Dyatlov Pass Incident
So this case is probably the most famous hiking mystery in the world. To me it is among the most haunting unexplained cases out there. Partly because of the isolated, snowy location where this took place and partly because an entire hiking group perished under mysterious circumstances. I could write an entire blog post about it, but there is no point as this case is so widely covered and discussed, that I'd not do it justice. But I discussed it lately with a friend of mine, and I do think now that this case cannot miss from this blog post about other cases of hikers disappearing or perishing. In the winter of 1959, a group of 9 experienced hikers were found dead in the Ural mountains. They had set out for their 3-week hike on 23 January 1959, during the height of the Cold War Era and in the dead of winter. They had planned to ski in the north of the Sverdlovsk region for at least 300 km and climb two peaks of the Northern Urals. The expedition belonged to the third (highest) category of difficulty. They were all skiers and very experienced young sportsmen and women from the Urals Polytechnic Institute in Yekaterinburg. Each member of the group was an experienced Grade II-hiker with ski tour experience and would be receiving Grade III certification upon their return. (At the time, Grade III was the highest certification available in the Soviet Unio). The head of the group was Igor Dyatlov. The others were Yuri Krivonischenko, Yuri Doroshenko, Rustem Slobodin, Zinaida Kolmogorova, Lyudmila Dubinina, Aleksander Kolevatov, Nikolay Thibeaux-Brignolle and Semyon Zolotaryov. Only 1 person felt unwell mid-expedition and returned home: Yuri Yudin. When the group did not return on the agreed date, families and colleagues waited a week, but then they sent out a search party of student volunteers by February 20th. The regional party committee and the Sverdlovsk regional executive committee also organized an expedition to search for them. They followed the ski tracks which came to an end at the edge of the forest before climbing up the pass now called the Dyatlov Pass. There they noticed the groups tent. It was partially under snow.
Inside, they found a blanket and some rucksacks lined up neatly and a pile of boots in one corner. There was also the route map, official papers, money, and a flask of alcohol. There was also a plateful of sliced up salo - white pork fat. The tent had been slashed open from the inside with a knife. Investigators noted that "The impression of the examination of the tent, with its cuts and remains of food inside, was that the hikers had just sat down to supper and suddenly felt panic that made them all rush out." Just outside the tent were frozen footprints made by eight or nine people who were wearing socks, a single boot or who were barefoot. The tracks continued for five to 10 metres and then they disappeared. This was bewildering, as it was at least -20C outside (some sources say -40 degrees Celsius in fact, but that seems assumption. But investigators documented for that night "low temperature and piercing wind"). The bodies of the 9 team members were eventually found further down the mountain with horrific, inexplicable injuries. Some were semi-clothed, two had missing eyes, and one’s tongue was missing. Their bodies frozen and shattered far away from their tent. Some of them having sustained inexplicable blunt force trauma before dying. Soviet authorities determined later that six of them had died from hypothermia while the other three had been killed by physical trauma. This is the best comprehensive video I have so far viewed on the matter, and tells you the full story and all the known facts:
The Dyatlov Pass mystery is unsolved. It is so bizarre, that people are torn between many possible theories, even though this case is over 60 years old now. I think this is a big mystery because not one theory fits neatly. There is a divide among sleuths, just like there is with the Kris and Lisanne in Panama case. One part believes that we need to look at natural explanations. So an avalanche or some natural phenomenon with Dyatlov, and an accident or getting lost narrative for the Dutch girls. And on the other end of the spectrum are the suspicions of murders in both cases. There can be arguments made in favour and against. In general, I got a bit sick and tired of sleuths using 'conspiracy theorist' against anyone who makes a case for a murder. Or them dragging in the Occam's razor theory all the time, which basically comes down to looking for the most simple explanation. It is a much more complex theory actually, but sleuths these days just abuse that Occam's razor theory to do away with any complicated 2-tier theories. If you go by that principle, there would never have been a Ted Bundy, or a Zodiac killer of course, so it has major flaws.
So first summarizing the bare facts:
-Their tent was abandoned in great panic, using a knife. Multiple exits were cut out, from the inside OUT.
-Their tent was found badly damaged later.
-No signs of an avalanche: their skies were still sticking upright from the snow behind their tent.
-Presumed mass panic, as they all 9 fled barefoot, on socks or barely dressed, while all knowing the dangers of doing so in that climate.
-They left axes and knives BEHIND in the tent.
-Ice axe and working flashlight found outside of the tent. No snow on the light.
-Their tent was found badly damaged later.
-No signs of an avalanche: their skies were still sticking upright from the snow behind their tent.
-Presumed mass panic, as they all 9 fled barefoot, on socks or barely dressed, while all knowing the dangers of doing so in that climate.
-They left axes and knives BEHIND in the tent.
-Ice axe and working flashlight found outside of the tent. No snow on the light.
-But the footprint patterns indicate them walking instead or running, and doing so in a rather orderly line instead of scrambling all over the place.
-Several people hid in the treeline and built a fire there (hiding from what?).
-Several people hid in the treeline and built a fire there (hiding from what?).
-Others dug out a snow den, but were found dead with severe injuries outside the den.
-No footprints preserved from anyone else who may have walked around there.
-----2 people climbed at least 5 meter up a tree and stayed there a considerable amount of time, seemingly holding on for dear life due to hand skin damage (hiding from what?).
-No footprints preserved from anyone else who may have walked around there.
-----2 people climbed at least 5 meter up a tree and stayed there a considerable amount of time, seemingly holding on for dear life due to hand skin damage (hiding from what?).
-These two were found dead underneath the tree.
-Their bodies were turned over after their death.
-Bodies were moved after death.
-Friends took and cut their clothes off them after death: they were found wearing only socks and underwear.
-Ears, nose and lips covered with blood
-Foamy grey fluid on cheek.
-Indications of heavy pressing onto chest
-Hypothermia was the cause of death.
-A fire was built under the tree (how does that correlate with hiding from someone?).
-Trees near the fire had been cut with knives, but no knives were ever found with any of the bodies.
-The side of the tree facing the tent was completely cleared of branches (as if someone had created a viewing hide).
-This was done by more than 2 people, assuming the whole group initially huddled down there, before some went back towards the tent, and others moved further down the treeline later.
-Seems like the hikers expected the same danger to hit them over there.
-Seems like the 2 dead hikers under the tree fell down from significant height and died.
------3 other people were found between the treeline and the tent.
------3 other people were found between the treeline and the tent.
-No shoes on.
-1 dressed in underwear.
-They seemed to have been heading back to the tent.
-One wore an unbuttoned jacket.
-Different socks on.
-1 had a small, non-lethal crack to the skull.
-Dried blood on lips.
-Clenched fists.
-Brown Red bruises on knuckles, as if he had been in a fistfight.
-No internal injuries.
-1 was found with a fractured skull, as if hit with a blunt object; crack to the side of the skull, not the front as expected by falling.
-All 3 died of hypothermia.
-Watch stopped working at 05:31.
-------4 people were found in a ravine, 75 m from the tree
-------4 people were found in a ravine, 75 m from the tree
-Branches laid out as a trail in the snow led to this den.
-They were also hiding from something: professional dug out a den in the snow.
-All were well dressed: some wore the clothes of their friends.
-The den and clothing of the 4 in the den should have allowed these 4 professional hikers to have survived.
-But all were found dead outside of the den with blunt force injuries.
-Some of these clothes were radioactive: only 4 people were tested in total and 2 of them tested positive (but two of the hikers worked with radioactive materials for their work and one of them, Yuri Krivonischenko, helped clear up a radioactive leak at a secret Soviet nuclear facility, although this could be entirely unrelated to the found radioactivity on clothes).
-2 wore shoes and may have been already outside the tent therefore, before tragedy struck.
-1 wore a camera around his neck (water damaged).
-He also wore a pen and notepad on him (only 1 colonel read it, said 'he wrote nothing' and the pad since disappeared).
-Women not raped.
-3 of them had fatal injuries:
*Major skull damage
*Major chest fractures, which required heavy force
*Two had ripping of the heart and internal bleeding due to large force
*No external wounds
*several had fractures of the ribs
*One had a broken nose, a deformed neck and a wound behind the ear
*One had her tongue missing, for unknown reason. (she also missed her eyeballs btw and parts of her face). She also had coagulated blood in her stomach.
*At least 3 people may have died in a way used by special forces (breaking of the neck, mortal pressing on the chest). Autopsy details were also missing in some people. Not clear why.
SUSPICIOUS
-Notepad was found and then disappeared.
-Only four of the ten rolls of film from all the cameras have remained and it is unknown what happened to the rest.
-One of their photos captures the trace of a technology-induced phenomenon - a glowing ball.
-Each member of the Dyatlov group kept a diary but only three or four of them have survived.
-The way 3 of the 4 hikers were found dead by blunt force outside their den is suspicious.
-Most agree that there was a speedy and poor, casual investigation: suspicion of coverup. Investigators suspected radioactive poisoning right away and refused to transport the bodies by helicopter therefore. Strange.
-Radioactive clothing: higher contamination than normal. Strange, although they may perhaps have belonged to the 2 hikers who had work-related radioactivity contamination on their clothes.
THEORIES
Not likely:
X Avalanche (skies found upright, tent pole found upright, group fled downhill, all the bodies were found only under a few inches of snow far away from the tent)X Gulag fugitives (too extreme an outcome for such a motive and there was nothing known about convicts having escaped at the time from gulags in the vicinity. Although it could be possible that former Gulag prisoners remained in the area and somehow felt the need to murder all 9 hikers, although a clear motive then also is missing)
X Wild animals (Investigators found no signs of wild animals at all, neither on the bodies, and local hunters say that animals never show up around that ledge where the tent was placed, duo to almost constant strong winds there; besides, the footprints found showed them leaving calmly in a orderly fashion, not running away from an animal)
X Radioactivity (would only possibly account for those with internal injuries and bleeding; not the various skull and rib fractures)
X Radio sound attack (doesn't explain this extreme fleeing and hiding)
X Mansi (no motive to hunt and kill no less than 8 people. Their religion also did not allow them to take people's lives. Although investigators also learnt that the location was a sacred site of the Mansi, and that women were not allowed to go there. But they soon after dropped this theory after Mansi representatives explained that the place where the hikers died was in no way sacred, and that any Russian appearing among them would be looked upon as something divine and a positive sign for good luck).
X UFO (Too extreme. Also, UFO's don't smash skulls without leaving outward injuries)
X Lightning strikes/fireball (Unlikely to have caused all the injuries and mayhem)
X Katabatic winds (Katabatic winds can rush down elevated slopes at hurricane speeds, but most are not that intense and many are 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) or less. IF this is the case, they would not be able to stand up very well and walk calmly behind one another down a mountain. Also, their items would have been strewn all over the place instead of being found neatly where they left them. I also doubt that katabatic winds left the skies stand straight up next to the tent).
Perhaps
+ Wind phenomenon, infrasound (Would explain the high fear and the erratic behaviour. But it would not explain the violent deaths of those in the den).
+ Hikers were KGB agents (Bit far-fetched, but possible. According to this theory, Zolotaryov and Krivonischenko (and potentially a third hiker) were working for the KGB and had joined the Dyatlov trek to rendezvous with CIA agents in the Ural Mountains. It is noteworthy that Semyon Zolotaryov was much older at 37 than the students, and that he joined their group at the last minute. Why Semyon Zolotaryov, a veteran of World War Two, attached himself to this group of young students and graduates is unknown. Nobody knew him and they only met him on the train headed for their hike. A few years earlier, Yuri Krivonischenko helped clear up a radioactive leak at a secret Soviet nuclear facility – an incident which has since been compared to the Chernobyl disaster. They *could* have been carrying out a mission to provide support for a technology-induced experiment. I also thought it was suspicious that one of the hikers left early. And the tourists were carrying a large batch of photo equipment also, more so than perhaps expected for a hike. The theory goes that while handing over radioactive materials and fake nuclear secrets, the Russians were supposed to take photos of the American agents. The CIA men got wise to what was going on, leading to a fight breaking out and the eventual massacre of the Dyatlov party. But.. why cover this up as a group friend hike, dragging them ALL into danger? And why plan to hand over radioactive clothes to the CIA in such a desolate mountain area?)
Most likely
++ KGB/Soviet military (Most likely. They ran into/saw something illegal - for instance the testing of new weapons - and the KGB officers did what they were trained to do, killing in efficient manner and then having the 'investigators' do the coverup -> these investigators in effect classified the case and destroyed evidence. This theory was among the very first theories believed by people closely involved in the searches. These victims seem to have been hunted and violently killed in part. Others were left to die from hypothermia, which was inevitable in Siberia in February, while barely dressed. Notice that those WITH sufficient clothes were the ones most violently killed.. KGB are also known and very experienced in secret and violent operations, including killing people without leaving visible injuries, such as with some of the 4 in the den. The fact that none of those 9 hikers ran towards their storage unit, also makes me suspect that they were frogmarched in the opposite direction by force. Their footprints show they left calmly, but if they were calm wouldn't they have enough time to grab at least some clothes? Not if they were ordered to leave in calm fashion without their clothes or boots (in the case of most of the hikers). This doesn't explain why the tent was cut from the inside out, but maybe a KGB guy did that later, to make it seem to be an avalanche or natural cause that made them flee. Also ensuring their only shelter was kaput. I read that there was a military base not very far from the Pass, and that they have supposedly done some missile tests that night (hence the weird lights, which were also captured on camera by one of the group and had been witnessed by various people in the close region).
THE AVALANCHE THEORY
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A friend of mine believes they could also have met an avalanche. Friend: "The biggest mystery seems why they all left their camp without their shoes and most just had socks on. Could there have been an emergency like an avalanche? That seems the most logic reason, especially since the tents were cut from inside. An interesting theory that sounds logical is a theory by Donnie Eichar who studied this incident for 5 years. I just googled and he is a documentarian and he also wrote a book on this incident called "Death Mountain" and his theory is that often on high mountains, there is a "rare weather phenomena" called "Karmon Vortex Street" which creates sound below human hearing but is known to create panic, anxiety and difficulty in breathing. This has happened at many other peaks around the world and it could be the reason why they panicked and left their tents without footwear. "A wind phenomenon known as a “Karman vortex street,” caused by fierce winds blowing over specifically shaped geological structures, can cause very low-vibration sound frequencies called “infrasound” that is known to cause fear and irrational dread in humans. As the theory goes, an infrasound blast disoriented the campers to the point where they cut themselves and ran out of their own tent in a panic, only to freeze to death in the dark as they attempted to make their way back.""However, the problem with this theory is that it is hard to explain the "blunt force trauma" of some of the victims. There are so many different theories that could well be applied but still leaving questions. Maybe the blunt force trauma was caused by the avalanche, which could easily explain all the broken ribs combined with animals picking at them. You could apply all theories and still raise questions, but I tend to think there is a logical explanation (perhaps one of the above). The cutting out from the tent, the no socks, no footwear and the obvious running in fear, combined with the tree also makes me think that some sort of wild animal or animals were involved (bears??). I know the blunt force trauma theory probably mitigates this, but what other reason would people have to hide in a tree? You don't sit and hide in a tree for such periods unless it's a very wild dangerous animal or you are hiding from someone and the most logical is hiding from an animal, unless perhaps.. you don't have the appropriate footwear for snow so a tree gives you some respite from frostbite on your feet? But I also don't exclude that they were "hiding from people" and maybe they were hiding in the ravine for the same reason. They were obviously fleeing from something, but then it leaves questions as to why they didn't take axes or weapons with them. That then brings in the possible avalanche theory with the cutting out from inside the tent and bare foot. But, it could also be logical that it was a "fight or flight" moment and they chose flight. Some thing OBVIOUSLY scared them!
