investigation Directorate.

Through the photographs that the officials took, "we saw that their passports, toothbrushes and cream were there." That allowed them to "deduce" that the Dutch had not gone a long distance, since their backpacks were still in the room, he asserted. “Sinaproc was notified 44 hours after they were lost. We talked with the owner of the house and started the search. We delivered the photos to the MP two days later. We did not go in with the criminalistics technicians, because there was no crime. Still, one imagined that they could be in a restaurant... we did not touch anything, "added Alvarado, indicating that the officials of his institution walked 944 kilometres in search of the girls.

The guide speaks
During the night of last Wednesday, this newspaper managed to interview Feliciano González, the guide who had been contacted by the school where Kris and Lisanne were going to study Spanish, to guide them on the El Pianista trail. “The two girls who work at the Spanish by the River school contacted me. A German named Eileen and a Dutch named Mariolane. I speak English well, I am 58 years old and I have been a guide on the Boquete trails for 14 years,” said González, specifying that he charges 25 dollars for each tourist. “Eileen told me to come to Spanish by The River on Wednesday, April 2 at 8:00 a.m. to look for them. At that time I arrived there and together with her I waited half an hour for the Dutch. Time passed and they did not arrive. We decided to go together to the house where they were staying. Upon arrival they did not answer and we thought they were asleep. For this reason, we telephoned the owner of the house”. Being 10:00 a.m. [Scarlet: so they waited for two hours already for Kris and Lisanne?] the owner of the property authorized them to look for a key in the garden of the house so that they could enter the room. Upon entering, Feliciano says that together with Eileen he saw the unmade beds, some backpacks and cables to charge cell phones. "The owner of the house told me that she even made them breakfast, thinking they had come home late," he continued. “So as not to alarm anyone”, Eileen and Feliciano separated and did not resume contact until 5:00 p.m., thinking that perhaps the Dutch were walking around town. [Scarlet: in other interviews, both agreed and admitted that they spent that day together at F's coffee farm, before going to the police. How come there is a different version of events told here? And why shouldn't people be alarmed, nearly 24 hours after these young women were last seen alive? Why keep it a secret?]. 

“Since they didn't show up, at 7:30 p.m. We decided to go to the Police and they told us that at that time they had no officers available. Not having the exact data of the girls, we went back to the room where we found a card," said the guide. Then, together with Eileen, who had only lived in Boquete for three days and [soon] already left Panama, they went to Spanish By The River where they found the complete data on the company's computer. Shortly before 9:30 p.m., both returned to the Police and filed the complaint. On Thursday, April 3, Feliciano reported the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne at the Sinaproc headquarters in Boquete, at 7:30 a.m. An hour later he did the same in the municipal personería of this community. In the afternoon, the guide went to the DIJ to repeat the procedure. "Except at the Police, I filed all the complaints, only because the German does not speak Spanish," he said.“She told me that she thought the Dutch were going to go for a walk on the El Pianista trail. At school he heard them talk and saw a map of this trail. Even though she is German, she told me that she understood them because she studied tourism in Amsterdam”, continued Feliciano, clarifying that days after her disappearance, Eileen left Panama.

More inconsistencies
Accompanying Kris's parents at a vigil held last Wednesday night in Boquete, Feliciano indicated that on Saturday, April 5, he accompanied a DIJ commission to walk this path. “Unfortunately we found nothing. [In the Answers for Kris video, guide F. says that he walked the Pianista trail alone to look for Kris and Lisanne on Thursday April 3rd in fact]. Two days later I accompanied Sinaproc and we didn't find them either. In fact, during the two tours we saw many roosters in an area where they do not normally fly. When we went to those places we did not find anything”, confirming that “it is at the order of the authorities and the relatives of the disappeared for anything they need”.

Search extends to the streets of Boquete
For the first time since the tourist tracking process began in Boquete, yesterday the team of volunteers brought from Holland inspected the streets of the upper part of this community. With the help of dogs and accompanied by local authorities, the teams inspected the entrance of private homes and farms looking for signs of Lisanne, who is a psychologist, and Kris, who studied fine arts. On behalf of the relatives of the two young women, Hans Kramers, father of Kris, recalled that the reward offered for information that leads to the whereabouts of his daughter and her friend is 30 thousand dollars. A Dutch television program also promised to pay another 10 thousand dollars to the reward in case the girls are found. Lisanne Froon's parents are currently in the Netherlands. During the second week of May, Peter and Diny Froon were in Boquete participating in the search for both their daughter and her friend Kris. The search is expected to continue today, again in the upper part of Boquete.



*****************



I like to repeat one more time what issues I keep having with the Getting Lost scenario - pls skip when you are utterly tired of this: 
things nobody seems willing or able to solidly explain and rebut: the official version of events is that they either fell into a river and drowned, or fell in a ravine of sorts and couldn't get out, OR were eaten by wild animals. Pick your favourite and then try to explain how that makes sense considering that:

1. Ravine: assume they slid off a steep slope, and this slope may have been too steep for them to climb back up on without any gear and they were stuck. Firstly; this Pianista trail they were following was well kept, clear to follow, and no-one has to date fallen in a ravine there. So for this to happen to one of the girls, on a clear sunny day without rain or mud on the road, is hard to imagine. But for two of them, both, to fall in a ravine on this beautiful day of April 1st seems near impossible. But what if.. Lets follow this highly unlikely scenario; they both fell in a ravine: going by the dates on their pictures and mobile phones use, at least one of them must have been stuck there then for at least 11 days. No heavy rain fall was washing them out there in this first week as there was hardly any rain, only short showers: checking statistics about the local weather in Boquete that week, only on April 3rd, around 17:00 some rain started, which lasted throughout the next day until the evening/night of April 4th. Then it took until April 8th for more rain to fall, which only lasted a few hours in the late afternoon/ early evening. However, the place where some steep edges are, lie on the Boquete side of the Pianista trail (so the side very frequently walked by people), and close to the summit of the Pianista trail; NOT after the Pianista summit. If they had fallen there then rescue teams and searchers would definitely have found them. Sinaproc and volunteers combed through the entire jungle there, multiple times (especially the trail of the Pianista itself), and were certain the girls weren't there. They even scaled down on ropes down several slopes near the main trail, as was shown on TV camera. The spots that truly have some height are near the summit of the Pianista trail, and in this Dutch TV program, local guide P. even explains that they descended attached to long ropes down these spots to look for them. Then Dutch forensic investigator Frank van de Goot stated that he suspected that the girls fell down a ravine somewhere after the summit, but before the small stream pictured in photo #508. Yet, there is no place there where you can fall and remain unnoticed. The road is also mostly stuck between rock walls, has no cliffs or anything really to fall into. When Frank van de Goot, who led the Dutch forensics team in this case, hypothesized that the girls must have fallen into a ravine of 30 to 40 metres deep at the start of the Pianista Trail (and this being the only place where they could have fallen off the mountain; at the start of the Pianista trail), he offered no proof. Instead, this claim raises questions: why have there never been pictures released of this supposed spot? Why no proof of the underground there showing any signs of 2 people falling down there from 40 metres high up? SINAPROC are specialized in these things and regularly find missing hikers, they looked for trails and clues of a fall everywhere along that route and found nothing. They went down with ropes for no less than 500 metre in crevasses along the Pianista trail, so they combed the place out. And even stated so on TV; the girls were not there according to their findings. A fall there would have left traces and those first days after their disappearance it was dry and sunny, not rainy so no trails could go missing. Why would both have fallen there? No clear signs of a fall were found on the shoes and the backpack either. Contents of the bag were in good order, as we could all see for ourselves. There were only two minor tears in the backpack, caused by 'a sharp edge' but they were not consistent with the type of dragging damage you usually see when someone slides down a rock wall for 30 or 40 metres. Not a scratch on the sunglasses that were carried inside the backpack. But let's assume theoretically they fell in a ravine: why then wouldn't they have been found there by the onslaught of rescue groups and volunteers and army and dogs? They would have heard them so why not call out for help? Not to mention the rescue dogs easily being able to smell them down there [if this was a cliff near the Pianista trail, which is said to have been the most prevalent spot with slopes]. The girls were for many days seemingly capable of using their phones, attempting phone calls or looking for reception; so they were conscious and would have heard the rescue teams, dogs and all that came with it if they had fallen close to the main trail. There was a big reward for the person who found them so there was extra incentive to find them. Yet, nobody did..

And why wouldn't they have been able to call from there, given that that area has confirmed mobile phone reception? And even if this scenario is true: how did their backpack end up from the bottom of a ravine into the river, 14 walking hours up north, without any decomposing body fat on it. No blood, and most of all; everything in perfect order? You'd not think that two cheap sunglasses would come out of a 40 metre fall without a single scratch, yet these girls wére badly broken up from it. No damage to the bag for instance as you would expect to see it as a result of sliding down a stone wall or muddy ravine slope. And how could their (very few) remains been scattered over a huge area along riverbeds and behind trees, so many more kilometres up north and nowhere near the bottom of a ravine? Some north of the backpack, some south of it. Animals there are not eating bones and wouldn't drag a foot or a pelvic bone for many kilometres, and they are ruled out anyway as the bones found had no microscopic teeth or claw marks; they were completely clean of significant markings. Besides, Kris' shorts were also found near the river and their bras were in their backpack; would they have fallen down a ravine naked then? A pelvis broken in half and a severely broken foot would normally have prevented them from climbing out of a ravine themselves and moving 14 walking hours up north, away from civilization. Just like Kris' broken pelvis would make it probably unlikely that she or Lisanne would have taken off Kris' very tight jeans shorts. When you are injured, you stay put (and if they had done that, they would have normally been found on or near that main trail). But large scores of rescue workers combed through the entire jungle there, multiple times, especially the trail of the Pianista itself, and were certain the girls weren't there. 

2. River: at that time (first week of April 2014) the rivers were rather shallow and not wildly fast flowing yet. It had been exceptionally dry at the time and the rain season had not yet started. From what was pictured and seen on news reports at the time, the river im sprache was not standing very high, and it wasn't very fast flowing at all. This in contrast with the rescue/body cam videos appearing much later, at a time where it hád been raining and the water wás now running much more wild. But this is not representative of the week when Kris and Lisanne had gone missing. Although the current is in general said to be strong, making it difficult to get back out once you fall in at the wrong place. But the girls could swim very well and the river wasn't that large that they couldn't make it to shore without drowning I think. It also has many rocks crisscrossing within the water, where you can hold onto. And although those monkey bridges are feeble, you don't cross them together at the same time; only one person can go at a time, so the chance that both girls fell into the river there at the same time seems also very small. Besides, then their backpack would have gotten wet, not to say soaked. If a river is said to be powerful enough to tear apart dead bodies, it can't leave a cheap lycra backpack floating in it for kilometres on end hardly damaged. Also, along the river near the monkey bridges are local people living; why wouldn't they go to them for help, instead of passing a monkey bridge and river, moving even further away from the Boquete region where they had to go? And if they were lost, why would they cross rivers anyway, leading them further away from their starting point, further into the wilderness? They took a photo of Boquete lying behind them on their way up the Pianista; they knew that Boquete was south of them, not north. So with no marks found on the few bones they did find, no animal jaws and teeth could have torn the foot off, in Lisanne's case, but there were also no signs of the river and rocks breaking up the bodies or damaging them with indentations and markings, as specialists would expect if the bodies and belongings had truly been bouncing over rocks and swept through wild rivers. And how did Lisanne's severed foot end up almost under the root of a tree on land, if she was floating in it?

3. Animals: (photo left the amount of registered snake bites) The black panther and puma are rare sightings there and shy; they don't go out to look for human contact. A jungle specialist from the region has wandered that jungle for 40 years and never ran into one, he said they don't even live in the Boquete region. Most bigger wild animals have long retracted to the deeper jungle, further away, due to the many humans walking through this part of forest. This travel blogger went to the same area and wrote about it: "We never saw a mammal and heard monkeys only once, quite different from our experience in other tropical forests." And even if we wildly assume a big cat attacked, them then the bones found would have had bite- or drag marks and their clothes wouldn't have been found the way they were; the jeans shorts from Kris would have had blood on them or been more extensively ripped or damaged (it also had no blood or other bodily fluids on it). The backpack was also not torn or damaged too much. So this in itself, and the fact Dutch investigators found bones with no microscopic signs of teeth, damage, bruising, biting or violence on the bones, which would be visible if an animal ate them clean, more or less debunks the animal attack theory.  And a big snake such as the Bushmaster would have attacked one, not both the women, and would also have left marks on the bones. And none of those animals can crack big bones or eat and digest big bones, so where are their skeletons? Their skulls? Hardly any bones have been found other than one foot, one upper leg bone part (a femur), a lower leg bone (tibia) and half a pelvic bone and one rib. IF a wild animal in fact did kill them, how did their clothes come off - Kris' jeans shorts was found in one piece in/near the river and both the girls had their bras neatly folded in their backpack? So despite Betzaida Pitti naming wild animals as a possible culprit, this official statement was pretty vague and unfounded, and it wasn't well received. Nevertheless, this down to earth commentator - Danny R. Smith - said about this: "I've had cases where only a few pieces of the skeleton remained. Animals can take pieces and run off. Think of a pack of coyotes each grabbing what they could and heading over the hill. Searches are usually constrained by terrain and quite honestly manpower and hours. A fifty foot diametre or maybe a hundred yards, depending on the terrain. There is so much overgrowth in that region there could be bones within those distances that will never be found. As far as markings, the absence of the markings on the remaining bones just means an animal did not disturb that part."

Questions I have with the wild animal scenario are: - Why have none of the bones found shown a single clear microscopic marking from teeth or claws on them then? Also, where are the skulls and other big bones which animals cannot crack? Jaguars and panthers are so rare in those areas and so shy, that many wildlife specialists and guides from the area have never seen one in their lifetime. And would they really have both been attacked and killed by the same wild animals then, at the near same location? Because the few bone remnants of both girls were found more or less in the same area, close to Alto Romero. How can a rolled up mass of skin be found, but not.. two skulls? I think that the science in this case actually speaks against a wild animal attack... These forensic findings were leaked by the scientists, not spread by the official prosecution. They seem legit to me, people like Jeremy Kryt have had access to the autopsy and forensic reports and findings. And last but not least: if wild animals attacked them at some point,why did the girls then call emergency services on day one already? First emergency calls were made during daylight and by all logic still close to the Pianista summit and civilization. And if they took the night photos to scare off wild animals, then where is the Jaguar/Panther on these photo..? In fact; not even a single nighttime photo shows an animal, despite three hours of flashing the camera. Not once was an actual animal caught in the camera's flashlight. Which doesn't mean that there were no animals around, but they most likely weren't killed and/or dragged around by a big animal.  

There are some serious issues with the official notion of the authorities that on the one hand Sinaproc and the volunteers and half the army searched that region extensively, for months in fact. Over and over again, including all the trails (and off trail) between the summit of the Pianista trail and Alto Romero, in which vicinity the remains were found. Sinaprocs director said it on camera; those girls were not there. They must have gone somewhere else. But at the same time these officials want everybody to believe that Kris and Lisanne have both fallen down the slope of the main riverbed that runs through that area. Near monkey bridges, no less; places which are passed every day and which the search troops certainly passed. They weren't there, according to the people who actually were physically in Boquete and doing the searches. Neither by bloggers who had gone out in may to help look for the girls and who passed all the monkey bridges, looking for clues. Yeh, says police on the one hand, yeh they did a magnificent job, the police and investigations. No stone was left unturned. But how can one maintain on the one hand that everything was properly searched, and on the other hand that Kris and Lisanne were withering away right next to this river in some riverbed they couldn't get out of and nobody heard or saw them. Despite the phone being activated until day 11 and them having be conscious by all logic, going by the phone log activity. They wanted to be found and yet nobody did. Despite normally finding anyone who went missing there in the terrain above Boquete. But here we are, that is just what authorities want us to believe. Everyone who takes a step beyond the summit is entering the portals of hell and risks their lives, even though the same region is visited daily, weekly by tourists who have a guide with them. It always was a normal continuation of the Pianista trail. Smiling photos on those monkey bridges, not a problem. Until the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne.They were there in a very dry and sunny period of early April without muddy trails even. But no, Pitti warns: one wrong step and you are gone forever. But nothing proves that they have gone off trail and got lost. Even in their last photos of April 1st, behind the summit, they are firmly on the main trail. And those photos and the video of the Kremers family shows clearly that this isn't 'wild unchartered jungle terrain' but a simple and clearly visible winding trail, passing some streams and trees and eventually a meadow. They weren't dressed to go off track and we have no indication that they did go off track, other than the impersonal odd night photos (do not forget that several different fingerprints and DNA from 4 unidentified people were found on the camera and belongings, people who have never been identified by police). But in the media, these university educated, fit women have been painted unfairly as two naive adventure seekers. 

And the absense of anything personal is what stands out as well. Personal indications would be for Kris or Lisanne to have looked up the phone numbers of the parents (but a 3rd party wouldn't know what to look for then); personal would be to not only look up Myram's number (the only person in those phones which locals would have known) but to also try to actually call her (they never did). It would also be personal to write something in Dutch; some notes, some documentation (they both wrote in their diaries daily normally), or a draft message to a loved one. Of course, with a 3rd party not speaking Dutch, this was also impossible to fake for anyone from Panama. Selfies - nope. Movies (Canon had enough battery and memory) - nope. Daytime photos showing where they were - nope. None of that. In light of this, powering a phone on overnight but not using it for anything that would have been natural for these young women, such as calling loved ones, writing draft messages, anything personal really, is odd. It drained the remaining battery and for what? To check a weather app once, in the middle of the night. It's all highly suspicious and out of character for Kris and Lisanne who demonstrated completely opposite behaviour until then, taking pictures all the time, being in daily contact with their parents and writing in their diaries daily to document their days. 


*And let me remind you once more what a sh*tshow this entire investigation was
One wonders why the local government didn't get searchers in more quickly (during the first and most important days, no professional searches were organized) or even set up emergency cell coverage in the area; some sort of mobile network range extender, which is technically doable with a helicopter, portable tower, or drone, from what I understand. And why were no thermal cameras used? (I guess these days with drones that would have been easier perhaps than in 2014). And have authorities tried to call the girls' phones, while they were missing? Why were not even their phone locations provided by the telecom operator in the area? Did Pittí not properly request for them? And why didn't she look into the phone use of other people in that area at the time? Telecom providers can map out exactly who were in the Pianista area on April 1st, based on their phone locations. But nobody seems to have investigated this... It is basic investigation stuff these days; checking surrounding phone activity (WHO were also in that area that day??), checking the phone and internet activity of potential witnesses. But I have verified that the official case documents, unfortunately, confirm that none of this was done by authorities. It's enough to make a grownup cry, this investigation. Why wasn't there a case official sent to accompany the locals who were searching for the girls' remains? Can you imagine the FBI asking locals to do the work for them, without even a single officer in place to oversee the operation? (No). Why were the houses of potential suspects never checked with luminol for traces of blood? Private land of people of interest should have been scanned for the presence of bones. Local soil samples were never properly commissioned, Dutch search and rescue dogs were somehow never allowed or able to search beyond the Mirador. We still don't know what type of water remnants were left in the plastic water bottles that were found in the girls' backpack, because the forensic testing was never requested by Betzaida Pittí. We should have known where they last filled their bottles; was this in a river? Was it filled with tap water in a house? Was there still commercial 'supermarket water' inside? Why do we not know these things? Crime scenes weren't secured, a private bedroom was trampled and raided before police even got there. Locals who should have been people of interest were protected and witnesses were cast aside. Notice how there is no official report on the factually established bleach on Kris' bones; no official mentioning/explanation of the mysterious disappearance of photo 509, no mention of the crazy timeline with the nighttime photos, the widely scattered remains, the absence of most other remains, the inexplicable fact that large scores of searchers couldn't find these girls in a relatively small area; the incompatibility of many solid seeming witness statements with the official timeline. No scientific evidence that they fell off a cliff, no signs of a slide down a mountain on the personal belongings... Their belongings were found undamaged, as far as we know. But the official story is that Kris and Lisanne simply got lost and fell to their deaths or drowned. Never mind that the rain season hadn't started yet at the time, never mind that the rivers weren't swollen yet, that these two athletic girls could swim or at the time have even hopped over river rocks from one side to the other, or wade to the other side. Autopsy reports weren't shared in the official case files, Pittí's end theory was never proven, not even partly. Specialists who offered their help were ignored. The prosecutor was more interested in parading in front of the cameras than doing the hard stuff. Despite having been fired in 2015, Pittí later betrayed the parents by trading THEIR daughter's private case files, against their will and probably illegally, with a bunch of opportunists who tried to clean her reputation for money. Absolute corruption. And yet, some people keep it up that the investigation was very thorough and professional...

Thanks for following this case and for everyone chiming in here or on my youtube channel to share your thoughts. I hope and believe that now that this case is properly archived and covered, now that the Dutch videos are for the most part translated and all the Dutch sources have been translated as well, and now that the story is being covered by writers, bloggers and youtubers all over the world, this will increase the chances that people who do know more will speak out, eventually. I truly believe that.



When I tried to make some sense out of this disappearance case back in late 2018/early 2019, there was on the one hand very limited public information with regards to what actually happened to Kris and Lisanne, and on the other hand a lot of journalistic work was done on the matter which had not always been highlighted equally well. It was clear that the story had some gaping holes and that there was conflicting information out there. I have tried to shine a light on all this publicly available info about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne and I tried to bring it all together here, free of charge for all of you to see and if needed I translated it from Dutch or panish into English. I also tried to broaden the narratives about what may have happened to these young women. In the hope that when more people know about this case, chances would increase that we'd ever find more facts and answers. So, with this blog series I wanted to gather all the publicly available and relevant information in this case comprehensively in one spot (call it a form of Open-source Intelligence), with source links provided whenever possible. 
Instead of having all these pieces of information scattered all over the internet, I brought them together here in a (long) overview story of my own, reflecting what is known about the case by now. This includes interviews, journalistic pieces, statements from people linked to this case, investigation results, possible theories, arguments pro and contra and more. In part 2part 4 and part 5 especially of this blog series, I cover many different theories from other people. I also translated many videos and articles of interest from Dutch to English for you, in order to provide you with the most detailed archive of this case.  -  Over time the media in general has gotten a beating for supposedly not covering this case well enough. This mainly comes from officials or their representatives, who are not happy with criticism. I strongly disagree with this however. I based nearly my entire blog series on public (media) information and as more official case info has become available slowly but surely, I am surprised how good the media did, all in all. Over time I only had to make minor adjustments to the story as we have learnt it from public media sources. Overall they were spot on. The case officials themselves have also chosen not to inform the media about certain things, but blatantly leaked other details they díd want to come out. So there you go. Oh, and it took me many months to find all the sources, to translate Dutch material and compose the summarized, detailed story here below, based on what is known from publicly available information (including official police information, news articles and interviews) so far. Some people have used more than just a little of my work for their own publications, without as much as a source mentioning. Don't be such a douche and give a shout out or a source mentioning when you use info from these blogs or my videos for your own videos or sites or publications :) 

This is part 3 - See follow up part 4 on this case with Latest Updates. Or here you can read in part 5 what other people think about this case. And in part 6, you can read interviews with the families of Kris and Lisanne.





241 comments:

  1. I have nothing substantial to add, but wanted to thank you for your vigorous work in collecting and translating every relevant piece of news and evidence for this case. It was a great read that I enjoyed very much. The case itself is very unsettling and kept me up a few nights.

    I do not personally think it is possible that either accident or crime theory can account for all of the evidence. Either they got lost first then ran into someone, or they ran into someone and fled then got lost and were eventually found by this third party.

    Thanks again! I got weeks of reading material from your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading about the case here. Like many others out there I am simply trying to do my part in an attempt to keep this case in the limelight and perhaps get it solved even, eventually. Although both the Panamanian and the Dutch prosecution and officials are 'dead set' on keeping the case closed. Yes I think you are right there, it is indeed a never fitting puzzle. None of the theories out there give a 100% fit and thus we keep changing around the puzzle pieces. But now that Juan published the never before seen night pictures and such, we have a few more facts to work with again. Glad to hear you also ultimately believe in an element of foul play.

      Best wishes

      Delete
  2. IMG_0573-63.jpeg
    https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOaDcK-zyudR_UXP4xNvvSpKhbEUNHFkl1cvaGaZrvkiKqkgSL0BK5mjUL2SGcDjw/photo/AF1QipPbiXn_VIr-YOegzlY7bqv4m-oyW5-xNi4uPXz2?key=UjkzUHpsRmtLNUc2RlphdjVTWHRZSVEySjNYS0NR

    Is that a face in this picture? this was found on the photo album you had linked in this blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks. Do you mean the outline of a skulled face almost? It may just be a pareidolia?

      Delete
    2. Hi, I wanted to add that on the picture where you see the hair it really looks like you can see 2 teeth in between the red hair. You can see it on the right just below the middle. I've zoomed in many times and am really sure it's 2 teeth.

      Delete
  3. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nora-quoirin-malaysia-closes-probe-21252733

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for this update! Seems another case where the authorities are quick to rule things an accident, and then close off the case. Where have we seen that before eh? :(

      Delete
  4. In my opinion, the (little fact-based) argumentation of some people culminates when it comes to the 90 or so so-called night photos. Here, for example, you give a commentator who, precisely because of the absence of concrete objects in the photos, suspects a criminal mastermind behind these pictures. This is like arguing that the girls rarely used the mobile phone when they were in captivity, without realizing that captivity would likely have prevented them from using the mobile phone altogether. But the argument that the non-representational nature of the pictures was signaling a perpetrator as their author seems even more tendentious: This argumentation misses some of the rules of argumentative honesty, I guess. Particularly since it is based on a whole series of assumptions that are not mentioned in the context, such as that if Lisanne or Kris had taken the photos, concrete objects would be visible in the photos. But why actually? Because it must have been about capturing images?
    I don't think it's fair to imply that. Obviously, it was about something else, because otherwise there would be more to see in the pictures than the night sky. You yourself give good clues that the purpose of the night shots could not have been to scare off animals or attackers either, because otherwise there would probably be animals or attackers in the pictures. It also seems impossible that the path should be illuminated because, as you were able to show very clearly, there was no change of location in the three hours during which the pictures were taken. Against this background, the interpretation must therefore be based on what is constant in the photographs, and that is simply the orientation of the camera and what was done with it, besides not taking pictures, namely triggering the flash. Therefore, the old, unexciting assumption that it was an attempt to send out light signals into the night sky is the most plausible one. Even if there may be doubts as to whether objectively the conditions were actually given for drawing attention to oneself in this way, this explanation is far more plausible than the more presuppositional thesis that someone else could have taken the photographs in order to create a false impression. A simple cost-benefit analysis illustrates this well: What value should it have had for the perpetrator or perpetrators to spend three hours (!), and thus a good part of the night, photographing the night sky several times a minute? And what use could it have had for the girls or one of them? Maybe even being in a state of half-consciousness. For whom, if not for Lisanne and Kris, could the flashing of light have been of such essential importance that they made producing flashes their main task for hours? While the subjective motives and the objective Benefits for alleged perpetrators remain completely in the dark and incromprehesible, it is obvious what the two young women, or one of them, might have wanted to achieve with the flashes. After all, search teams flew over the area the day before. Light signals couldn't be helpful at daytime, at night, that might have been her idea, they were.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's difficult and I think some people make the mistake of zooming in too much to one or two aspects of this case. For instance on the night photos or the phone use. They can all be explained in whatever way you want. They could be rationally explained as the work of two girls delirious with hunger and first and exhaustion, or as photos made by someone else entirely, trying to create a fake trail of evidence. We just don't have enough facts to be certain about anything, when it comes to these photos and the use of their mobile phones. Yes thank you, there are soms things we can argumentate about them, for instance that it is less likely that whomever took thee photos did so to scare off an animal; because in the 90-something photos an animal hasn't been pictured once. Also, why would you keep making photos for 3 hours on end then? Also, there is zero evidence that helicopters were flying at night. All the info available indicates that helicopters only flew during a few days at the start of the search and always during daytime. There is zero evidence that helicopters would have flown in the dark of night, and as late as April 8th. I therefore dismiss (until new facts show up) that they were trying to flash an overflying helicopter. The same issue for search groups; we have no evidence whatsoever that search groups were walking out there in the dead of night. Yes same for the theory that they were lighting their way with the flash; all evidence points against this, due to the static nature of these photos. I agree that orientation is one of the most logical explanations around for now. Regarding light signals; that is possible, but I do wonder what triggered them to do that then, and why only on april 8th and not way sooner? They had been alone in the jungle for over a week (!) by then, and we have no evidence that troops were out between 01:00 -04:00 that night.