I am with you though and the KGB theory seems quite logical. And even though there are valid questions or issues with each theory, I tend to think along the same lines as you and what also seems a more logical and explainable theory in that the Soviets/KGB were behind it. I was thinking, "yeah, but what about the cutting the tents from the inside", but you did address that by saying that you think it is plausible that the KGB agents did this to frame it as an avalanche. The people in the tree could easily be someone hiding from something - KGB agents? It's also quite logical, being so close to the aftermath of WW2, Hiroshima etc that the Soviets were fully into their nuclear arm's race, trying to catch up with America so close to the end of WW2. That could explain the radiation and the suspiciousness of their deaths. Did they see or come across something they shouldn't have? They were murdered for a reason then. I do have queries as to why these people just weren't shot if it was the KGB. I get the whole "not wanting the finger to be pointed at the KGB" etc, but since when did the Soviets or KGB or military give a fuck? Then again, if you can make it looks like something else, perhaps suspicion may not be drawn on the area if they are trying to hide something. Also, the only survivor, Yuri Yudin's theory that it was military or KGB really should hold a lot of weight too. Interesting story. Ultimately I also tend to lean toward Cold War era testing (hence the radiation), perhaps an avalanche and maybe animals scavenged their bodies."
So many theories as to what happened are still circulating today! But going with the natural cause, let's say the avalanche theory.
In Favour of an avalanche/slab avalanche for me:
-The tent was conveniently set up under a slope, in the right spot for an avalanche attack.
-Something very acute happened that made them flee the tent in dramatic fashion (they knew they needed their tent for survival, so only a threat to life would have made them cut it to get out).
-There are other cases of deadly succumbing to nature, the most comparable one I ever came across is this one, also in Russia: https://youtu.be/PuZ9y7oyQRk?list=PLDldKFcWBW3p8gDwdS-4FGhOZUvkO9_Qc
Very interesting case, very much like the Dyatlov tragedy! Also happened in Siberia, in 1993. One survivor. So they died terrible deaths, but from natural causes. Won't spoil it for you, it is a good video to watch from scratch. But people can act erratic when succumbing to the cold etc. Hypothermia makes people go crazy and tear off their clothes and worse.
-The broken skulls may have been the effects perhaps of confusion as these people were dying and started to act erratically. But some of the fractures (especially the ones to the side of the skull) are hard to link to this, as you would expect to see frontal fracture lines, from someone falling over face down on the ground for instance. Although the German scientists who believe it was a slab avalanche (just a theory) claim that the skull fractures were sustained FROM the avalanche hitting their tent. I am not convinced. Some of the skull fractures are purely due to specific blunt force to the skull such as from a car crash or huge rock hitting.
-Foam found around the mouth is quite common I read for people dying of hypothermia.
Arguments against the (slab) avalanche theory for me:-The skies were found upright aside from/around the tent. Not even upright in an angle, but upright. Same for the tent poles, also found upright. An avalanche would have floored them. I don't believe in a 100% precise avalanche, only hitting the tent.
-There was snow found next to the flashlight, but not on top of the flashlight (an avalanche would have left snow on top also).
-A slab avalanche as described would have distributed maybe three to four feet of snow on top of the tent at most. These were highly experienced military style hikers. That would not have phased them enough to run towards their certain death the way they did.
-An avalanche also moves quickly and the slope they were under wasn't a mountain, so they would not have all 9 had the time to cut themselves out of the tent and flee before it hit.
-The slope where the hikers built their camp had an incline of less the 30 degrees (28), which is typically considered the minimum angle for an avalanche to occur
-Researchers on site have stated that they found no evidence of an avalanche.
-Their footprints were visible still, all the way from the tent to the slope: an avalanche would have buried the nearest of those footprints.
-The investigators could tell from the footprints and how deep and spaced they were, that the people walked away 'orderly'. No running or falling or scrambling. More like frogmarched. That doesn't match with a deadly avalanche roaring towards them. And if they had such time, they would have also grabbed their boots.
-Something or someone must have blocked the tent entrance (which was not facing uphill) for them to cut themselves out of the tent and all get out of it.
-They walked in the wrong direction for an avalanche, namely downhill. They would have known as very experienced military style hikers not to move downhill, but laterally, so they did exactly the wrong thing if it truly was an avalanche...
-The avalanche theory neither explains why they all ran away from their supply storage, instead of towards it.
-An avalanche is a quick event. I understand running away from it, but I don't understand HIDING from it for as long as they did. Needing a view point from up a tree to look at the tent. If it was a short-lived avalanche, why didn't they go back to the tent soon after and try to find their wood stove for instance? Instead of building a fire from scratch?
-Something was scaring them away from that tent so much, that they seem to have chosen predictable death (barely dressed, out in the Siberian freezing night) over much sooner going back to that tent for their clothes.
-An avalanche also does not explain why two hikers were so afraid seemingly, that they climbed up a tree and bit their own hand to bring circulation there to try to hold on.
-An avalanche would not have explained the massive trauma found on 1/3 of the hikers found so far away from the tent (and in a 'safe zone', the treeline), aka smashed and broken skulls.
-I cannot believe how an avalanche can kill 9 people, who are found super spread out, at different times, without burying them. So I do not believe personally that this was due to an avalanche. Or wind. Or a storm.
**VIDEO explaining the avalanche theory (go to minute 13:20 for him starting about the avalanche theory). But I don't think this Youtubers end theory is strong enough. For instance, he thinks that the two hikers up the tree were up there to get branches for the fire. This is silly. There were many smaller branches found around the fire, which were not used at all for the fire. It also does not explain why two were so afraid seemingly they climbed up a tree and bit their own hand to bring circulation there to try to hold on. Skin was found on the tree stem also, from people trying to hold on and sliding down slowly and then one falling in the fire and burning. I think they were up there either to hide from something or someone, or to have view on the tent in the distance. Not to gather wood. That is probably why they removed all the smaller branches on the first 5 mtr of the stem (only) on the side facing the tent: to have clear sight at the tent and whatever initially pushed them away from there.I also am not convinced, personally, that the 4 experienced hikers managed to build a snow den right near a never freezing stream of water, without realizing. Or that the collapse of the den roof could have explained the catastrophic skull fractures. He then says that an avalanche can do that as the snow weighs so much, but he seems to forget that this slab avalanche is very local, the scientists just explained it. It would have hit the tent and only the tent, as he said himself, making that researchers would have later overlooked it or not seen the effects of it. So people with those catastrophic brain fractures would have never made it all the way to that treeline and then dig out that perfect snow den WITH those skull fractures. The heart damage too; it is calculated that as soon as those injuries occurred, the victims had between 10 to 30 minutes to live, badly injured and perhaps unconscious already. The woman had blood in her stomach and a ripped out tongue all the away to the root (I read somewhere that it looked like it was done with surgical precision, although this may be conjecture, but would an animal stop with one person and not also have eaten the eyes and tongue of the other 3 nearby?). She appears to even have choked on her own blood. Although Lyudmila and Semyon were both found without eyes. The eyes of both of them were taken out. But a medic on the rescue team went as far to say that they also were removed with 'surgical precession'. So those injuries occurred at or near that newly dug snow den. Not at the tent. And the avalanche didn't reach the treeline. And the skull trauma was determined to be blunt force impact, not compression.
*Was the tent moved by investigators before they photographed it? Who knows.
*There are photos of the cuts in the tent and they are evenly spaced horizontal cuts near the top of the side of the tent. Would those cuts truly have allowed anyone to escape from? Or is that just an assumption? Wouldn't the cuts have had to be vertical to allow humans to escape from?
*Did one of their own go crazy and threaten the rest?
*Before disaster, they made photos from within the tent that shows some strange lights into the sky. Is this connected to the event?
*Also there was a military base not that far from there.
*Is there a precedent for the KGB theory? There probably is, knowing how ruthless they were and this was during the cold war and spy era. Three hikers were directly linked to the KGB. The hiker who was among those three had his camera and notebook on him when he was found, but both disappeared/camera was made useless. Good reason to think it was the head investigator who is linked to this, as he was the only one to have viewed the notepad and said there was 'nothing in it'. So why would the hiker have carried it on him then when fleeing? It must have been so important, that he slept wearing the thing around his neck, together with that camera. Why was it so important to him?
The military/KGB angle
For me personally, at the end of the line the most convincing theory is the military/KGB angle. Not because I always lean towards murder (there are countless lost hiker stories which all lead clearly to an accident or them perishing from the elements... Just not the Kris and Lisanne and Dyatlov pass cases IMO). But I know enough about Stalinist Russia and the Cold War to not find this as crazy a theory as some... younger people from the USA perhaps may believe it to be. The one surviving member who left the group halfway the trip, Yuri Yudin, persistently stated until his death that the Soviet KGB or the Soviet Military had killed the group members and that the main target could have been Aleksander Kolevatov. Evidence had been set up or made to disappear in the weeks between their deaths and the rescue team finally arriving; the rescue team could have planted evidence and moved bodies, and even the people who performed the autopsies were bribed to alter the investigation. There are more indications that this was a coverup. Motive could range from the group stumbling onto military experiments or nuclear testings to a planned assassination of Aleksander or spies among the group. The investigator at the time, Okishev (interviews with him follow below) believes that there had been secret tests of some secret weapon or a launch failure and that the military wanted to cover this up, because at that time the USSR and the USA had signed the test-ban and nuclear weapons production cut-back treaty. So the fact that the Soviets were nevertheless testing secret weapons could not have become public knowledge, at risk of major international consequences. There is a motive, I guess... This WILL sound far-fetched to younger readers, but you have to know a bit about the Cold War I suppose to look at this with different eyes, the eyes of Russia in those days. The main arguments I can think against it are that the murders of the 4 in the den were quite gruesome and stood out from the (forced?) hypothermia of the other 5. And that those details actually attracted attention from the public, instead of the desired opposite. Also: why were those Dyatlov case files never declassified? Although this actually points towards a military/state coverup, and not against it.. The KGB or military would also have gotten rid of any footprints they themselves had created when they forcibly frogmarched the hikers to their deaths (counting on hypothermia for the majority of them, who did not go back to the safety of their tent and clothing in there for a specific reason it seems, and forcibly killing the 4 who wore enough clothes to survive outside their tent). But the fact that the notepad one hiker was carrying round his neck disappeared and the camera he wore (why?) was somehow useless, as far as I read, also is suspicious. Some more supporting information for the military murder theory. (Photo of how rescuers found the tent):
Evgeniy Okishev (Deputy Head of the Investigative Department of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Prosecution Office) is already an old man when he speaks out shortly before his death about his part in the initial investigation. This interview with Nikolay Varsegov and Natalya Varsegova took place in 2016, when Okishev was 96 years old and living outside of Russia. The interview was made public not too long ago, in 2023, and it reveals that a Russian Military theory was suggested very early on. But that the regional Communist Party committee quickly took an active part in the investigation, as was ordered by the Prosecutor General's Office. They also made sure to others involved in the investigation that this was an accident and not to talk of any murder from then on. They were ordered to tell the relatives also that it was an accident due to natural elements, but he now says that they all realized already back then that this wasn't true and that this was a case of military secrecy. But we are dealing with Stalinist Russia here, at the height of the Cold War, with prisoner camps everywhere and a strict secret service system in place. We in the free west cannot properly imagine what that was like (unless you are well read in the Russia of those days, as I am)...
Quotes: "According to the distribution of duties between the head of the investigative department and me, I was entrusted with the leadership of the work of the forensic prosecutor Lev Ivanov. Therefore, all information was focused on me. In particular, we solved various complex issues together." - Was there any control over this case on the part of the regional party committee? - "Everyone was controlled by the Party as if it was God himself. The regional committee of the party took an active part in the investigation. In my opinion, someone from the Central Committee of the CPSU came or they constantly reported there by phone about the details of the investigation. I also remember that when I was about to go to the scene, I got a call from the Prosecutor General's Office and was told that "our worker urgently flies to you, wait a bit with the departure to the location"."
- How did the relatives react? - "One of the mothers of the victims called me a fascist. She knew that we are covering up. In fact, it is very difficult to tell some legend instead of the truth. This story sounds unconvincing when you know that this was far from being the case. Relatives wrote complaints and received all the same answer - your children became victims of the elements, it was an accident. This is what we were told from above to say." - Were you ashamed then? - "There was an internal protest. We worked and were indignant. Together we searched for a formulation, so that it sounded convincing more or less, and at the same time so that there was some hidden subtext. Because we know how it really was." - Who came up with the wording that they allegedly died from the circumstances of Force Majeur, in the resolution and determination of the criminal case: 'the cause of the deaths of the tourists was a natural force which the tourists were unable to overcome'? - "We were given a command." - This wording was dropped to you from above? - "Yes. Yes. Explain it this way: either an accident or natural circumstances that led to the accident. And Ivanov and I came up with this formulation." - Did the KGB deal with this case in parallel with you? - "They always had all the information about the investigation, either from my hands, or it was reported to the prosecutor of the region and he informed one of them. They always had an investigative department." - Soon after the completion of this case, Ivanov is sent to Kazakhstan and you are sent to Moldova. Is it somehow connected with the investigation of the deaths of the Dyatlov group? - "I do not know who initiated this movement, but I came to Chișinău [capital city of Moldova] in 1960 with the following wording in the directive: To strengthen the cadre." - What did happen there, in your opinion? - "I can only make my guesses. Apparently this was some time of events related to the defense of the country, or the development of new types of weapons. The tourists have become accidental victims. In general, their deaths were connected to some secrets, because otherwise, why immediately hush up, take away cases from the prosecutors who are in the midst of the investigation, and tell them to tell lies to the relatives? - Do you think there is a case that contains true information about the causes of death? - "I think so. And that criminal case, which is kept in Yekaterinburg archives, could have been cleaned up for the sake of those who hid the causes of death of [those] nine people. It could of course, moreover not to violate the integrity of the case, they could replace important documents with some insignificant ones."
This Youtuber (with a Russian accent) comments then on this unearthed interview: 'Such a frank interview it turned out to be. Why didn't they print it right away? Because then there as a hope to get documents confirming this hypothesis in the relevant archives. Or it could close off the Varsegov's access to those archives. But unfortunately those archives on this topic turned out to be already inaccessible. Therefore it made no sense to keep this interview locked up for as long as it was. Draw conclusions by everything said by Evgeniy Okishev yourself, he clearly knew what exactly happened there, but he remained faithful to the secrecy of the investigation and the non-disclosure signed document until the end of his life. However, due to a deep sense of shame that has not left him since the termination of the criminal case, he gave interviewer Nikolay Varsegov and his partner direct hints about the cause of the deaths of the nine tourists [that is how they literally refer to the Dyatlov Group in Russia: sports tourists]. He indicated in which direction the search for truth should be conducted. - There were also fireball seen shooting through the skies (the Dyatlov group even captured some on their camera). Another student searcher who went out to look for the Dyatlov hikers also witnessed it, and documented the phenomenon on camera. 'A large fireball, floating across the sky'. It moved away from the pass. A bright glow, and then it disappeared over the horizon. Everyone saw it and was perplexed about what it was. Local residents also witnessed it in 1959. There is evidence of this in the original criminal case, but there are no explanations provided about its nature. There were only assumptions that these were missile launches.
And in this earlier 2014 interview, the same Evgeniy Okishev said that while he and a colleague had planned to return to what is now known as the Dyatlov Pass to do more investigation on scene as the snow had been melting, this never happened, because: "Taboo! No permit. For that reason no repeated examination was conducted." And soon after, Deputy Federal Prosecutor for Investigations Urakov arrived and ordered them to close to case. To Okishev's great surprise and shock. "We argued: how can we close it, on which grounds? There are nine dead bodies in it!" "A bit later I received an express order from Urakov to tell parents it was an accident. We all then felt something strange about this case. We suspected this to be something connected either with rockets or some tests." "No doubt, Urakov could have told us, but preferred not to. Because he himself must have received orders from the Procurator General who, in his turn, executed orders from his superiors. And it looks like so: all of a sudden, in the midst of investigation, there comes Urakov and closes down all work." - The closing statement on the case says that the hikers’ death was caused by forces they were unable to overcome. What hides behind this phrase? - "(sighs heavily) What else would you hear from an investigator when no version has been fully verified? With any development of the main radioactivity version being simply banned. Just look: where could radiation come from in the open?! Only tests, I am sure of that." [..] - I have a feeling that case papers had been thoroughly “tidied up”. - "Sure! It can’t be called a criminal case in the full sense of the word, it is only scraps left over and raising no suspicion. No conclusion can be based on such fragments. Hackwork, nothing else. An awful example of an investigation case. It’s worlds different from what we had done then, like night and day." - But there is an inventory list for the case compiled by Ivanov! Does it mean that Ivanov was making a list of an already sanitized case? - "He did what his superiors told him to do, and the case had to look exactly so. What else could he do?" "We were both bound hand and foot. All we had to do is close the case, having nine dead bodies left and without knowledge of what had caused their deaths. We go to prosecutor Klinov and ask him, do you agree to close the case the way we are doing it, putting the blame on the administration for negligence? He only lifts hands in dismay: there’s no alternative. I can only add this; should I meet such an investigator in another situation, I would kick him out for a statement like this. Dead bodies in the case, and the blame for them being put on the people having absolutely no relation to them. Can you imagine how painful it was for Ivanov and me to carry out Urakov’s order? At the height of the work we get a slap on the wrist. Klinov calls us and says; round it off, orders must be executed, without discussion. It was at that moment that we put in this phrase about a “compelling elemental force”."Back to radioactivity. I am sure the terrain was then checked for radiological contamination. But that was done outside the framework of this particular criminal case. - "Of course!" - Because at that time the word “radiation” itself was pronounced ... with awe!" - "And not just this. Suppose there had been some tests, then every piece of evidence had to be cleared out. Prompt measures had to be taken. I wouldn’t exclude some special orders coming from the top. And the same top people might have introduced their amendments. Ivanov and I came to understand this when the question of secrecy arose. So, our theory concerning presence of a test field may appear to be true. [..] In my long practice the Dyatlov case was the only one ever taken to Moscow. We can only guess how much importance was attached to it.”" [..] "When the last bodies were found later in May, an order came to collect all items found at the pass and send them for radiological examination. Also, all people who had been in contact with the things found in the tent and nearby were ordered to undergo body counting. So it was done, but neither a reassuring, nor any other results were made known to us. And again, the fact of some secret military tests being held was coming to mind." "Deputy Prosecutor General, comrade Urakov came to meet with us and gave orders that we were to all tell anyone who asked that the hikers’ death was an accident. It was, obviously, an order from the CPSU Central Committee. Urakov evaded all our direct questions about tests of armaments. What’s more, Urakov took absolutely no interest in the course of our investigation, as if the picture of the scene was absolutely clear to him already. He, however, took the case away with him. With that, our investigation came to an end. Just imagine: at the very height of the investigation, when dead bodies with strange injuries have just been found, the case is being taken away! And I clearly remember when we were signing our letter in the office of Oblast Prosecutor Klinov, he himself asked in doubt whether we had omitted something and had not fully checked one or the other evidence? We told him that if the top officials discard the military incident version, then all is left to us is to consider other possible versions. He found our considerations convincing, and signed the letter. But, again, the reaction from Moscow was such that our suppositions of a military involvement had been neither confirmed nor disproved..." - Was it possible that other structures did parallel investigations into this case: the KGB, for example, or some other agency? - "I think they had been involved, really, only I was not let in on that. The KGB investigators must have been attracted. Such was the usual practice then. I can even suppose that while we sweated over fact-finding they had already known more – with their powers. This is the function of investigators of the Committee (KGB – transl.). Such was their top secret activity."
(Source) "Parents of the young people came to my office, some of them cried and called us fascists trying to hide the truth from them. I lost sleep after such charges. But could tell them nothing beside what I was instructed to tell by my superiors. Just imagine the situation; mother or father of a student in my office. They come crying, saying they had lost their only son, or daughter. Like you want to ignore it altogether, don’t do any real investigation, allude to an accident. We told them it might be an earthquake, a storm or anything like that … But look, what else could we tell them? We knew absolutely nothing ourselves. Parents wrote letters to the authorities at all levels, I think, to Khrushchev too, asking for investigation to be continued. The investigation was nevertheless closed – not on our initiative." - Many people mentioned the unusual red color of skin of the deceased. - "Yes, the skin color was really unusual. Ivanov mentioned this in his report to me. Who else would have known such things if not him, a war veteran and a criminal investigator, he had seen many people frozen to death before. But nothing like this, ever." - So what could have happened to them? - "I have a strong suspicion, after all those expert examinations (particularly after the radiation analysis made by some order from the top authorities), that there had been tests of some secret weapon or a launch failure. By that time the USSR and the USA had signed the test-ban and nuclear weapons production cut-back treaty. New extra-power devices needed to be created. It may well be that due to special secrecy, tests were conducted at locations unknown to the enemy. The students might have walked into a test area and got injured by fragments of a missile or something of the kind." - Right, and forensic expert Vozrozhdenniy, too, described heavy injuries as if bodies had been hit by an automobile. So, talking of rocket fragments, where could they have disappeared? - "The military might have collected them." - And where could the notebooks of some of the hikers have gone? Also the film strips from the hikers’ cameras? - "You are putting me in an awkward position. I would then have to disclose our work methods. There could be anything; withdrawal of documents, other material evidence. Anything that might expose, unfavorably, the involvement of the top authorities had to be destroyed. [..] But it is a fact that the KGB could work miracles in those years."
(Source) "Parents of the young people came to my office, some of them cried and called us fascists trying to hide the truth from them. I lost sleep after such charges. But could tell them nothing beside what I was instructed to tell by my superiors. Just imagine the situation; mother or father of a student in my office. They come crying, saying they had lost their only son, or daughter. Like you want to ignore it altogether, don’t do any real investigation, allude to an accident. We told them it might be an earthquake, a storm or anything like that … But look, what else could we tell them? We knew absolutely nothing ourselves. Parents wrote letters to the authorities at all levels, I think, to Khrushchev too, asking for investigation to be continued. The investigation was nevertheless closed – not on our initiative." - Many people mentioned the unusual red color of skin of the deceased. - "Yes, the skin color was really unusual. Ivanov mentioned this in his report to me. Who else would have known such things if not him, a war veteran and a criminal investigator, he had seen many people frozen to death before. But nothing like this, ever." - So what could have happened to them? - "I have a strong suspicion, after all those expert examinations (particularly after the radiation analysis made by some order from the top authorities), that there had been tests of some secret weapon or a launch failure. By that time the USSR and the USA had signed the test-ban and nuclear weapons production cut-back treaty. New extra-power devices needed to be created. It may well be that due to special secrecy, tests were conducted at locations unknown to the enemy. The students might have walked into a test area and got injured by fragments of a missile or something of the kind." - Right, and forensic expert Vozrozhdenniy, too, described heavy injuries as if bodies had been hit by an automobile. So, talking of rocket fragments, where could they have disappeared? - "The military might have collected them." - And where could the notebooks of some of the hikers have gone? Also the film strips from the hikers’ cameras? - "You are putting me in an awkward position. I would then have to disclose our work methods. There could be anything; withdrawal of documents, other material evidence. Anything that might expose, unfavorably, the involvement of the top authorities had to be destroyed. [..] But it is a fact that the KGB could work miracles in those years."
It is said that had there been any cover-up of the events at the Pass it must have involved many people, and later someone would inevitably have spoken up. But no such testimonies have been made so far … - "But who knows the destinies of, for example, the military men who participated in the search? You don’t? I don’t know either. What has happened to colonel Artyukov, do you know?" - As far as we know, he soon died of cancer. - "There now, make your own conclusions …"
The only survivor, Yuri Yudin, was often asked what he thought happened to his companions. He maintained until his death in 2013 that the Soviet military had to be involved in the deaths. Yudin believed his friends stumbled across a military exercise and that the Soviet government bore responsibility for the loss of his companions. He said that all his companions were expert hikers and skiers and were well equipped to handle natural phenomena like avalanches or snowstorms. Yudin noted that after searchers found the campsite, the military was more concerned with what the skiers were doing in the area, not what had happened to them. After searchers found the hikers, Yudin was asked to identify the items collected at the campsite. Yudin said some items did not belong to his fellow hikers, including glasses, a pair of skis, fragments of a ski, and a piece of cloth he identified as part of a soldier's coat. In a journal that Yudin kept all his research of the event in, which came to light after his death, Yudin referred to "soldiers' tape" and wrote he was confident it was among the items he was asked to identify. Yudin claims in his journal that he tried to bring this to the colonel's attention who was with him at the time, but he ignored it. Yudin speculated that before the official search found the hikers' campsite, the military had already been there and pointed to these items as proof. Yudin also posed the rhetorical question: if something as mundane as an avalanche caused the death of his friends, why did the government close the case so quickly and mark it as classified? Yudin also noted in his journal that there was one factor at the site of his friends' deaths that none of the "normal" suggestions could explain: the mild radioactivity of the clothes and bodies of the deceased hikers.
Gruesome slaughter in an area relatively close to BoqueteJanuary 16th, 2020. (Source, source) I 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.
September 20th 2023
I read about another misadventure in nature and it made me think of Kris and Lisanne. There is a fairly recent case where two hikers and their baby and pet dog were stuck in the wild, in the heat without water, and the first thing they did was to send out a text messages to a loved one, explaining they were stuck on this specific trail without water and struggling, asking for help. Unfortunately there was no reception and the messages never arrived. Then they called loved ones several times.
Jonathan Gerrish (45), Ellen Chung (30), their dog Oski and their 1-year-old daughter Aurelia, also known as Miju, were found dead on August 17, 2022 in the Devil's Gulch area in the Sierra National Forest, California. A witness saw the family on the Hites Cove trail on Aug. 15, where they embarked on a 2.2-mile walk to a U.S. Forest Service trail with an elevation of 1,930 feet. The temperatures at this time were in the mid-70s. From there they walked 1.9 miles to the Savage Lundy Trail, then ended up on a steep incline where temperatures reached 107 to 109 degrees due to a lack of shade (there had been a fire not long ago) and high elevation. At around noon, at least six text messages and phone calls were attempted. None were successful because of lack of cell service.
The family were found deceased on 17 August, two days after they set out for their eight-mile trek. Sheriff’s deputies found one empty Camelbak water container with the family, a small amount of baby formula in a bottle and snacks. The only water supply with them was this 85-ounce water bladder. No additional water containers or filtration systems were found. The cause of death for the family has been determined by the Pathologist to be Hyperthermia (the condition of having a body temperature greatly above normal) and probably dehydration due to environmental exposure. After “multiple months” in FBI possession, the contents of Gerrish’s phone were revealed, showing failed phone calls and text messages, as well as photos that paint a more vivid portrait of the family’s last moments. Using the information extracted from the phone, it was possible to recreate the path and timeline based on the GPS locations. “The details found on the phone support the findings of a heat related incident,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post on February 17th, 2022. At least 17 photos were taken Aug. 15 over the span of four hours. Many were photos of the trail, the river and the family. But the final photo was a screenshot of the family’s location from a trail app they used to navigate around the Savage Lundy and Hites Cove trails.
Gerrish & Chung took multiple photos throughout their hike. The following are noted on the map provided:
-Photo / Video 1- 7:44am – Taken just a few yards from the trail
-Photo 2- 8:00am- Trail Photo
-Photo 3- 9:05am- Photo of the River
-Photo 4-12 - 9:35-9:39am Photos of the river and of each other
-Photo 13- 10:00am Selfie style family photo
-Photo 14- 10:16am Selfie style family photo
-Photo 15-16 -10:29am Creek / River photo
-Photo 17- 12:25pm- Screen shot of location from Trail App, a smartphone application.
TEXT MESSAGE
The following text message was attempted. Due to not having cellular service in the area, it was never delivered successfully. 11:56am- “[name redacted] can you help us. On savage lundy trail heading back to Hites cove trail. No water or ver [over] heating with baby.”