      But none of this disqualifies the alternative explanation of a 3rd person taking the photos. No, not at all. We have not a single photo identifying the photographer. Not even a hand or arm has been captured, enabling us to see if it was a he or a she. And you can personally think it is an illogical notion, there are no objective facts that disprove it, at the moment. I understand that you find it illogical that a 3rd party would make the effort to go out to take those photos. But I can think of a rational (I think at least..) explanation for that. IF a 3rd party was in fact involved then I don't personally believe that they would have done a hell of a lot of photoshopping or manipulation of the photos when they found the backpack and the camera. I think they went through them and only erased the photo 509, possibly because it contained something incriminating. The rest all told a perfect story, of kris and Lisanne walking alone in the wild there, unprepared, poorly dressed for the endeavor and going to the Pianista summit and beyond. Perfect stuff to allow the police to find. It just cements an alibi story on their behalf. People who say that criminals would just destroy a backpack like that, sometimes forget that there have been other missing people there including the missing British tourist Alex Humphrey, who has gone missing without a trace in the exact same area. You cannot continue to let people dissolve into nothing there, not with a mad circus of foreign press and searchers looking for these girls and demanding answers. If that backpack and those bone remains hadn't been found, the search would have gone on and on. The Dutch families had the financial means and the drive for it. Nobody living there wants that.. Indeed, a signal that the women were dead.

      Delete
    2. In light of this, it is not incomprehensible that a 3rd party would want to add more evidence to the camera, finishing the visual alibi of sorts. Now police and the families not only have photo evidence of the girls being physically on the Pianista Trail on day 1 and beyond the summit, but also an update from day 8, cementing the story (visually) that YES they got lost in the great unknown and yes they tried to survive for over a week. It really meant the evidence of an accident, for a lot of people, those night photos. Not all criminals are low IQ'ed brutes, some are highly pragmatic and logical.

      And people must also not make the mistake of just zooming in on some aspects of this case, and then forgetting about the bigger picture. I like to look at all the details though and to zoom out. Everything must be incorporated into one theory or another, not just nitpicking about the psychological analytics of these photos. It seems a fact that Kris and Lisanne ventured out without taking the necessary precautions. They weren't properly dressed or equipped for such a trek into unknown wild terrain. They did not bring enough food and water or extra clothes, let alone a means to defend themselves or find their way back if needed. These two lovely girls made grave errors in judgment when they ventured out in unknown nature without the necessary precautions. That is something that stands above everything else.

      But there are other reasons why an accident seems less likely to some people, me included. For instance:
      -How come the entire skeletons were never found?
      -How come the bodily remains of the two girls were find in the same vicinity, but one had her bones bleached clean and in a late stage of decomposition, while the other had remains in a very early stage of decomposition?
      -How come 5 months after their disappearance, a rolled up ball of skin from lisanne was found (from her shin bone), in a very early stage of decomposition? Impossible for the skin to have been kept out in the jungle all that time, and still look like that. The forensic pathologist stated that either it was fresh or someone had stored it cool and dry for a period of time. How does that match with an accident scenario?
      -How come their backpack was found dry and clean, 8 weeks into the disappearance when the jungle was wet and muddy? If they left it there themselves, why didn't they ask the help of the villagers living there?
      -What happened to the completely missing photo 509, which couldn't have been so thoroughly erased if the girls just pressed the 'delete' button. They didn't delete any photos during their holiday so why was this one deleted if they just got lost at that point and had other things on their mind than selfies?

      These are core questions and the accident believers always struggle to come up with a believable logic explanation for all the forensic facts, not just the ones they nitpick here and there.

      Delete
    3. it makes zero sense for an attacker to spend 4 hours taking night photos. To prove what? That the girls were lost? 1 or 2 photos during the day would do just the same. If I had killed those girls why would I hike my ass to a remote location and spend all night taking photos to convince the worlds that two girls assumed lost were lost? IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!

      At best I would take a few daytime pics and maybe of different locations.

      Would the girls take the photos? I dont think anybody else had any reason to do it ... Why would they?

      For all the reason that were already exlpained but here is another reason:

      - whichever girl was still alive in the jungle exhausted and tired knew she would die. Maybe she was just scared of the dark night and just used to flash to have some light in her last hours. Maybe she was bored and dieing and just needed something to do. What is there to do in the jungle at night? Play with your camera, take some pics.


      What makes no sense is that they did NOT take any note or any picture of themselves. That makes NO sense. And that they wanted to spare their parents how they looked? Fucking please. Give me a break.


      To all the photoshop clowns. Give it a break. In case of murder to most likely would be a local or drug runner. Do you think those people have the skill and the time to generate dozens of photshopped pictures to prove some nonsense? Fuck no.

      Nobody who raped and killed those girls then went to the Photoshop PC and masterly stitched pics together. That just didnt happen! Also these days you can easily analyze photos if they were edited. why doesnt anybody do that. And that Juan guy and his ramblings are only one thing: obsessed and crazy.


      Sadly his ramblings are so drawn out and crazy that one can not bear watching his long videos with seconds of facts in regards to exif data.

      Again, no sex killer would fuck around with exif data. that just makes no sense. They dont have the skills and no motive. If something bad was in a picture they would simply be deleted like some were.

      IF the pics were edited and exif manipulated who did it? the only option is the police who would have the skills and the motive to support their claim the girls got lost and they didnt want to fuck around solving a crime making the area look like a death trap.


      To the two SAME images of the SOS marker. No killer would have fucked around making little baloon sticks and SOS markers from pringles cans to divert attention from him. IT MAKES NO SENSE.


      Obviously the girls made those markers. So to the same pics. It is 100% it is THE SAME pic. the clear one is the original and obviously the one with the blown out foreground is the edited one. it is clearly edited. someone took the time to make the rock on the right white WHILE all the other foreground to the left is painted with a white brush to blow out the details. This is 100% manually edited. Who and Why?

      could have been the cops trying to obscure it or a journalist jut playing around and saving the pic and then leaking it with the others.


      THE ONLY QUESTION IS: were those pics leaked as different pics with different names and exif? If so then whoever leaked it (cops or journalist) want to hide something.

      Delete
    4. it makes zero sense for an attacker to spend 4 hours taking night photos. To prove what? That the girls were lost? 1 or 2 photos during the day would do just the same. If I had killed those girls why would I hike my ass to a remote location and spend all night taking photos to convince the worlds that two girls assumed lost were lost? IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!

      At best I would take a few daytime pics and maybe of different locations.

      Would the girls take the photos? I dont think anybody else had any reason to do it ... Why would they?

      For all the reason that were already exlpained but here is another reason:

      - whichever girl was still alive in the jungle exhausted and tired knew she would die. Maybe she was just scared of the dark night and just used to flash to have some light in her last hours. Maybe she was bored and dieing and just needed something to do. What is there to do in the jungle at night? Play with your camera, take some pics.


      What makes no sense is that they did NOT take any note or any picture of themselves. That makes NO sense. And that they wanted to spare their parents how they looked? Fucking please. Give me a break.


      To all the photoshop clowns. Give it a break. In case of murder to most likely would be a local or drug runner. Do you think those people have the skill and the time to generate dozens of photshopped pictures to prove some nonsense? Fuck no.

      Nobody who raped and killed those girls then went to the Photoshop PC and masterly stitched pics together. That just didnt happen! Also these days you can easily analyze photos if they were edited. why doesnt anybody do that. And that Juan guy and his ramblings are only one thing: obsessed and crazy.


      Sadly his ramblings are so drawn out and crazy that one can not bear watching his long videos with seconds of facts in regards to exif data.

      Again, no sex killer would fuck around with exif data. that just makes no sense. They dont have the skills and no motive. If something bad was in a picture they would simply be deleted like some were.

      IF the pics were edited and exif manipulated who did it? the only option is the police who would have the skills and the motive to support their claim the girls got lost and they didnt want to fuck around solving a crime making the area look like a death trap.

      Delete
    5. To the organ harvesters:

      you cant just kill someone somewhere, put their organs in a bag and take them somewhere else to be implanted. IT doesnt work that way. organs dont last long and the donor has to match. You dont just kill people and then advertise their kidneys. IT DOESNT WORK THAT WAY.

      The only way that works is that you run bloodwork on your victims, to catalog them, then keep them alive until you find a matching recipient and then you kill them and harvest their organs.

      You do this because whoever paid you $200000 for a kidney doesnt want HIV with it and wants it to match that is why you cant sell some kidneys you "just found in the jungle". Seriously, people need to fuck off with this shit.

      The only things you can bulk harvest are generic things like skin, blood, eyes, other membranes, bones. But I dont know if thats worth the effort and if its done in the jungle and why you wouldnt just harvest the natives who nobody gives a fuck about and they are also less likely to mess up your shit with HIV and Hepatitis.



      Otherwise, good blog and it weird that nothing makes sense. Especially that they left NO note and no pic, like :Hey mom and dad, we got lost, we are hurt and we are not well. If we dont make it, we love you"

      ANYBODY would have done that .. so thats weird


      Also take in mind that both options: Getting lost, murdered or abducted are not at all mutually exclusive! I think you mention that.

      It is also possible that they went to some horny local for help and rather then helping them, he helped himself to their white pu***es.


      the bones are obviously planted. It is highly unlikely they BOTH died in the water at the same time, unless one fell and the other died rescuing her, happens often enough. But then there would be more bones and entire torsos.


      The backpack was obviously planted, whoever denies this must be braindead, but it could be that a local found or bought the backpack with contents and wanted to keep it (the electronics probably had the value of their annual income). BUT when the media shitstorm hit they got scared and just dumped the backpack. That is why it was like new.





      Delete
    6. They were already dead the at the time those night photos were taken, don't you understand up til now???!!! Imagined that you suffered from dehydration and hunger for 7 days in the middle of jungle, you wouldn't and woundn't have waited until 7 days to take these nonsense night pohots (wouldn't be able to actually as well), I mean not even a head-on photos, all dark surroundings and no videos, no messages, no talkings. I mean it doesn't make any sense. Then you check the weird phone calls, they are quite fixed and orderly done acutally, no damn lost hiker would do that for no reason, if I was lost or trapped in a rain forest, I would keep on calling for rescue anytime and anywhere, I wouldn't do it for once the shut my phone, and the 77 times of PIN entries are even bullshit and nonsense too, none of girls would do that if either of them is alive at that time, the first they should do is straight for the emergency call instead of PIN entry.

      So to sum it up, they were dead already before the weird phone calls and night photos, at least before the night photos, all these weird shit happened just because the perprtrator wants to mess around with the police, they are arrogant and even with psychological distortions for leaving the phone and camera safe and sound, maybe they are used to it. They planted the backpack intentionally after two months no result investigatoin just for the 30000$ reward. For those who still think it's an accident, I would say fuck your degraded braincells, you won't come up with this stuipd ass conclusion if you took a goddamn minute to think about the case.

      Delete
  5. Hi,

    RE the discoloured boot: I may have gotten this wrong, but I will ask anyway: Lisanne´s severed foot was found inside the brown boot, when one of the pictures (depicted as "unknown", see the magnification which you posted) seems to show her boots are blue. Unfortunately I find no other picture where one can see her boots...
    The other, empty, boot which has been found has been attributed to Kris - but it is blue while the last pictures of Kris show her wearing brown boots.

    Is it possible that the foul play can proven, or at least be made much more likely, because the perpetrators put Lisannes foot back into the wrong boot?

    Or am I mixing things up?
    A

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi A.

      thanks for your thoughts. Yes I think you may be mixing things up, possibly? 

      I made you two collage pictures of the shoes of both girls. This is the brown set of shoes of Lisanne (the tall brown haired girl), notice that the shoes have a pink/fuchsia coloured inner lining: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3CEEAO4_QA/Xpdp_jXv0dI/AAAAAAAACGw/-5DGvPyvZGQ6oOu4zYtWfYtaBIbtvhm_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/collage.jpg 

      And here are the shoes from Kris; they were brown normally; brown in the photo of her at the airport, brown on the day of their hike. But, the blue shoe which was found, matches hers. So it is Kris' shoe, you can see the seam on the outside matching hers, also the details of the laces match and the sole. Only the colour has suddenly changed. Just like her sunglasses turned up bleached lighter and her bones of course.  
      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvT2a60_8EY/Xpdp9xhXBYI/AAAAAAAACGs/uMpcolB8jJ0__yKtaA56MRwRC9JQwfZ2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/collagekris.jpg 

      I wonder which photo you saw of Lisanne wearing a blue boot?  

      Best wishes Scarlet

      Delete
    2. Sun-bleached sunglasses? A bit like water-damaged umbrellas.

      Delete
  6. I am trying to wrap my head around Frank van de Goot's theory that the women fell 30-40 meters down a 60 degree slope and eventually died from their injuries. As you have previously mentioned, then all of these must be true:

    1. Each woman sustained injuries that kept either from going for help for the other.
    2. The location of the twig/plastic bag is not at the 2nd cable crossing as believed by locals.
    3. Both women willingly removed their bras despite cold temperatures at night.
    4. Their bodies decomposed, were dismembered by the current and their remains traveled for many kilometers.
    5. The contents of the backpack never became wet.
    6. No text messages or recorded memos were attempted.
    7. Kris' hair remained clean and dry for 11 days.
    8. Lisanne's bones and boot naturally became bleached.
    9. They were undiscovered despite being so close to the trail.
    10. At least one of them survived for 11 days without food or shelter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beach

      thanks for your analytical summary. Very good points. I think by the way that Frank van de Goot has turned back on that initial statement.. In Lost in the Wild he sounded very different and he may have realised by now that that statement lacks some basic common sense...

      1. Yes. Or one was fit enough to do so but couldn't get out of this ravine. Problem there is that no such ravine is known of in that area. The only steep slopes in the area they were at, are around the summit of the Pianista Trail. And they were all searched many times, by tour guides, sniffer dogs and the lot. No traces of them there. So yeh, then they must both have been too badly injured. Which may coincide with Kris' broken pelvis (ouch) and Lisanne's shattered left foot.
      2. Correct. People passed that spot, they weren't there. Tourists went there in late April, looking for K+L and there was nothing there. And if they were then they would have been so close to the way back and to civilization, because there are inhabited houses nearby, that it makes no sense why they stayed there for 8+ days without seeing anyone or finding help.
      3. True. The sense in that decision evades me then.
      4. That is what must have happened then. Never mind that the river at the 2nd cable bridge is not directly and freely floating to the location where their bone remains were found.
      5. Not wet, not damaged, not muddy, not stained, nothing inside was touched by the many river rocks. And there must have been a massive flood to pick up that backpack and drop it off 14 walking hours up north. Through many bends and left and right turns through branching river mouths.
      6. Correct. Despite having 8+ days of being stuck in that ravine, so over 200 hours
      7. Yep. Not greasy, not muddy, not wet, not tangled from trying to climb out.
      8. No it was the pelvic bone and the rib bone from Kris which turned up all clean and bleached after 10 weeks. Lisanne's foot was on the other hand found in a very early stage of decomposition, with meat and skin still attached and in early decomposition also. So wildly different rates of decomp. between the remains of both girls. Despite these bones being found in the same vicinity and at the same time.
      9. There is no real evidence that they were close to the trail by the time they went missing.
      10. Yes. Because on day 11 the iPhone was switched on for another hour (yeh... don't ask me about how that was possible for a phone with only 50% battery on the morning of their hike..).

      Delete
  7. Hi all,

    I will post this in parts due to the character max limit.

    I would like to make some points that don't seem to have been covered for what they are worth. I will be blunt and I make no apologies.

    1. I think the photo shop ideas need to be let go. Yes it can be done but why? There is no reason to go to all that effort when you could simply delete the photos. Also if a criminal act did take place by a third person who wanted to hide evidence why not simply destroy the camera entirely. It makes absolutely no sense to go parading around the jungle in the dark taking photos of mysterious things.
    2. The bones being bleached I think is irrelevant. From what I can see the term bleached was used incorrectly. The evidence says there were traces of phosphorous. Phosphorous can naturally occur in the human body and is also prevalent in some foods so it is not entirely improbable that this occurrence was simply natural.
    3. The bands on Lisannes' arms caught my attention. If we are to believe the timestamps on the cameras and believe that the bracelets appeared later during the walk we could wonder, given their homemade look, that they were given to her at some point which would indicate that the two did come into contact with people, locals or villagers perhaps.
    4. How much faith do we put in the timestamps on the photos. My experience with digital devices is that they are not always accurate (maybe this is just me) and also a few of the photos are said to be taken with an I Phone. I have always owned I phones and as far as my experience goes they really like to use GPS to ascertain the time and date and if they drop in and out of phone reception they become confused. Also as a side note regarding the incorrect PIN entries. I do have a theory on this which I haven't actually researched but if somebody was in possession of both phones and these phones had SIM cards in them it may be plausible that phone A (belonging to the owner) became inoperable (battery failure, whatever) and so that person swapped the SIM card to phone B (belonging to the other person) and the PIN misses were in fact the phone entry pin which is stored on that phone and not the SIM. Something perhaps that needs to be looked into further by somebody who knows more about phones.
    5. Now something interesting I have found in photo 505 ( the one showing Kris looking back slightly bent over with seemingly her hands tied behind her back) I haven't found any mention of this anywhere on the net but too be honest I haven't looked that hard. If you look to the right of her there is some leafage and the trunk of a tree. At this point, circa shoulder height of Kris there is what appears to be a very definitive looking flesh colored shape, perfectly in proportion within this shot which is exactly what a persons arm would look like if they were sitting at the base of a tree with their hands either on or above their head. My first thoughts are that it looks like somebody sitting with their hands bound to the tree above their head. A thought I have not been able to get past. Now if this were indeed what it looks like this would point to a third person, the person that took the photo. Also what I see in Kris's body language is a look of "get away from me" or " I don't want you here" something along those lines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's an interesting comment about photo 505 so I had a second look at the photo. It's not the clearest of photos but you are right it does look like a bare raised arm.

      Delete
  8. 6. The next photos (the last ones dated April 1st) after the one mentioned above are also obviously around the time the "nice hike in the jungle" became something else. There is also another time stamp issue here which I wont get into my theories on. The body language of Kris suggests she is being followed, closely, and the person following her is not her friend. Although it also reflects what you would see in a person if they were looking back at a crime they had committed OR something they had been forced to do, that they didn't want to do, such as leaving an injured person behind. The only thing that we could confirm with this photo is that there is a definite look of concern but it does not appear to be, at this point, out and out fear.
    7. The location that the backpack was said to be found. This is a tricky one. The position was determined by the person who handed it over to authorities. And where you might say there is no reason to suggest that this person made up the location that they allegedly found it, you have to remember anything is possible. I have two theories, so far, on the backpack. They are both complicated and as I said are only possible theories. Either the backpack turned up and was found by this person and handed over or there are two variations of the second option. Either the girls made it at least this far and ditched the backpack or they had found themselves, for whatever reason, further than this point and turned back then ditched the backpack. You could also wonder the possibility that they could have been held captive somewhere further downstream for several days (which could explain, if the timestamps are to be believed, the 6 or 7 day gap between photos) escaped, headed up river following the logical path of the reverse of their original trek and at that point again ditched the backpack.I understand this does not explain the contents of the backpack entirely, in particular the bras, but (and I am not a female so if I get this wrong so be it) it could be possible that they removed their own bras during an exhaustive "escape' in a hot, humid environment due to some level of discomfort. I will also say at this point, the shorts that were found I cannot offer any reasonable explanation for and I will not attempt to.
    The conclusions of any research are seemingly impossible to reach, hence the reason this remains a mystery. The obvious signs point to foul play of some sort but there is no clear motive or reasoning behind it. It also strikes me as odd that for two friends, such as Lisanne and Kris, who are on the adventure of a lifetime that are avid diary keepers and avid photo takers WHO often shared the camera to photograph one another and appeared in photos together did not write a single thing down and more importantly there are no photographs of Lisanne after they were at the summit of the path. In short the last photos, which show by way of body language that something is wrong, only contain Kris.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, I think at the time when the photo you mentioned was taken the camera might be already in the hands of a third party, and if someone was following Kris, it might also be her friend. Which means things had gone wrong, but hadn't become a "disaster", following your scenario.
      I wouldn't speculate further, since there have been plenty in Scarlets' whole series of articles.

      Delete
  9. One last mention which is probably nothing but based on my own personal experience and knowledge, referring to the "marker" (the red bags). What I can see is an absolute reason for documenting this with a photo simply by the aspect of the photo. The lens is obviously pointed at the object, which is centered in the photo (as any photographer will tell you the subject of a photo is always in the center of the frame when using photos for documenting REAL events) and so we can assume it is intentional. Now the depiction of the number 5 etched onto the rocks surface could be just light and shadow (my actual belief) but there is a possibility that it is deliberately placed there (a tactic used by very very experienced survivalists, not to say that these girls were not well trained in survival, were they? How will we ever know?) depicting this is the 5th way point and giving a direction of travel, possibly by using the extended branch at the base pointing off to the right of the frame. If this were the case one would have to assume there were, at least, 4 other markers placed which were sadly never documented.
    So for now, I will leave my comments for scrutiny and possible debunking. Myself and my team are planning a trip to this region in the near future to retrace the path and document the positions and times of these photos, hopefully, to create a more accurate timeline of events and positions of photos, but I will remain anonymous for now for obvious reasons but perhaps if we find anything interesting we will re visit this post with our findings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi

      thanks for all your thoughts. Always good to hear from someone who believes in an entirely different scenario as to what may have happened. I recently read a series of blog posts and the comment sections of a local Boquete man named Lee Zeltzer. They were all removed from the net for some time already, but Juan found a way to trace them anyway in cache. Lee was one of the first in Boquete to go out and interview people living at the Il Pianista trail, trying to gather evidence.

      The problem is that Lee Zeltzer was out there pretty much from April 3rd onward, immediately starting to question people on the trail informally once the news of this disappearance broke. So his interviews were right off the bat when people's memories were still fresh. Mostly all said they saw Kris and Lisanne around or shortly after 13:00 heading towards the trail, and then having returned from the trail, back at the trailhead, at or around 15:00/15:30 pm. It seems widely accepted now, also by all investigators on this case, that all those witnesses were off. The camera times are the Golden Standard now. But there wére also at least 12 different fingerprints and DNA traces found on those cameras and belongings. However, that does not deter the investigators in believing the technical date info from the cameras. But I don't understand why so many people lied, so early on? We also never heard an explanation for those 'off' witness statements.

      I don't exclude the possibility that Kris and Lisanne did return down the mountain. Yes, they have have ran into other people, which seems the rule when you read other tourists blogs of this route; they always run into other people, even when it rains cats and dogs. Lisanne may have received an indigenous bracelet, who knows. They made it back to the road, asked Pedro for directions how to get back, then asked the owner of the small cigarette shop how to best get a taxi or bus. And then got a lift most likely. may even have gone for a swim (I do believe the swimming photo which Juan published to be legit). Then never made it back home because people took them.

      The Pianista photos were real (I can't explain the summit photo appearing to be made around 13:00 if I am to believe the witnesses who saw them leave the language school and get a cap between 13:00-13:30..). The night photos were fake. The backpack was planted, the few bone remains also. Kris' body was treated with chemicals to remove any sign of cause of death, hence the 'bleached' look. Lisanne's left leg bones and foot were not treated and therefore had flesh and meat still on it..

      Delete
    2. Very good suggestion also on the SIM card. I also believe that the SIM card may have been taken out of the phones and placed in another device. "And the PIN misses were in fact the phone entry pin which is stored on that phone and not the SIM. Something perhaps that needs to be looked into further by somebody who knows more about phones." - very smart idea of you! Very good.

      The person who found the backpack, her husband works/worked at the time as an aide at the farm of tour guide F. This has not been mentioned in the press, but forum members found photos that confirm this. The woman first contacted tour guide F when she found the bag, then HE brought it to the police.... Very suspicious. I do not believe the girls ditched their backpack there. Reason; that spot where the bag was found is right near habitation. There are houses along the water there. They could have reached out to the locals there. Why wouldn't they? Why leave all your belongings in an inhabited area? No, the bag was planted there and the help of the tour guide was told where it was and where to 'find' it. I believe they were held captive far far away from this area altogether. The caldera region perhaps, instead. The perpetrators only came back in June to plant the bag and a few non-discriminating bones. making it look like Kris and Lisanne walked all that way up north. Complete set up.


      Regarding photo 505, yes I did receive a few emails about this. What you also mention, the appearance of an arm, or someone sitting there leaning their head on their arm. There are other photos where people also see shaped of other people, or a man with a hat on. Unfortunately these photos do not have the highest resolution, so enlarging them or adjusting brightness etc can distort the pixels to some degree. Making it very hard to be sure about such shapes.... I wouldn't be surprised either however if they were not alone at this point. I also agree with your feeling of those last photos being off.. Kris not looking relaxed or natural. There is some tension sensible perhaps. Maybe they are accompanied by someone who is becoming friendly but pushy at this point (asking them to keep making photos?) and the girls do not feel comfortable.

      Delete
    3. But, in the end we just don't know... There are details and facts to go on, but a lot of contradicting info also.... Your guess is as good as mine! Very nice of you to think along here, thanks for all your thoughts. And if you and your team end up walking this route and area, I would love to hear about it somehow, if possible :) Yes for sure, stay anonymous and play the naive tourist. I wouldn't even mention the names of Kris and Lisanne when you go there. especially the tour guide hears everything and is extremely suspicious of anyone mentioning this disappearance and then wanting to go up on the mountain. He also called people housing such tourists to threaten them in the past. But when you do go up there, it would be so interesting to explore the timeline for yourself yes. Ideal would be if someone could find the location of the night photos, but this will be no small feat. Something else of interest: there is a 1st a 2nd and a 3rd cable bridge passing, when you go far enough beyond the Mirador. Some people still believe that the night photos were taken at the 2nd cable bridge passing. I don't think this is correct, but the distinctive rock from the photo with the red plastic on a stick, that rock is quite distinctive and should be able to identify.

      Anyway, thanks for your thoughts and my best wishes

      Delete
  10. Hello! First of all I would like to congratulate you for your extensive work on this case, it's very well done.

    I personally do tend to believe that there was a third party involved on this case, I also believe that it was probably a man. The thing is that I am Latin-American, so I think I can understand what the cultural differences between these girls and a potential third party may have meant and where they came from. From my experience, Latin-Americans do carry a sort of notion about Europeans and even Americans, as they represent the "oppressive" rich countries that explore third world countries. When with an European/American, that can result in behaviour that tries to "flip the table" in a way that the "oppressed becomes the opressor", so, like, rudeness, aggressiveness, distasteful jokes etc.. Of course that I'm not referring to most of the population, but I myself have seen natives put tourists in some uncomfortable situations. Personally, I live in a massive metropolis, so things work a bit different where I'm from when it comes to that, but in a region such as Boquete I can picture a situation like that happen with the girls, not only because they seemed like "an easy target" but also because of what they may represent, even if it's something of the unconscious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words! Yes I agree with you. There is just too much that doesn't add up in regards to a Lost scenario, in my opinion also. Ok that is very interesting information. I remember getting the impression when watching Lost in the Wild about this disappearance, that the locals in that hamlet of Alto Romero were also quite hostile and a bit condescending.'Yeh sorry about your loss, but what about the money?!' Death may be a more common thing in latin America too? I'm not sure of course, but seeing documentaries on countries like Mexico, Honduras and Guatamala, the impression I got was that crime was widespread, brutal and that especially women and cartel members died frequently from violence.. And add to that the western tourists who on the one hand help tourism and help the country, but on the other hand I can understand what you write about them still representing colonial oppressors and spoiled 1st world countries. It must be profitable also for the sex trade to have white girls/slaves on offer.. :( When I saw the swimming photo, I did believe right away it were Kris and Lisanne, with those local boys (who died soon after both). They belonged to a local gang. Do you think it would be a plausible scenario that Kris and Lisanne first willingly interacted with them, to raise their spirits. But that once they refused to kiss them or more, that these young men switched and started to force them? Maybe it is also a bit of a macho culture thing? They may have felt rejected and that triggered their controlling evil side? The girls were strangers and they are the king of their kingdom over there. They may have felt that they could do what the heck they wanted over there with those gringa's?