PHONE CALLS
The following five phone calls were attempted to multiple (different) phone numbers within the span of 27 minutes, the last being sent at 12:36 p.m. None were made to 911. There is no service in the area, therefore the calls were never connected.
-Call 1- 12:09:20pm
-Call 2- 12:35:48pm
-Call 3- 12:36:06pm
-Call 4- 12:36:19pm
-Call 5- 12:36:24pm
ERRORS MADE
Gerrish was a British software engineer at Snapchat. Chung was in graduate school to become a family and marriage therapist. The two reportedly wanted to raise Miju in a "quiet, slow-paced environment" surrounded by nature. That is why they had recently moved to Mariposa from San Francisco, after falling in love with the area. They were experienced hikers. But people have wondered nevertheless why they set out on a day with such high temperatures, with their baby and with not much water? A very tragic and sad case. Also because it was avoidable. I discussed this with Dave M. and Power-Pixie and we all agree that errors can be made. It is only human nature. Perhaps the parents forgot to check the weather forecast. Perhaps they expected to have finished their hike before the middle of the day. Perhaps they forgot an extra water bottle and realized this while already on their way. Believing it would all be OK in the end. But as Dave said: "If they made one mistake it was in leaving the cool shade of the forest to climb a very long and winding trail with almost no cover. With a baby brought along this was reckless. Climbing altitude combined with direct and relentless sun exposure should have raised all the red flags and sent them back the way they came very quickly - without any shade or protection the child would burn in a very short time. It should have been obvious." Would it have been smarter to stay in the shade, guarding the limited water supply and only try to reach the car again once the temperatures had gone down? Or was there an immediate emergency with the child perhaps, that forced them to act instantly? The couple had to climb in order to make it back to their car. This is unfortunate, because by the time they probably discovered their young daughter was suffering from the conditions, they still had the toughest part of the climb ahead of them. The ensuing panic would probably not have helped. It was actually revealed by the investigators that Ellen was found deceased alone, while Jonathan was found together with Miju and Oski. It appears that Ellen had tried to make it back to the car to raise the alarm alone, while Jonathan stayed behind with the others. But had Ellen succeeded in getting to her car, she would have been devastated to find that the couple dropped their car keys on the slope, quite a bit below Jonathan. Probably in the panic scrambling situation at the time. So she would not have been able to make it out even then.
Dave and Power-Pixie and I discussed the similarities and differences between this case and the Kris and Lisanne disappearances. Aside from the obvious differences (different location, different hike etc etc). we were particularly interested in the camera and phone use differences. This is obviously an anecdotal case comparison, but still interesting. What stood out firstly is the efficiency of the police in examining the phone and extracting so much information - even the GPS was available, despite the loss of signal. They managed to create a very clear timeline of events. Making us once again scratch our heads about just how much data and information seems to have been held back by the NFI and the Panamanian authorities. Despite dealing with two phones here. We also learnt that, importantly, any failed text attempts DO leave records on the phone. Even with no signal being present. The fact that none such attempt was ever made by either Kris or Lisanne bothers us. This couple Jonathan and Ellen seemed sporty types, with experience hiking that area. Despite obvious panic plus impending heat stroke, they still had the clearness of mind to try to send out an emergency message to a friend/family member at 11:59 am. And then soon after they called other loved ones for help. Not once, not twice but five times in less than half an hour. It is agreed on now that these people were rapidly succumbing to heat stroke. They are estimated to have died very soon after the last call was made; within an hour likely. If they had been stranded in a cooler environment where their main worry was being lost, they probably would have tried dozens more times to reach family or emergency services.
Power-Pixie noted about this case: "They took photos (documenting their trek), but as soon as they were lost, they took one screenshot of the trail in an attempt (my guess) to relocate and orient themselves. They made more than one passive call to family members after the text that failed to get out due to their lack of connection, but also noted that they were making these as they moved along the path they were on. The first phone call comes at 12:09pm, after the text message that was unsuccessfully sent at 11:56am. In my opinion this text message is in line with a natural attempt of anyone familiar with the smartphone to try first. And they sent it to someone familiar to them. My guess from the message seems like he was quite exhausted to type a full, casual message. This is what I'd expect from both Kris and Lisanne as their bodily systems started to fail them as the days/nights wore on. They supposedly had 10 days/nights." "Calling 911, to me, is our brute force attempt at getting help when something is dreadfully wrong or is escalating. I get the impression that sometimes people tend to try the passive route in the hopes of orienting themselves back. It is also often an ego/confidence/comfort issue. What I mean is that sometimes young adults or adults often tend to not want to look like they were fools in the eyes of the general public for being so unprepared, or like this family's poor decision to take their 1 year old hiking in an area that is quite remote in the Sierras. Then there are the escalating phone calls. After the first one at 12:09pm, 26 minutes go by before the situation seems to have escalated for some reason, and going by the details from this case it seemed like desperation set in because they knew they they were truly lost and doomed, with a 1 year old in their midst probably dying from exhaustion. It must have been a terrible thought for the mother especially, and so you can imagine if one of Kris or Lisanne were gravely injured, this would have escalated quite quickly as well."
Power-Pixie: "The cell phone was found in the pocket of Jonathan Gerrish, not in his/their bag or backpack. It shows he needed it to be close to him and he was using it. Unlike "Lisanne" who neatly packed it in her backpack. GPS was on both Kris and Lisanne's phones by default, and they used multiple apps that required location services to be turned on during their stay in Bocas and Boquete until 1:58pm, because they did not know they were going to disappear and never come back. Nobody I've heard/read about who got lost on a trail and lived or died, decided to turn off their GPS to save battery life. Jonathan Gerrish was a Snapchat engineer from the UK. Let that sink in. He is someone who would be familiar with tech, phones, network connectivity and apps as a basic requirement for his job. But even he didn't realize that you need a satellite phone in the Sierras, nor do the logs show us that he attempted to change settings to boost his phone performance (whether he knew it would or not). Now contrast this with Kris and Lisanne and the Losters' moving the goalposts to show how tech-savvy Kris and Lisanne were to do what they did to boost their chances of cell reception [changing 2G/3G settings, disabling GPS], yet at the same time discredit them for being so naïve for getting lost and how they couldn't do other things that were so obvious to everyone but Kris and Lisanne."
Scarlet: I watched this video initially. It is fairly good. But a Note: it seems like the below video has a few details wrong. For instance he seems to imply that the text message was sent to more than one person ("Was sent, but never received by anybody"). And he mentions: "Soon after, a series of 911 calls were attempted". But it now appears that when he names them 911 calls, he actually means to say that they were emergency calls (to friends).
What stands out most now to me, is that once this couple realized they were in danger, they took one final photo (taken two hours after the last photo of a river) and it was a screenshot of the family’s location from a trail app they used to navigate around the Savage Lundy and Hites Cove trails. So a screen shot of their location on the Trail App. That is very smart thinking. It links to them wanting to document their location and hopefully making it known to whomever possible in an effective attempt to get help.. It makes me think of Rene Compean, who also went missing in California. Before his phone ran out of battery he managed to take a photo of his feet dangling off a rock, showing the surroundings below and in the distance. With the phones' last power he managed to send it to a friend. Hoping that emergency could perhaps locate him and could visually identify where he was stuck. (And they did!)
Despite not having reception, Kris and Lisanne had all the opportunity to still do the same (if we are to believe a Lost situation). They had a functioning Canon camera with battery life, an SD card in it with space, they also had two phones. They had 11 days (going by the last phone activation) to at least document their surroundings once during daytime. But nothing... Only the vaguest, darkest of night session photos on the 8th, failing to provide a single photo that made their surroundings clear. The Gerrishes also tried five times within 27 minutes to call friends and relatives for help. That is much more indicative of an emergency panic situation. More so than those two coordinated calls in the late afternoon of April 1st, followed by 14 hours of no phone activity. Either Kris and Lisanne no longer controlled their own phones at that point, or their situation may not have been too dire yet then? No panic and urgency speaks from their call/photographing behaviours. But I nevertheless imagine and expect Lisanne in such a situation to panic. And to have tried contacting her beloved parents at least once, over time. Jonathan Gerrish also had the lucidity of sending out a text message (with typo's and all), knowing probably that the shortest of GSM connection could have perhaps sent it out. We saw none of that on Kris and Lisanne's phones either; young women who were using their phones for communication all the time normally. I always found if baffling that Kris had the lucidity of mind to seemingly change the 2G/3G and GPS settings, but that neither of them ever made an effort to reset the time settings of that digital camera to the correct time, or use that camera beyond automatic photo settings. But maybe I am simply easily impressed with mobile phone knowledge.
I also watched this documentary again about the calls coming from the twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks and the documentary makers explain that in the hour roughly between the planes hitting the towers and them ultimately collapsing, thousands of frantic calls were made from the towers. So many that the phone lines were down at times. For those who cannot view the below video due to geographic copyright issues, I will also upload a low resolution copy.
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In this blogpost backpacker and explorer Jackson makes great descriptions of the Il Pianista trail and added beautiful, atmospheric photos He writes about how he had read about Kris and Lisanne's disappearance case the day before his hike in July of 2018. In his blog he describes the Pianista trail climb. Jackson hiked during different weather conditions from when the girls were there. They hiked during an exceptionally good week, with high temperatures, sun and dry conditions. Even the trail looks dry and solid in their photos. But normally this cloud forest terrain is more humid, cloud filled and wet. Jackson writes: "El Pianista Trail is one of the moodiest cloud forests I have ever adventured into. I have a new favorite type of trail. Take me to the cloud forests because I love them. Rain droplets falling to the ground from every leaf and branch while mist floats through dramatically. While this is a cloud forest trail, the hike begins near the IL Pianista restaurant and begins down a massively long driveway. The early stages of the hike are open fields, with mountains on all sides. You can already see the clouds hugging the summit of the mountain. You know what you are heading into. I enjoyed the early parts of this hike with the beautiful hills on either side and the sounds of the river cascades to the right. After about 15 minutes you will have made your way to the entrance of the forest. Here you will begin the ascent of more than 2000 feet over the next three kilometres. The trail was very muddy but would have been much worse had the rains been stronger in the previous days. Definitely try and do this hike on a dryer day or after a few days of smaller rains if possible. Almost immediately after entering the forest, we were engulfed by the lush greenery on all sides. We walked through the tunnel of vines and trees, keeping an eye out for Quetzals, snakes, howler monkeys, wildflowers and strange bugs and critters. There is a small junction where you will need to make a decision whether to go left or right. The trail to the left goes uphill and the train to the right goes downhill towards the stream, which you can hear. Head down the stream. Luckily for us, a local walked past at that very moment and I asked him which way to go and he pointed across the stream. He was the only person we saw all day on the trail. Below is the photo, you can see both directions of the trail. Josh is on the right trail going in the correct direction, heading down towards the stream. Once we reached the stream it was such a magical little spot. As we ascended higher and higher the mood and the atmosphere began to change. The fog and the wet conditions added an element of mystery to the surroundings. I really got into looking for unique flowers from this part of the trail onwards as they are truly strange and look amazing in the damp conditions. The fog was really rolling in now after we were two-thirds of the way up the trail.
We felt like our path was leading us through an undiscovered island. It was a truly immersive hike and being in the cloud forest was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I’m sure there are plenty around the world but I will really be seeking them out from this point onwards. We were now in the thick of the clouds and near the summit of the trail. The sides of the trail began to rise and before we knew it we were being dwarfed by the trail. We were inside it. It must have been carved out because there is a definitive trail through the earth. It’s quite remarkable and at times it was above head height, which is a strange feeling hiking beneath the surface of the earth. Once you reach these mini-canyons you are within reach of the summit. It should be about 4.2 kms to the top according to our tracking as it was an 8.4 km return trip. After a few hours (slow photographer pace) we made it to the summit. Not surprisingly we were completely ‘socked in’ as they say. Otherwise known as inside the cloud and cannot see a damn thing. The funny part about this trail is that you enjoy all of the trees, vines, flowers, canyons, critters, and scenes on the trail and the viewpoint is just expected to be a blanket of white clouds. Normally on a hike, you hustle through the trail for the reward, which is the viewpoint. On El Pianista you enjoy the trail and have a quick break at the viewpoint before getting back into the trail. It is said to be very lucky to get a clear view of Boquete from the top of the El Pianista trail, although when you do it is supposedly one of the best views in the region. This trail harbors some dark secrets. In 2014, two Dutch girls in their early 20’s made it to the summit and then went missing. There was no sign of the girls until a few weeks later. There are huge holes in the story of what happened and how the investigation unfolded. The girls’ backpack was found 8 weeks later, bones including a foot still inside a boot were also found weeks later. The girls had hiked down past the summit into the continental divide. The area between Costa Rica and Panama. The Ngobe tribe were the people to discover the backpack and would have been the first contact for the girls had they come into trouble and be looking for a way out according to the reports. The conclusion from local police was that it was a hiking accident. However, some locals and sources think there was a third person involved and the girls were met with foul-play out in the tropical forest. There is now a memorial for the girls at the top of the summit." 
Seth wrote in a comment under the blog from Jackson, on April 28th, 2020: [In response to Jackson commenting: "Sorry, I’m not here to be part of the murder-drama. I just did the hike, there was nothing suspicious that occurred"] "No one is trying to play into any murder-drama, and calling it that when you have a lot of people who are seeing the red flags, is very alarming. It is still unsolved, do remember. A cross with flowers is nice, but doesn’t answer the question of why or how they are dead. Look, all over central and south America, well organised drug cartels (usually drugs) operate. They’re generally ruthless and indiscriminate when it comes to victims or violence. Governments usually don’t talk about them because of retaliation. In Mexico, heads of police were left in suitcases on the doorstep of their wives and teen daughters, wives are taken for obvious reasons, never to be seen again. Politicians who do speak out against them do so at great cost, which includes sending their whole family away and living in constant fear. Years can pass and their names are still on the hit list. We’ll never know what happened to Kris and Lisanne for sure, but in all likelihood, they were forced to go down that trail because they were avoiding going back to him, or, he had chased them down/lead them down and made them go into the wilderness. And you have to remember Occam’s Razor. The simplest explanation is usually the correct explanation. Their bras were found, their underwear was never found, and they’re dead. I would be willing to bet anything that they escaped temporarily, took pictures to try to leave for evidence figuring they’d probably be caught, were recaptured, raped and killed. No one is trying to ruin your trip or saying stop traveling. We’re trying to tell you to be safe because we care about you, even if we don’t know you. I don’t think it’s fair that women are in more danger in these situations, but it’s the truth. These countries are great in their own right, but societally speaking, it’s night and day on gender issues. It doesn’t take that much to take down two girls."Jackson, the blogger himself, replied on April 28th, 2020: " Hi Seth, It is a murder drama. Simply by doing this hike (done by many every day now) I have random dudes messaging me on facebook for details and photos. They are obsessed with this case and the girls and it’s honestly weird. They have never even been to Panama or know the girls. I never made any comments about what I think happened. Just because there is one instance of a (possible) murder on a trail doesn’t mean we need to reference Mexican drug cartels. We don’t know what happened, but I was safe, had no issues and the people who are obsessed with this case are genuinely quite odd. Some of the emails and questions I’ve been sent purely from just walking along the trail are bizarre. It has definitely become a murder drama and that is clearly evident from the obsession many people not even from Panama or Holland have with the case."