      Delete
    2. I believe that smaller rural communities like Boquete are definitely more used to death, specially one that deals with gangs. I'm not so familiar with that scenario, but it reminds me of a Brazilian movie called "Bacurau", that has the sort of vibe that I imagine when I think of this situation specifically. It's about a tiny isolated community in one of the poorer regions of the country that gets targeted by americans and europeans who want to kill people and not be prosecuted for it. The point of view of the movie is clearly latino, however, it is about that relationship that the third and first world have with one another. It is a violent place, but also quite complex, things work in a sort of web of relationships and power dynamics. One thing that I believe for sure is that it must exist some type of unspoken truth in Boquete when it comes to this case and other similar ones, but no one says anything because the true power is the hands of the illegal activity there. Not only that but at lot of times the population of those small communities depend on said activity and the people who participate on it to survive and help them with their basic needs.
      About the gang members in the picture, I think it might be possible that they did turn against the girls after they got uncomfortable. It sure plays into the "macho" cultural aspect of not accepting no as an answer. And, when done by a white girl, might even encourage them to do those things because of the whole "overpowering a symbol of oppression" thing. The girls, like many Americans and europeans who go to third world countries, are not used to such situations and the fact that they must be alert at all times. In the place that they rule, they wouldn’t take no as an answer from “entitled europeans”. A native girl probably wouldn’t even have talked to those guys knowing who they might be or are.
      I can’t speak for the entirety of Latin America on this issue, since in from Brazil and we’re talking about Panama. The cultures are not as similar as they may seem to an outsider, but of course that there is a lot in common. The structure of society and power dynamics don’t really change when it comes to the “third world”, where some communities have to fend for themselves. The secrecy and protection of one’s family is engrained in Christian beliefs and culture, something that rules over the entire continent. It’s family first and society second.

      Delete
  11. its looks like" well done " job of organized crime and no one will gonna be punished sad. only what i know for sure its i'm not gonna Travel to the panama or some latin america because it's not safe, and not worth it that's it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. There have always been events like this in the years back, as gang-activity is increasing in all Centro Americas, so things are getting tougher.
    Panama, Costa Rica and even Nicaragua and Guatemala were great countries to travel to back in the time between 1995 and 2005. After that, first tourism grew massively (hipster-kids traveling all over the world on cheap airfares and hostels), and then gang-activities startet, initially by spreading out of the USA, when convicted youngsters went back home (El Salvador and Honduras were the first hot spots).

    In Costa Rica problems like this were not evident till around 2004 - it used to be quite a peaceful place then, with only petty theft and small crimes to be alerted to. Today they've got the "Los Morecos" and other gangs.
    Panama had always been neighbour of Colombia, with the Darien Gap as a drug-smuggling route (land and sea). Today they also send refugees through this dangerous wilderness.

    So yes, these countries used to be good travelling destinations back then. The gap was open as long as a new middle class was emerging – with overall wealth and infrastrucre growing - and severe crime not on the rise.
    The global economic crisis of 2007 hit those countries as well by stopping the growth of the middle class and cutting opportinities/chances, letting especially young males down and disenchanted from their dreams. So now they live in shanty quartes and see some posing rapper's and other first world shit on TV or on their smart phones - and they want to be “on the party” as well. And as we know from all the classic mob-movies, the money lies “on the streets”.

    As a result I go conform with other comments here, that those countries are no playgrounds for naive first world kids- especially those, who were raised by "curling- or helicopter-parents" , smoothing the their kids way in all aspects of life. Especially female travellers without male company are an easy target (who would have thought that).
    Those counties are still good places for “real” travellers, who have already a certain life- and social experience/skills, can speak at least some basic Spanish and have common sense and sharp senses, when it comes to assessing and avoiding potentially dangerous actions/situations.

    As for the case of Kris and Lisanne, the guys who pulled all this are lucky, that the parents did not send in a bunch of steel-balled ex Delta-Force or ex Légion étrangère guys. On the other hand - if you "chop one head off", three news will regrow...., that's the problem with gangs and organised crime. The next kid from a shanty town is already standing in line for receiving a gun…
    So spoilt kids and “snowflakes”of the genY and Z – better stay home and travel your own places or visit Greta Thunbergs home town in Sweden!
    And by the way - airfares might rise anyway after a short hype after rebooting the airline industry. So I think, the hipsters and older genY-dudes and dudettes were the last generation for a longer time, who were able to travel the whole world affordably and with nearly no restrictions. We gotta swallow that pill…

    And as already mentioned - for those, who are realistic, fit, who can adapt and have common sense, Central America will still offer great experiences in the future. But…eerh…well….if you go there to make selfies with giant butterflies in front of a waterfall, in hot pants and a tank top, you better stay in your hip urban hood a buy a super-deluxe frappochino with ice and cinnanmon…
    That might sound cynical, but we can learn from this case: the world is a tough place an it’s likely, that it’s becoming even tougher…

    so long

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A good summing up of what these extremely naive girls got into. The ‘elephant in the room’ is what the hell were they thinking.
      Growing up in a country where all the thinking is done for you, entitled youth in Europe deciding to go to Panama...then wander around like they were strolling around the canals. What a terrible price to pay for such stupidity.
      As you mention - the crime situation will be worst now after the economic fallout from the virus.

      Delete
    2. I agree. But these girls were 21 and 22 years old and the parents of one of them were very worried, but they felt they couldn't stop their daughter. Unfortunately it has become some sort of rite of passage for well to do western youngsters to make some big exotic trip nowadays. Often without seriously weighing the risks. If they had stayed in Bocas with other young tourists, everything may have ended well. But Boquete is not the same and they made the mistake to go into that jungle without a guide or any protection :(

      Delete
    3. Anonymous (poster of the long message), I agree. And thank you for pointing out that the situation in those countries was a lot safer before, let's say, roughly 2004. I just did a blog post about a German teenager who died under suspicious circumstances in Malta, but reading up on the matter, Malta did not seem or feel even a fraction as dangerous as a country like Panama. And as such, mostly all Latin American countries, from Nicaragua to Colombia. I blame young western hikers disease on the large amount of backpackers and Millennials basically, happily streaming into the Central American countries, expecting to find perfect paradise instagram photo opportunities... Indeed, the vast middle classes we now have in the western world, with the means to travel and the incentive. There is also a big travel industry, who sponsor these wanderlust influencer types, it is a business model. But it makes many normal youngsters want to go to such destinations themselves, most of them unaware of the history of such countries, the political landscape and the crime numbers.

      Even Kris and Lisanne, who were well educated, levelheaded girls, may have underestimated the risks. I believe the swimming photo to be legit and if they truly decided to go skinny dipping with mere strangers in Boquete, they took huge risks in my opinion. That's easy said in retrospect, but really, that was something they should have felt squeezy about themselves too. It is very well possible still that these girls wanted to have a good time with the locals, but then the atmosphere changed as soon as they declined sexual approaches. Then the local kids, macho's perhaps, maybe looking down on gringo's with money coming to their quarters for meaningless good times, wanted to show them a lesson...

      And like you said, there is indeed also the MTV effect, as I'd call it; youngsters from poor backgrounds see the 'gangsta' lifestyle played out in video clips and reality tv shows, and they want a piece of the pie; a part in the fun. This increases crime because when there are no jobs available for them or they don't have the means to get a good education, crime is what looms. Which many modern day tourist is confronted with, there are new stories every year of missing backpackers, murdered tourists and that doesn't even include the plethora of robbings and rapes.

      And you are right on the money with your comments, it is true, these Millennials are raised by their 'best friends' (parents), often in a PC bubble of love all cultures. They get mostly everything they want and participation prizes too for joining a competition. No is not a word they like to hear. And their mothers are often (semi-)feminists, instilling the confidence in their daughters that girls can do anything a boy can. Or better. Including traveling....

      Delete

    4. In the Kris and Lisanne case, Lisanne's parents were very worried about their daughters travel plans. They did not like the sound of Costa Rica or Panama one bit. But they didn't say no to their (by now adult) daughter. There is this now famous horrible case of a Danish and Norwegian girl who went climbing a mountain in Morocco in December of 2018. They were vocal online about immigrant support and the intrinsic goodness of all different cultures. Only one parent has stated later in the media that she was a little bit worried about the Muslim country her daughter went to. Two very young, blonde, Scandinavian girls, alone in a tent. They were stalked, raped and decapitated on camera and the monsters then sent the footage to all the girls' online friends and family. Just because the world should be everyone's oyster, does not mean that it actually IS, in reality.

      True, whomever is behind their death has been lucky that the feeble Dutch brown nosers and the corrupt slack Panamanians were on the case and not commando's, or the Mossad, or any true investigative elite team. Most if not all evidence is gone by now.

      And indeed, those who are well prepared, fit, aware of the risks and willing to stick to the 'rules' will probably be fine, although anyone can be hit by a truck, anywhere. But younger women traveling alone in some parts of the world, I think they need a reality check.

      Delete
    5. It often mentioned that they were ‘smart’ ‘level headed’ and other accolades etc but were they really? Is this another assumption made from media,parents etc.
      The fiasco regarding the so called school they were going to help out in smacks of very poor planning and something obviously wasn’t quite right there.
      Were they that ‘bright’ ? - yes they had degrees but they are participation certificates these days and the fact that they went into the jungle with hardly any water and skimpy clothing does not suggest situational awareness or common sense. They obviously didn’t know that the temperature decreases with altitude and it rained there. Really two immature adults who met a tragic end and it’s hoped that others will take heed.

      Delete
    6. Quote :And you are right on the money with your comments, it is true, these Millennials are raised by their 'best friends' (parents), often in a PC bubble of love all cultures. They get mostly everything they want and participation prizes too for joining a competition. No is not a word they like to hear. And their mothers are often (semi-)feminists, instilling the confidence in their daughters that girls can do anything a boy can. Or better. Including traveling....

      Brilliant summing up !

      Delete
  13. Eu percebi que a partir de um momento só tem fotos da Kris e tiradas de longe, algumas ela está de costas, e nas fotos que ela está d e frente o rosto está com semblante fechado, pode ser que nesse momento elas já tenham sido "capturadas" e a Lisanne não esteja mais junto dela, tenha sido levada por outra pessoa para longe da Kris e a câmera tenha ficado com a pessoa que levou a Kris, por isso as fotos só dela. Acredito que tenham sido assassinadas e todas as evidências implantadas nas cenas de maneira que pudesse parecer qualquer coisa. A pessoa ou pessoas que cometeram o assassinato não estavam preocupadas em ocultar provas e evidências, pois parece que sabia que não ia ser investigado a fundo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obrigado. Sim, as últimas fotos, 507 e 508, também foram tiradas do alto. Ou por Lisanne, de pé em uma pedra, ou por outra pessoa. Não sabemos porque Lisanne não é mais retratada depois da cúpula. Eu concordo, eles se conheceram em jogo sujo. A foto 509 mostrou evidências disso e foi removida.

      Delete
  14. Something I feel wasn't touched on is -why- her wristbands would have disappeared. She clearly used them as her hairbands to put her hair up, and put them back on her wrists when letting her hair down. Not especially helpful, but out of all the speculation I read between the 3 blog posts, I didn't see that exact detail covered.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks, yes the hairband was sometimes around her wrist, when she had her hair down, or it was gone from Lisanne's wrist, when she had her hair up. It seems to have been the hair elastic all along, and nothing else mysterious.. Thanks for pointing this out, I have added this detail to the blog now.

      Delete
  15. Thanks, yes the has been mentioned also in youtube comments. Very good, logical explanation! I think that is the right explanation indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. For some ease of understanding I simplified the information on the known timings of the photographs of April 8th, now please note there are several photographs not counted here below as they have never been released and there is therefore limited information as to when exactly they were taken. But as a rough guide the photography looks like this:

    April 8th - 1 photo at 1.37am
    4 photo's at 1.38am
    5 photo's at 1.39am
    3 photo's at 1.40am
    2 photo's at 1.41am
    2 photo's at 1.42am
    1 photo at 1.43am
    1 photo at 1.44am
    4 photo's at 1.45am
    2 photo's at 1.46am
    1 photo at 1.48am
    1 photo at 1.49am
    2 photo's at 1.50am
    1 photo at 1.51am
    1 photo at 1.52am
    2 photo's at 1.53am
    2 photo's at 1.55am
    1 photo at 1.57am
    2 photo's at 1.58am
    1 photo at 2.00am
    1 photo at 2.05am
    1 photo at 2.12am
    1 photo at 2.15am
    1 photo at 2.29am
    1 photo at 2.31am
    1 photo at 2.37am
    1 photo at 2.46am
    1 photo at 3.09am
    1 photo at 3.22am
    1 photo at 4.22am

    ---

    Photo #550 - April 8th 01:39:54 AM
    Photo #553 - April 8th 01:40:32 AM - So between 1.39 & 1.40 eight photo's are taken and accounted for, but according to this numbering here two photo's are missing/unreleased. Looking at the timings here, these two are taken in just 30 seconds, which fits the frequency in general in these early shots as the photographs average being 10 seconds apart. But, 10 photographs taken in 1 minute therefore?!!!! Surely not...?

    This is not the only such gap in the photo ordering, and a similarly hard to believe number of photographs being taken within just a minute, so is there an automatic photoburst function in operation here, or are the camera dates suspect? If the frequency is correct then it is little wonder the flash function occasionally failed, I have never tried to take ten photographs within 1 minute, but if there isn't an automated 'photoburst' function responsible and it is all manual it is saying something about the extreme emotional and mental state of whoever is taking these pictures...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You do talk about al of this in your page up above Scarlet, so I am making no claim here to have made any dramatic new discovery or insight. But refining the timings and run order of the photographs taken and listed above makes for a very informative way to view and understand how the Photographer was behaving that night, and in what order the shots came in. If you take the list below and put it in notepad, then use it against the actual Photographs posted up above on this page, it really puts you there on the night almost. At just ten seconds apart this is proof that everything in those photographs is presumably what is sat around as the camera is moved up, left, then right, and... for the shot of Kris' hair?

      Photo #510 - April 8th 01:29 AM
      Photo #511 - April 8th 01:30
      Photo #512-540 (18 taken within just six minutes, all Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #541 - April 8th 01:37 AM
      Photo #542 - April 8th 01:38:12 AM
      Photo #543 - April 8th 01:38:28 AM
      Photo #544 - April 8th 01:38:48 AM
      Photo #545 - April 8th 01:38:57 AM
      Photo #546 - April 8th 01:39:12 AM
      Photo #547 - April 8th 01:39:21 AM
      Photo #548 - April 8th 01:39:32 AM
      Photo #549 - April 8th 01:39:42 AM
      Photo #550 - April 8th 01:39:54 AM [Boulder & marker]
      Photo #551 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #552 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #553 - April 8th 01:40:32 AM
      Photo #554 - April 8th 01:40:48 AM
      Photo #555 - April 8th 01:40:59 AM
      Photo #556 - April 8th 01:41 AM
      Photo #557 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #558 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #559 - April 8th 01:41 AM
      Photo #560 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #561 - April 8th 01:42 AM
      Photo #562 - April 8th 01:42,25 AM
      Photo #563 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #564 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #565 - April 8th 01:43,28 AM
      Photo #566 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #567 - April 8th 01:44,12 AM
      Photo #568 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #569 - April 8th 01:45,01 AM
      Photo #570 - April 8th 01:45,14 AM
      Photo #571 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #572 - April 8th 01:45 AM
      Photo #573 - April 8th 01:45 AM
      Photo #574 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #575 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #576 - April 8th 01:46 AM [SoS Display]
      Photo #577 - April 8th 01:46 AM
      Photo #578 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #579 - April 8th 01:48 AM
      Photo #580 - April 8th 01:49,47 AM [Kris Kremers Hair]
      Photo #581 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #582 - April 8th 01:50,05 AM
      Photo #583 - April 8th 01:50,26 AM
      Photo #584 - April 8th 01:51,56 AM
      Photo #585 - April 8th 01:52,28 AM
      Photo #586 - April 8th 01:53,02 AM
      Photo #587 - April 8th 01:53,13 AM
      Photo #588 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #589 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #590 - April 8th 01:55,01 AM
      Photo #591 - April 8th 01:55,36 AM
      Photo #592 - April 8th 01:57,03 AM
      Photo #593 - April 8th 01:58,26 AM
      Photo #594 - April 8th 01:58,35 AM
      Photo #595 - April 8th 02:00,37 AM
      Photo #596 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #597 - April 8th 02:05 AM
      Photo #598 - (Unknown/Unreleased)
      Photo #599 - April 8th 02:12 AM
      Photo #600 - April 8th 02:15,25 AM
      Photo #602 - April 8th 02:29 AM
      Photo #603 - April 8th 02:31,25 AM
      Photo #604 - April 8th 02:37,11 AM
      Photo #605 - April 8th 02:46,16 AM
      Photo #607 - April 8th 03:09 AM
      Photo #608 - April 8th 03:22,47 AM
      Photo #609 - April 8th 04:10,59 AM

      Delete
    2. (cont...)In all, between the start of photography at 1.29am and up until 2am, there are an astonishing 85 photographs taken in that half an hour, at an average rate of ten seconds apart and a very noticable 5 photographs per minute.
      From 2pm till the final photograph at 4.10am (just over two hours) there are then just 12 photographs taken. So within the span of the first half hour is the period of greatest energy and intensive shooting. Whether that marked drop-off after exactly half an hour is at all significant beyond the possibility of fatigue finally having taken hold on the photographer is an open question... but the most intense period IS lasting exactly half an hour, between 1.29 & 2am.

      More or less the first photograph taken (#511) shows the rain falling from what we assume is above, the droplets appear close to the photographer but interestingly there is no splashing on the camera lens despite what we assume is an upwards shot. The next available shot is about eight minutes later and a strange ultra-close and over-exposed shot of what many think is the edge of Lisanne Froon's face, there is no obvious sign of rain or droplets or moisture here, and the next shot taken, of a portion of rockface, also shows no obvious sign of rain falling, however the next handful of shots DO show the rain IS still falling.
      Given the tight timeframe here is spanning between mere seconds and minutes, and the shot of what appears to be Kris Kremers' (apparently dry) hair comes a full nineteen minutes in, with nothing to suggest the rain has paused in all this time, it seems that along with the seemingly dry 'SoS' display there is a very definite shelter here to some degree, perhaps a very generous overhang above is shielding them. Or... is the Photographer in fact not pointing upwards, but downwards?! It's a possibility. But either way there HAS to be some form of shelter at work here. The rain appears continuous through the early hours here, and look to the photography of Photo's #602 onwards and the sheer intensity, and closeness, of the downpour by this point should be making photographs impossible otherwise.


      By the time of the photography here on April 8th, at 1.29am, it would have been dark for six-to-seven hours. The SoS Display and proboble Branch Marker waiting to be picked up suggest a rational person is responsible, as some ingenuity, thought, and effort has been put into these - it also shows that this is a camp and that they have presumably been here for a couple of days or more. What prompted someone to pull out the Camera, in the early hours and the dark? I personally would speculate that it may be the rain that triggered it. Evidently there were some considerable downpours this night, and while the photographer seems to have some degree of shelter it probobly was not complete, sleep may have been impossible under these conditions. And it seems reasonable to think that during the day it would have been difficult too. So is sheer exhaustion also a factor perhaps? Despair and frustration combining with the conditions to deliver this response? It seems likely, but consider - ten seconds between shots may seem dramatic, but in fact ten seconds is quite a controlled and lengthy time, it doesn't suggest someone is raging, or in the grip of a mental breakdown, rather I would argue that it suggests there is still a degree of control in evidence. Despair may well be there, but it is still someone in control of themselves.
      But it says something too that whoever this is they have no interest in using the camera other than on this rainy night in the early hours, this despite their presumably having nothing at all but time while sitting there, day and night just sat in a huddle, waiting...

      Delete
    3. Thank you Dave! Good work. True, when you see the times ordered like that, it does seem most likely that someone was turning that camera around and was systematically and purposefully clicking, picturing the direct surroundings.

      Delete
    4. David, if you look, starting at photo 547, there does indeed appear to be what looks like a tiny droplet on the lens, in the lower left hand corner. It's also there, in the same place, in 556, 559, 561, 562, 565, and 567. And if you rotate 569 and 570, this spot is in the exact same place. It pops up again in 573 and 579. It's there in 584 and makes a last appearance in 597.

      What's interesting is that this spot is NOT in 594, nor does it appear in 580, 576 and various other photos where it should be if the photos are in order. It cannot be because the lens was wiped because it shows up in the exact same place in the pictures that it's in.

      Just another very weird thing.

      Delete
    5. True, I noticed the drop on the lens as well in some photos. Strange how it is there and then not there. Still keeping the option open that all of those photos have been shuffled in order. Same for the daytime photos.

      Delete
    6. @Scarlett, yes, it would seem so. Along with the strangeness involving the timestamps.

      But this also is a possible explanation for the missing 509. We wonder where it went, if you delete by a computer, it is still there until it is rewritten. You would have to zero-out the drive to get rid of it. The person either did that, or they copied all files but that one to another SDcard.

      Or... a much simpler explanation. 509 was not deleted at all. It was just renamed. When they were shuffling around the filenames to reorder the pics, they missed one.

      Delete
    7. I had never noticed that drop, and never would have! A case of being hidden in plain sight - you are so busy looking at the background you don't ever see the foreground...
      It's an idea you have concerning photo #509, but I don't think it works that way, you can rename a photo but that renamed photo would still be there (in one form or another) at position #509 as far as I understand it.

      What a messy affair these night photo's are. A look at photo#541 might suggest this as a failed 'selfie' from Lisanne Froon, but then why would she hold a camera at herself at very close range like this and take the flash full-on, and why not adapt to try again from a different line or angle?
      Of course, the reality is there is nothing to suggest that IS Lisanne. And because of that this is an image that can be used to sum up this entire story of the two after April 1st - Photo#541 hints at being perhaps a glimpse of Lisanne Froon, but then again perhaps not, it could any number of things. Photo#580 hints at being a glimpse of Kris Kremers, but all there is is a formless mass of red hair, a mass that makes no sense at all and in reality shows nothing at all of Kris Kremers that night. There is a pair of her shorts found later, abandoned. There is an inner sole of what may or may not be from Lisanne's boot found in forest not too far from the Pianista starting point. A glimpse of Lisanne and Kris perhaps? There are conflicting times for their actual start on April 1st, another confusing glimpse, of what have effectively become a pair of ghosts by the time they set foot on the trail... we chase after them, but they are always consistently just out of sight. And when taken as a whole you do start to seriously question the whole idea that they were ever there at all. It's all smoke and mirrors.

      Delete
    8. @Dave I'm not sure how the 100% certain how the rename process works. It is indeed a 'delete' action but it doesn't work in quite the same way as actually deleting. It doesn't delete the old file, then make a new one with a new name, at least as far as I've read. That is why, if your disk is full, you can still go through and rename large files. The old filename might still be there, but not the actual data. It's now under a new name. But it is just a theory, one someone with more knowledge of Windows systems can debunk.

      I think the photo is of Kris. And there are probably pictures of Lisanne as well. I base that on comments from the parents, stating that some were of the girls (plural) looking rough. This says to me they are both present an alive.

      My theory is, sadly, they probably heard someone that night and spent 3 hours trying to get their attention. And they did, only their saviors turned out to be demons. So much of the case turned into each side, losties vs foulies, trying to wholly debunk the other. But if you look at it, both probably occurred.

      Delete
    9. Hi Thegw,

      that comment about the girls appearing in a rough state in some of the photos, it was never verified! It came from one person who wrote about this case in a blog, but there was no footnote, no source mentioning and the parents never said this themselves. I never heard that same statement again, anywhere in this case coverage.

      Regarding the missing photo 509, what the Lost in the Wild crew stated is that the overwriting of photo 509 is not so straight forward, indeed.. They used the exact same Canon camera as the girls to show that when you manually delete a specific photo, and then take new photos, that the next new photo automatically gets the file numbering of the previously deleted photo. In other words: if Kris and Lisanne truly had deleted the original photo 509 themselves and then continued to make the nighttime photos on April 8th themselves with this same camera, then we would have never even known that there ever was another photo 509; the first nighttime photo would then have received the number 509. The fact that it didn't, tells us that photo 509 was deleted AFTER the nighttime photos were made.

      Juan said about photo 509 that specialist software should and would have found this missing file if it had been deleted manually from the camera. Recovery software would have retrieved it as a file with the name IMG 102-509 or video 509, listed as stored, once, but 100% irretrievable. Juan even tested this, and could find back deleted pictures from years ago. And there was never any attention for the memory card or the photos in the press he said, because if you don't know anything about it, you think everything is possible.

      And someone else wrote about the matter: "If you remove the SD card from camera and take it to PC then through file manager you "cut" the file 509 jpeg, it won't be a copy remaining on SD. There was some discussion that the card was put in PC and either reformatted; or 509 deleted but you'd be able to still recover as you correctly point out from file allocation table. Reformat would destroy all photos so that wasn't done. So I believe one possibility is 509.jpeg was cut and paste on PC and SD reinserted back to camera."

      Delete
    10. @Scarlet, ugh! That is such the problem with this case. What is true? What isn't?

      I agree about the file. The only way to 'delete' it permanently is to delete and zero the drive or card. They'd have had to copy the whole card to a PC, format or zero the SDcard, then copy it back without 509 OR just copy the whole thing to a new SD card without 509. That is the only way to do it. Besides, it makes no sense for the girls to delete it. They had bigger things to worry about than how they looked in a selfie.

      My only goal with the comment was to point out that, in conjunction with the other night photos, a renaming could have taken place--obviously this must have been done on a PC as well. We certainly see evidence from the moisture appearing and disappearing on the lens that the photos have been reordered and thus renamed. I do not know if Canon issues a hash marker on the photos for validation, which would mean the original filenames would be in the original metadata. The thing that makes me hold on it is the fact that the filename is apparently still there on the card. Were the drive zeroed, there wouldn't even be the filename. All you'd have to know it existed is the numbering gap between 508 and 510. But perhaps that IS all that is there is the gap and that is what the authorities are talking about. Back to the first paragraph, what is true and is speculation or mistranlation or misspeaking?

      Delete
    11. It's true Thegw, there seems not a single piece of certain fact in this case, unfortunately. There are even people challenging the positive DNA match for the bones, because the Dutch did not do a second opinion.... Photo wise, I always assumed that a 3rd party or the Panamanian prosecution put the memory card in a computer, looked through the photos, altered some (exif data seems to indicate that) and cut one photo off the card entirely and pasted it on a computer. That way it's completely gone from the card, minus the empty file with its number.

      But indeed it is just as possible that everything was taken off the original card and copied onto a new card. Or put it back on the by then formatted original card. The girls did not delete it, it indeed made no sense and it would also have allowed investigators to find more percentage of the original file back.

      It's a great point you make about the order being shuffled, going by the appearing and disappearing and then appearing again drop on a very specific place on the lens. The night photos as we have them now were leaked by a Panama source and to be honest, the numbering and time data of them may have been completely false and fabricated by whomever dumped these photos. No official has confirmed their authenticity. But because some of these photos match the few (5) photos that wére published by officials or the families, we can be certain about at least some of these new night photos being the real deal.

      Yeh the file names seem to have still been present . But we do not know what the files between 511 and 541 look like either.

      Delete
    12. @Scarlet, I am someone who isn't entirely convinced on the authenticity of Kris's bones. I think at that point they wanted it over and it's possible they attributed someone else's remains to Kris. Just like that shoe. That doesn't look like Kris's. It would certainly explain why Kris's bones were so far advanced in decomp. I just don't trust the Panamanian police, not after they botched the thing every step of the way.

      I think it was the authorities who did the shuffling. It makes no sense for a third party to mess with the card or photoshop this or that. For a third party, it would much more convenient and a lot more final to just throw the camera and card into the river. Smash the phones. Everything. It didn't need to be in the bag. The bag led to the bones and the bones finished the case.

      The authorities on the other hand don't have that luxury. The finding was international news. They couldn't fudge it away like the tape of Elvis finding the bag and the conveniently lost testing results. They couldn't shrug and call it an accident like they did when surveillance tapes were overwritten. They were stuck with it existing.

      I think the photos are authentic. They all fit together. The only one that sticks out is 550. I saw a youtube vid by victor hugo trying to add it to the collage composition, but I don't know, the rocks don't match, IMO.

      Delete
    13. If you think on it, even now Six years after their disappearance, somewhere out there in the wilds of Panama and Alto Romero those very distinctive tops the two girls wore are very likely still in existence.
      You can dig your garden or anywhere else and pull out long discarded or buried fabrics. And whether the green and Red/white tops the two wore were washed for kilometres down a river with no one to see them pass by, or they lay abandoned in the forest covered with leaves and twigs etc, or are in fact buried beneath earth, the odds are quite good that they DO still exist out there, even now as we sit here and talk about the two friends and what might have actually happened to them.

      Nothing just disappears after all in these kind of places, not truly. So where are those two tops...?

      Delete
    14. Hi Thegw, I have not read about a Dutch autopsy report and a second opinion of the bone DNA testing. Considering the fact that during the searches, the bones of other people were also found, including a small child and an elderly native person, it does surprise me also that those bones weren't double checked by both countries. This seems standard procedure when a national dies abroad. Now there is always room for those few percentages of doubt. It was pretty suss that it took so long for everything to suddenly start showing up, over 2 months in. It coincides in my view with the realisation there that the parents aren't going to let go of the case or stop coming back again and again, without evidence of their daughters fate. Hence why suddenly the backpack was found in an inhabited area, as well as these few bones...

      Yeh the shoe, Pitti just refused to send it to the waiting pathologists for DNA testing. Adelita Coriat wrote about it, they were stunned that Pitti refused to send the shoes, on request of the pathologist. Anyone who still trusts the officials in this case and doesn't expect a cover up is.... very sweet I'd say.

      Authorities were covering something up and they for a fact looked at the digital camera footage first, before sending it to the Dutch. All the opportunity in the world to mess around. EXIF data confirm this. On that date, the files were altered. Although a smart killer could also benefit from the camera being found... I believe the night photos were shot by a 3rd party and the phone calls after day 1 were also staged to create the missing girls (all alone in the forest) narrative. Don't forget that Boquete already had Alex Humphrey some years ago, who did vanish without a trace. Nothing has been found of him. To have suddenly three instead of one of such missing persons would not be in anyone's interest and not in Panama's either. Much better for tourism to make it out like the girls just walked too far and got lost.

      Delete
    15. True Dave, I sometimes think about those very bright and easy to recognize tops also.. Where are they now? How come nobody found them, but they did find a shoe 'buried almost under a tree'?

      Although fanatic Losters will most certainly tell you that those t-shirts have long gone 'dissolved' in that hot wet jungle (even though it is a cool cloud forest in reality, with many farms, houses and open cattle spaces..)

      Delete
  17. HI Scarlet! This is the first time I have taken a serious hard look at the 'jungle' in these photographs, you did all the work several months ago! There's nothing much in the way of any new clues or evidence to be found in them but while I remain suspicious on some it is remarkable that once you realise most of them are at the wrong angle and need rotated they nearly all do make some sense, as the majority are in fact all showing one side of wherever this location is. The Photographer appears to be wedged into a tight space between the boulder and directly beneath the rockface. They are therefore limited in view to the face itself and the growth and treeline above it, and this is what most of the photographs are in fact showing us. What lies over the Boulder however is unclear as it doesn't appear the photographer ever rises. A detail that interests me is the number of photographs with flared light, something, a finger perhaps, caught in the flash and over the lens. A couple of these may well be the rain interacting with the flash to create this blinding effect, but it is clear most are actually a solid object. If you bear in mind the Camera has a telescopic lens that rises some way out this gets rather interesting, as the 'flared' photos once you rotate them correctly are all marked out by being Portrait format, with the camera being held vertically, and if you think on the way the camera would be held, with the firing button faced upwards, and the Flash on the right-hand side, the telescopic lens jutting out, and the resulting pictures all showing the obstruction is coming on the LEFT hand side, I have to ask HOW is this camera actually being held as the picture is taken? For a finger or hand to be obstructing both flash and lens seems very careless, odd. Lisanne and Kris had taken enough photographs with it to be very familiar with its basics, and while the conditions were not ideal it does intrigue me as to how and why so many of these photo's are semi-obstructed like this - Has Juan ever experimented on this do you know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeh it is very strange. I never have seen a finger-like object obstructing the lens in any way in their other photos. Juan did try to recreate it and when he used the exact same camera, at night, I believe even when it drizzled a bit outside, and held his finger slightly over the top corner of the lens, he came up with a similar result. Which does not entirely prove that it is in fact a finger we see in some photos. But it certainly could be. To me that points once again to a different photographer than Kris or Lisanne.

      One of the night shots shows Kris' hair, another the outline of Lisanne's jaw and profile. So who is taking these photos of them and the surroundings?

      As for the exact composition of all the night shots, it does not completely interest me tbh. Because I think all the night shots are red herrings. Months of focusing on them has not brought us any closer to either the location where they were taken, nor the meaning behind them. A 3rd party made it look like Kris and Lisanne were out in the jungle alone, lost. When in fact, I believe they were taken, held and killed..

      Delete
    2. Crime or Misadventure...? Something that has affected the way I read what may have happened to the two friends is discovering the excellent Sattelite.Pro site, which offers astonishingly detailed and powerful arial views of the Pianista wilderness and the ability to zoom in in a way that leaves Google.maps far behind in terms of quality.
      Using it, studying the area and potential routes, really opened up my mind to the reality that this is a story that can be divided into two halves. The first act is the initial dissapearance on April 1st, and when I say disappearance that is exactly what happened to the two friends, although the Elvis Gonzales camp suggests their presence it remains unconfirmed, and so the two have literally dropped off the face of the earth, not got 'Lost'. But vanished.
      So anything anyone can think of here is largey meanigless as there is almost nothing to go on after the final Photo of the day. Act Two however begins with the finding of the backpack, and here is really where the attention should be as by its discovery (planting) comes virtually everything we know - the remains, the phones, the camera, etc. It all springs from the finding of that backpack. And that point has long fascinated me as this part of the story is where it is all at: the backpack leads to the ramins discovery, Kris Kremers' shorts which have miraculously stayed in place in some eddy beside the river not far from the cable bridge, meanwhile we are to assume 97% of their remains have been washed away into oblivion... which when you study the route of the river on Sattelite.pro is a near absurdity really. A winding rubble strewm river would catch much of the remains along its channel, any flood powerful anough to wash away all of two bodies would certainly take a pair of shorts with it, and genographically if this had all washed down the river it should collect some remains at certain points. This is what happens on mountains and river channels - debris tends to funnel to certain points thanks to gravity and the geography, but all along the river and past Alto Romero no one notices all this human debris washing by, over at least several days...? I find this hard to believe to say the least. Something that also occured to me was that given the searchers found numous small fragments of bone, which turned out to belong to bodies from possible washed out graves of locals, it demonstrates that the search was reasonable thorough. If they found such small fragments like this, many years old, where is the rest of Kris and Lisanne...?

      Act 1 is the disappearance, there is not all that much at all to say as there is virtually no hard evidence to be had, it is anyone's guess what happens after the final photo. Act 2 though is the discovery, and what we gain from it all is very reasonable grounds for suspicion.

      Delete
    3. Thank you Dave, that is indeed an excellent site and I already made some great screenshots from it in the past, of the places where Kris and Lisanne's remains were found along the river. I agree with you, the river is littered with rocks and it winds all over the place. It is unbelievable that entire bodies would be dragged away, never to be seen again, in such a winding bendy obstructed small river. The professionals agreed on this. They would in that case have found bodies or -parts stuck in bends.... Professionals stated the same, they found bodies in river bends who had been there for over a year. Intact bodies, despite of course being altered in appearance by decomposition. But it is unbelievable that those tiny rivers who go all over the place and have rocks everywhere, stunting flow of objects, could have made the bodies for 98% disappear the way they did. People also live alongside these small rivers, there are houses and farms nearby. The backpack was found by people working in the rice paddy next to the river, supposedly. So entire bodies floating by... exactly. Bodies with a 30.000 dollar reward, no less.

      Here are some photos showing just how teeny tiny those rivers are. They also show just how much open terrain there was in this area. Just how many places where Kris and Lisanne - had they truly been lost by themselves - could have stood, waving their coloured shirts, signalling the helicopters which flew over this area many, many times. But the helicopter pilots saw nothing, no sign of the girls. These are the locations where the (few) bones were found close by:

      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kqoaq-l27ws/XvibeXvcaNI/AAAAAAAACoc/3QID7ZgAwDsd8yaomB9qvxDHK2bHkSOrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Untitled-10.jpg

      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MdW7ngKvffE/XvibeloFl3I/AAAAAAAACog/WEapQwrngf8wnES33ddL9jIjGuSvMuUwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Untitled-11.jpg

      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ts41ji2roU/Xvibn7EdXQI/AAAAAAAACos/DxkI7T9WbUwHnadWeAdayUQzeKi4XMmlACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Untitled-13.jpg


      Delete
    4. Thanks for those images Scarlet! I have only a rough idea where the remains were found, and they may not be entirely accurate as the searchers were not going about their recovery efforts by satellite tracking or map references, but with a distance of around three kilometres from the bridge to Alto Romero there would need to be considerable flash-floods occurring to flush the complete remains so far downstream and out of all human sight. It doesn't really add up for me when looked at this closely.
      Quite what the answer is here, whether there was foul play or someone scavenged the backpack from the remains, I can't even guess. But something is not right with the situation.

      Even musing over the night-time Photographs again raises more doubts. I am able to assume '541 is a perhaps failed 'selfie' yes, in the dark and fumbling with the camera. But on the other hand even though it was raining and almost certainly pitch black she had already shown us in the days before that she was able to take perfect Selfie's and do so on a regular basis. Even on that night, in dark, pointing the camera towards herself, the shot should have been more direct and accurate than that odd misfire (and why not try again?). I do wonder looking at it whether the simpler fact is it isn't her face at all, but the same object (finger) that was creating the other similar obstructions and flares a few shots later... it's just logical in a way that it must be so. Because when you look to the only other shot of something human, Kris' hair, you see only another inconclusive image that actually doesn't show anything at all. There is nothing to suggest there is a head beneath that mass of chaotic hair. And as such I do join the doubters in holding this skepticism of those night-time photographs.

      Delete
  18. Родителям девочек смогу сказать Что же случилось с их Крис и Лисанн....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Можете ли вы также рассказать нам, что случилось?

      Delete
  19. Родителям Крис и Лисанн смогу сказать Что же случилось с их девочками на самом деле ....

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Scarlet. Lots of things. Picture 77 lady has hands in pocket at start of trail head. Why ? It is all body language. At this point they are back fom il pianista and have met their captures only to be forced back again. Picture 340 all 6 rocks match exactly you are in the right place even though you think you were not.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Night photos: could it be possible that they are made by accidentally
    pushing on the button?

    And about the bra's in the backpack: a lot of girls when going on a day trip wear bikinis and bring a bra for changing after swimming. The bottom will dry more quickly then a padded bra. And sometimes you change and sometimes you don't need it. Just in case.

    What's more important: why didn't they make a tax message on the second day or later. The first day I can imagine that you don't want to worry your family unnecessary. But at the second day it's serious a problem. At least you do send some messages to inform people and ask for help.
    That gives the impression that they could not use their phones by themself since Day 2

    About the look/expressions on their face: I think not every photo is a perfect Instagram photo. Sometimes you smile too late or too early. I does not say anything about if somebody is worried, angry or sad.

    When we first hear this in Holland, I was sure that they walk into the wrong people.

    Interesting blog. Greetings Lily

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lily

      I don't think the night photos could have been taken by accident. There is no lens cap on the camera, you need to activate it to be able to take photos. And none of the photos seems taken in motion, or shows distorted vague photos. They all seem to be aimed at something in particular, and taken in the time frame of over three hours, often lifting the camera up towards the sky. Not something that is done by accident.

      Very interesting point; I never heard the family of the girls or the host family mention their bikini's. I suspect that the parents received them back, together with the other clothes and belongings. But you are right, it would be good info to know. Did the parents get their bikini's, yes or no? The bra straps that were visible in the photos are most likely of bra's and not of bikini's. Same for the bra's which were seen in the police photo of the girls' backpack and belongings. They are the same as which they wore on the day of their hike, you can see the straps matching. But we do not know if they also brought bikini's along in their bag that day, which should then have gone missing in the meantime... If so then that would also point towards a possible swim that day, and towards things going wrong afterwards..

      I agree, it is extremely strange and a break of her habits for Lisanne especially not to text her parents. To me it is one of the strong things pointing to crime. Same for the absence of any photos or videos for over a week, after disappearing. Lisanne would have had the wits to document the places they were along the way, if they really had gone lost. And most definitely left some clues for her parents as to what was happening. The fact that she didn't is the evidence in my opinion that the girls weren't free to do so. I agree, after day 1 I think someone else had the girls' phones and camera in his/her/their possession.

      Ah, you are Dutch too? Me too. I honestly heard about the case on the NOS news, like mostly everyone else in the country, and I assumed that they got lost and kept walking in the wrong direction and perished from lack of food and water.. Then it took me a few years actually to hear about the new evidence from their camera and phone use and that information changed everything

      best wishes Scarlet

      Delete
  22. I think tge wristband that was missing because Lissane used it for her hair. It's common to put the hairbands around our wrists. If you note her hair is loose while the the vand is around her wrist then her hair is tied when the band was gone around her wrist

    ReplyDelete
  23. Why assuming that the girls only called 911? Maybe they sentva text to F.or the landlord/host since they don't know so many people. The school? I suspect them all. They all know something. Why tge host let people get into the girls' room? that alone put a red flag on her head to me. She should have called the police right away

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dutch specialists looked through the phones and could determine which phone activity had taken place. All that was done with the phones, was try to call 911 and 112. Switch the phones on, then off again. There were no draft text messages written, no text messages attempted to be sent. No voice messages left behind. I mean, they could have changed their own voice message, informing anyone who tried to call them what had happened, but it seems they didn't come up with that idea unfortunately. Indeed, very strange that not once did they try to call their host family nearby. Not the school, not their parents. Nobody. And it's very well true that they all know something more, but are afraid to talk. Not even a 30.000 dollar reward made people talk.

      Delete
  24. Please consider translating your blig to Spanish. I have a feeling that you will get information from people who know things but can't talk

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi,

    I don't think that they got lost and couldn't be found looking at the surrounding area as it is not particularly remote and there are inhabitants in these areas that they were visiting. If they follow close to the river there's a big chance in encounter of huts and villagers since they farm nearby rivers.

    I don't believe they were at the monkey bridge.

    The night photos seem close to the waterfall and would be the third party taking the picture as the hands look stable enough with the still photos.If it were the girls taking it, with the state of mind at that time it must have been shaking.

    The whole scenarios definitely a foul play.

    I felt uncomfortable looking at Kris expression after the happy pictures on the summit as it is 360 degree different vibe you can certainly feel looking at it.
    Somehow she was force into taking that photo shoots by someone and it might not be Lisanne that is taking the photo shoot after the happy photos of them.
    The first time I looked at the photo where Kris is crossing the small stream which she is not facing the camera, the mud on her calf attracted my attention. It has been dry weather for some time there so when possibly that she can slip on her bottom to have that stain unless theoretically before that they have been trying to runaway or put some distance from someone in fear.
    I think Kris would have been very careful with her steps if she is not being spook.
    After the happy pictures, I wondered why there is no photo of Lisanne because it is Lisanne camera's and usually they will switch places to take solo pictures in beautiful scenery spot. Because Kris does not seem to have the moods of posing for pictures, she can actually took Lisanne photo instead. I don't think Lisanne would have coax Kris to take those photos when obviously Kris is not looking like she is in the mood to do so based on Lissane mannerism.

    Also, why as many questions, why didn't the girls took more pictures along the way when there are so many nice view spots along the way if they move further on.
    The third party must have force them to move on and took pictures of Kris to mislead investigators later on for the girls got lost scenarios.

    The location findings of their backpack, jeans and bones are very bizzare indicates someone has planted it there.
    The backpack and jeans look too clean for it to carry by someone lost in the jungle for even several days. Who washes a backpack first before giving it to the authorities? When the first thing to do is just pass it straight away to the police when all villagers is surely aware about the missing girls.

    I don't buy the wild animals theory, the cats are usually shy being and hide themselves. They have many foods there when they are cattles grazing without any much problems by the villagers living close by. Especially no one blog about wild life encounter in that area so the possibility is quite low. Not even monkey pictures available caught by explorer in that area that many.

    It did came into my mind if there's possibility that Kris was forced to give her PIN code number, did Osman the one who knew the PIN and later when his so called drowning accident death, the other members don't know the correct PIN.

    If they went swimming with the boys, something piqued my curiosity with the photo with the boys. The water is not shallow as the boys are standing with only waist deep. Also the girls are very tall but the girls were instead crouching in the water and you can only see their neck above. Does this have any relations with the neatly folded bras found in the backpack?

    ReplyDelete
  26. See pictures 507 and 508, Kris has mud on her legs, arm, and shorts. it looks like she has fallen down or struggled. She looks very upset.

    ReplyDelete
  27. 13:37, thats how hackers say that it was hacked. 1337 means leet.

    //ihomp

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There may be significance/clues in many of the numbers as well. Is this what you mean? LEET (1337) is a written language or cipher used in online gaming, e-mails, text messaging, tweeting, and other electronic communication. The root of the term "leet" is the word "elite"--translated as 31337--and 1337 was initially developed as an exclusionary language: a way to encode text so that messages could only be read by the initiated.

      Delete
  28. - Who took the night photos?
    The girls, this is the only explanation. It makes no sense at all for
    anybody else to spend 4 hours at night clicking away to somehow proof an
    accident. 2 photos or no photos would have been just as good. Lets not
    forget they were abducted by a jungle dweller and not by some
    sophisticated western serial killer.

    - Why did they take the photos?
    The photos show UP, you can see the UNDERSIDE of leaves and trees. So
    the photos point UP a steep rock wall. They also show a pretty elaborate
    SOS setup (respect to the pringles can mirror, i would not have had that
    idea).

    Why would they make this setup? It makes little sense to do this if you
    are trying to walk to safety. So why not walk to safety after having
    tried this for several days?
    They COULD NOT. Which brings us to the reason for those pics. They slid
    down that rock wall and could not climb back up! They were probably
    trapped on a ledge or between the river and the rock wall. So they
    could NOT leave there. The toilet paper markers would not last long in
    wind and rain and they were probably made not long before the pics were
    taken.

    The pics show the way they came/slid down. For reasons for them to see
    or document it. By the way it makes even less sense for a murderer to
    set up that SOS setup and signal twig. Especially not since we are
    talking about some uneducated local guys. Another reason they took those
    pics is if they were taken JUST after they slid down, because the flash
    would have been the only way to illuminate their surroundings and the
    camera screen could not do that. That is why lighting up a path with a
    flash makes no sense but lighting up a high wall makes sense. Another
    reason to take those pics is that if they were stuck there, one dead and
    the other panicked it was just a nervous thing to do to distract from
    the situation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. re: the night photos
      There's a good reason for the use of the camera at night -- they needed a light. Using the flash on the camera would save the battery in the phone. The light from the flash only lasted for an instant, so they had to shoot in rapid succession to get as much light as possible. Maybe it was to light the way forward in the dark, so she'd take one photo to light the way for a few feet, take a few steps forward, then take another photo to guide the next few steps. To see an example of people doing this, check out the movie 'Blair Witch Project'. You can see all the many ways they use the flashbulb from the camera to search for things in the dark, or light their way forward in the dense brush at night.
      But besides lighting, there are other reasons they might've needed a light at night. Maybe to scare off a wild animal, or maybe to alert a plane or vehicle they might've heard in the distance, hoping the plane might see the quick flash from the sky. Another possibility is they dropped the phone, then in a panic raced around in the dark using the light from the flash of the camer to try to find it before it got soaked.

      Delete
  29. The girls being on a ledge between a rockwall and the river explains
    another issue: Bones in the water at the same spot which is only likely
    if they ended up in the water at similar time. So maybe they fell off
    that ledge when trying to get away through the river or when they died
    and the bodies fell down.

    The photo of Kris head is shown because she hit her head when she fell.
    The fall from the ledge also explains the broken pelvis. So maybe Kris
    got hurt badly with a head and hip injury. This may also be the reason
    why they stayed even if they could have gotten off the ledge. There are
    also pics we dont have that the family doesnt release. Why dont they?
    Because they show the girls either naked or gored. They would have no
    issue releasing a few more night shots but wont any with the girls or
    parts thereof. The missing pictures also dont show that it was murder
    but just show girls or injuries because otherwise the families would not
    have OPPOSITE opinions of the cause of death. So lets say there is
    another pic of Kris with a head wound or broken face or open leg injury,
    it doesnt proof murder but they wont release that kind of gore.

    I dont know how easy pelvis bones break but I think a fall from that
    rock wall on a rock would do. It is not likely that a 3rd party would
    have broken the pelvis. If murdered they would have gotten dismembered
    but you usually just remove head and limbs, maybe split the spine but
    dont bother breaking pelvis bones. also no animal did this so I think
    the pelvis injury is a true fall.


    Do I think this was all an accident / getting lost? No this makes no
    sense! BUT it was a combination of both! They ran or were abducted from
    someone, were hurt/injured and then got away and THEN got lost in the
    jungle. They may have been taken to a place further in the jungle where
    they could not find their way back.

    ReplyDelete
  30. The photos on the peak with the thumbs up are very untypical and
    indicate they were with that one guide who does the thumbs up.

    Why did the cops not admit it was murder/fishy? They dont care and didnt
    want an issue with the dutch and also not with tourism so the cops
    manipulated a lot of that exif data and might have deleted the image or
    the people who dropped the backpack deleted the image. The cops or
    abductors would also have deleted ALL images that showed the girls,
    maybe with injuries. This explains why there arent pictures of them or
    injuries. There is one image of Kris maybe with injury. If you have
    4h you would have taken more, just they got deleted. By the way just
    because the cops didnt arrest anybody or didnt admit murder doesnt mean
    they didnt fuck up some of the perpetrators. The cops might have just
    gone and killed some of the perps (well some ended up dead, although it
    doesnt have cop hand writing on it)

    The fact that the cops DID COVER UP is proof that there was murder,
    otherwise they would have released whatever they had as clear evidence
    of an accident and moved on.

    So the backpack was taken from the girls when they were captured or when
    they were found dead or near dead after their escape. Obviously this
    backpack didnt sit in a river for months.

    Another comment I like to make unrelated to this is that it was most
    likely Kris who dragged the shy Lisanne to panama to her death. It was
    Kris who wanted to be in south america, I dont think Lisanne had any
    plan to go there.

    Lastly, how smart were they really? The fact that they took one water
    bottle for two on a hike in the jungle is gross negligent. And the fact
    that they never even did so much as zoom with their camera also is
    questionable about their awareness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Matt

      thanks for your thoughts. Interesting to read. 
      Yes I keep that option open as well. The murder scenario with the detail that Kris and Lisanne managed to escape their captors for a short time, which is when they made the night photos. Maybe to see better in the dark because they were afraid, maybe in the hope of flashing someone's attention, of there were people looking for them by chance at that time at night. 

      But then they must have been caught again by a 3rd party. It cannot be that by natural processes their bodies ended up the way they did. Because the forensic evidence points against it. So if a fall in a ravine is claimed, then the shoes, clothing, the backpack and its delicate content for instance are supposed to show some signs of this. Which is not the case. Shoes looked brand new when found, the jeans shorts had no damage or slip marks and the backpack was intact, dry, clean and everything inside was intact, incl delicate items like sunglasses and mobile phones. 

      The bodies were not found in a ravine, also. These few bones were found in inhabited terrain 14 walking hours up north. In an area with houses and where people live. Yet, they never asked anyone for help there supposedly. Just dropped their backpack and...?There are no ravines there and the bones were found on flat terrain, some bones behind or almost under trees. If Kris broke her pelvic in two during the escape, she could never have walked all that way, and neither could Lisanne with the kind of terrible foot fracture her left foot was found with. If they were trapped somewhere then that is where their remains should have been found. 

      Plus; those few bones were found in such a state, and with so little of them being found. Only the bones of Lisanne's left leg were found; only half a pelvic bone and a rib bone from Kris. They were scattered together over a larger area. It was not so that one body's bones were found further away than the other. No, they were found scattered around together. With Lisanne's remains in an early stage of decomposition and those of Kris in a late stage of decomposition. No animal markings, claws, teeth.This all contradicts a natural cause of death. If the river had transported their bodies, the bag would have shown signs of this and the bodies would have been found in one of the many river bends. Besies, the coroner clearly and officially stated that the bone marrow in the bones was all dry. Those bones could not have been in water for long, therefore. 

      There is also no natural explanation for the phosphates on Kris' bones. Nor of the finding of a rolled up ball of skin from Lisanne's leg, 5 months (!) after they disappeared. Again, in a very early stage of decomposition, virtually intact still. The pathologist was very clear; it was stored somewhere cool, NOT in the jungle all that time. It points all to human intervention unfortunately..

      And despite guides and locals talking about possible positive identifications of the night photo spot, nobody, ever, delivered any evidence. Nobody came forward, online, with photos of such a spot, matching the pretty distinct rocks and V-shaped tree there. Unless people back up their words with visual evidence, it is pretty useless hear say, unfortunately.

      Thanks for your thoughts!Best wishes Scarlet

      Delete
  31. to be honest I dont know how much I trust the autopsy findings but talking about phosphates does not support the lost hikers theory so for them to admit to phosphates, it must be true. Phosphates probably come from fertilizer (didnt F have a coffee farm?)


    The sequence of events would be:

    Hike - Capture - Escape - Death or re capture - Death

    If they escaped it would be easy for the captors to find them. It does not explain how they took their camera on other items they had on the escape, assuming it was rushed. Unless they were able to just grab their backpack and run.


    The capture theory also explains the gap of pictures (besides captures or cops deleting them, they stopped taking pics when they were captured and only restarted when they escaped and ended up on the rock ledge. At this point they died or were re captured and then died. Otherwise they would have taken more pics.

    The captured and death theory also answers one other huge issue with the lost theory: Why there arent any messages to the family.


    They were either captured and therefore couldnt take messages and when they escaped they had no time before they died or were re captured.

    Once re captured and killed or died and found by captors the captors would have to get rid of the bodies... So buried in in fertilized soil or dissolved with lye makes sense.


    One reason for the different stages of decomposition is that Kris probably died earlier or was killed earlier and buried earlier.


    It is possible that Kris died after the night pics were taken and then Lisanne was captured and kept alive for a few weeks and then killed.

    I see an issue with the foot in the shoe though. If she was captured it makes no sense she was killed with shoes on. Lets face it ... the reason to capture 2 young women is to rape them... you would not leave their shoes on and eventually kill them....

    Unless they stumbled on a drug operation and were "just killed" for that.