Haraldo replied in a comment under the blog from Jackson, on November 12, 2020: "Congratulations, the only sensible comment about the two girls who disappeared. As a traveler and adventurer, seeing this trail, I say with conviction that it was a completely reckless and extremely dangerous attitude for these girls to have ventured without a male companion. It is unbelievable the naivety of certain tourists who act as if they are in their own country, dressing in the most inappropriate way possible; in the city nothing will happen to them, but just get a little bit away from the civilization that the picture completely changes. Europeans are the most likely tourists to fall into these traps due to the strongly leftist education in EU schools that instilled in their heads that all people are equal and good and the most needy should be helped – both were on a voluntary work trip! However, due to the little information I have, the most likely hypothesis is that there was an accident after getting lost, although some doubts remain. However, even if there was no crime, the situation is the same: extremely dangerous for two foreigners or any women to enter a forest like this, inhabited sporadically but far from any help. Women should not be unaccompanied by male companions in remote places anywhere in the world. It is not a sexist attitude, but one of indispensable prevention if you want to return home alive. It is not necessary to be in a jungle. Take the case of the two teenagers murdered on the Monon High Bridge Trail in Indiana in 2017; they were very close to home, but on a deserted trail in the woods. I could mention many other similar cases, but I have gone on too long."
Gazza replied in a comment on August 1st, 2020: "It is an intriguing what happened to Froon and Kremers, but anyone who’s looked at the case saw that they were not prepared for the hike they undertook, they were, sadly, an accident waiting to happen, comments on this very article has indicated that even in 2020 people can still take a wrong path…and I’ve seen and known youthful nonchalance, naivety and even arrogance, lead to disaster and near-disaster many times in my lifetime, we do not need to invoke drug cartels, to explain their deaths.."
Ana Christina replied in a comment on May 23rd, 2020: [Translated from Portuguese] "Hello guys, I'm from Brazil, Brasília-DF. Look everywhere, there are good and bad people, that's a fact. However, I really agree with Seth. There are cultures, ways of acting, ways of the people of each place. You really should be careful. There have already been tourists in Brazil, who were killed, for nothing, or rather they were mugged, or they entered into an argument. All Latin Countries, or those who speak their Latin languages at least, I don't know, seem to be “hot”, warm, you understand? We must not trust anyone and at the same time not show it, be wise. The girls were alone in an unknown country, taking pictures with everyone, as if everyone were nice. It doesn't work like that, we have to be friendly, pleasant, but suspicious. The girls are victims, I feel very much for everyone, especially for their family. However, here's the tip, always go with an adult family member, father, uncle, preferably a man. Sorry, but I'm a woman and I know when we have less clothes on, of course on the beach we should wear bikinis or swimsuits, and they are young girls, I’m already a more mature woman and I couldn’t wear anything smaller, but I’m not a prude, but we must always guard ourselves. Anyway, walking in a group also works, as the girls walked in places they didn't know, they never went to Panama. The lady they (the girls) were staying with should have talked to the police on the same day, even though the girls are not their own kids. For me, if someone stays at my house and I should come back around 16:00 and the dog came back alone and the girls didn't come back, then I would speak to the police immediately. That's it, I'm sorry, but Seth's tip remains important. Jackson, I admire his travels, his fight to defend the girls' honor, it’s valid, I’m not condemning you, however, we don’t have all the wisdom, I’m Latin American too, Panama is in Central America, however, we have almost even walking, of course Brazil is very different from Panama, however, I know a little about the danger of some peoples, including my People." - Notice by the way how they got Kris' name wrong on the memorial plaque
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Marc wrote to his sister: "Dear Myr, it is so fucked up that I will never see you again, I still cannot believe it yet. We have such a special bond. Even though you sometimes doubt this. But sweetheart, how much I love you. I am writing this with tears in my eyes."
Peter wrote to his girlfriend: "Please don't feel sorry for us, we are in the first pub left of the pearly gates, where the golden brew is flowing freely. We will wait for you there. Be tough, darling, I love you, Peter."
Marc wrote to his dad: "Dear dad, this is my last chance to still find the right words. I am so terribly sorry to do this to you. It was not our intention to find our ends here. Although we knew perfectly well what we were getting into."
Bolivian man Jhonattan Acosta survives 31 days in the jungle by eating worms and insects and drinking rainwater
His family, who came from different parts of Bolivia, led the rescue missions. The days were intense and they set up provisional camps to rest during their long walks. After 31 days, on February 25, he spotted a search party some 300m (980ft) away and limped towards them through thorny bushes, shouting to draw attention to him. Jhonattan lost 17kg (37lb) in weight, had a dislocated ankle and was dehydrated when he was found, but according to those who found him he was still able to walk with a limp. He has since been admitted to a hospital. The first thing Jhonattan asked was to take a bath and change his clothes. He had injuries to his feet and face, and had little strength left. "It's incredible, I can't believe people kept up the search for so long," he later said to the media amid tears. "I ate worms, I ate insects, you wouldn't believe all I had to do to survive all this time," he told Unitel TV. He also ate wild fruits similar to papayas, known locally as gargateas. "I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life." His brother Horacio Acosta told Bolivia's Página Siete newspaper: "My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life." "He only had one cartridge in his shotgun and couldn't walk, and he thought no one would be looking for him anymore."
About the 2007 plane crash in the Baru volcano area
Aside from being extremely tragic, this crash site is important because it is in this area where the plastic bag with food wrappers was found (mentioned near the top of this log post). The bag and its test results went missing, and the place was never found again.. On December 23rd of 2007, a small single-engine plane took off in very windy weather from the Panamanian resort island of Isla Seca, just off the Pacific coast. It had 3 Americans on board as well as a local pilot. Michael Klein, the owner of a luxury eco island resort and a successful investor and hedge fund manager; his 13-year-old daughter, Talia and her 12-year-old friend Francesca Lewis, better known as Frankie. The pilot was 23-year-old Panamanian Edwin Lasso. It later turned out that he was named "Dr Death" by locals, due to the amount of accidents he already had during his short pilot career.. The father, daughter and friend all planned to return home to Santa Barbara in the United States for Christmas the next day. But that morning, they had gone on an adventure, and were heading for the town of Volcan on a short sightseeing flight. A Boquete resident who knew them blogged that "They left Isla Secas that morning for what was supposed to be about an hour flight to the small town of Volcan on the western slope of Volcan Baru. Instead of flying directly to their destination, they decided to sightsee around the Boquete area, which is on the eastern slope about 20 kilometres on the other side of the volcano." But they would never arrive. It was extremely windy in the mountains — not a day fit for light aircraft, especially around the Baru volcano — and the charter flight went down. It took many days before anyone started to look for the missing place. Talia's mother, writer Kim Klein, said in an interview that as soon as she heard that the plane with her ex-husband and only child on board was missing, she had to get to Panama asap. Together with the parents of Frankie she arrived the next day and was very surprised and horrified that no search operation had been organized yet.
“I was terrified. It was Christmas Eve and nobody seemed interested in finding my daughter. I felt like I had landed in some horror film.”
In order to get the Boquete officials and locals moving, Kim did exactly what the parents from Kris and Lisanne would do 7 years later, and she decided to offer a $25,000 (£15,700) reward to whoever discovered the plane. Yet nobody seemed too hurried. Despite the possibility of survivors waiting to be found, it was only the next morning that a search got under way. By then the plane had been missing for the best part of two days. Yes, where have we seen this as well.... In the Kris and Lisanne case it took several DAYS also before search troops started to move. In this case, eventually reports came in that the small plane had been found close to the volcano where it had crashed. And the parents were then told that one young girl had been found alive. But they didn't know her name. Both girls' parents then had to live between hope and fear for another day, all the while supporting one another. “I remember one of the rescue guys telling us that a young girl had been found alive,” recalls Kimberly. “I just felt it had to be Talia.” But the girl who had been found alive and who was the only survivor was Frankie. Talia, Michael and the pilot died instantly in the crash. Miraculously Frankie had been discovered curled up in the plane’s crushed cabin. She was delirious and badly dehydrated but somehow she’d come through the crash with only superficial injuries; a broken arm and hypothermia. Rescuers spent two days combing the mountainous area before finding Francesca and the bodies of the three others. This Boquete resident blogged about the whole operation and wrote that there were in fact early search operations (before Sinaproc got organized and got involved), but they were mainly from scattered around volunteers.. The blogger observes that: "The Sinoproc Boquete office is wholly unprepared for large emergencies, let alone a plane crash in the high mountain regions of this province. The lack of resources became obvious as we watched the volunteers prepare to go out into the jungle with little or no training, no radios, no first aid kits, no GPS, neither binoculars nor a compass. It was as if we were 50 years behind modern civilization. Even with access to technology and equipment that would make the search productive and safe, we had nothing more than volunteers in rubber boots. [..] The search covered an area of over 300 square kilometres of extremely rough terrain. Vast rainforests punctuated by deep canyons and hundreds of rivers did nothing but add to my worry over the fate of the four people who were lost in the high mountain jungles." And by day 2, it is still only on the shoulders of volunteers to try to find the plane and look for possible survivors: "As darkness fell, it became clear that a second night would pass before we could get on with our search. The base was getting more reports of sightings of the plane from areas as far away as 20 kilometres to the south. Rather than becoming smaller and more focused, the search area was growing. Soon the base was bustling with about 20 tired volunteers who had returned empty handed from the northern trails." Eventually the plane was found, 48+ hours later, with the help of Sinaproc on the northern face of the volcano. "Two brothers, Miguel and Manuel Burac, had found the plane on the north side of the volcano in Alto Quiel." So yes, Juan and Jeremy did find the correct Alto Quiel on the map, thank you guys!! But then cold, wet weather prevented the immediate evacuation of lonely Frankie, who had stayed alive in the cold storm for over 48 hours by then. She was initially treated in a makeshift shelter and had to stay another night on the Baru mountain, together with rescue workers, before being carried to safety. It's hard to imagine how a child survived over 50 hours alone, trapped in the wreckage of a small plane. Some of Frankie's memories were sketchy, but others are clear, like the moment just after the crash. "I started screaming, trying to get other peoples' responses, calling Talia and Michael's name. But no one responded, so then I knew I was alone," Frankie said. "I didn't understand that what was on top of me was my seat. I didn't understand that what was above me was the bottom of the plane." Apparently, if Frankie had freed herself and in fact would have decided to wander through the jungle in only her t-shirt and shorts, "she would have died of exposure". Absolute tragedy and RIP to the victims :(
Back in 2013, four of Mexico’s Cartels operated in PanamaSeptember 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
And here is an article from 2014 from the BBC: 'Has Panama weaned itself off drugs and cleaned up? in PanamaAugust 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:
The disappearance of Nicola Bulley in England
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February 8, 2023. The UK is currently in the grips of a strange disappearance case. Nicola Bulley (45) disappeared on January 27 while walking her spaniel dog Willow along the River Wyre. Nicola is a mortgage broker and mum of two young girls, living with her longtime partner Paul Ansell in Inskip. She was dressed for the winter cold that day, wearing black jeans, green ankle-length wellies and a long, knee-length black quilted gilet with a hood with a black waist-length Engelbert Strauss coat underneath, which had long sleeves.That morning, Nicola had first dropped her and Paul's two daughters (aged six and nine) off at their school in St Michael's on Wye. She had left home at 08:26 am. A doorbell camera has recorded her opening the boot to their family car and letting her dog Willow into the back before driving off. It took her 3,8 miles (6 km) and she dropped her children off at school at 8.40am. She spoke briefly there with another parent. Then Nicola preceded to walk nearby with her dog, as she would regularly do. (The family call it a 30-minute walk which she had literally done thousands of times before). From 08.43 am onwards she followed the path by the River Wyre off Garstang Road, near the village of St Michael's, walking towards the gate and a bench at the end of a wooded towpath. Police said she was seen by a dog-walker who knows her at 8.47am, walking around the lower field next to the river. At 8.53am Nicola sent an email to her boss and at 8.59am she sent a message to a friend, to make an appointment for a playdate. She logged onto a Microsoft Teams meeting call at 9.01am and listened to it while muting her own microphone. This was common for Nicola, police have said. She just listened in to the conference call, voluntarily, without having her microphone or camera on herself. She would combine it more often with her walks outside. She had a normal work call. It was also normal for Willow to have her harness off once they were on that upper field. This was confirmed by friends and by police. At approximately 9.10am, a witness who knows Nicola saw her on the upper field.
Nicola was last seen there by this witness at 09:10, at a field next to the river. Nicola's family have said that she was not in the habit of leaving the path and walking by the (field next to) the river when she went out for a stroll with Willow. Police believe there is a ten-minute window in which Nicola must have disappeared. Because at 09.20 am, Nicola's phone handset was moved to the bench. Possibly because her Teams call had finished and she put her phone down. Nicola stayed logged into the work call however. By 09:33 another witness (Ron) passed the bench and noticed both the abandoned mobile phone and Willow running loose. She was 'bone dry', but restless. But he did not see Nicola. Only the dog and the phone that was lying on the bench. Ron thought something was 'not right' when he saw the abandoned mobile. The man started calling the local vet and then made other inquiries. When locals came subsequently to the scene, it became clear that this involved Nicola Bulley. Lancashire Police believe Nicola went missing in a "10-minute window", between 09:20 and 9.30 am. But there is also a "gap" between Nicola's last sighting at 09.10 and the moment her phone was placed on the bench at 09.20 am. Investigators do not believe that Willow had been in the water. Nicola's partner Paul was by now also contacted. Police were then called and searched the riverbank. But there was a two-hour gap between Nicola's disappearance and the first call to police. Lancashire Constabulary deployed drones, helicopters and police search dogs as part of the major missing person operation. They were assisted by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team and the North West underwater search team. But police never sealed off the bench, or seized it for forensic analysis.