    There are so many unanswered questions and nothing really makes sense.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I agree, it is a good theory.
      Although I think the girls went swimming after their hike and then were pictured with the local youth and the group they were with there kidnapped them when they promised to take them home. But either way, they were taken at some point in time and indeed, a week long hostage situation (nobody asked for money for their release, so I think the motive was sexual) and then in the night of April 8th they may have escaped. And that would explain the odd night photos and the week long absence of any photo taking.

      Things that don't quite add up yet then are:
      -how come there were so many, daily attempts to call emergency services, or checks for a signal? Did the captors allow them to keep their phones? In this day and age, and also back in 2014, nobody forgets that young western women carry cellphones. Were the girls making those call attempts, or a 3rd party, staging them as if the girls were out there in the wild?

      -Why did the night photos contain no messages, no videos with messages, no selfies? Or maybe they were there but investigators or the 3rd party went through the photos and took away anything that contradicted or that disproved a lost in the wild scenario But during those hours when they escaped, supposedly, they could have written a draft message, or recorded or wrote down something in their phones, or recorded something in their camera, something hidden which couldn't be easily found by others...

      Kris may have died earlier yes, but on Lisanne's bones no fertilizer was found. You would still assume that after (a later) death, they would have treated her body the same as Kris? The foot in the boot was also broken in many places. It may have been hard to take the shoe off after that...

      Delete
    2. I agree the motive was most likely sexual and to a smaller probability elimination of witnesses.

      I dont think anybody besides the girls called 911, although that doesnt fit with the capture theory (I think the timing doesnt align). It makes no sense for the captors to stage 911 calls, I dont see a point, especially not so many. Also consider the captors were likely locals and not educated serial killers.... It is possible that the captors were so dumb that they left the phones in the girls reach. Either because they are dumb or knew there is no reception, but even the dumbest captor wouldnt take that risk. It is possible the girls had access to the phones and made these calls when their captor went back to work (I think the calls all align to before or after noon).

      The night photos did not contain selfies because:

      - they were deleted (in this case they must have been very revealing)
      - the girls didnt have time to take any before they were captured again or fell

      If they escaped from their captors they would have run until they were in safety and sure they lost their captors, then after hours or a day they might have recorded messages. They either died or were captured before that happened :(

      To be honest I dont see the point for dissolving the bodies with fertilizer. Its not like anybody would find them if dumped in the jungle or buried. Also possible the phosphate was just by chance because she was buried in heavily fertilized soil. OR different people buried them. One guy might have been a pro and dissolved the body while the other was an amateur.

      Delete
  32. I have heard about this case over a youtube video today. I am utterly sorry for what happened to those two poor young ladies. I however find something quite weird; there may have been some discussion on this which I could have well missed, but I wonder what others think as to the fact that there is no video/footage in the camera? Isn't that quite strange? Someone who has injured but able to take night time photos with that injury could have as well shot a video ? Or a self photo? any thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for reading here. Yes I and many people (but not everyone) agree that it is very strange that the girls suddenly stopped using their digital camera for a whole week.. They took so many photos before, every single day. Maybe they were taken hostage and couldn't take photos. Also, we don't know for a fact that they didn't because technically, the photo card may have been worked on and vital photos or even videos may - technically - have been removed by a 3rd party. Same for the phones; it is possible that there were in fact draft messages stored in there which could then have been removed by whomever found the bag or first worked with the phones and camera. And it wasn't the Dutch prosecution, but the Panamanians who first looked into everything.

      I wrote a lot about this here also: https://koudekaas.blogspot.com/

      Delete
    2. Hi, Scarlet! I have been infected with coronavirus for 30 days today. And the only thing making me survive is reading this mysterious event on your blog. Thank you so much for all the research.
      I dunno why but I am interested in some rumors that Kris was seen alive by several people. This one should certainly be investigated further in my mind.
      Just couple of things I have...
      -Who really needs to stage night photos? It would be much easier and better to get rid of all the facts.
      May be, they were eaten by kind of cannibal clans? I don't know those places in Panama, so I am not sure whether there are cannibals or not.
      But, cannibalism theory somehow explains why just a pelvis bone left only...

      Delete
  33. Wonder if they had a tiff and one of them went off by herself and the other followed later and both got lost separately but in more or less the same area. Kris is definitely not happy and I wonder if these shots were taken when she decided to stomp off for some reason. In the photos she could be looking back at Lisanne who is try to remonstrate with her. Lisanne may have had a ‘turn’ ( sounds like she was a little unstable at times) or maybe they were more than ‘friends’ and had an ‘lovers’ quarrel. It seems that more is know about all the other contenders than the main participants.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Very sad story. All i can say, that it can happen, that you get lost. Faster than you'd like. A few weeks ago, i got lost myself with my son in the german "Schwarzwald" forest. I never thought, that this could happen to myself. At the beginning of the hike, we followed the marked hiking trail. Nevertheless, I later lost my way! There later where no marks anymore to fallow. And gues what: i had no signal on my cellphone.. But i was still convinced, i was walking in the right direction, what later turned out to be a big mistake! Fortunately, I found a way out of the forest after hours. At the end we were about 8 miles away from the initially intended destination.

    So when I think about those two young girls, that whent out there, in the unknown Panama jungle like area, I can imagine very well, that they could have gotten lost. It's also quite possible, that later someone found the backpack and took it home. Then, after "they" heard about the disappearing case, brougth it back near the bridge.

    Regards
    Daniel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The simplest explanation is often the correct one. These two adults went on a hike/trek/afternoon walk totally unprepared - no water, inadequate clothing, and basically no idea of the risks involved.

      Posters here have said ‘it’s not a real jungle /there are tracks/impossible to get lost etc etc...Just look on google earth and see how much jungle there is. As you found out it is very easy to get lost in any kind of jungle/bush and people even get lost where there are clearly delineated paths. Once you wander off the ‘beaten track’ it is just a matter of time before you can become disorientated and unsure of your position. Panic would set in and when the sun sets, the biting insects come out , it gets colder ( even more so if it’s raining) and darkness can bring out all sorts of creatures. All they had on were tank tops and hot pants - not exactly appropriate.

      Not a great situation for these two especially as they had no experience in this at all. Darkness also brings out primeval fears and every tiny sound is amplified.

      The pack could have been found at a later date and as you say the contents placed in a prominent location where it was found.

      Delete
    2. Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your experience here. It's true, accidents can happen to anyone, we can all get lost and panic and be in trouble. In this Kris and Lisanne case however, the problem is how they stayed lost for as long as they did. The girls would have been found normally during those 2+ months (!) of searching. We're talking about a relatively small, inhabited area here, with open fields, cattle, farms and a well traveled hike trail. Even if you'd want to, you would be hard-pressed to walk that route to Bocas and not meet a single soul along the way. So I think it is an easy cop out for the official in panama to just blame the girls themselves for being ill prepared, for not responding to helicopters flying over (and with all those open areas and open river beds, these girls WOULD definitely have waved with their brightly coloured t-shirts if they really were there waiting for help). This jungle in Boquete is not the same as the vast jungles of the Amazon for instance. I added many maps and satellite images, the area is really small in comparison and has villages, cattle fields, farms and the likes. Of course there is jungle, but you need to ask yourself; is this the sort of terrain where you can stay 'lost' for 8 whole weeks? The ravine theory is debunked, their remains weren't found in or even near a ravine. No, they were found as good as next to a village.. Just like the bag. That in itself should raise some serious doubts about this whole lost/accident scenario.

      Delete
  35. Esm war kein Unfall, es war Mord!! Ein grauenhafter, skrupelloser Mord. Und bis sie letztendlich starben, haben sie Hollenqualen erlitten. Und das von den Scherpen von Ingrid! Sie hat alles geplant und ins rollen gebracht. Nicht zum ersten mal! Schade um so zwei junge Leben, die noch alles vor sich hatten!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Vielen Dank für Ihren Kommentar. Leider muss ich zustimmen. Dieser Fall stinkt und die offizielle Geschichte zittert auf allen Seiten vor Unlogik. Wir haben noch keine offizielle Erklärung von Ingrid gehört, warum die Mädchen vom Personal der Kinderschule weggeschickt wurden. Wie kommt es, dass Ingrid und ihre Mitarbeiter ihren Job nicht gemacht haben? Wie kommt es, dass sie nach monatelangen Vorbereitungen nicht einmal einen einfachen Termin für die Freiwilligenarbeit bekommen konnten? Wer war am Ende schuld daran? Ingrids oder waren die Mitarbeiter der Kinderschule nicht vertrauenswürdig? Keine Erklärungen. Aber genau das hat Kris und Lisanne auf die Spur des Todes gebracht. Sie hätten an diesem Dienstag, dem 1. April, mit kleinen Kindern spielen und nicht in den Dschungel gehen sollen, um eine Wanderung zu unternehmen.

      *****
      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately I have to agree. This case stinks and the official story shakes with illogicality on every side. We have not heard an official explanation yet from Ingrid, why the girls were sent away by the staff of the children's school. How come Ingrid and her staff didn't do their job? How come after months of preparations, they couldn't even get a simple appointment for volunteer work sorted? Who's fault was this, in the end? Ingrids or were the staff at the children's school untrustworthy? No explanations. But this is what set Kris and Lisanne on the trail to death. They should have been playing with small children that Tuesday April 1st, not head into the jungle for a sightseeing hike.

      Delete
    2. Lots of choices of who may have guilt or participation in this and Ingrid is at the top of the list along with the various creepy men.

      Delete
  36. I have read your blogs with great interest. Lost a bit of sleep actually and felt scared at night too.
    I do believe they got lost , were found by someone with ill intent, and then killed.

    I am confused by the swimming photo. I can't say I can recognize the girls from that photo.
    I believe they got up to the summit rather late in the afternoon, according to witnesses from the school, the taxidriver etc. They went too far, dark fell and they got lost.
    Maybe someone found them that first night,and took their phones. Or for some reason the kept walking in the wrong direction, and walked out of the search area within a day or two.

    I just had a thought regarding the night photos.
    What if the girls (or girl if one was dead), saw lights from a house in the distance, and tried to signal for help? Or heard people nearby. They would have had to have been on higher ground than a possible house. No point flashing if noone can see you.. But what if they saw a house?
    And what if someone saw them,but had no intention of saving them?


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment Anja. Yes I fully understand, I had that same problem initially.. I was afraid at night in the dark suddenly, and kept trying to imagine what the girls would have felt like during their days and hours of distress. I'm afraid I have to agree with you. I do think they ran into the wrong people and were kept against their will, then killed :(
      The swimming photo came with the leaked night photos. The parents themselves only released 3 night photos, then Lisanne's brother released another and Jeremy Kryt a 5th. But that was it. Until someone from Boquete anonymously leaked a whole batch of the night photos and this swimming photo was also among them. Named as the Sabroson photo, who was already a person of interest in this case. I think they are all legit. But I understand that some people think it is too grainy and vague to be certain about it being Kris and Lisanne. I myself am 99,9% certain it are them, their physical characteristics just match too well.

      Problem with the times of the hike, is that on the one hand we have the time settings of the camera and the analysis of the shade/sun angle and they both say the girls left for their hike around 11:00 am and were at the summit at 13:00. But then you have the contrasting witness statements from the taxi driver and from other people who saw the girls much later on that mountain. It's a big mess, this whole investigation.

      Yeh that is a possibility. They would have to signal for over 3 hours though and very very often and systematically. I am not sure anyone who was weak and distressed would keep the flashing up for that long, if it was just to notify someone, but it is possible I guess. If someone saw them, it was not a help and rescue group, they weren't out in the dead of night ...

      Delete
  37. No way these girls, who were obviously addicted to selfies/texting/writing down and very attached to their parents, hadn't used their phones or camera except for few attempting 911 calls and 90 batshit crazy night photos after ONE WEEK wandering into the wild. Whatever happened to them, even in a lost scenario (hardly to believe at this point) happened real quick, on day 1 or 2 they were incapacitated, dead, or taken by a 3rd party. The interaction with phones and camera after those days is not made by the girls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I agree. No photos for a whole week, no attempts to call their parents, not once was the boyfriend texted or called. Either they died very quick indeed, or they were held and kept from using their phones and camera

      Delete
  38. -When looking at the written times for the night time pictures, I noticed a pattern, 3 would be taken approx 20 seconds apart, then 3 would be taken approx 10 seconds apart, etc. (Roughly) together with the fact the pictures dont make sense and are in the same place, it looks like an attempted but shaky SOS signal?
    - in the picture of Kris with her hand on her hip, the image with altered brightness, look above her in the trees over her right shoulder, JUST within the red circle. Am I seeing things? I dont know. Looks like a person crouched or hanging in the trees with their hand out to the left. This is hardly visible at all without the image being edited.
    - I always wonder why there are no photos of lisanne after the summit but a more worried looking Kris appears 3 or 4 times then the photos stop.. I do believe they met with someone for sure but I dont know where. Maybe on the way back down? Perhaps they felt they were being followed or knew they were and lisanne turned and took some weird zoomed out pictures, kris pretending to pose and act normal but trying to document or show something without drawing attention.
    - I know that I would have recorded numerous texts, videos, notes and letters in my phone and taken photos of myself and any injuries if I was stuck, alone with my friend in the jungle. I would have had numerous points where I became desperate and tried calling emergency every 6 seconds and texting my parents and writing on my email account, etc. I find it a really strange and significant fact that no trace of this was on any of the devices. I think perhaps some of the first distress calls were them, and their phones were taken at some point and someone else was doing it to set up a scene of them being lost.
    - Did Lisanne escape after a week of captivity somewhere with Kris' phone (since it was the only one with battery), taking the camera or even the whole bag and trying to run away with her foot crushed? Or was this escape when she actually injured her foot? Running through the jungle at night.

    Was Kris already dead at this point or did they escape together but she fell and broke her pelvis? Lisanne could have made it 2 days running away, trying to phone emergency, and lastly she tried to signal an SOS with the camera flash when she couldn't go any longer and got herself caught again by whoever took her. Did they cut her foot off so she would not be able to get away away again? That would explain why it was found relatively fresh.

    This case so horrifying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,

      yeh those photo times of the night photos are quite something special. Very unusual. I personally think all figures looming in the distance in these photos are figments of our imagination. I do see what people mean sometimes, with sitting male figures, crouching figures, dog contours and such. But because these photos aren't super HD quality, the pixels do tend to blow up and distort a bit when you zoom in too much. It brings the risk of pareidolia..
      Yeh I agree with your analysis. It is indeed odd that no more photos of Lisanne were taken after the summit and I also feel they were either followed already at this point, or were with someone who led them along. Or that they returned soon after and went swimming (= swimming photo) with people who then proved to be their downfall. It is incredibly unbelievable to me also that for all those days, over a week in fact, neither of the girls stored any draft message, any explanation in some way or form in their phones or digital camera for their loved ones. Lisanne was crying for her parents just a few days before she went missing. She really missed them and wanted to be home again with them. I do not believe, full stop, that she would not leave some message for them if she had the ability to. The reason she nor Kris left something behind has to lay in the fact that they weren't free to do so. All the excuses Accident believers come up with sound ultra lame to me. Like; they didn't want to worry their parents. Or: they had more pressing matters to deal with. No no and no, when you are out there for 11 days and you are petrified enough to keep calling emergency services, you will at some point try to call your parents. Especially girls at that age

      Delete
  39. Just a thought..
    For the night pics,
    1.Could it be the girls had lost ownership of their personal items only from 3Apr onward (since it was then the dialing of emergency no. on their handphones stopped)..
    2. The perpetrator(s)found the camera with critical information (eg they were in the pics or it showed where they went) and sought to delete the pics (from 508 onward)
    3.They did so by using computer (?) to delete pics from 508 onward, but as it could still be retrievable, they had to overwrite the card --> by taking lots of pics (from wherever they are, with the 2 girls still held captive)??


    Side note:
    The 2 photos IMG_102-0550, IMG_0599-89 from juan's album (https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOaDcK-zyudR_UXP4xNvvSpKhbEUNHFkl1cvaGaZrvkiKqkgSL0BK5mjUL2SGcDjw?key=UjkzUHpsRmtLNUc2RlphdjVTWHRZSVEySjNYS0NR) can be collaged together.

    IMG_0599-89 have to be rotated cw 90deg, and its bottom will match to the top part of IMG_102-0550.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Bean
      yeh I think that could be a good explanation indeed. I do believe they had no full ownership over their phones and camera from roughly day 2 onwards. If they did, they likely would have tried calling their parents at some point, instead of continuing to call a Dutch emergency number. There were many fingerprints and DNA traces found on their belongings including those phones, who knows who handled them at some point. Photo 509 must have captured something or someone who did not want to be identified. The file is placed in a critical place in the overall photo sequence. It is no accident or coincidence that exactly this file is missing, without as much as a trace. Yeh maybe they copied the original content of the card onto another one but left photo 509 out. Or they formatted the memory card while storing its content elsewhere, and left file 509 out when they put the photos back on the now formatted memory card? Even taking a lot of photos would not have overwritten that file I believe. The memory card wasn't full, it had space left.

      Thank you for the additional info on the collage!

      Delete
  40. Fascinating and I admire Scarlet and others who've done all this work. What made me comment was the following news item regarding monkeys in Malaysia that found a lost phone and accidentally took photos with it. I don't mean to be funny about the sad loss of the girls but I wonder if the tree canopy photos are the result of monkey business: https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-pacific-54157459

    ReplyDelete
  41. I hope and pray that this case be solved someday. Kris and Lisanne deserves justice. I feel so bad on how for the poor ladies might have suffered out there alone all by themselves

    ReplyDelete
  42. I would like to say this. I do not think that the cartel or big gang members like that would waste their time and change the pictures The Times actually change the look of the picture, Erasing the video that proves that they are at a cafe at a certain time period. Cleaning off bones. Folding shorts. Making everything look nice when the cops take it. I mean you might as well put a fucken bow on it. Everything else they did shows that they don't want to be caught and they will do what it takes. People like the cartel don't waste their time by trying to do that, THINK About it. They just kill the person clean up the body and move on. I think this was local a local gang. Whoever did this to those girls were very elaborate and thought out. of course they had months with their bodies. Still having access to a body after that period of time and it actually shows that it was fresh decomposition, Tells me that the girls were most likely alive for awhile. Also, maybe nobody heard anything because they were either by a waterfall which would muffle your screams or maybe they were inside of a car they couldn't go in you or they could do whatever they wanted but they were being held in confined. They're easier to manage in a car rather than a huge space where they could run around. And when you're in a car there's nothing you can do but wait while the driver takes you wherever he wants. Lastly, the pic of Kris's hair, i have to say, it looks like her hair is laying over something. In that section her hair looks like she's got way more volume which tells me there's something probably underneath her hair lifting it up. I won't even comment on the face that I can see underneath the hair that I am sure as either a picture that's been faded into the hair (more computer manipulation) or it's an actual face underneath her hair and that's how they fell? Ok, i am done. Good day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True Zelda. It was mainly because the actual pathologist coroner in this case keeps stating that he believes the girls were victims or organ trafficking, that I even contemplate professional cartels. But I agree with you, these well oiled machines don't fuss about with cat and mouse games with the police. For such people a few murders more or less is no big deal and they have more pressing matters to deal with than hanging around a jungle at night, faking night photos. I think so too. I much more suspect a couple of local players. Not professionals. A local gang indeed, who had personal things at stake with this whole investigation and international media attention. The tour guide(s) know what happened and who were behind all this, some are covering up for them I believe.
      They may have been helped by someone intelligent enough to throw investigators off track. Although I believe Betzaida Pitti had no intention whatsoever to put them to the test or to even properly investigate and do the research by the book. So it was a home game really, easy peasy.

      Those remains had to be found, just as the backpack, to make it clear to the parents that the girls were dead. To ensure that their ongoing search operations, months after the girls went missing, would stop. It doesn't take an Einstein to plant a backpack and a few bones which don't provide a cause of death to a coroner. It was no Einstein who did this anyway, because the bag and its content was covered in different fingerprints and DNA. they were lucky that Betzaida was put onto the case, as she just didn't put them through a database. She also helped them by not looking for hairs or dna from the girls in the houses and finca's of these guides or people of interest. No interrogations of people either, aside from a short interview with the kids from the local gang. But they were released again. So it was no perfect crime at all, they would have been caught early on by the FBI if they had been put on this case. In fact, the FBI DID in fact write at some point that they found a connection between the killing of Catherine Johannet, a mere 35 kilometers up north, and the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. But once they solved their case, they let go of our dead girls, unfortunately.
      Exactly, the fact there was afresh ball of skin from Lianne found 5 months after she went missing says enough. Just like her foot, hardly decomposed, found 6 weeks later, while Kris' remains were so far decomposed that the bones looked bleached. Anyone who does not see this as suspicious needs their brains checked imo. These remains were found in the same rough area, not in water, lying in the same jungle with the same weather conditions, humidity and such. Humans interfered and planted those remains, it's as simple as that I believe.
      Yeh the water mist in the night photos may have been mist from a waterfall yes, that is possible and like you say, the sound would muffle their cries. But those waterfalls are tourist attractions and with the good weather at the time, I don't believe they could have been there longer than one night. Or people would have found them there. I think they were held somewhere away from the Pianista area and maybe one escaped at some point. But flashing the camera for hours on end is a secure way for your hunters to find you again....

      Yes I see what you mean, I am undecided myself over that night hair photo. You do see things underneath it. A face? Another person? I just am not sure... It may theoretically even be her decapitated head (ughhh) with her hair flipped over it :(

      Delete
    2. Hi, I have a theory - and it is just a theory - that two gangs might be involved: i) a bunch of young, wannabe gangsters including at least one very violent psychopath and, ii) some professional cartel of people- and organ traffickers. One of the wannabees may well have a connection (like a friend or family member) that is in the big league. The idea is that the girls may have already met the younger lads either in Bocas or in Boquete and, after hiking, gladly accepted a lift from them near Casa Pedro or Il Pianista Restaurant and then went with them in thier red pick-up to Caldera Hot Springs (as Juan suggests). They were all having a good time when their psychopathic friend turned up. He decides to take them captive and rape them. They are then held in a cabin somewhere or a cave. One of the young gang members, high on drugs, takes all those night pictures and the one of Kris's hair. The girls are then handed over to a cartel. After that .... who knows! The other theory is that there is no Cartel involved at all, just the wannabe gang.
      The question of the decomposition could have several explanations: that they were kept alive for a long time after the initial kidnap or that, if dead, their bodies were kept in cold storage somewhere (possibly even to fulfil someone's sick fantasy). The backpack and contents were also carefully kept somewhere - maybe as a trophy by some psychopath? Just an idea.
      The other thing is that the boys in the photo at Caldera Hot Springs (as presented in Juan's photo album) both died in mysterious circumstances (and no one knows who the third one who took the photo was) another one of their friends, Edwin, has also disappeared without a trace. The taxi driver who gave Kris and Lisanne a ride up on their last day also died very strangely. An American expat blogger about the case also died. Recently, Boquete (and the whole Chiriquí area) has become a very high-crime area with numerous rapes, murders and disappearances including women, children and even an ex-policeman!
      Furthermore, just to the south of Boquete, in David, there is a car dealership that has links to prostitution and organ trafficking.
      Personally, I think unless someone confesses to the crime, slips up in a future crime .... or if a disgruntled ex-partner spills the beans, we shall never know what happened on that day 7 years ago because one by one all the witnesses died off!

      Delete
  43. Hi Scarlet, thanks for being so dedicated to this case of Lisanne and Kris. As much as I understand and respect the privacy of the parents to help them move on, I feel that it is very important that individuals like you strive for the truth without taking advantage of the deceased in any way. I admire that quality.

    I also think along with some posters on here, that the big cartels don't waste time on this petty stuff and make you disappear when needed. The only times I've seen them do otherwise is when they need to send a strict message to someone and they are very graphic and blatant in that respect, but that is the type of world and business they are in. They certainly would not use Feliciano as their spokesperson either. He talked too much.

    As for the police they did a poor job and most likely the higher ups just wanted to protect the bigger picture of the tourism industry and its impact on their economy. Other countries might also do the same when it comes down to money.

    With respect to Lisanne and Kris, I think they were lured somewhere where they could not be heard, maybe by young people who might be slick at getting people to trust them. The girls were not as street smart in a place like Panama.

    Upon realizing that the game was up they tried to get away or maybe just something dreadful happened there and needed to move quickly. Maybe that vague photo in the pool of water I forget, Caldera was it?

    If I have to question anyone my first suspect would be Feliciano the guide for simply entering the girls' room without their permission, and then see where that leads me. It's amazing how casual the police took this then.

    So I think either he or someone who is very knowledgeable in the trails is hiding something someone did or that he did himself. From all the reviews online about Feliciano and interviews, etc I have read he probably even knows shortcuts or secret routes. He has a coffee farm some minutes away from the trail maybe and I wonder if that was a place to search so every stone was turned so to speak.

    Since Lisanne's remains were not fully decomposed, while Kris's was bleached it leaves me thinking in terms of whether or not someone didn't get enough time to dissolve the bodies properly or in time. It wasn't natural decomposition or bleaching as I think it takes much longer in the sun and needs higher temperatures especially if the bodies were destroyed in the water.

    So back to Feliciano, he would have to also manage his time in front of the media, with the search party, etc. Very busy guy during those initial weeks and months since the poor girls disappeared. Do maybe he didn't have enough time to dispose of the bodies. The reward money was almost too much to pass up? When was it offered?

    In any case I think Feliciano talked himself into this case, as well as by his actions. So he remains for me the prime suspect now in hindsight and after all the information that has come out.

    I wonder Kris's father who hiked with Feliciano didn't have in the back of his mind the thought of seeing if this guy was telling the truth, since Mr. Kremers must have known he was the first to enter his daughter's room with Feliciano saying he was booked for a tour with them. Sometimes parents can have their own intuition about things and people.

    As for the mysterious photos, the timing or sequence is the only thing I question as I don't have all the originals with me to fully scrutinize. But re the ones taken at night, I wonder if that is dust particles which look like white orbs?

    Lastly the diary of Lisanne shows she had a bad feeling about something to want to be with her family again.

    Could it be that she encountered Feliciano while lying on the hammock? I wonder what he said to her and Kris then if this was the case?

    I'll try to follow up with this case on your blog Scarlet. Hope you and your family are doing well and are safe during this pandemic.

    Regards,
    - Neil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Neil! That is very nice to read.

      As I just replied to Zelda in the comment above yours: It was mainly because the actual pathologist coroner in this case keeps stating that he believes the girls were victims or organ trafficking, that I even contemplate professional cartels. But I agree with you, these well oiled machines don't fuss about with cat and mouse games with the police. For such people a few murders more or less is no big deal and they have more pressing matters to deal with than hanging around a jungle at night, faking night photos. I much more suspect a couple of local players, a local gang, linked to a tour guide, who had personal things at stake with this whole investigation and international media attention. The tour guide(s) know what happened and who were behind all this, some are covering up for them I believe. They may have been helped by someone intelligent enough to throw investigators off track. Although I believe Betzaida Pitti had no intention whatsoever to put them to the test or to even properly investigate and do the research by the book. So it was a home game really, easy peasy.

      For sure, if actual cartels want to get a message across, they hang dead opponents dangling on ropes on public bridges or send their heads around, that sort of stuff. But they can make bodies disappear with chemicals very easily and you will never find a trace of them.

      But here we are left with half a pelvis, a foot, a rib, a tibia and femur leg, a ball of skin.. I think that they were planted on purpose. Just as the backpack, to make it clear to the parents that the girls were dead. To ensure that their ongoing search operations, months after the girls went missing, would stop. It doesn't take an Einstein to plant a backpack and a few bones which don't provide a cause of death to a coroner. It was no Einstein who did this anyway, because the bag and its content was covered in different fingerprints and DNA. they were lucky that Betzaida was put onto the case, as she just didn't put them through a database. She also helped them by not looking for hairs or dna from the girls in the houses and finca's of these guides or people of interest. No interrogations of people either, aside from a short interview with the kids from the local gang. But they were released again. So it was no perfect crime at all, they would have been caught early on by the FBI if they had been put on this case. In fact, the FBI DID in fact write at some point that they found a connection between the killing of Catherine Johannet, a mere 35 kilometers up north, and the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. But once they solved their case, they let go of our dead girls, unfortunately.

      The fact there was afresh ball of skin from Lianne found 5 months after she went missing says enough. Just like her foot, hardly decomposed, found 6 weeks later, while Kris' remains were so far decomposed that the bones looked bleached. Anyone who does not see this as suspicious needs their brains checked imo. These remains were found in the same rough area, not in water, lying in the same jungle with the same weather conditions, humidity and such. Humans interfered and planted those remains, it's as simple as that I believe.


      Delete
    2. Hi Scarlet,

      it's a pleasure to get a response from a celebrity sleuth! ;) You are revered by the people who read your blog and post your content from time to time regarding the case of Lisanne and Kris. So I'm elated!

      Regarding the information and your thoughts on the case in your response, that's really creepy that Plinio passed them on that trail. You know come to think of it, those two photos of the girls showing the thumbs up, do you think that was the moment? Wow if it is then that is really creepy indeed.

      I really don't like the feeling I get when I think of Feliciano. Was he who helped discover the skin, bones of Lisanne? Were the forensic team with him or the search party that found Lisanne's remains?

      Was the backpack handled by forensic team too? If not then common sense would raise alarms in the forensic team to warm everyone not to handle evidence, from that point onwards, and to call them or have them there to handle it before sending it to the lab. There are many protocols I would imagine to follow like details about each piece of evidence, who found it, who touched it, how it was found, photographing the evidence in the state it was found, and the surrounding, etc.

      The same goes to the way the girls' room should have been handled. I saw the press photos? of the girls' bed and on it was a device, a wallet or bag I could not tell, a lock, some clothes and Feliciano Tourist business card?

      Did they ever release the report of the fingerprinting done on all these items? Did they even do the fingerprinting of the diaries? If we suspect F., then Eileen would have been asked to check the diaries to see if any reference was made, etc.

      I wonder if they would find any of the girls' fingerprints which is what I would expect on the business card if they had booked a tour with F, and F had given the card to one of them or both. Also the business card looks perfect, no creases as would appear if the girls placed it in their pocket, and the business card appears to be positioned in a way to allow the viewer to read it. Very peculiar.

      As for cartel and all that dark stuff, I also agree they would not do a sloppy job like this because that industry from what I read is a very big business. I know a little because my younger brother needed a kidney transplant and he told me all kinds of stories when he was desperate to find one and researched the darker issues surrounding the organ donation world.

      Yeah, definitely foul play in my books, and committed by a group of amateurs or wannabes, but had some help either by luck due to incompetent people or by people in on the take. There's always money to be made.

      Btw, what do you make of the phone calls, like the first two calls that were made from Kris and Lisanne's phone and then the call that connected to the GSM on the next day?

      Anyways Scarlet, thank you for taking the time to respond and write to me. Good to know you are doing well.

      Take care
      - Neil

      Delete
  44. I apologise if I've posted this twice.

    I would like to make a comment on the usage of the 112 emergency services number. I've seen a number of comments on this (not nessesarily on this blog), why did the girls dial the Dutch/European emergency number.
    112 is the standard international emergency number that can be dialled in any country, provided there is reception, and will redirect you to local emergency services. This should be common knowledge amongst travellers but noone has mentioned this as yet. I'm actually quite shocked that a country has their emergency number the same as the international.
    In my home country I dial 000. Overseas I dial 112.

    This blog is really good by the way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! As far as I know it is a number that is mainly used in Europe, but it's true, it is used in some other countries outside of the EU too, and also allows you to be switched through if needed to the number of the country you are in.
      Thanks!

      Delete
    2. The finding of the backpack and the photos and call logs is what has put chills down my spine. Normally, with disappearances, I feel sad about it, but quickly move on because we don't see their suffering; we only see the last few photos in the lead up.
      With Kris and Lisanne the night photos and call logs after their disappearance almost puts us in the jungle with them.
      I was in backpack/working holiday mode during 2014 and 2015; I was in Thailand in Feb 2014 then was living in Canada all of 2015. Many people I worked with visited Central and South America during that time. My cousin, being one of them, traveled Central America and visited Boquete. She wasn't aware of Kris and Lisanne until I told her yesterday when we had a chat. She said their were parts of her Central American travels that were a bit sketchy, especially the border crossings.
      This can happen to anyone.

      Delete
  45. Just read through all the content you posted, great detective work and a very interesting read. My personal feeling here is you already solved the case. I agree with your sentiment, but a few pieces of info may be helpful. I believe girls were set up, and that both select people from the local village, and drug cartel were involved while local authorities also being complicit.

    The girls were likely set up before or shortly after arriving in the region. In specific regions such as this the cartel has many informants in many places. People like taxi drivers, hostel workers, just ordinary people, who need even a small amount of extra income to survive. These many informants act to support their operations for example locals warning before a raid happens, or passing along information that may be valuable such as persons who may be of interest. This is how the cartel keeps one step ahead.

    My feeling is the hostel passed along information about these girls and a command came down from somebody in power to stalk and capture these girls if an opportunity arose. This is why the specific Taxi driver came that day, and it was said two men where in the car with them. Once they entered the trail these ill intentioned men waited at the restaurant for some time and went up the trail knowing this was their chance. My guess is the guide met the girls somewhere near the summit which explains the thumbs up photos, and also why the demeanor changes afterwards. The guide offered them a ride back or free guide back convincing them they would get lost, or by other means, but instead took them to the swimming location, which is why a red truck was seen coming down the mountain and also photos the guide posted on April 5th 2014 of being at the summit.

    The lake photo with the two men were part of the local village gang, and were with the guide or met up with him. and after swimming the girls were drugged and drove to another location perhaps without cell phone service. The cartel likely passed information to them they were tasked capture the girls alive. The local gang captured these girls and likely sexually assaulted them over many days, while the search operation was looking in the wrong direction deeper into the trail, with the people who actually saw them last providing misleading information.

    If you think about power structures here its Cartel -> Government -> Village. Which is why even people who did the investigation botched it. In these regions if the cartel says you have to do something there is no choice, either you do it or they will kill you. Which is why people in the local village who may of participated would go along with it. The value of life is low, and they routinely make examples out of people. For turf wars yes they do things like display bodies, but for a smaller region simply somebody turning up dead under suspicious circumstances sends the message.

    After the girls were held captive for some time, once somebody from the cartel arrived, they were likely killed and used for organ collection. I believe somebody from the local gang may have mentioned the taxi driver as a potential liability and may of been murdered to cover up any info he possessed. Additionally the murders that occurred next year were a part of the clean up. I do not think the local gang would kill several of their own for a cover up, this kind of brutality only happens with a large lucrative organization like a cartel.

    I see arguments here saying the cartel would do a much more professional job, and can easily make people disappear. However I think it was as simple as somebody up top tasking several of the villagers to carry out this task on their behalf which is why the job overall seems sloppy and random. ( deliver the girls, and keep them there until we send somebody, while misleading authorities ). For the local gang they were able to get sexual favors and abuse them but for the cartel it came down to money & power.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fantastic write-up, thank you. I entirely agree with you, this is exactly what I also believe to have happened. The taxi driver was 'on the phone' for most of the ride he claimed. The two local men in the back of the cab, getting out just before the girls. I think the cab driver instructed others indeed about girls and their destination, cartel members or people linked to the local gang. Guide P. admitted as much as passing the girls on the trail; I do suspect also that he was with them on the summit and was the one who drove them in the red truck to a swimming location. Another person who I heard may have been linked to all this, is the owner of the Spanish language school. This is prett far-fetched stuff, but at the end of the day we have no explanation whatsoever why the girls were sent away by the children's school, Aura. Lommers was supposed to have arranged the volunteer work for them, but we have no idea why it all went pearshaped. Did she lure the girls to Boquete under the pretext of volunteer work, and was it all a big scam?

      Another thing pointing towards cartel-type of crime: the journalist Adelita Coriat, who did a lot of investigative journalism in this case, stopped writing and from what we heard she was threatened. Some people clearly have a lot of power and influence in this region, and it is not the police. cartel members or even wealthy and powerful hotel and restaurant owners could have steered the investigation away from their relatives. Kris and Lisanne are not the only missing people in the region,many people went missing, especially young women. We could see the suspicion and hesitation in the villagers of Alto Romero on camera, when asked to simply tell what they know. They needed a village meeting to decide if the couple who found the backpack were allowed to speak to the American tv makers (and what to say, no doubt).

      Yes your write-up ties a lot of loose ends together neatly, including the reason for the early deaths of the taxi driver and the gang youth pictured in the swimming photo. Especially Osman's death on April 4th already is evidence for me personally (as well as the swimming photo) that anybody who could be a liability was rid of. Osmans mother told in the press that osman was acting very strange the days prior, a clear indication that he was stressed out and anxious. He knew something. He may have deemed prone to breaking psychologically and considered a liability. People in their early 20s don't just drop dead like flies and we had a lot of young people dying in quick succession in this case....

      Yeh I think the very late discovery of the bones and bag, at places which were searched before (!), point towards planting. Reason seems to me that the parents were relentless and kept bugging the locals with their professional search operations. They had enough funds to go on and on. Something had to be done to make them go away. And only evidence of their daughters deaths did that job successfully. The photos (especially the suspicious night photos) provided a narrative of the girls just getting lost and dying. They needed to push that narrative, because that was the only way for the parents to back off, leave the area alone and go back home. Drug trails are not the sort of terrain you want nosy international search operations in for months or years.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for your reply Scarlet! Also one more thing to mention that I do not believe has been mentioned here previously. If you look at the body language of the girls in the lake photo they are clearly afraid. They are holding or grasping each other close, and likely mimicking the body language of the men they are with out of fear ( just like the thumbs up photo ). The body language of the men in the photo have their hands raised high wide and open this is a sign of domination, almost like "We got them".

      Also this is more of a guess and I may not have the correct timeline but the girls may of had access to their phones but were unable to talk. Which is why they called emergency services. From what I see the girls began their hike at around 11 and the first emergency call was placed at 16. Which would explain a 2 hour hike up, then begin brought down and going to the next location where sometime after they might of began to realize the potential danger they were in. The cell phone calls placed after may have been placed out of desperation in hopes that the location of their phones would be tracked and authorities would come discover them.

      Delete
    3. Yeh.. I read many people's views on that photo. Some don't even believe it are Kris and Lisanne pictured in it (I disagree). Yeh they crouch under water but we can see from the guys next to them, standing straight, that the water is not very deep there. So they may crouch under the water in fact. Because they feel vulnerable? Too naked? Uncomfortable? Lisanne makes a V-sign, they seem to huddle together for comfort. I did think all was good still at the moment when this photo was taken, they still seem to enjoy their swim. But perhaps they already started to feel unsettled by then? Good suggestion, that they may just have inconspicuously called 112 at the time to allow police to find their location. But the calls did not make it through and the Caldera hot springs area does have network, although I read it can be shoddy at times... Indeed, the lads are seemingly not having a care in the world and are showing their maleness.

      Yeh it is hard to tell from the sunlight at what time this picture was taken. Considering the sun set before 19:00 om back then, it may have been maybe 16:00 or 16:30 by then, or maybe later. Perhaps they sneakily called emergency services because they felt uncomfortable and unsafe? They started their hike around 11, were at the summit around 13:00, then at a next stream at around 14:00, but going back would go faster bc downhill, so it would not have been a problem with their level of fitness and the good weather conditions to be back at the trail head around 15:30-16:00 pm. Unless they were transported down in the red truck that was seen coming down by some witnesses, then they could have been away from that mountain even earlier.

      But people overall have very different interpretations of these photos. The interpretations vary wildly. For instance: some people also see absolutely no change from the smiling photos on top of the Mirador. Others - me included - do see a change of facial expressions and think they can pick up on some grumpiness or distance or confusion or fear even. But such photos are just a click in time, a momentary impression. Perhaps Kris looked smiling again a fraction of a second later, we just don't know.. But she and Lisanne had developed some distance between one another.

      Delete
  46. With regards to the nightime hair photo, read this link look at thge pics.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/eru46p/my_version_of_events_after_research/fpsemak/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

    Iwould say the pic is not real. interesting as it would put forward the possibilty that they were seperated at that point.

    ReplyDelete
  47. After looking more closely it is clearly a fake. I should have looked closer before posting link. My appologies.

    ReplyDelete
  48. RE: Photo #509

    Is it possible that the camera/memory card malfunctioned due to heat and/or humidity on April 1st during the taking of photo #509?...this created a file with no data, and caused the camera to "overheat" for a period of time. Then when powered back on and used again, the camera starts numbering at #510.

    Was the temp/humidity high enough to cause this issue?

    Great job, fascinating case!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In theory it might be possible for a photograph entry on the card to be corrupted, but what would happen is that the 'data' that is the image would still be present on the card, it's just that the camera (or a computer) would be unable to read that corrupted data. In effect it is 'locked' data.
      With what was found on the card though there IS no data, it has been completely erased. The only record it was there comes in a file index on the card, which tells experts that it has indeed been erased by some extraordinary means. External means...

      The thinking is that this lost picture is likely from April 1st, the last photograph of that day, and possibly a key image that suggests what happened next for them. But we will never know for certain.

      Delete
    2. Hi, thanks! A camera glitch is always a possibility I guess, but there is no indication for it here.. The camera had no glitch issue before file 509 went missing and it didn't have it afterwards either, going by the information we now have. For such a one off, that is a very small statistical chance. If the heat caused this, why only file 509? Why not also 508 and 507? Or any of the many photos taken in Bocas in the weeks prior, where it was a lot hotter than in Boquete? Boquete and the trail especially lies at a higher altitude, in a cloud forest where it is often a good 8 degrees cooler than in Bocas.

      The exif data of the photos tell us what the temperature of the camera was and it never really exceeded 25 degrees Celsius and usually was around 22 degrees Celsius, which is a normal temperature for a camera that is being used.

      Delete
  49. Thanks Scarlet for sharing your blog. For a theory to be valid, all evidence and testimony must be contained and fully fit. Here I present a synthesis of the case: Two young Dutch women arrive on March 29 at a Spanish school in Boquete, Panama.
    On Tuesday, April 1, they take a taxi that came with the driver and two other men, as confirmed by the taxi driver who took them, to the El Pianista restaurant, located 100 meters from the entrance to the El Pianista trail. The taxi driver died a year later, in the waters of the Caldera River, which passes through Boquete. Four locals later saw them pass by on the El Pianista trail. There is a witness who claims to have seen a red four-wheel-drive vehicle, such as Toyota or Mitsubishi, pass along the El Pianista trail on the afternoon of April 1.
    On Wednesday April 2, a guide who said he had made an appointment with the young women that morning, came to the shelter and found out that the young women had not gone to sleep. He requested the keys to the girls' residence from the owner of the shelter, and together with the school secretary, they entered the girls' room and at dusk reported the girls' disappearance to the Boquete police. A week later, the secretary moved to another city. A French couple who were walking along the El Pianista trail on April 2 say that a local warned them that it would be dangerous to continue towards the Mirador because the night before he had heard a woman screaming and had felt or seen 3 men run, which is why which the French turned back.
    There was great activity from the search bodies from April 3 to June 4.
    On April 3, volunteers looked for on the El Pianista trail. On April 5, the police and volunteers searched the surroundings of Boquete. On April 7, 40 rescuers from Sinaproc and 35 agents of the national police began the search on the Sendero El Pianista. On April 14, they end the search, finding no leads from Kris and Lisanne. On April 30, Lisanne and Kris's parents, while in Boquete, offer a reward of $ 30,000 dollars to anyone who contributes information to help them find them.
    On May 27, 19 Dutch rescuers and 12 trained dogs join the search. On May 30, mountain rescuers and specialists from the Costa Rican Red Cross join the search. On June 3, Costa Rican rescuers abandon the search, and on June 4, Dutch rescuers do the same.
    On June 14, 2014, they found the girls' backpack and on June 19, some of their skeletal remains.
    The young women took several photos of their journey. The most disturbing photo is photo 505 (photo 506 has not been developed and 509 does not appear on the camera, so it is presumed that it was deleted on the computer). She divides the story in two: the photos before the 505 are of joy. In photo 505, Kris has a strange body position and puzzled facial expression and in photo 508, Kris is worried. The next is panic and worry. Kris in photo 505 has her hands behind her, which could be tied or handcuffed. In the background of photo 505, attached to Kris's thigh, leg and left foot, a silhouette of a young man, wearing a high top beige hat and wide brim (in the style of sheriffs or North American jeans) can be seen ), with a beige blanket over his shoulders, trunk and arms and a rifle or shotgun in a horizontal position on his arms. The site in photo 505 could be located 2,041 meters from the Mirador El Pianista, to the northeast, along the path parallel to or that leads to the Pianista River, shown as a flickering area or pulsating signal, on one of the Google Earth maps. There was a circumstance or lure that attracted or removed one of the young women, or both, from the El Pianista trail. Another indication of the existence of a criminal group was the death of Osma Valenzuela, a friend of Kris and Lisanne, on April 4, 2014, on the Caldera River, while he was with his family, when he left to do some physiological need.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I feel like the overexposed pics could be eiy eiy eiy guy with a headlamp using the but of his knife on krisses head? Img 591 I can kinda see someone with a headlamp. Hard to say anything really though

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hi Scarlet/All,

    Just a short intro, my name is Chris (c9m1p6@gmail.com) and I'm a fraud investigator in a local bank here in the Philippines. I like reading blogs regarding dead/missing people with suspicious backstory. (i.e Dyatlov Pass, Khamar Daban, Yuba County 5, Tamam Shud).

    Anyhow, these are the 'facts' w/ my opinions/points (kindly correct me if any of these are wrong as I don't have a computer/laptop to note down everything that I've read from the other blogs as well):

    1. The taxi driver who accompanied Kris and Lisa was also reported dead (suspiciously) a year after this incident.

    [if Kris and Lisa encountered a local/syndicate during their entry in Panama without their knowedge, possible that the taxi driver is involved somehow]

    2. Kris and Lisa met and spoke with other foreigners (2 males) during their stay in Panama. Then, I encountered a Reddit entry (https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/e88hv1/swimming_photo/) stating that these foreigners were already dead (suspiciously) as well.

    [if this is true, same sentiment with item #1 re: 'taxi driver']

    3. The bag (1 'dry' medium size bag, even though 2 persons hiked - Kris and Lisa) that contained 1 plastic water bottle, 2 bras, 2 sunglasses, 2 mobile phones, and 1 camera was found weeks after the 2 disappeared without any damage/scratches.

    [the mobile phones and camera were still used by Kris and Lisa 'when' they're in danger, yet, one (or they) of them still able to put the gadgets inside the bag and just 'left' it? that's suspicious]

    4. Multiple incorrect PINs were entered on one of the mobile phones.

    [clearly that the person using the phone is not the owner; if it's the owner, it is 'slightly possible' that she forgot the PIN due to a mild concussion; swapping the simcards of the 2 phones (just like what was mentioned by someone here) is only 'slightly possible' as it's hard to eject the simcard from an iPhone, unless you have a smal pin to use]

    5. Multiple night shots were taken (some in blast mode, others in non-consecutive presses) and clear shots shows a twig (w/ small red plastic pieces attached) and head with blonde hair (can't remember if it's Kris' or Lisa's).

    [I am somewhat sure that neither Kris or Lisa was the one using the camera because if it's them, they could've record theirselves stating their situation in hopes that someone may obtain it in the future; in addition, the head 'feels' like a head of a dead/unconcious person]

    6. Bone fragments of Kris and Lisa were found scattered 10kms+ away from the location of their last photos together. However, Lisa's (correct me if the person is correct) pelvic bone (dried, incomplete) and one of her shoes with her foot still inside (decaying, intact) were found.

    [this is very dubious as if her body was cut into several parts, and some of it (the foot with a shoe) was kept in a cool dry place to preserve and prevent moisture]

    My conclusion is either they've encountered a local/syndicate that were looking for fresh female bodies to use/sell (they've left the bag to mislead the authority or anyone), or a cannibal tribe that were looking for something to eat (but the preservation of the foot will be too impossible accomplish if this is the case).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chris

      thanks for sharing your thoughts on this case here. Good write up.

      1. Correct, Leonardo was waiting for his clients of the day at a local swimming location and he was later found faced down in shallow water, in the middle of the day by people. Drowned. He was in his early thirties. This taxi driver was interrogated by police about his transporting of Kris and Lisanne on April 1st.

      2. This is a rumour. There have been several witnesses who came forward and said they had seen the girls having breakfast or brunch or lunch (variations of the story differ) on the day of their disappearance as well as on the day before their disappearance. Some say it were Dutch guys, and this was investigated and said to be untrue because the Dutch guys they met in Bocas were actually not in Boquete at the time. Then there are stories about them having met up with local young men or Tico's, guys from neighbouring Costa Rica. These lads were never identified.
      Then there is a swimming photo, I posted in on part 2 of my blog series here. I believe it shows Kris and Lisanne with two identified youths from Bocas. The photo was leaked by a source close to the investigations. The boys were also dead within a year both.

      3. Yeh the backpack was found about 10 weeks later.

      4. Correct. Dutch investigators believed that someone else handled the phone once the wrong PIN codes were entered. But some sleuths think Lisanne may just not have memorized Kris' PIN codes, or was hallucinating or something like that.

      5. I have all the night photos that were either made public or leaked recently up in my part 3 of the blog series. Yes, about 90 such night photos were taken, most showing the same trees and sky.
      Regarding those night photos, people think very differently about them. I think that if they wanted to see their surroundings for instance, at night, isn't over 3 hours straight of taking the same photos over and over again a bit.. excessive? Why would they take the same sort of photos again and again of those exact same trees if they just wanted to see around them? And 2 hours after the last photo was shot, it became light, but they never took a photo during daylight to document their surroundings. Or if something was stalking them for instance, say, a wild animal; wouldn't we have seen at least a set of ears on one of the photos at some point? Some wild animal eyes lighting up in the distance? None of that.. And if a human was stalking them, then the flash use would give away exactly where Kris and Lisanne were...
      But indeed, no messages, no draft messages in Dutch or created with rocks or sticks, no attempts to call their parents, no recordings by video or photo of what they had been going through those 7 days prior. Nothing. Just wildly abstract photos of the same surroundings, never identifying who took those photos.

      6. Yeh a handful of their bones were found, spread out over several kilometers, but some of their respective bones clustered together. They were found near Alto Romero, at least 8 walking hours away from their last known location on the Pianista trail. Some bones found upstream, some downstream from the location where their backpack was found. The pelvic bone was from Kris and a rib bone was also found of her; both were dried, bleached looking, without any tissue on it anymore. Whereas the left leg bones and foot of Lisanne were found with skin and meat and all still attached to it. Kris' bones also contained phosphates, and Lisanne's didn't. Lisanne's foot was cut off at the ankle bone and her whole foot was still inside the boot. A clean cut, no signs of any cause for the breaking off of the foot and no animal claws or teeth marks were found on any of the bones.

      Yeh I agree with your conclusion but I would not rule out that they met foul play in the hands of local people either. Locals who weren't sicario's nor tribes people.

      Delete
    2. Hi Scarlet, excellent blog! I want to add my thought on the night photos. I think the girls may have had this idea- since sleeping at night in the jungle is probably a terrifying experience, perhaps they decided to program the phone to take photos for 3 hours while they slept... This might bring them a more peaceful sleep while allowing the flash to keep them safe as well as let authorities find them. In other words, NO ONE was taking the photos, it was the camera programed to do this while they slept. What are your thoughts on that?

      Delete
  52. Hi Scarlet,

    When I looked at the photos that had been taken in 1st of April, the photos after the Pianista summit give me creepy feelings. Since there were discussions about photoshopping and metadata manipulation, I have also spent some time to see whether, there were possible traces of photoshopping. I have made a small PDF file, which includes reviews for images 505,507 and 508 with a possible theory regarding missing photo 509. I emailed it month ago and don't know whether you received it or had the time to go through it. After these results and the scenario I had commented in part 5, my conclusion is that the girls were kidnapped and taken to some other place (remote area) shortly after their hike or after that swimming photo. If the girls returned after the photo 508 at 2 P.M, they would probably be at the starting point of the trail between 3.45 P.M - 4 P.M. (The descent was fast due to the perfect hiking conditions at that time). It is possible to reach Caldera Hot Springs within 30 min or so from the Pianista. In fact, witness claimed that they were picked up by a truck. Given the fact that first distress calls were made at 4.39 P.M, something terrible had happened to them within the next 20min or so. If K&L were the two girls in that swimming photo, it might explain why the two bras were found neatly folded in their backpack.

    Best Regards,
    Tharindu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tharindu

      thanks for your comment. Yeh I understand that. The photos all give me the creeps as well tbh. I don't recall seeing your PDF. Can you send it to me once more, to ScarletBlog@protonmail.com ?
      I agree with your conclusion... unfortunately. I also think they met foul play.

      Yes indeed, They started their hike around 11 am, were at the summit around 13:00 pm, then at a next stream at around 14:00, but going back would go faster bc downhill, so it would not have been a problem with their level of fitness and the good weather conditions to be back at the trail head around 15:30-16:00 pm. Unless they were transported down in the red truck that was seen coming down by some witnesses, then they could have been away from that mountain even earlier. A local shop owner has declared that he saw Kris and Lisanne around 15:00 pm, looking for a taxi to go back to Boquete. Maybe he was correct but a bit off with the time. Maybe they were given a lift to the swimming location. The calls may have been staged entirely. It is possible to change the time and date settings on a phone, call, change the time again, call again and leave a fake trail that way, I have been told by several people who are into the technicalities of mobile phones. Yes the neatly folded up bra's have been an interesting detail always and the swimming photo would explain them. Notice how the girls are crouching down in the water, while we can see from the straight standing young guys next to them (both were also dead within the year) that the water was not that deep there. They may have taken off their bra's and put them in their backpack before the swim voluntarily. And after that things went wrong..

      Delete
    2. Hi,

      Thank you for your response. Sure, I will send it to ScarletBlog@protonmail.com now. By the way, I have done few modifications and shared few additional observations, which might be useful.

      Regards,
      Tharindu

      Delete
  53. In the enhanced photo with the twigs I looked at the original and the light on the right looks like the moon-I wonder if the moon phase matches up with the night those photos were to be taken it might help reinforce that the photos were tampered with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think so. On April 1st of 2014 it was a new moon and moonless therefore. On April 8th the moon will have been visible, but far from full?

      Delete
  54. Hi Scarlet,

    thank you for this very interesting and complete blog.
    It is in fact a fascinating case, which bothers me for days now.

    A small detail, which I picked up and I want to share is:
    I want to compare picture
    #496 (I call it "K+L up")
    #499 ("L up")
    #500 ("L down")
    iPhone 4 picture ("K up")
    #unknown ("K down")

    with picture #508 ("K river")

    My point is, that when you take a picture during a hike your body direction is most likely the same as your last movement direction, as seen in picture "K river", where you assume that Kris HAS crossed the river. One person is hiking in front of the other one and when there is an opportunity for a picture the photographer turns to the other person. When we look at "L up" we can see that she is standing on the right side of the picture and her body is facing to the left where the path goes further, same goes for the iPhone picture "K up". I find the two picture natural looking. Same for #496: L standing right and K is joining her to the left - the general camera direction is the same.

    Now looking at the two other pictures "L down" and "K down" (despite the different sky and light conditions), both are standing on the left side and there body direction is to the right - down to the start of the trail. So I assume that these pictures are taken while the girls where returning to Boquete.

    Of course this is only a wild guess, but from my feeling these pictures feel wrong from a composition point of view, because the background of "K down" and "L down" isn't spectacular more interesting than #498 to explain the need of another photo. Except if both were returning to Boquete and wanted to show that they completed the hike - a typical behavior to take another picture at a special spot.