Nicola was last seen there by this witness at 09:10, at a field next to the river. Nicola's family have said that she was not in the habit of leaving the path and walking by the (field next to) the river when she went out for a stroll with Willow. Police believe there is a ten-minute window in which Nicola must have disappeared. Because at 09.20 am, Nicola's phone handset was moved to the bench. Possibly because her Teams call had finished and she put her phone down. Nicola stayed logged into the work call however. By 09:33 another witness (Ron) passed the bench and noticed both the abandoned mobile phone and Willow running loose. She was 'bone dry', but restless. But he did not see Nicola. Only the dog and the phone that was lying on the bench. Ron thought something was 'not right' when he saw the abandoned mobile. The man started calling the local vet and then made other inquiries. When locals came subsequently to the scene, it became clear that this involved Nicola Bulley. Lancashire Police believe Nicola went missing in a "10-minute window", between 09:20 and 9.30 am. But there is also a "gap" between Nicola's last sighting at 09.10 and the moment her phone was placed on the bench at 09.20 am. Investigators do not believe that Willow had been in the water. Nicola's partner Paul was by now also contacted. Police were then called and searched the riverbank. But there was a two-hour gap between Nicola's disappearance and the first call to police. Lancashire Constabulary deployed drones, helicopters and police search dogs as part of the major missing person operation. They were assisted by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Bowland Pennine mountain rescue team and the North West underwater search team. But police never sealed off the bench, or seized it for forensic analysis.
Until now, twelve days later, police searches have not yet resulted in any sign of Nicola. So far police have inspected the area around the bench and the river, as well as CCTV footage and they have talked to witnesses. Specialist search teams have been deployed, sonar, search dogs, drones and a helicopter have been used to look for Nicola. Police have performed house to house searches and enquiries. They have also analysed Nicola's mobile phone and looked at a derelict house across the river and at nearby empty caravans. Despite professional searches of the river resulting in nothing, Lancashire Police have so far openly ruled out any 'suspicious or criminal' element. They again did so today. Police chief Superintendent Sally Riley emphasised that detectives have not yet come across any evidence of foul play. "Any criminal or suspicious element has been discarded," she said. "We are not closed in any way to any particular line of inquiry, but all these extensive inquiries, however, have so far not found anything of note." Supt Riley has also confirmed that "The search has not found Nicola in the river and research in parts by SGI found the same." She added: "There are some properties along the riverside which are empty or derelict and whilst it may be well-intentioned that people think that that could be a line of inquiry, I would ask them to desist from doing that". Supt Riley said police have "confidence" that Nicola remained in the riverside area, saying: "I understand that this is frustrating for those observing the investigation when the river has been searched and Nicola has not been found," but she emphasized that this doesn't mean she wasn't in the river. "Throughout this investigation we remain fully open to any information that is credible and factual, to try and trace Nicola and bring answers for her family."
But Peter Faulding, the CEO of private underwater search and recovery company Specialist Group International, has been assisting the police in their search and has a different opinion. He has been using sonar technology to search around three miles away from the weir and is doing a "really careful survey" in what he calls the "hot zone," where Nicola went missing. Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning, he said the area upstream from the Wyre was non-tidal, and included the area where the phone was found on the bench. He noted that the "odd thing" that he couldn't get his head around was that the divers didn't find anything in that area. Although Lancashire Police has repeatedly said there is no sign of third party involvement, Mr Faulding told Good Morning Britain: "I personally think, if I rule this stretch of river out today where we are working [and he subsequently did], I don't think she is here and there is probably a third party involved." He said: "Normally when we deal with drowning victims they go to the bottom and they will stay there for a while. The police divers have done a thorough search of that river twice and nothing was found. This is one of the most odd cases I've ever worked on. Underwater search - I'm a forensic diver as well - is a particularly difficult task. Generally, things aren't missed, they [police divers] have done it thoroughly. If anything is there, we will find it. A body will move after a time, but they searched that area and came up with nothing – that is what is weird here. We are baffled." When asked if Nicola could be in a different part of the river, Mr Faulding said: "Unless someone's put her in a different part of the river somewhere or she's fallen in somewhere.... It is a very short stretch. On a normal river we can scan ten miles a day for a body and locate it very quickly." Aside from the fact that the river was not fast flowing, dangerous or large, and Nicola was a fine swimmer...'We've been using the high frequency side scan sonar in this stretch today and it's so detailed I can even see every stone of it. She's not in this stretch,' the expert explained.
He added that he had a theory that the phone could've been a "decoy" placed by the river, and asked Nicola's partner Paul if she had any "stalkers or enemies or anything like that," but said "he's completely baffled as well." And she was totally normal that day when she left, nothing out the ordinary. "The phone could have been placed as a decoy, there is not enough CCTV to cover particular areas here. The police are working hard in the background to cover everything. The phone on the bench, I mean, you have to ask, normally someone would have a phone in their hand especially if they were walking around." There has been much speculation about Willow the dog and whether Nicola had gone into the river to rescue her. The dog was found near the bench but was reportedly dry and not wearing her harness. Mr Faulding told GB News earlier this week: "We dealt with a drowning a couple of years ago where a gentleman went into a river and Ripley, his dog, was screaming by the riverbank when we got there.. When we arrived it was howling, and literally pointing exactly where he was. He stayed with his owner." That wasn't the case here. Willow was found running around in a spot away from the river. He also said it '"feels odd" that no one spoke of the fact that Nicola was not wearing clothes that would have absorbed water quickly, [that] there were no marks at the scene and that not one person heard screams". Mr Faulding has also raised concerns that the bench where the phone was found has not been sealed off. He has concerns that clues to the disappearance could have been lost. He said: "People have been walking past the bench. There's no police tape up. This would normally be sealed off as a crime scene so potentially crime scene investigators can go in and see if there are any microfibers, evidence, slip marks down the bank etc. I don't believe that has actually happened here.""We also sonar-ed on the other side down yesterday in the tidal river. Now if you take a football on a tidal river… when the tide goes out, the ball will go down the stream and then as soon as the tide turns it will come back in again. It'll end up back at the same place. For Nicola to get out to sea would be impossible, literally, it's such a long way in the 11 days. It's an awful long way down," Mr Faulding said. Mr Faulding said his 'gut instinct' tells him that Ms Bulley is not in the water. But with these statements in the media, Faulding may in fact be irritating the police. Police chief Riley stressed that Faulding was not party to 'all the details of their wider investigation'. "Clearly Mr Faulding isn't included within all of the investigation detail, any more than members of the public are." To which Mr Faulding hit back in an interview on GB News, saying all information should be made available to his team. "If you haven't got the facts then you can't conduct a proper search. It's very difficult without that information". "Normally I'm privy to that information on a lot of these searches." Odd indeed.. This is a missing person's case, not the leading up to and preparation of a criminal court case, where law enforcers need to protect every case detail for (fair) trial. Other than trying to suss any potential perpetrator to sleep and provoke said perpetrator to make mistakes, I don't see the need for all this secrecy by police. Considering the public is asked to help find Nicola. And considering that every day, every hour, counts. And especially considering they have an elite search specialist here (Faulding) who was brought on the case by Nicola's family (!) and who volunteered to help, but is clearly not informed to the best of police's abilities. All of this comes as family and friends of Ms Bulley have also openly questioned the police theory that Nicola probably fell into the water.
There were also reports of a 'tatty' red van that was parked near to where Nicola Bulley vanished. According to the Times, a 55-year-old witness reported the sighting of the red van to police on the day Nicola disappeared and again on February 2. The woman, who asked not to be named, told the paper: "I was on my way to the cake shop when I saw a tatty red van in Hall Lane outside a barn. I didn't think anything at the time, but when I saw Nicola had gone missing, I called 101 and spoke to an operator. I contacted the police again and spoke to a police officer. It could have been a Renault van. It was the sort of van you can live in."
WHAT DOES POLICE BELIEVE SO FAR
*Police chief Supt Riley emphasised that detectives have not yet come across any evidence of foul play.
*'Any criminal or suspicious element has been discarded.'
*"The search has not found Nicola in the river and research in parts by SGI found the same."
*Police have "confidence" that Nicola remained in the riverside area.
*'Any criminal or suspicious element has been discarded.'
*"The search has not found Nicola in the river and research in parts by SGI found the same."
*Police have "confidence" that Nicola remained in the riverside area.
*"We can say with confidence that by reviewing CCTV, Nicola has not left the field during the key times via Rowanwater, either through the site itself or via the piece of land at the side."
*"Also, we can say that she did not return from the fields along Allotment Lane or via the path at the rear of the Grapes pub onto Garstang Road".
*Police confirmed that the only path not covered by cameras is the one along Garstang Lane leading to the A586, and have appealed for dashcam footage from around 700 drivers who passed the area on the morning, which could help fill in this gap in the evidence.
*Police said it remained a 'possibility' that the 45-year-old left the area by that one path not covered by CCTV cameras, but repeated that 'every single' suspicion or criminal suggestion had so far been discounted.
*They're also asking for any other evidence that will help in their investigation. There is now a specific email for people to send in information: nicolabulleyinvestigation@lancashire.police.uk.
*Police said it remained a 'possibility' that the 45-year-old left the area by that one path not covered by CCTV cameras, but repeated that 'every single' suspicion or criminal suggestion had so far been discounted.
*They're also asking for any other evidence that will help in their investigation. There is now a specific email for people to send in information: nicolabulleyinvestigation@lancashire.police.uk.
*Police's "working hypothesis" is still that Nicola "sadly fell into the river for some reason."
My personal beliefs so far
I have followed this strange disappearance case of Nicola also from the start. It instantly didn't sit well with me, as it has rattled many people in fact. The way the dog was found, frantic and away from the bench and river, without its harness on. 'Bone dry', according to her family and friends. Willow being found bone dry probably tells us she did not go after Nicola in the water (supposedly), and that breed of dog is known for loving water. The way that phone was placed on the bench, while still active (muted) in a conference call. Would she leave her phone, still rung into a work call, and go off without it? What a pity that it was on mute. Otherwise her work colleagues may have heard what was happening. There is also the absence of any slid marks on the river bank. This river may lead to sea, but from everything I have seen and read it is a slow flowing river and not very wide either. Nicola was a strong swimmer her friends and family said. The fact that no diver has so far, nearly two weeks in, found any hint of Nicola may be telling. And police suggested for a week that Nicola would have gone after a tennis ball in the water, which sounds pretty ridiculous in January when it is winter. Or with a dog who loved to swim (wouldn't Willow have brought back this theoretical tennis ball if it really ended up in the water? Who goes in a cold river in winter for a simple tennis ball??). Besides, her friends have also said in the media that Nicola had stopped bringing balls along on those dog walks for quite some time already, as Willow the dog was a pest with them. So Nicola is a strong swimmer, there is no logical motive for her to get in that water, the river is not fast flowing and not wide at all. No signs or marks of her slipping in or trying to get out were discovered. No piece of clothing was ever found either. And if she slipped in that river, would she not have screamed? It was past 9 am, there were all sorts of people out and about that morning, but nobody saw or heard anything. Not even the dog was found right next to the river; don't dogs usually go back and forth at the point where they lost their owner, so wouldn't it have been right at the river where Nicola supposedly disappeared? It was not. And even if she had gone in that river and drowned; the specialist divers say that her body would have been found by now. She has gone up into thin air completely, instead.
Is the estuary checked by police? I hope a catch net has been placed across at the narrowest point near the sea to at least retrieve this lady if she actually has drowned. And why not get a simulation doll mannequin with the same clothing and wellies on and place that thing in that river with a tag/camera attached to it? See where it ends up? But I personally do not believe that she has gone in the water. Or if she did, then it was probably not by that bench and not by falling in. I was very surprised to read that police are still sticking to this scenario at the moment. It also baffles me how police are so stuck in fact on this scenario, that they never sealed off the area around the bench and the riverbank. At least not for an entire week. There we go again... anyone could have walked through that potential crime site. From youtubers and vloggers who went there to record the route Nicola took, to reporters, to anyone basically who has been out there, trampling the ground, touching the bench and the soil. Some passers by are even taking selfies on that bench... ugh. Police also missed steps of collecting vital forensics immediately Also, since it is confirmed that there is at least one CCTV camera that doesn't work on an exit of the trail*, how can police feel so sure that Nicola did not leave that site? The entrance to the holiday park alongside the bushy towpath she walked so regularly, may have been a blind spot exit here. Hence why the police were asking for dashcam footage now. So they don't know if she left the area on foot or by car or not. But police seem to have ignored the kidnapping scenario mostly so far. The dog was darting between the gate without CCTV camera and the bench though. Not the river and the bench. There is also a mental asylum type of place not too far away. There is also an 'abandoned house' on the other side of the river, which turned out not to be empty when a search team went up there. They have declared that the owner was actually on the scene and he was asked to look inside if Nicola was there. He peeked inside quickly and said Nope! 'Nope! Nobody here!'. Surely that is not enough? Nobody had a search warrant to verify if there really was no sign of Nicola in there, and the search team wasn't invited by the owner to come in and search for themselves either. So that was that. I have no idea if police have by now finally done a proper forensic search of that place and its grounds (it looks ominous), but it sounds like they haven't, as one of Nicola's closest friends has written on social media today that police never did a search of their own in that abandoned house, whereas Nicola's family and friends believe that they should have done this. So nearly two weeks into this disappearance case and either police failed to forensically check out that house, which lies pretty much right where Nicola is believed to have vanished. Or....police did manage to get a legal search warrant, but have not even informed Nicola's nearest and dearest of it if they did. Let alone the public. Which would also be odd, considering the chief policewoman the other day called upon the public NOT to play detective and go to these abandoned houses on their own accord. All she had to add is that police went through the abandoned mansion themselves already and turned the place upside down without result. That would be fair towards the properties' owners as well then. But police have not said so. Surely you'd expect places like that house, any outbuildings and the entire nearby caravan park to have been properly searched by now. As a matter of forensic routine and urgency? Update: However, on February 9th Heather Gibbons, who was speaking on behalf of the family, said she had personally spoken to the owner of the 'abandoned house' and he confirmed to her that the abandoned house and derelict outbuildings háve been searched extensively. "It has been searched, inside and outside, from top to bottom by the police. I have clarified this with the family themselves and also with the police. They have never refused entry to the police or told them they need a warrant to search".
*There are at least three CCTV blindspots surrounding Nicola's last seen location.
Nevertheless I honestly think police made mistakes here and should have acted upon all possible scenario's right from the start, sealing the place and gaining access to the abandoned house and its grounds, to the caravans on the holiday park etc right away. There was no police tape put up there for days. That seems astonishingly incompetent now, looking back. It's like police just put all their money and hope on a river fall, and now they are stuck and cannot undo the damage done. Or maybe police themselves have suspicions towards foul play, but try to give the perpetrator a false sense of security by pushing this river falling theory? If so, the family are tormented in the process. And all sorts of 'key witnesses' have been doxxed in the media all week, showing CCTV footage of them ('The lady in Red', 'The woman in Yellow'). Women who were simply minding their own business and walking their dogs, and who had already contacted police, saying they saw and know nothing. But discovered their mugs on the front pages of newspapers. A mess.I wouldn't be surprised unfortunately if it turns out Nicola was kidnapped. Not sure if her husband is already properly investigated and ruled out. He sounds sincere and innocent in his interviews, but statistically the partners or ex partners are most often the perpetrators in such cases, so I am sure police have verified his alibi already. There is that 'abandoned house', there is the holiday park which she passed. Nicola walked that same route for years already. Mostly at the same time. Ánd she posted about it on social media. Someone may have noticed that pattern and grabbed her? And left her phone on that bench near the river as a decoy? I heard about a murder recently where the killer placed a single shoe from the victim next to the river, trying to push police to the wrong narrative. Maybe the same has happened here. Poor Nicola. Nearing two weeks of searches and still nothing has been found. I read that she was wearing a fitbit device. Let's hope it will provide useful information. A team of 40 detectives are currently working on the case. Let's hope that Nicola is found soon!
This video, made by Peter Faulding shows just how slow flowing the river is. He says
Nicola's body would have likely sunk 'very quickly' and remained nearby if she'd gone in
Nicola's body would have likely sunk 'very quickly' and remained nearby if she'd gone in
Retracing Nicola's steps:
Interview with Nicola's long-term partner
February 13, 2023 Nicola Bulley's Neighbour Charlotte Drake has revealed Nicola was carrying her keys when she disappeared. And they have still not been found. According to Nicola's partner Paul Ansell the keys have 'a couple of Mercedes keyrings on it, one black and one blue, a round wooden key ring with paw prints on it, and a couple of normal keys'. He states that they were definitely on Nikki at the time. "A huge bunch of keys, a Mercedes keyring with paw prints which she would have put in her coat pocket," he told Metro. Mr Ansell is appealing for people to look for Ms Bulley's missing Mercedes car keys. He also asks Mercedes to help locate the keyring digitally. Neighbour Charlotte Drake also described Ms Bulley's affection for her dog, Willow. "Even in our small road Willow wouldn't go to the end of the drive without Nikki. There is no way Willow would ever leave her side, and vice versa. Nikki would never, ever have left Willow, the girls and Paul. Ever." Making a personal plea to Lancashire Police and the public, Paul Ansell said: "I want every house, every garage, every out building, the land scrutinised. I want it all searched. I want it all scrutinised, every piece of it. Anything, no matter how tiny, just please just come forward with it. Please. Because that could be the key to finding her and as a family, we are not bothered about anything else. There's nothing else. We just have to find her."
Red van. Detectives are meanwhile said to have visited a local garage on Thursday requesting CCTV footage from the day before Ms Bulley vanished. And a tree surgeon named Denis Rowlandson, who uses a ramshackle barn, reported seeing a 'suspicious' red van spotted there twice, near where Nicola Bulley vanished. The dilapidated barn is believed to be located in Hall Lane. Down a short muddy track, it appears to be part of the same estate as an abandoned house near the River Wyre. The barn is padlocked but has a large hole in the front showing logs piled inside. Next to the barn there is a rundown outbuilding, covered in thick overgrowth with holes in the roof and the windows smashed. The inside is exposed and the floor filled with junk. Meanwhile, the area around the barn is self-contained and doesn’t provide access to any other locations. The man added: "There’s no reason to go into that barn unless you’re nicking logs or up to no good." Rowlandson told The Sun: “There’s no reason to be there, unless you’re up to no good.” Rowlandson said he doesn’t own a red van, and nor does anyone he works with. He said: “I rent the barn to store woodcuts to dry out and I sell them as fire logs. I don’t know anybody with a red van who should be parked outside that barn or near the entrance. I don’t know of anybody at all with a red van. There’s no reason to go into that barn unless you’re nicking logs or up to no good. There’s no reason to be there at all without my permission, there’s nothing else there." A second witness has also contacted officers to report seeing the van in the area.
Two suspicious men. There has also been information shared about a local who saw and reported two 'suspicious' men in the area in the days leading up to Nicola's disappearance. The local alleged that two men, who appeared to be wearing hoods or hats, were near St Michael's Church just over 24 hours prior to Ms Bulley's disappearance. While the witness acknowledged they may have been fisherman, he felt on edge as 'they seemed to want to hide their faces'. This witness claimed he reported this 'strange' incident to police, who took nine days to respond before asking him for a statement. He had to give them a follow-up call after hearing nothing back for several days. He added: "It's frustrating, it would have been much better if I had been spoken to straight away as it was fresher in my mind." The anonymous witness is said to have seen the men by the local church and by a bridge close to Ms Bulley's route on January 26. He told The Sun: "I first saw them at around 7.45am on my way to work on the Thursday, the day before Nicola Bulley vanished. I drive that way every day, so know the road well. I saw two men wearing dark clothing and hoods or hats and carrying fishing rods." The same witness also reported seeing one of the men at a similar time the next day, again appearing to cover his face. he saw one of the individuals near a bridge at a footpath used regularly by the missing mother on the morning she disappeared. CCTV is also understood to have been obtained from The Grapes village pub. A friend of Nicola named Tilly-Ann, meanwhile wrote in a Facebook post supported by the missing mother-of-two's family: 'There's CCTV at the back of the caravan park. The only camera that isn't working is the one that would have seen everything.'
February 15, 2023
In a highly anticipated live press conference, police announced on February 15th that:-1000s of hours of CCTV and dash cam footage have been checked by police;
-dozens of officers are involved;
-more than 300 premises were visited;
-digital specialists look into her phone and extract any information possible;
-the Fitbit which Nicola was wearing hasn't been 'sinked' for a number of days and is as such useless unfortunately for police. The Fitbit needs to be in close proximity of her mobile phone, which it is not at the moment...
-water search specialists continue to search the river and the sea for Nicola;
-extensive land searches surrounding the river have been conducted, including searches of some houses;
-the abandoned house has been searched 3 times. Nada.
-the red van: police is inundated by false info, rumours and such. Police continue to try to trace this car, even though the officer does not believe the car to be suspicious. But they want to rule it out;
-regarding the 'suspicious fishermen': police investigated CCTV but cannot see those fishermen there at those times of day. Police is keen to trace them, but for now do not find them suspicious (despite the two fishermen not coming forward voluntarily...);
-Tiktokkers found a large glove with red stains: it was not Nicola's, but police now have the glove in their possession;
-the caravan owners on the nearby holiday park have all helped police and nobody is considered suspicious;
-police follow professional national search guidelines:
-police believe there is no reason to believe in 3rd party involvement or foul play;
-the investigation is ongoing.
Police also confirm today that the main entrance, by the river path, does not have CCTV. This river path and the main road have the police's main interest. They asked dash cam footage from any car that was in the area at the time. But until now, no dash cam has proven Nicola was there. Or that she left the area on foot (instead of through the water). The most important thing mentioned is probably this: Officer mentions 'sensitivities' and 'vulnerabilities' of Nicola, as told by her family. Unclear what those entail. Police ask the public to respect the family's privacy in this and not resort to speculation. It is personal, private information, police says. Police also did not cordon off the bench initially, they explained, because they treated the disappearance as a high risk case of a person missing from home (due to 'vulnerabilities').. I guess that more general guidelines were followed there. But was that wise? Surely not.. Regardless of your convictions and hunches as a cop, you need to make sure that that bench is forensically checked and that no potential blood spatters or DNA are destroyed. As they would have now, if they were present (which we will never know probably). Based on the wording and tone of the press conference, it seems and sounds to me that Nicola could have had mental problems perhaps at the time of her disappearance. Enough to deem her a 'high risk' missing person. So there were 'vulnerabilities'. Was she anxious? Depressed? Did she go into the river on purpose? How is this possible, when her family have told the press these past weeks that she was in high spirits, had secured a good client at work, had made plans for a Spa visit with her sister I think it was the next day. Tickets for a performance of her kids in school. She was in good spirits, they said. And yet she was deemed vulnerable and sensitive. Which are often used as code words and euphemisms by police. Is this a suicide we're looking at? I don't know. It seems a weird place and a weird time, not to say a weird method to die voluntarily. Or may she has willingly ran away from her home life in Inskip? 'And another update: Nicola Bulley suffered 'significant issues with alcohol brought on by ongoing struggles with menopause' Lancashire police have now revealed. I had already read a similar statement posted online by a neighbour of Nicola, weeks ago. That may explain why she could actually drown in a slow flowing and in parts shallow river... If she was inebriated? Or depressed. Or she may not have fallen in the river at all and just walked out of life, in a sense? The police also revealed that on January 10, officers did a welfare check at the 45-year-old's home address 'as result of those issues'. Police seem to think that Nicola is more likely to be a threat to her own safety at this stage, than a 3rd party?
February 19, 2023Police received a TON of backlash the past days in the UK, from what I saw and read. People saying they have been victim shaming Nicola. And although I am often not that open to woke disclaimers and censorship, in this case there is something to say for all this? How often do we hear of disappeared males that they have "vulnerabilities"? When I heard them use that term in the initial police press conference I was thinking of her being suicidal or having had brain damage or something. Police then later specifying that no, in fact she struggles with early menopause and drank a bit too much at times.. She clearly was not too drunk to drive to school to drop the kids off that morning. While Paul was at home. So are we to believe that he let her drive the precious kids while in an inebriated state? Or does that imply that he was more drunk than her that morning? She spoke with people at the school and on the trail that morning, face to face. Did they notice any alcohol in her breath? To me, it does reek of police being ultra-sensitive about criticism on their investigation, and trying to defend themselves. At the expense of the public image of Nicola and the family. It is not very chic probably.
And I am not sure tbh if her partner Paul is all he says to be? The body language guy did an interesting video about him and does not go as far as to saying he suspects the guy, but he does highlight that Paul had initially painted a glowing image of happy family life. And only now that the police have taken the highly criticised decision to tell the public about Nicola's 'vulnerabilities' does that image scatter. And since police never sealed off the bench, or seized it for forensic analysis.,... Yeh that sounds like a Pitti move. If you don't look for evidence that goes against your accident scenario, you will also not find the 'indications' that something more nefarious took place. Isn't it always best to do things by the book and methodically eliminate options? Not based on a hunch, but on hard science? I let that police news sink in a bit and by now also start to wonder if what police revealed bears ANY heavy importance to this case actually. There are still no signs of a struggle on that riverbank. No feet marks, nothing to prove she ever got in the water there. Also, she wore a wooly hat I believe but not heard anything about gloves. But that hat would have been the first to be spotted drowning. As Power Pixie says: Drunk or not, that first attempt to plunge yourself into cold water is more likely to jolt you to your senses. Ever wonder why people are doused with cold water when they need a pick-me up after drinking?
Wow... very close to where police and Peter Faulding were searching all this time. Bizarre. On February 20th police confirmed it is the body of Nicola. It was spiritual medium Jason Rothwell, 33, who found the body of Nicola Bulley in the River Wyre. He says he cooperated police, and thanked them for their open-mindedness. Rothwell claims he previously assisted in the recovery of Michael Brooks. Police are under scrutiny now for failing to find her, despite being found so close to the village and less than a mile from where she went missing.
July 17, 2022. In 2018, cyber expert Arjen Kamphuis mysteriously disappeared in Norway. To this day, the disappearance raises many questions and his story is a source of many theories as to what happened to him. Is there 'someone' or 'something' behind the disappearance of this WikiLeaks specialist?
I uploaded the 4-part documentary series here and I created and added English subtitles. I also write more about this case in this blogpost of mine on this koudekaas blog.
Arjen Kamphuis, 47, an expert on cyber security and espionage, an author of 'Information Security for Journalists' and a Wikileaks associate, disappeared on August 20th, 2018 while allegedly kayaking in Norway. His body has never been found. Kamphuis was something of a celebrity in the cyber security world, and well-known among journalists and activists, training them on opsec and providing them with stripped-down devices for secure communications. He is considered an authority on cyber security and espionage. His book 'Information Security for Journalists' is one of the most comprehensive manuals for journalists on how to protect themselves online.
Kamphuis suddenly disappeared on August 20th, 2018. He was last seen checking out of his hotel in Bodø in the north of Norway. Ten days after his disappearance, his cell phone unexpectedly made contact with radio towers in southern Norway, near the town of Vikesa. His phone was active for 20 minutes, after which the SIM card was removed and a German SIM was placed in the device. Three weeks after his disappearance, his kayak, his identity card, and other personal items were found in a fjord near Mount Kvænflåget, north of Rognan. Witnesses reported seeing Kamphuis in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Norway, but none of these sightings could be confirmed. The police think that one of three things happened to Kamphuis - he was involved in an accident, he fell victim to a crime, or he went into hiding himself. Nearly 4 years later, there is still no sign of the Dutchman. Watch the translated 4-part documentary about this mysterious case here
Comparing the cases superficially
Looking more freshly at the Kris and Lisanne case, after learning so much about the disappearance of Arjen Kamphuis, I can perhaps see some minor similarities. For instance;Bungling foreign host countries - In both cases there is a foreign host country making sure that the case is closed as soon as possible, based on rather far-fetched and unproven claims. The Norwegians drummed up two Eastern European truck drivers to try to cement the holes in the official narrative shut. But nobody else knows who they are, or had a chance to interview them. There is also no real explanation for the sudden use of a German SIM card in Arjen's phone. In the Kris and Lisanne case, Panamanian officials just declared the case an accident, without any hard evidence to support this. They juggled with theories like a fall from a bridge, exhaustion, hypothermia a fall from a cliff and a wild animal attack, and depending on the newspaper she talked to, investigator Betzaida Pittí képt juggling her main scenarios. But without forensic evidence to back it up. In both cases, witnesses also refused to talk.. Some were clearly instructed or threatened to keep their mouths shut.
Strangely behaving phones - In both cases, there is a mobile phone that takes center stage, and turns a seemingly run-of-the-mill accident case upside down. Permanently vigilant cyber secutiry expert Arjen Kamphuis secured his phone better than most of us out there ever will, and yet... his phone was powered on and received two correct PIN codes in a completely different corner of the country, and over a week after he went missing and his kayak was found. Kris and Lisanne's phones also tell a strange story, in the eyes of many. neither pieces of communication technology seem to overlap with what you would expect from accident cases.