    So to say, I share your opinion that the girls returned to Boquete and "get lost" while swimming with strange people. For me it is very clear that both girls were at least post mortem found and for some reason this person decided or had to get rid of their bodies - a strong indicator for a crime. For the pictures: I don't trust the data on them. It's very easy to change the names of the files and delete pictures (insecurely). Could be easily done by their killer. The next harder thing would be to change the EXIF data: Requires you to google and to download an extra program. Also possible for the killer. Maybe at their google search they found also a program to erase files securely? That would be equally hard and could be also done by the killer or the police.
    This alone (needed time: 1,5h) would be enough to create this mess we can see now, which leads to the "lost in the jungle" scenario. But I really dont believe that someone photoshopped any picture on the SD card, because it's really hard to do so perfectly. Would be much easier to simply delete such a photo.

    However, thank you again for your hard work and "keep at the ball" as we would say in Germany!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Of course this is only a wild guess, but from my feeling these pictures feel wrong from a composition point of view, because the background of "K down" and "L down" isn't spectacular more interesting than #498 to explain the need of another photo. Except if both were returning to Boquete and wanted to show that they completed the hike - a typical behavior to take another picture at a special spot."
      --------------
      I have never really seen any hard evidence that these photographs taken at the summit indicate the two friends were there on two seperate occasions - that they returned here on their way back to Boquete.

      What I would like to point out though is the detail of the Cloud cover in the background of #495 does interest me. Because I was looking at these photographs recently and it struck me how different the cloud cover is to that seen in #499 and the 'I-Phone' picture of Kris kremers. Those two photographs appear to have been taken within a few moments of each other judging by how little the cloud changes, #495 on the other hand (apparently taken as they arrived) shows the clouds so different to #499, and Lisanne stood with hair down, that it stopped me.
      It is possible these two photographs are showing the same clouds, maybe, but the drift and change between these images is so great that it is clear that they are taken minutes apart, quite possible a LOT of minutes - it depends on how quickly the clouds were moving, and that is very difficult to guess. But there is little wind on the Summit as they pose and snap Photo's so it seems reasonable to think the clouds were slow moving that day.

      But when you look at the difference in those clouds on #494 and compare to the 'I'Phone' photo of Kris and #499, it may lend some weight to the idea they were indeed at the Summit twice. Because clearly these photographs were taken quite some time apart.

      Delete
    2. Initially, I also thought the thumbs up photos (500 and #unknown) of Kris and Lisanne were taken later in the day on their way back to Boquete, because of diffused sunlight and thick cloud cover. However, If you closely look at the photos of Lisanne at the open area (beginning of the trail), the thick cloud cover can be seen behind the mountain range. Those photos were nearly taken 2 hours before their Pianista summit photos. So, I kind of agree with you that the clouds were moving slow that day. I notice kind of small side winds in photos 499 and #Iphone 4 towards the left side. That could explain why the sky at Boquete side was clear that day. I also believe these photographs were taken some time apart except for the photos that have been taken as they arrived (495-497). More likely other photos are out of order.

      They took 8 photos (495-502) within a quick succession.(within 2 minutes) There is a 4 minutes time gap between 502 and 503. Two possibilities during that time:
      1) They were voluntarily decided to explore the other side of the trail.
      2) They were interrupted by a 3rd party.

      There is a higher probability that photos 503 and 504 were also taken at Pianista summit because there is a 14 mintutes time gap between photos 504 and 505. In fact those crevice passages found in 505 are located just 15 minutes descent into the other side (As mentioned in the video made by Kris's parents). If the photo numbers and timings were manipulated, the actual photos 503 and 504 might be 2 photos available to us. My guesses are the thumbs up photos of Kris and Lisanne because of the diffused sunlight compared to other photos. Did you see that photo (possibly #498) is a zoomed one? Boquete town is clearly visible in 498. I have commented about 498 in part 5.

      Although this not an important fact, it seems like during their ascent to the summit and descent along the other side Kris was leading the way. (photos 491, 505, 507 and 508). Some people doubted why such a distance in this kind of terrain. Did you notice how many times they switched their backpack? 4 times I guess. One instance is after photo 491, the backpack was handed over to Kris before the summit. We see the backpack was with Kris, as they reached Pianista summit.

      Photos 505 and 508 are really weird to me. Not only Kris's facial expressions but also around her body. For example, look at Kris's left arm in 508 and surrounding vegetation behind Kris. Compare the quality and details with 507. bizarre!!!. 507 seems to be a genuine photo. I find it hard to understand, why so many strange things in 505 and 508 while other photos look fine. I thought, it may be because of poor file size and resolution. Looks like it is not the case.

      Delete
    3. Great observation, anonymous. Thanks so much for sharing this. Interesting point you make about body direction in relation to movement. Both David and I have discussed in the past the possibility of Kris and Lisanne having returned after photo 508 was taken. I am in favour of this theory because although the area is known for pretty dramatic clouds drifting in and contrasting with otherwise blue skies, to me the background and cloud state between the different summit photos of the girls is a very stark one. Lisanne also has her hair loose in some photos and tied back in others. Of course, girls do that now and then for esthetic reasons, but here the different hair styles took place between photos taken within mere seconds of one another. It is a very strange picture, when you try to imagine the movements they made all over that summit, going by the photo times of the exif data. They must have rushed tremendously. Or.....

      Or they simply returned after taking photo 508 and just made it back to the summit, took some more photos but now while on the move in the opposite direction; something you have described. And someone has mixed the order of these photos around, in order to make it look like these girls never made it back down. Never came back off that mountain...

      A similar narrative has been tried to create with regards to the story about Blue the dog. His owners declared to Lee Zeltzer and others that the girls talked to the owner of the local restaurant at the start of the trail. And that their free roaming beautiful dog Blue went up with the. But that Blue came back down alone later in the day, without the girls. This creates the impression, again, that Kris and Lisanne never returned. And got lost and perished out there. But there is no evidence at all that Blue truly was with Kris and Lisanne. In all the dozens of photos taken that day, Blue is not pictured once...

      Indeed, if the Caldera swimming photo is legit, and I do believe so, then the girls did come down and perhaps some people involved, corrupt people, have tried to change the whole narrative with the help of the photos that were found after the camera and the backpack were planted, 10 weeks afterwards.

      Delete
  55. "Did you see that photo (possibly #498) is a zoomed one? Boquete town is clearly visible in 498."

    No, it's definitely not a zoomed in or cropped picture. If you look at the 'I-Phone' picture you see Kris Kremers gesturing to the view behind her, the town is just out of view behind a bush though and it appears that the close-up of Boquete in #498(?) is possibly a result of them checking the shot on the camera's viewfinder, seeing the town is not being shown, and therefore having to step right into those bushes and the uneven ground to deliberately get that shot of the town - Boquete.
    When you think on that the idea that all these first shots were taken within just two minutes is too hard to believe. The time-stamps shown surely can't be legitimate.
    ----------

    "Did you notice how many times they switched their backpack? 4 times I guess. One instance is after photo 491, the backpack was handed over to Kris before the summit."

    That Backpack is very interesting - you do see in the very first photo's of the day that Lisanne is carrying it in every shot as they approach the main trail, except one. These are poor shots, but in one of these you do see that suddenly Kris is wearing it:https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lnrgn_GaF44/XKSxQblSx-I/AAAAAAAAjxA/g-sn953ITMsH9xTy1OVa-k1Yi0rYs-kpgCLcBGAs/s1600/Kris%2BKremers%252C%2BPanama%252C%2BIl%2BPianista.jpg I cannot quite understand this...
    But #491 is an interesting image as while it might suggest Kris is walking well ahead even at this early stage the difference here to the shots of her racing down the other side later is that we can be sure that #491 is an isolated photograph and she didn't stay ahead of Lisanne as she apparently reached the summit wearing the backpack, suggesting they reached there together.

    What happens next, with the photo's of Kris racing down the other side for a good 40 or more minutes and never sharing the backpack or camera is worth thinking on, as clearly something is driving Kris on like that. These are strange shots because of that, and while there is no hard proof of a third party being there I do believe it would explain why it is they decided to go down there at all, and why it is Kris is always way ahead - the path isn't wide enough for three after all.
    ------------------

    "Photos 505 and 508 are really weird to me. Not only Kris's facial expressions but also around her body."

    Photo #505 is showing Kris crouching while shielding her eyes from the sun coming through above. You can see this quite clearly when you know what you are looking at, what is very odd is the huge grin on her face as she is doing this. Again, there is no hard evidence there is a third party with them here, but it would perhaps explain the image seen here.

    Photo 507 and 508 are two images that have gained a fascination due to them being the last of the day and all the implications that come with that. But when you look at all the Photo's taken on that day and look to the very first one of Kris on the steel bridge as they set off, then compare to #491, and put these alongside #508, there IS continuity here. Kris stood for a shot, not smiling, poor quality image, and As a whole when you look at that camera's quality the photo's that are either selfie's or close-ups tend to be excellent quality, while anything take at a distance is poor. I was talking about all this elsewhere. When you look at their work with the camera on the days before they reach Boquete, and afterwards, they are capturing EVERYTHING. The people they meet, their accomodation, the sunsets, the rainfall, the beaches, the starfish, the card games, the nights out, the parties - everything. So when you think on that the fact that the photography stops where it does on April 1st and there are no shots of the second stream or the grand views of the meadow 20-30 minutes on from the first stream.... it says something.

    I have to conclude that Something, or some one, happened to make the photographing stop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great analysis as ever David, thank you for sharing it here. As for the sudden poor photo quality, I would love to know if all the original photos were this poor in quality too when it came to the ones taken on April 1st. We can see in the leaked photos taken in Bocas that even the far distance one are of great quality most of the time.

      Delete
  56. noticed that the photo's date is April 2013???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Considering you post this under part 3 of this blog series, I had hoped you had read this info in part 1 already ;) " If the time set on their digital camera was correct, then this has also implications for the rest of the time table of that day. But note that it didn't even have the year (2014) set correctly; it was set to 01-04-2013. This is the default year and fabric setting, reflecting the release date of this specific camera."
      So yeh you are right, it is set to 2013, one year off. But the rest of the set times have to be taken as religion, according to the investigators..

      Delete
  57. Something very odd that I noticed with one photo...I'm not sure anyone has noticed or even given it thought before. It's quite a discrepancy. The Canon SX270 HS has the flash located ( it pops up out of the camera ) on the left of the camera, above and to the left of the lens, looking at the camera from the back. This means that in the photo with the red plastic bag and twigs...the shadows of the twigs OUGHT to be to the right of the twigs because the light is coming from to the left of the lens. And yet, every single shadow of every single twig is to the left of the respective twig, and markedly so ! How can this be ?

    ReplyDelete
  58. Further to my comment above about photo #550 ( the branch and red bags on the rock ), I did numerous experiments using a torch and a piece of wire. And I found that there are absolutely NO orientations whatever in which a torch held to the left of my eyes ( i.e my eyes corresponding to the lens of the camera and the torch to the flash ) produces shadows to the left of the wire.

    Here is the crucial geometry of this...very easy indeed for anyone to replicate :-

    Hold a wire horizontally ( left to right ) an inch or two above a white surface and shine a torch on it. You will see that if the torch is held above the level of your eyes, the shadow of the wire appears below the wire. If the torch is held below the level of your eyes, the shadow appears above the wire. Basic geometry. The shadow always has to be geometrically opposite the light source.

    Now rotate the wire around gradually so it is pointing away from you. You will see that the shadow changes so that it now reflects whether the torch is to the left or the right of your eyes. When the wire is facing more or less away from you ( as many of the branches in photo #550 are pointing away from the camera ) there is NO WAY you can get a shadow to the left of the wire with the torch to the left of your eyes. It is simply not possible....and it does not matter if one end of the wire is higher up than the other or the surface the shadow is cast on is not level.

    In other words, a simple experiment that anyone can do with a wire PROVES that the light source in photo #550 cannot be the camera flash ( which is to the left of the lens )...because there is not simply one branch with a shadow to the left, but every single branch has a shadow to the left regardless of its orientation. This is physically impossible with a light source ( i.e flash ) also to the left of the line of sight.

    Rather than provide experiment photos etc....this is such a simple exercise that I would urge anyone to do it themselves as you really have to see it yourself. And you will come to the same conclusion as me, that the light source for photo #550 has to be several feet to the right of the camera. Further absolute proof of that comes from looking at the photo itself. Look at where any shadows on the rock end on the rock, and draw a line that connects the end of the shadow with the end of the respective branch. In every single case ( there are at least 6 such examples in the photo ) you get a line pointing up TO THE RIGHT at an angle of 45 degrees. That is pointing towards the light source...a light source to the right...basic optical geometry says it has to be. This is, again, physically impossible with a camera flash that is to the left of the lens.

    Put simply, the shadows in photo #550 are such that they physically CANNOT have been produced by the camera flash. They have to have been produced by another source that was several feet to the right of the camera. This photo is in my view the smoking gun proof of third party involvement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Peter, we discussed this a bit already below one of my youtube videos. I'd love to see the results of your experiments with the light source and flash of this camera in similar still life set ups as what we see in the night photos :)

      Delete
    2. Well....to me it would be like doing an experiment to show that 2 + 2 is not 5. You physically cannot get a shadow to the left if your light source is also to the left. It's impossible. That's not personal opinion...or something that even needs to be argued or 'demonstrated'...its the laws of geometry and optics. I would argue my case is already proven. There is no way photo #550 could have been taken with a camera that has a flash to the left of the lens. A flash to the left of the lens would be shining light on any shadow to the left of the object photographed....and thus there would not BE a shadow ! It really is as simple as that.

      Delete
    3. As has been pointed out to me on another forum, I left out the effect of parallax, which strengthens my case even further and makes the orientation of the flash irrelevant.

      Parallax :- The flash is an inch or so from the lens. But...the distance to the branches is around 8 feet or so...lets call it 100 inches. Now if the rock the shadows are cast on were the same distance the other side of the branches then you'd get a shadow an inch from the branches....but on the opposite side to the flash. Perfect geometry. BUT....the rock is actually only an inch or so behind the branches....which is 1/100th of the distance from camera to branch...which in turns means the shadow CANNOT stick out from behind the branch more than 1/100th of an inch ( i.e parallax scale is 1/100th on the other side of the branches ).

      In other words, most of the shadow should be behind the branches with barely 1/100th of an inch of shadow sticking out at the side. And that is regardless of the orientation of the camera or where the flash is.

      But what one actually sees is shadows entirely separate from branches, by quite some distance. This means there is simply no way the light source was the camera....however the camera is held or whatever the orientation of the flash.

      I would argue this is a huge clue that investigators ought to be looking into.

      Delete
    4. In a cut out of the camera the flash is located to the right of the lens. You can scroll it up on this very page

      Delete
    5. The photo of the camera itself on this page is taken from the front. From the BACK of the camera, which is what matters and is how the photographer views the scene, the flash is to the left of the lens. Thus it ought to create shadows a little to the right of objects due to parallax. And yet we see the complete reverse. How can this be ? It is a major discrepancy that just gets completely overlooked. It's a huge clue waiting for someone to pay attention to.

      Delete
  59. I can’t be certain, obviously, but could the anomalies of IMG_580 be explained if it were taken underwater? The blobs of red surrounding the hair in IMG_580 are not recreated in manufactured examples I've seen, but exist in the original (the halo of red around the hair itself). It was raining at the time, so some or most of the dirt would have been washed out, but it should have looked wet with droplets. It didn't, but if the picture were being taken underwater, it would prevent the hair from looking dirty or wet; the dirt would wash out, and there would be too much water present to appear wet.

    A side note! If the photos are in their correct order, why do the girls put their hair up and take it down so much? Especially if the images are only minutes apart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure but I doubt that tbh... The camera was also not made to take photos under water. And throughout the night photo series you see these 'orbs' in the sky. It may be lit up water drops from rain or from a nearby waterfall perhaps. Or some think it are dust particles.. In the background you mostly always see trees or rock. But fairly said, the rock on the bottom never looks very wet, for as far that can be told from these photos. Just like the 'SOS' photo and the paper never look particularly wet. The hair is not photographed under water, I am certain of that. It would float and here it just falls down as normal hair does under the pull of gravity...

      Yes good point. I find that peculiar also. We discussed it a couple of comments up from yours here. Lisanne indeed has her hair loose in some photos of April 1st and then has it tied back in others. Of course, girls do that now and then for esthetic reasons, but here the different hair styles took place between photos taken within mere seconds of one another. It is a very strange picture, when you try to imagine the movements they made all over that summit, going by the photo times of the exif data. They must have rushed tremendously. Or.....

      One alternative explanation for this I'd think about, is that they simply returned after taking photo 508 and just made it back to the summit, took some more photos but now while on the move in the opposite direction. And someone has mixed the order of these photos around, in order to make it look like these girls never made it back down. Never came back off that mountain...

      A similar narrative has been tried to create with regards to the story about Blue the dog. His owners declared to Lee Zeltzer and others that the girls talked to the owner of the local restaurant at the start of the trail. And that their free roaming beautiful dog Blue went up with the. But that Blue came back down alone later in the day, without the girls. This creates the impression, again, that Kris and Lisanne never returned. And got lost and perished out there. But there is no evidence at all that Blue truly was with Kris and Lisanne. In all the dozens of photos taken that day, Blue is not pictured once...

      If the Caldera swimming photo is legit, and I do believe so, then the girls did come down and perhaps some people involved, corrupt people, have tried to change the whole narrative with the help of the photos that were found after the camera and the backpack were planted, 10 weeks afterwards.

      Delete
  60. I have to say I just spent the last couple days reading most of the content of your blog and you have done an amazing job.
    I find myself fascinated by this mystery, looking over and over again at the pictures hoping to see something everyone else might have missed. I know it's a long shot but damn... I wanna know what happened!
    One thing that I can't stop but think when I look at the night photos is that I don't think they were using the flash on purpose. All pictures seem to have the camera pointed at the sky, but at nothing in particular. All at a single location. If they were trying to signal their presence, why only use the flash every few minutes? As you said yourself, if they were trying to scare someone or something away, why point at the sky?
    I think they were using the lcd screen of the camera as a light and taking pictures by mistake from time to time. This explains the orientation of the camera. The lense is pointed towards the sky so the screen is pointed towards the ground that they are trying to see. Maybe Kris was in a bad shape, and Lisanne was using the camera to see her in a desperate attempt to save her, which might explain the picture of her hair.
    Anyway, it still does not explain everything, but that's my little contribution.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your kind words Manny. It is a mind boggling and enthralling mystery, I agree... There is always the feeling that 'the answer' is staring us in the face somehow, if only we can decipher the clues. A lot of people also seem to identify with Kris and Lisanne; one bubbly and outgoing, the other sensitive and more shy.

      Ok thanks. Yes most night photos indeed seem pointed at the sky and at the trees and the darkness above them. It makes little sense. I know that a lot of people want to believe there were helicopters flying overnight, but unfortunately this is nowhere confirmed at this point and stage. Perhaps we will gather more certainty about this soon, as more information is slowly been made public. I know, indeed, scaring something or someone away seems illogical with these high aimed photos. And for such a long time as well, nearly 3 hours. Ok interesting, you think the light coming from the screen helped them better with looking at their surroundings than the light of the flash? Perhaps so yes. But I struggle to understand why these photos were all taken in the same spot and why they would want to keep seeing their surroundings for nearly 3 hours then? While not moving much?

      Kris being in a bad shape, perhaps. We have no photo evidence of this however. The hair photo of Kris fails to show a clear head wound or something along those lines? But that is a good suggestion, thank you for sharing it here!

      Delete
  61. Hey, Scarlet. I will write down my thoughts here, you never know, maybe someone will be interested, or this is an obvious thing.
    At 16:39 on April 1, which shows the details of calls until April 11. By that time, they were seized by a group of people, such work alone is, in principle, impossible. In the following days, connection with these phones was still lost. They could have been kept in the jungle. In another case, their phones could be deliberately included in areas where there is no connection with a cellular operator (no signal, I mean). If they were in the city or to take the signal they would have been accurately spotted. If they were in the city or to take the signal they would definitely be caught. They needed data from phones, and turned on, they hoped that the device will boot without a password or pattern (naive).

    Certainly these photos are falsified and fake. Starting with their hike on the El Pianista trail. Criminals could let these go on the wrong track, making the illusion that they went far into the jungle. If this is not the case, then why would they fake photos, maybe someone else was with them? I don’t understand why they would fake a photo if they walked along the path of El Pianista, were on Mirador, left the trail and went deep into the jungle. In the photo where the hair (back of the head) is shown, you can see a small gold chain, you can see how it fits around the neck.
    Photo where we see the international sign SOS, jar of pringles crisps visible (with the taste of cheese and onions or sour cream and onions). Nothing important. The only thing, they used the things that the girls had taken on the hike.
    Most of the photos don't make any sense. Obviously, those involved in the attack took pictures with the camera pointed at the sky, thereby showing that at the time of the shooting the girls were alive.

    What is known about the state of the flash card and the camera itself. Was there a hint of manipulation, I think that before the tragic events of April 1, in any case, some files were still deleted or moved by the owner of this camera. These files should be visible in the file locations table, example, the software that Juan used. I still want to know, there was only a problem with file number 509?

    In conclusion, I will say that delitants worked here, it is unlikely that a professional would have made such a mistake with a mistake (photo IMG_499.jpg).

    Thanks for attention.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here. Good ideas. Yes with no clear undeniable evidence that Kris and Lisanne freely handled their phones (such as Dutch written messages, Dutch spoken audio recordings, selfies or a video), it is technically all still possible. Someone else may have handled those phones from April 2nd onward. Or these girls may have been kept somewhere else entirely. They could have even staged the signal-less jungle surroundings in a basement. or removed the sim card and faked the calls. Or changed the time and date settings, then called in a place without reception, and staged the entire phone log string after April 1st...

      Indeed, after April 5th it seems odd that the iPhone was no longer activated with the proper pin codes. Was someone else trying to get access to the content of the phone, without knowing the codes? Or was it Lisanne, desperately trying to get access of her friends phone? We just don't know :(

      I don't believe that Kris and Lisanne were free and out there and taking those night photos themselves either. They make no sense at all from their perspective. Deliberately vague, deliberately taken before sunset it seems, deliberately showing the same unidentifiable treeline at the skin again and again and again. The only idea one gets from them is that someone is, indeed, lost in the jungle. So it could be a set up, for sure. Indeed, they used things the girls had brought on their hike, including a map of Boquete, which they were already pictured with while having lunch in town before they went missing.

      I do not know all the details about the camera and memory card. Other than that there are question marks right now about the missing photo 509. Which would have been retrievable in part at least if it truly had been deleted manually. Seems not the case though. Apparently no photos taken before April 1st were deleted by Kris and Lisanne. Although it may still be possible that they did right after taking a photo and that the next one overtook the file number and so we will never know about those deleted photos. Thanks, yes I agree with you. To me it also seems a crime and committed by people who are not professionals at it...

      Delete
  62. Hi,
    In the picture of the back of Kris' head, i see a gold earring on the right and I see her eye on the left side. I am surprised no one mentioned the eye. Or do you see that as aomething else?

    Lissane's left leg has been found but until vital bones are found, I will feel it is possible she is atill alive. It creeps me out that her bones were not water logged. And, that her rolled up flesh was found (torture?).

    I wish their parents would release all original pictures.

    Thank you for your work on this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I wish their parents would release all original pictures"

      Good day I have just come across this website and read the some of the main points.

      I agree with you on the expressing hope regarding the release of all the original pictures.

      Unfortunately there seems to be a significant level of victim-blaming especially due to Kris & Lisanne's gender. This can be mentally stressful to the parents and they may not want to reveal too many details.

      The Caldera swimming photo was perhaps one good example (although the photo did not come from the Kris-Lisanne camera). If the genders were reversed, it could have been much easier for the parents.

      If Kris & Lisanne allegedly went to the extent of taking off their bras and swam topless because presumably they did not want their sleeveless vests and bras to be wet, this might ( I repeat "might") have also meant they did not want their shorts to be wet.

      It might have also explained meant why there were no available photos taken by the camera (alleged tampering of the photos was a separate issue).

      The way they posed in the swimming photo with only their shoulders above the waterline more or less proved the ladies would probably not have taken photos of themselves in their existing state.

      The absence of other clothing in the backpack suggested the ladies did manage to put their clothes back on after the swim but probably did not put on their bras back because they felt more comfortable that way.



      Delete
    2. Thanks for your thoughts, both of you. Yeh it looks like people like Matt from ImperfectPlan have been able to get access to all the photos through the official police files. I think that a lot of people who have been reading about this case have questions regarding those photos. Simple things like: was Blue the dog visible in any of them, or not? (No). What sort of normal photo taking habit did these girls have before the sudden stop after 14:00 April 1st? Are there any clues as to what could have happened hidden in the photos which the public has not yet seen?

      With regards to victim shaming, I do understand that bit, but don't think that pc censorship of sorts is going to help with anything, in the end. Unfortunately this is a world 9and always has been a world) where many of us women run certain risks. Walking home alone at night, getting very drunk on a night out, simple things can already turn into disaster for those of us who are unlucky enough to run into a disturbed individual. But ignoring these factual and actual risks because doing so could be victim shaming, is like wanting to believe in a fairytale. You would probably have to search long and hard to find someone in this day and age who believes that wearing shorts means a woman is asking for trouble. Skinny dipping or swimming topless... I don't know, I guess many of us have done so in our teens on a first holiday abroad, I have been not much better in that respect. It isn't asking for trouble, but realistically speaking it is increasing the risks of harm befalling you, unfair and unjust as this is in itself. Of course, we do not know if that swimming photo is real and if so, if Kris and Lisanne were just crouching under water for no specific reasons or if they swam topless. Just like I think it was a bad idea for me to do so on a holiday with a friend alone in Italy at around that age, I would say that doing this in Panama alone would probably have been a bad idea. But there is a good chance that none of that actually happened here.

      I agree, it could explain though why the bra's were in the backpack and why the jeans shorts were found (and not worn in the end). If photo 509, perhaps, showed them swimming or at the Caldera, it also makes sense why a 3rd part or even the authorities did not want this photo to survive. It would place these girls firmly away from the Pianista trail in their last taken photo and would have turned the notion that they were lost behind the mountain on its head. I fear and suspect this is what happened though.

      Delete
    3. I do see the eye too, I'm surprised too that there is no speculation with that.
      Or is My brain seriously playing tricks, i see the eye very clear. And The gaze doesn't seem lively..

      Delete
  63. I found this case intresting because I had similar case. When I was in army I actually got lost in forest. We had different squads that were sleeping in their own tents in forest middle of night. Then I had to wake up and change shift with another person to guard tent of commanders. (he came to woke me up). Problem is that this tent wasnt near and I lost path how to get there.

    ..Now suddenly I didnt see any tents. So long story short it took me 5 hours to walk around forest all by myself until I finally got out of forest and found road out of just pure luck. I noticed there was some other army guys other there who lead me to right path early in morning. I think I was 6 miles away from my location. I am from Finland, land of forests.

    I think my situation was harder because I couldnt recognize path. It was dark night (winter) and dense forest disadvantage and my flashlight was crappy.

    But I believe because they walked such long distance they could got easily lost. Photo #505 and #508 they got into dense area of forest. We have short time memory and cant always memorize or trust patterns especially if they look same, in this case forest.

    If I understand this correctly #508 was last picture of this day and they called 911: at times 16:39 and 16:51. So it seems like they went from this water fountain to somewhere and got lost. I do not believe there was anykind third party involvement based on phone call activity.

    First day proves to me that they are lost and they both could freely use their phones to call 911. Then this same pattern of calling 911 is repeated next days 2nd, 3rd.

    They got lost by pure accident. Like for me I had objective to find tent and I knew where it was. And I still managed to get lost from path. Then I tryed to retrace my way to get to this original path and I still couldnt find it and I was probably walking in circles. So my next step was to walk out of forest to find road. I did scream too btw, no luck.

    I do believe they got lost based on 911 calls. If both are harmed, kidnapped or murdered it is very unlikely that they can freely call 911 from 20 min of each other. Also just from my experience it is very easy to get lost in forest.

    But what happened after day 8 I cant say anything. What bothers me is that human can survive long time without food and they had plenty of water source there. Did sleep deprivation or somekind accident happened or did they meet someone who lives there and caused them harm. And why wouldnt person want to take away their phones away if that did happen.

    My guess is that they didnt had any energy left to walk further especially being young girls and everything. They hiked probably long time and in circles. And if you sit long time from exhaustion or from sleep depravation in one place then maybe you dont have energy to resupply water then your body will just stop working.

    Anyway just my few thoughts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good point about getting lost in the forest. Guides and hikers have said it is very hard to be lost at Pianista Trail. While they concede this applies mainly for the main trekking trail, they still feel the other side of the summit is not that difficult.

      Problem is that the 2 girls are inexperienced and not well prepared. From the known footage and pictures, the grassland after photo 508 does not seem to have a very clear trail.

      One wrong move and suddenly the surroundings look different with no clear direction. If there is foul play, it is likely they have met with some hostile party which as caused them to run.

      After they recover, it becomes very hard to get back on track. I agree that much energy will have been wasted walking round in circles. eventually, down trekking along Rio Changuinola seems the only option but the terrain is much more dangerous.

      For the moment, I tend to believe the reason for their light attire for the Pianista trek on 1 Apr is due to them having swam at a much human-friendlier Rio Chiriqui Nuevo 2 days earlier.

      As some commenters have wrote, the light attire seems more suitable for the beach.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for sharing your experience with getting lost. Interesting also that it happened when you were in the army. Are droppings normal within the armed forces? I have seen programs about the special forces and over here they are often dropped in disorientating terrain such as uniform forests, with minimal maps and then tested on their ability to make it to a point X within a certain timeframe. I do hope that your mates would have found and saved you, had you not found the way yourself ;)

      I think overall, the discussion within this case should not be about whether or not one cán get lost (everyone can), but if they díd get lost. Unfortunately we don't know for sure. But Sinaproc said it on camera at the time; they combed through the entire region, including the area where the remains were found much later, and Kris and Lisanne were not there... They also simply could not have been anywhere near those main rivers; those areas were searched and nothing was found of them, not even candy wrappers or anything they could have left behind along the trail. No dogs found their scent either. Those rivers are frequently visited and passed by people. I think the problem here is that we have no signs of them having gotten lost. Here we all know the hansel and Gretel fairytale and on the night of the 8th (so a week in) Kris and Lisanne apparently used a bunch of paper and plastic wraps to mark things on a rock. But that should raise the question why none of this was done along the way? If you get lost, panic does grip you early on. It makes little sense to me that no trail was created by these intelligent, planning-prone young women. It could even have been done with branches, rocks, anything really. Strips of their clothing. Why leave an entire jeans shorts on a rock (supposedly..)
      when it could have been cut and torn and used to mark the trail they walked? It would have been firm evidence that they did get lost and a handy aide for search troops ánd themselves if they wanted to backtrack. But like I said, there is zero indication that they got lost. Neither that they were behind the Pianista area after April 1st.

      People who believe they got lost almost always point to the night photos as lost evidence. But I do lean towards those night photos having been staged by a 3rd party. Exactly because they show nothing. Not the girls themselves (aside from the back of a head), not their clear location, not their backpack, they are as vague as one could possible achieve, if given that brief on the outset. The only thing they achieve is to give off the impression that these young women were 'lost' in the 'wild'. The entire accident theory was built on these photos and the minimal and odd phone log info.

      Delete
  64. First of all, sorry for my bad english, not my best.
    As a dutchman i heard of this case and in thoughts it never let me go...watched all the video's, blogs, everything what i could find on internet.
    What i found strange and i don't know or can't remember it's mentioned before, but in the story are rumours about a red pickup truck. In one of the photo's where Kris an Lisanne are brunching on a balcony just arrived in Boquete, where Lisanne is holding a map or overview of activity's, you can see on the right, a red truck, im sure that is a pickup truck. You can see a man sitting inside. They parked the truck in a strange way and exactly that way to have an overview on the balcony and can see what K & L are doing. Payed my attention and very vreepy....they were followed from the first day in Boquete.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this is true. You can see the red truck here: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0LfaKoWC4GU/Xe419FA2HyI/AAAAAAAAAuw/_Ks35L9Z3F8voKfjWUP3wiwhWvtR0SGCACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0459.JPG

      It looks very much like the red pickup truck which belongs to guide P.:
      Photo 1: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Y4n04r2ICU/X8-eXYtcEuI/AAAAAAAAE0k/anMlNW9IkJE1MC_q8nj4-_zdIUOs4eKiQCLcBGAsYHQ/w541-h406/rio%2Bchiriqui10.jpg

      Photo 2: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n8o8n38HFys/X44W-XKi3TI/AAAAAAAADl4/FI2rgnNNxSQbPoPoG0X5W_IMWoygZl0vgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Plinio%2Bfb%2Bupload%2B27%2Bnovember%2B2015.jpg

      Delete
    2. I don't think it's the same truck.

      1. In the first truck - you can see it has a distinctive black grille guard. This grille is not in the other pictures of guide P's truck. Are those pictures from similar timeframes?

      2. In the pictures of guide P's truck, you can see black side mirrors. However, in the first picture, the left side mirror (the other mirror is out of frame) looks to be hidden or washed out due to brightness - but AFAIK something black should be *more* visible than the red paint of the car its next to.

      Delete
  65. Good day, regarding the brunching, a reader has provided what appears to be a copy of the map that has been read by Lisanne.

    https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOLKqkzYEQKbJINSLxknKuMHncDWGcc2HwrTdUF7dYSyqU_785dIZAcSn1_GiMioQ/photo/AF1QipOQIwN1IAfXD_Nk7tie80eDlLN6s_LXif_K6v1E?key=cll6Q0VUZl9ubWt3d3RpTzgyWTlvQmZ1UUdVS0hR


    https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOaDcK-zyudR_UXP4xNvvSpKhbEUNHFkl1cvaGaZrvkiKqkgSL0BK5mjUL2SGcDjw/photo/AF1QipMNjOzZJLVouigYtvGVM_oLbr5qB1GTQAHlhikV?key=UjkzUHpsRmtLNUc2RlphdjVTWHRZSVEySjNYS0NR

    Map does not show Caldera Hot Springs.

    On that day, did they interacted with someone who told them about it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, it looks like a similar map yes, although Lisanne to me seems to read a slightly different map, here is a close up: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hgQsd_pr40/YJuvmsaN0zI/AAAAAAAAG2c/sbmyz1MMbX8pCfN3t87N5Q2yFh60mxpTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s567/Bags%2Band%2Bstick_zpsmnzo1okn%2Bcopy.jpg
      But these are the touristic maps that can be found everywhere there and they are all more or less the same, or similar, with only small differentiations in the details. Notice for instance how the map which Lisanne holds in her hands in the Boquete Bistro photo has a thin light green line around it, while the map you linked to has a slightly different looking 'framework'. But those are tiny details.

      Yes that is very well possible. Guide P. used to hang around this particular Bistro a lot and is of course very knowledgeable about the area. These girls were also seen with local guys by several witnesses, one claiming they were overheard making an appointment with them 'to go see the waterfalls'. But because no witnesses were properly vetted or even identified and most witness statements were cast aside by police and investigators as 'unreliable', we simply don't know...

      Delete
  66. You can see in Jean-Claude Latombe's photos from his trek up to the Mirador and down into the Serpent trail that he walks the exact same path as the Dutch Girls up to their last photo, He even has a photo posted of the same place where Kris has her hands behind her back and of the Monkey bridge from the daily beast pics, it is the same monkey bridge.

    Jean-Claude Latombe states they hiked for almost 9 hours yet they crossed 3 rope bridges, This means if they started at 5am they stopped to rest and or eat for 45 mins to 1 hour at some point and made to pin 14 by 3pm, Sunset is around 6:30 so still over 2 hours of daylight.

    The first rope bridge pictured is the same bridge from the Lost in The Wild episode, yet Kinga and J.J claim the girls could not have possibly made it to the first bridge.

    There is almost 100% no doubt they made it the 2nd bridge, possibly the 3rd and if anyone ever bothers to go there they will find the area of the night photos 100%....it only takes 9 hours to hike there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi thanks. kris and Lisanne started at 11:00 am and were at the summit around 13:00. They could have been at the meadow (paddock) around 15:30, but there is zero evidence for this as the last photo 508 shows them only 45 minutes from the Mirador. If it took Jean-Claude 9 hours then we have to add another 5 hours to the time of Kris and Lisanne, meaning it would have been at the least 20:30 in the evening for them to be able to reach a monkey bridge. This seems unlikely to most people. These girls were not professional hikers, they did not have the same condition as JC. They were not prepared for such a hike and by all accounts had no intentions either to go that far. It got dark'ish around 18:00 already there. We need to take into account also that it was very warm that 1st of April and that these girls had already walked for a good few hours by the time they went off the radar, so to speak. I think there is as much chance that they turned around back to the start of the trail, as there is for them to simply keep walking deeper into that jungle. I completely disagree with you about there almost being 100% certainty that they made it to the 2nd cable bridge. The only 'evidence' for this is a jeans shorts from Kris and some bone remains found much further up north. I think that proves nothing, as these items were planted there months later imo. There is no hard evidence, in any case, no matter wheteher you believe this or that happened. Hard evidence would have looked like photos taken by these girls of the river and them identifiable in the photo themselves.

      Delete
  67. I live 35-40 mins from the Mexican border and haven't been in Mexico for over 25 years. Paying me money wouldn't get me to go to South America. It's too dangerous. Esp. for young white women. I believe European travel agencies need to triple warn these very innocent, naive young women not to travel to dangerous places by themselves. It is suicide. I have many Mexican and south American friends who would give me strict instructions where to go, what to do & what not to do & even where to drive and not drive. What was safe to eat and what to avoid when visiting south. This was when we used to go quite often to Estero Beach in Ensenada. My gut feeling is these young ladies were abducted. Either on the mountain or shortly after arriving back down. They were taken to a place where they could not escape and were terrified to use their phones in case they were heard talking. One of them died long before the other. When the heat was on the local authorities to find these girls, the abductors put together what was left of them & dumped it where it could be easily found. Maybe at one point one or both of them escaped which might explain the night images which only occurred on one occasion. Whomever was after them found them & dragged them back. Please, please, please get the word out that young women should not be traveling alone in a foreign country. North & South America are both dangerous. Not Canada. It is not safe like it is in Europe. People look at you very differently. A young tourist thinks "oh isn't this exciting, a new completely different place to visit" while the ones watching you might be stalking their prey. I was in Mexico once when a local man called me a rich white Gringo bitch. At the time I was a student and my husband & I were broke but that's not how they saw me. Most Mexicans are lovely, kind, hard working honest people like my friends. But they also know there is a line even they can't cross. A couple of years ago a caravan of white American men, women & children in several different vehicles were ambushed on a road in Mexico. Even the children were executed. Very suspicious because gangs don't usually attack children. It was a message.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for sharing this here, anonymous. I noticed over time that certain people will try to stop others from stating the obvious statistics and risks of certain trips. Because it would come down to 'victim shaming'. Which is silly. I think it is good to bring awareness of risks (not self invented ones, but risks based on the actual numbers and case examples). Because we live in a world now with flashy glossy social media accounts and 'influencers' only showing the paradise side of world locations. Indeed, people need to look past the sales brochures of travel agencies (who would even sell a trip to Islamic State in Syria if they could make money with it without insurance risks). Travel agencies have no monetary interest in warning their clients about going to this or that place. The good ones will advice against certain places, but I doubt anyone here will utter warnings about Panama. It may come down to individuals to do some online searching (but where to start?). Yes Mexico has many horrible cases of tourists being killed, same for women in general and tourists and men too actually. It is an allround violent country with out of control cartel wars. Good that you have friends who can advice you on where to go and where not to go, when going south. It is all about risk management in the end; as some will say: you can also walk under a bus in Amsterdam. Sure, but there is statistically less chance of being burned in your camper van on the side of a highway in the Netherlands by patrolling cartels. (Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas case). Yes I read about that absolutely gruesome execution of those American religious families in northern Mexico.
      I agree with you on the kidnapping/crime factor. Yes I agree, it is worth it to bring awareness to tourists of the importance of adjusting to local culture and being aware of local politics/crime and such when traveling the world. It is incredibly sad that people have to learn based on utter tragedies, such as the death of Kris and Lisanne, and more recently the absolutely gruesome murder of two Scandinavian women in Morocco. By all means, travel, but limit your risks by being aware of potential dangers and especially when you travel alone as a woman/women, anticipate on potentially dangerous situations. Out alone in a foreign jungle for instance, in a 'macho' culture.

      Delete
  68. Is it possible the dark pictures were taken through that mirror that’s laying there? So, not droplets in the air but specks of dust or defects on the mirror? Someone said the shadow from the flash of the camera was on the wrong side for that model. It could explain that, too.

    ReplyDelete
  69. I'm new to this sad story and tried to go through your excellent research. Concerning the night photos, I know there is a technique often used in astrophotography which is called stacking. It combines the digital information of several photos to enhance very subtle details in what seems to be otherwise areas with no information. I myself cannot do this as it requires quite some experience but this might be interesting to try...

    ReplyDelete
  70. Szekely investigation groupJuly 18, 2021 at 11:41 PM

    HI Scarlet & all
    Congrats all for the detailed analysis.
    One item on the photo Doesn’t seem to be taken into account is the items they carry outside of the bag. First given the fact they were wearing mini short they do no have their smartphone with them and both are in the bag. This imply in case of emergency they would likely be calling the 112 at the same time unless they disagree on the importance of the emergency but that would be unlikely. This also imply that in case of foul play the girl not carrying the bag would not be able to run away and call the police.
    Another point that surprisingly nobody pointed out is that Kris on photo 491 seem to hold the small bottle of water in her hand and on photo 505 and 508 she has the bottle in the pocket of her short. Having climbed during two hours under the sun with only a half a liter bottle of water for two the girls must have been very thirsty. Before seeing this I was really curious why they have been continuing their track after the summit. One of the reasons may simply have been they were super thirsty and knew there was some drinkable water not so far. Kris would had been going to the river not for the sightseeing but simply to fill the bottle with water. Then the question would be: did they knew there was some drinkable water before doing the hike or did a third party made them aware of it when they were on the summit.
    On the other side we could question the fact that the walk to the river was one hour from the top a similar distance than the one they crossed on their way to the top. But maybe one was drinkable and not the other one. In any case given the discomfort of keeping a bottle of water in the pocket of your short this IMO an important point and it is worth to mention that between photo 491 and 505 the bottle was not with Kris.
    Kind regards,
    The Szekely investigation group.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Here is my theory they got hurt and someone one found the camera and bag on April 8; that someone is seeing if it works after it got wet. You can see there finger with hair on it. They snap all night photos with it. The real question is who took the photo at the swimming place. They had to be on the other side of the bank or floating in water. The girls jaw lines suggests smiling. The fact that their bras were found off of them suggests death took place after this photo. Did they put back on bra and finish hike? The last picture she has bra on? All of the alive photos likely happened with the last one having the girl
    In it. Night photos were after both girls were dead in my opinion. Maybe the night photos of kris is her dead body that random guy stumbled apon
    And was like”dead girl” “ free camera I wonder if it’s ruined?”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course. Instead of telling the police about the bodies and asking for the reward of 30,000, he preferred to take the backpack and then throw it somewhere.

      Delete
  72. Я убежден, что девочек похитили, правительство знает что то, скрывает и подделывает факты. Это не просто будет найти виновных, они наткнулись на какой то объект, секретный, в результате чего пострадали, вполне возможно, что их использовали для продажи органов тела. Это стоит больших денег, до 500 тысяч долларов и больше, за 2 девушки, причем молодые, кровь, органы, части тела, все это стоит денег. Местная власть явно зарабатывает на этом, по их лицам видно, что их эмоции наиграны.

    ReplyDelete
  73. This is really some amazing work

    ReplyDelete
  74. This is Amelia. I'm a psychologist and I've been following the case for some time casually, but found this website today and read everything from the top to the bottom. I'd like to add a few thoughts:

    Quote: "My own theory has since been that Kris and Lisanne were not alone at the Pianista Trail. That there were people with them, and that the witnesses who said they saw Kris and Lisanne at the trail head again around 15:30 PM that day may have been right; that the girls took a taxi (the one of the later murdered Leonardo) and went swimming afterwards."

    My answer: That doesn't add up really well. If the girls had a company during the trip, they would get photos shot together by these companions. But none of the photos present two girls at the same time made by third person (there are only selfies), which suggests they were indeed alone and made photos to one another. Of course, we can argue that there were other people with them, but they refused to take or be part of the photos, but that would contradict with the (presumably) final photo with everyone in the pond from the mobile camera.

    Quite: "And the reports are pretty useless then, in my opinion. It's just, whose side are you on... the report, with the times and phone usage, manipulated by the perpetrator.. Or the boyfriend of Kris, who recites a very fresh memory, and who probably checked it thirteen times and showed it to the parents etc.."

    My answer: In my opinion, the boyfriend staying in their home country wouldn't recalculate the time to 14.00 Panama, but instead recalled what he saw on his watch/phone, so that would be 14.00 Dutch time and 08.00 Panama. Which makes sense both with the the offical timeline, and girls' phone network coverage report. So the contact was made before the trip took place. This also means Roelie wrongly corrected Hans during the interview. After all, it wasn't them who made the contact, but the boyfriend, so they might be wrong. It would also be an odd detail to remember if you weren't the actual person making the contact.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amelia. Thanks for your message. Are you deducing that because there is no known (!) photo of anyone else on that trail that could have been with Kris and Lisanne, there therefore must never have been anyone else? I don't believe that is a solid argument. I am out and about with a lot of people, but never like to be photographed, for instance. That does not mean that I wasn't out there. And why would mere strangers automatically get into selfie photos? Besides, there was a photo or video number 509 that was removed; we do not know if there were other people pictured on it.

      Add to this that we now know that Pitti and her team not only looked at the photos on the memory card, but also altered them on June 17th of 2014. Rotated, brightened, then saved the new versions. We knew that already as the exif data of the photos proved this, but we know it for certain now as Pitti admitted to it. This could theoretically be a shaky alibi for her and it certainly was an opportunity to meddle much more with these photos, unbeknown to the NFI or the rest of us, the audience. Ergo: we are not 100% sure that the photos that were leaked are all the photos that were taken by Kris and Lisanne.

      As for the time of the phone contact of Kris' boyfriend with her; watch the video for yourself on my youtube channel. It was the very first TV interview and the parents were prepared to appear on national television. By then the girls had been missing for some days. I don't personally believe that Roelie would correct Hans on camera unless she was certain about the time being local Panamanian time. That surely is one of the first things you verify and want to be certain of, when you find out your daughter is missing: when was the last time anyone had contact with them? But that sort of thing should have been verified by the investigators and confirmed, one way or another. Alas.. nothing ever heard about it again

      Delete
    2. Look I get that you claim to be a psychologist, but you should know then that the passive aggressive manner in which you try to bring your point across in your subsequent comment is far from effective. If you can't discuss things in a normal way and tone, you can do it elsewhere on the internet. Sorry but there is no need for that sort of stuff.

      Delete
  75. Hi! Photo 541 shows the chin line and the left cheek and this is 100%, otherwise the neck would have been in the photo
    And here's what I noticed
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/49jchulc9w6zazp/2222.psd?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/lxjnym1x6umib0u/3333.psd?dl=0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does look like a chin line and cheek. the frayed hair at the top of the photo looks light in color. It would make sense if they huddle together on that ledge it would be Kris' chin and cheek since we get a picture of the back of Kris' head at 580.

      Delete
  76. Someone on websleuths came up with what is probably the correct explanation for the nighttime photos.

    We've been misunderstanding the purpose of the nighttime photos from the beginning. They're not photos at all, but rather, at attempt to keep the camera's LCD screen lit up so that the person holding the camera can see.

    From what I understand, this is the kind of camera in question: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FRJLW2O?pf_rd_r=88HZRNYYXB79KKPX66ZA&pf_rd_p=8fe9b1d0-f378-4356-8bb8-cada7525eadd&pd_rd_r=daea67fc-3ccd-4638-bcc6-d09420e4451f&pd_rd_w=y8zgI&pd_rd_wg=2mLJI&ref_=pd_gw_unk

    Apparently, in order to keep the LCD screen lit up, the camera must be used every so often, or else the screen will go dark. So whichever girl was still alive on this night and was taking these photos probably wasn't using the camera for the sake of taking photos, or using the flash to scare off predators or alert potential rescuers. Most likely she was using it in order to keep the LCD screen lit so that she could see. Probably one of the girls died that night and the other one was trying to keep examining her and had no other source of light with which to do so (and the phone battery was far too precious to be used for this).

    Looking at it from that point of view, the significance of the photos is... nothing. The girl using the camera wasn't doing it for the sake of taking pictures. She would have been holding the camera up in the air around her as she was looking down, taking pictures in the exact opposite direction from which she was focusing her own attention. So we shouldn't expect to find any meaning in the actual photographs. Whatever the item of interest that night was, the camera wasn't pointed at it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For any camera, when interacting with the camera buttons, the screen turns on. Even if the screen was used for illumination, it was possible to take a photo or record a farewell video.

      Delete
  77. I thought about the photo for a long time. I am absolutely sure that night photos were taken from bottom to top - FROM DEEPENING (pit? Crevice? Ravine?) And stone "walls" - VERTICAL.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Is it possible that the person taking the night time flash photos could have been injured and layed down on the ground in a prone position because they were unable to walk or even stand upright.

    The vast majority of those flash images appear to be looking up at the trees.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Wow, this is a huge research collection and very interesting.
    What really makes me sad is in fact the victim blaming done by some comments. They have been young adults with 21, 22 years of age. So how should parents keep them away from travelling? And who would listen to them, honestly? At least everything was planned very detailed and could have been the best trip of their life. A travel agency will never ever explain you the real danger, to avoid you from cancelling your booking. They tell you to keep an eye of your luggage and avoid huge crowds lol. The society creates the rules: Nobody wants negativity or uncomfortable facts and mentioning human trafficking is very uncomfortable. Greed for money is a global problem and the bill is always paid by the vulnerables. More awareness is necessary, maybe already starting with a better education in school already. In that area baby sloths are taken from their (killed) mother and sold to tourists. If the animal dies after a cute insta-pic, sad, but there is other entertainment waiting around the corner.
    This is the so-called "modern" society.
    About the case... in my opinion the girls have been lured in and got lost after their hike. A ride with new "friends" to the caldera for swimming may have been a chance to abduct them, rape them and sell them to the cartel. Keeping them alive until they are "needed" for organ harvesting. The local youth gang messed up and to protect the criminal structures, witnesses have to disappear. Even the 30000USD reward does not work, if you or your family are put in severe danger. Knowing my parents and boyfriend are worried about the whole trip and expect to receive at least a message in the evening, would drive me insane. Even if theres no network coverage, I would message them and my host to inform them we are lost, but ok. Messages may get out, they need less signal and it would be pending to be send. Apart from this, I can call 911 or 112. When the parents showed up and officially declared they are not gonna leave, remains had to be set up. Police has its hands tied up too, as they and their families wont mess with the big money. Fernando behaves suspicious, but his son was one of the youngsters and had access to his car. If this was messed up by his son, knowing who pulls the strings in the back, he may have tried to lesser the damage for himself and his family. People there have not even a chance to move somewhere else for protection. In this surroundings I would keep my mouth shut.
    I feel deeply sorry for everybody involved , Sabine

    ReplyDelete
  80. I think that to put on a swimsuit in the morning, leaving the house, wants only a girl who KNOWS IN ADVANCE WHAT WILL BE SWIMMING. In addition, she knows it will not be possible to put on a swimsuit near a pond (for example, due to the presence of guys). I suppose the girls went swimming after returning from the route. And it was there that they were attacked ...

    ReplyDelete
  81. I dont know why, but the last pics when theyre in the deep jungle they dont look happy, posing, like all the other fb pics, the one where she's holding the water bottle and people thought the dog may have been resting behind her, and when shes having a pic taken from behind her as she descends the rocks and looks back, she just seems somber, not comfortable to make a bit of a dork of herself as sometimes girls might think they look when taking funny pics, but just when in eachothers company these two girls always smiling and thumbs up, but all of a sudden these shy girls, who obv arnt shy with eachother, seem shy in the last pics, just gives me the feeling someome else may have been with them at that time, mayne not a complete threat, but enough to make them go back in their shy shells again which is what their personalities seemed to be when in unknown company, have a look again, this is the first time reading this case, incred inventigation btw, i dunno, have a look at the last few pics of her she doesnt seem as happy, and if it was just her friend there why take a pic of her if shes so tired and pissed off she cant even be bothered to smile, a girl would kbow better and leave her to have the hump for a while, it was as though someone else was saying take a pic, and they reluctently obliged, just my thoughts seeing the case and reading all this for the first time, and i did for hours great job, just stood out to me even when they were chilling at the bar the pics in the jungle were posed for but not happy poses, im not sure there were any other selfies or posed pics where either seemed unhappy, even the natural bar pics, just my view, maybe look back see what you think, anyway great work!

    ReplyDelete
  82. That in the photo 541 is pretty much middle segment of a middle finger curled downwards visible along with finger hair extending from the proximal segment, the hair curl shape is also very similar to that of the finger hair. This is pretty much how it would look like when a right hand is holding the camera but the middle finger is not bent inward enough and is clicked in the way of the lens by accident. From the day time photos neither of the girls have any hair on their fingers or at least they have it completely removed which cannot grow back to such length that quickly. This is very likely a third party who has a fair amount of finger hair, probably a male who does not remove them.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Hi Scarlet,

    I have found a better version of #508 (cropped) on reddit, which shows Kris's facial expression. I will add the links below.
    https://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/sldzij/kriss_facial_expression_in_the_photo_508/
    https://jurgensnoeren.com/blog/

    Best regards.

    ReplyDelete
  84. In photo 580 it looks like you can see a face where the back of the neck should be
    https://imgur.com/AGM8muT
    https://imgur.com/hiab7Dn

    ReplyDelete
  85. Hi everyone, I was noticing, the rock on the right of #599 photo might be what you see, extremely illuminated, in photo # 541? The light only breaks on that rock and everything else gets darkened, couldn't it be? In case it would be no human profile. Especially since the light of many photos seems to have been modified to highlight the details. I hope I have explained, English is not my first language. Tnanks for your job.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Another thing, sorry, but I only discovered this story now and slowly I'm trying to read all the articles about it. And just reading the first part on this blog, a doubt arose: what if * all * the calls to 112/911 had been the application of the method explained in the video you posted "Iphone 4 passcode / password bypass"? Practically instead of using the correct pin they accessed like this, and had to dial the emergency number. "They" means any unknown people who attacked the girls right away, on the afternoon of April 1st, and took all their belongings. Is it possible and has this possibility been evaluated? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Hi, I have noticed that in the photo of Kris' hair in front of the camera, Lisanne's face is visible beneath her hair if you look closely. Her nostrils, upper lip and left ear are most observable. Her ear is distinguishable by her specific earrings which she is seen wearing in other images. Her darker, brown hair is also visible. It is for this reason that I believe the girls may have been using the camera's flash to try and signal for help, and Kris may have been deceased at this time and Lisanne incapacitated. I believe Lisanne was the last alive. If foul play was involved (which I do believe) then shortly after this photo was taken the girls were found by whoever attacked them and it's likely that Lisanne was taken as a captive again and abused further. If Kris really was dead by this time, then her body would have been dissolved at that point. I think Lisanne was likely kept alive for some time as she was quite an attractive young woman and would have been valuable to those arseholes. Maybe they realised their efforts at dissolving Kris' body were not very effective (hence the bone remains) and resorted to simply burying the girls at different locations. The photo that was deleted was likely of their attackers the first time they encountered them and before the girls got away the first time. They must have gone through absolute hell. I am surprised so few people have noticed Lisanne's face in that photo of Kris' hair, but it is impossible not to see it once you notice it.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Pretty sure the guide or the son of the guide is implied

    Or they setted an anbush and forced the girl yo go somewhere else

    Or they get lost and leet indigenousbtribe or cartel member or religious sect

    ReplyDelete

ScarletBlog@protonmail.com