Unusual behaviour prior to disappearing - Arjen was vague to his friends and family about where he was going and why. He bought a foldable kayak in the Netherlands, and carried the thing all the way up to Norway. Instead of just renting one locally.. Despite Arjen never before having kayaked, as far as anyone knows. Nor sharing stories about his expensive kayak to friends. He went out in the evening supposedly, kayaking around 9 PM when it was getting dark, and while it was cold and rainy. By himself. Near a secret service intelligence center. Strange behaviour. Kris and Lisanne are claimed to have booked a guided tour the next day, and told their family they were eagerly waiting for news about replacement volunteer work, on the day they went missing. Their teacher had instructed them not to hike this Pianista trail by themselves, and to always go with a guide. Something Lisanne urged other tourists in Bocas to do as well. She was all about planning and safety. And yet... these two girls hiked up that desolate cloud forest trail, by themselves. Dressed in super casual street wear. Barely any normal hiking stuff packed in their bag. But they did bring a rather large sum of cash up the mountain. Even their host mother declared to the newspapers that they had no plans to hike and would certainly not do so, as Lisanne was not feeling super, with a cold or asthma-type of symptoms the previous day. And yet, they went out there. Alone, for all we can tell from their photos.
Other details that don't add up - In Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, their very few remains were for instance found in a place that had been inspected already before by officials. And yet it were locals who found these remains, unsupervised by anyone from Pittí's team. The state of the belongings and the place they were found directly contradict the ravine fall theory, as well as the wild animal theory. None of the items show evidence of a fall from great height. The use of their phones and camera lack any normal signs of panic or a desire to document what happened to them, for their loved ones at home. This is something you see time and time again with people stuck in the wild. The fact that Kris and Lisanne wrote daily in their diaries, makes the total lack of written documentation after disappearing all the more baffling. Not even the sturdy digital camera with plenty of memory space and battery life was used to document their ordeal in a clear and transparent manner. As for Arjen Kamphuis: his indestructible kayak was found with holes and dents in it. But Norwegian police had zero interest in forensically explaining or investigating this. Arjen carried important and secret data on USB sticks around his neck. He did not even take them off while showering. Similar for his laptop and phone, which he carried in a backpack which he almost never took off. But after going missing, the laptop and phone were fished up by anonymous Lithuanian truckers, according to the police. No mention of his important USB keys. But the relatives only ever recieved a plundered, half laptop back, with its hard disk missing.
Also, Peter R. de Vries talked about Arjen's case as well, and Frank van de Goot has now offered to look for a body of Arjen in that fjord soon. (4 years after the fact...). You can keep reading / watching about this case of Arjen kamphuis HERE and HERE.
British journalist Dom Philips and human right's friend chased in jungle and murderedA sad case, where a British journalist and a Brazilian human right's activist and an Indigenous expert disappeared in the jungle, and it now turns out they were chased by someone and murdered. It happens... [source] The backpack of British journalist Dom Phillips (57) was found in the Brazilian Amazon forest, about a week after their disappearance. Dom Phillips was accompanied by Brazilian human rights activist Bruno Araujo Pereira (41), and they had been on an expedition in the remote jungle area near the border with Peru and Colombia, that is home to the world's largest number of uncontacted indigenous people. The wild and lawless region has lured cocaine-smuggling gangs, along with illegal loggers, miners and hunters. The pair were last seen June 5 near the entrance of the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory. They would be returning alone by boat on the Itaquai to Atalaia do Norte but never arrived. Their belongings were reportedly found "tied underwater" in the Amazon. The backpack, which was identified as belonging to Dom Phillips, was found tied to a tree that was half-submerged, a firefighter told reporters in Atalaia do Norte. It is the end of the rainy season in the region and part of the forest is flooded. The development came a day after police reported finding traces of blood in the boat of a fisherman who is under arrest as the only suspect in the disappearance. Officers also found organic matter of apparent human origin in the river. The materials are being analyzed.
In a statement Sunday night, June 12th 2022, police said they had identified the items as the belongings of both missing men, including a health card and clothes of Bruno Pereira, the Brazilian Indigenous expert. Police also found the boots of both men, and trousers belonging to Bruno Pereira, who accompanied Philips on the expedition in the Javari Valley, along the border with Peru. Eyewitnesses had seen the pair traveling via the Itacoai River on Sunday, June 6. According to local media, the items were found near the home of a man arrested in the case. Witnesses saw him chasing Philips and Pereira upriver. The suspect is fisherman Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, also known as Pelado, and he is under arrest. According to accounts by Indigenous people who were with Pereira and Phillips, he brandished a rifle at them the day before the pair disappeared. The suspect denies any wrongdoing and said military police tortured him to try to get a confession, his family told The Associated Press. The police have now searched an area of about 25 square kilometers, but have not yet found the men. There is little hope that they will be found alive.
Pereira worked for the Brazilian government agency for indigenous affairs. Philips wrote for the British newspaper The Guardian. They were out in the Javari Valley doing interviews for a book on environmental conservation. More and more illegal activities are taking place in the area, such as fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking. Police officers involved in the investigation told Reuters that they are mainly targeting poachers and illegal fishermen in the region. They often clashed with Pereira because he organized indigenous patrols in the local reserve. Authorities have said a main line of the police investigation into the disappearance has pointed to an international network that pays poor fishermen to fish illegally in the Javari Valley reserve, which is Brazil’s second-largest Indigenous territory.
Update June 15th: Local broadcaster Band News has reported that brothers Oseney, 41, and fisherman Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, 41, ‘confessed to killing and dismembering British journalist Dom Phillips, 57, and his indigenous guide, 41.’ At least one of the brothers has admitted to have killed the men, cut them in pieces and then burnt the remains. The motive would have supposedly been that Phillips and Pereira had been taking photos of illegal fishing activities. Blood was found on Amarildo's boat and an oar and firearms were seized. The brothers have reportedly led police to a remote area where the bodies may have been left. And unfortunately, human remains of two people were also dug up there. 'I have just been informed by the federal police that ''human remains were found at the site where excavations were being carried out''. They will undergo forensic analysis. Later today, those responsible for the investigations will hold a press conference in Manaus,' Brazil's Justice Minister Anderson Torres said on Twitter. Federal police detective Eduardo Fontes added that police would work with Interpol to confirm the identity of the bodies, and that additional arrests are still possible in the case. President Jair Bolsonaro had already said earlier, on Wednesday afternoon, that he expected the case to be wrapped up 'in the coming hours.' He also stated that human organs had been found floating in the river, and that 'something wicked' had been done to the two missing men. The news comes on the same day that the Brazilian ambassador in London had to apologise for its embassy mistakenly telling the family of the journalist that the pair - including Pereira - were found dead.
Update June 17th: Brazilian police have tonight confirmed that the human remains discovered in the Amazon rainforest are those of missing British journalist Dom Phillips, bringing an end to the 12 day saga since the pair first disappeared. Local broadcaster CNN Brasil cited federal police sources who claim a dental arch exam confirmed this. Brazilian detectives are believed to be interrogating three other individuals, at least one of whom is thought to have had a hand in the murders. Prime suspect Amarildo has now confessed to shooting and dismembering the pair.
Update June 22th: The police report that the victims have been shot at. Phillips was hit in the chest and Pereira in the head and stomach. An examination of the bodies shows that a 'firearm with typical hunting ammunition' was used. The police said in a statement that the perpetrators acted alone and that no criminal organizations were involved. Indigenous organizations, however, question that. According to Univaja, a local indigenous group involved in the investigation, all indications are that Pereira (41) and Philips (57) "crossed paths with a powerful criminal organization that tried to cover its tracks at all costs."
The disappearance of American hiker Meghan Marohn, March 27th of 2022
The 42 year old literature teacher from New York disappeared in or near a forest park, called Longcope Property Park. It is situated in Lee, Massachusetts. At the time of her disappearance, Marohn lived in Delmar, New York. She was employed as an English teacher at Shaker High School in Latham, New York. Marohn was a climate activist and volunteered for nonprofit news organizations such as Democracy Now! and the Sanctuary for Independent Media. Described as an outdoor enthusiast, Marohn loved nature and hiked a lot on her own. She was an avid poet and started the Troy Poem Project, a community poetry project based in Troy, New York. On March 24, 2022, Marohn drove from her hometown of Delmar, New York, to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Upon arrival, Marohn checked at the Red Lion Inn hotel. Her family and friends believe she was experiencing emotional upset at the time and wanted to get away. On the evening of March 26, 2022, Marohn called her brother (Peter Naple) and told him she was reading a book and having a bowl of soup in her room, Peter said. On March 27, 2022, Marohn’s vehicle, a Black 2017 Subaru Impreza, was found by abandoned on Church Street at approximately 12:00 pm. It was found by a resident, located in a parking lot near Janet Longcope Park, a 46-acre park with hiking trails in Lee, Massachusetts. She was scheduled to leave her hotel room on March 30, 2022, but Marohn never returned home, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
On March 29, 2022, her family grew concerned when they were unable to contact her and filed a missing persons report with the Bethlehem New York Police Department. At the same time, the Lee Police Department was notified after it was reported that Marohn’s abandoned vehicle had been parked in the same spot for two days. Inside her car authorities found some clothes, a small box of film CDs, and a pair of shoes. Her vehicle was found unlocked and the keys were missing. On March 27, 2022, her cell phone pinged to a rural residential area across Church Street from the Longcope trailhead, before the signal went dead at approximately 3:00 pm. Her phone pinged in the parking lot of Longcope park, but "according to phone data, Meghan never actually entered the park, but instead went down the street to private property." Her brother Peter said about this: "Which doesn't make any sense. She left her car unlocked, which is against what she has done in the past." "We don't know if she was going hiking. We still don't know where she went to. We found hiking boots in her car. If you were go hiking, you'd think you'd wear your hiking boots..". On March 29, 2022, authorities conducted an extensive search of a two square-mile area, including Longcope Park and nearby areas off Church Street, with the help of helicopters, drones, and K9 units, but no trace of Meghan Marohn was found. Police found no evidence, means, or motive for foul play in Meghan Marohn’s disappearance. Her case is currently ongoing and active. A $50,000 reward is being offered by her family for information that leads to Meghan Marohn’s safe return. Her mobile phone, car key, hotel key and purse are also still missing. The circumstances of Meghan Marohn’s disappearance remain unclear, and her case is currently classified as missing. Her case remains unsolved.
Although Meghan Marohn may very well have become the victim of an accident or crime, I personally wonder if this case may perhaps turn out to be a suicide, perhaps. It is not clear why Meghan went out on her own for this multiday trip, and her relatives said she may have left due to some (undisclosed) 'personal issues' she was upset about. Her brother Peter did say that the 'devoted teacher' was having some issues at the school where she worked: "What happened at that school, caused her a lot of heartache. The school gave her paid leave until the end of the school year." The school did not provide any further details on this paid leave issue. As an avid hiker, she would look for nature to find her balance again. Did she go away for this trip to deal with depression perhaps? In this article from Meghan, posted originally in August of 2020, she not only provides a review of an essay from Joan Didion, but also described her Extinction Rebellion activism work and the loss of her mother to an aneurism. She muses in some particularly pessimistic paragraphs: "And so even with my frustration over Didion’s blind spots, I find myself thinking about the essay and the windiness of places, and how the winds of time can bring towers and sphinxes tumbling down into dust. 2019 was a year in which I said goodbye to a lot. The grief of one person has conjured up grief for the others, losses I thought I had processed. But there are some big, fundamental spiritual shifts happening in which I am saying goodbye to a lot of notions about myself, how to live life, what to expect, and letting go of what “should” come next, too. Of course, there were changes in the course of this past year that make the process seem deeply personal, but I actually believe that there is a deep collective awareness and rage over the state of the world and the thoroughness of the corruption of our institutions. It’s pretty thorough. Big pharma’s profiteering in the domain of “first do no harm,” the tech sector’s co-opting of schools, housing scarcity, corporate food, all of it — yet 2019 was the mallet over my skull crashing down the message of duh! It never worked. It was never going to work. And friends doing their homework and me doing my homework to be like, right. Did you think things got better as history unfolded with these systems? Overt war, covert war? Do you think colonizer culture reckoned with … anything? Meaningfully? That mentality was always going to lead to a destruction so rapacious and thorough that the logical speciescidal and genocidal conclusions are unfolding. And now we have the threat of destruction, possibly nuclear war, hanging in our daily consciousness. And so the context has shifted for all of us, not because the context has truly shifted but because this particular administration means that we have no choice but to look at the monster behind the curtain. Quick note or reminder that apokaluptein means “uncovering” or “unveiling.” We’re all in the same game of what I’ll call, in reference to Didion, saying “Goodbye to All That and a Whole Lot More.” And: "Last year, to stave off depression in the winter as I really let the reality of Rupert Read’s writing on the crisis sink into my bones, I became, obsessed, fell in love, as it were, with rereading Angels in America." Although this could very well be a case of abduction or an accident of sorts, I mostly wonder if given her age, she may have been depressed about the loss of her mother, the loss of her job by the sound of it and the loss of the world she knew (amid the recent covid pandemic, political upheaval etc), and maybe even motherhood or something (considering her age). Combined with a very fatalistic world-view, going by her writings, I do wonder in this particular case if she may have been depressed and if this could be a suicide case perhaps. Although she would have gone out of her ways then to not be found, after the fact. Just an idea, since her brother told a news outlet that she had issues with her school and was put on paid leave for the year. She also was not in a great mental place when she left for this trip. Anyway, I hope Meghan will soon be found and that there will soon be answers for her loved ones.
Meghan Marohn update:
March 30th 2022
I had forgotten about this case, but read about it again today; the kidnapping (and murder) of 43 students in Mexico on September 26th, 2014. It was long unknown what happened to these youngsters, who studied at the Rural Teachers College, a place associated with leftist activism. They were forced into busses and driven away while on their way to the annual memorial protest of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, in Mexico City. They were allegedly handed over to a drug gang and slain, and have not been heard from since. In their official version, the Mexican government said that the army and the Federal Police didn't know anything about what happened. Most of the students’ bodies have also never been found, though burned bone fragments have been matched to three students. Two independent teams of experts however cast doubt on these Mexican officials. By now, a report that was published by a special investigation on March 28th 2022, has revealed that in fact, the army and politicians did know what has happened and covered it up. Mexico’s armed forces knew that the 43 student teachers who disappeared were being kidnapped by criminals. They also hid evidence that could have helped locate them. The army and the Federal and State Police not only knew precisely what was happening that night, but carefully buried official reports that prove that the army and the Federal Police were in fact chasing the students that day of their abduction.
The real story turns out to have to do with drugs as unbeknown to the students, heroine was hidden in these two specific busses they used. A powerful drug lord - Gildardo López Astudillo (el Gil) - bribed an official as he wanted his drugs back and the federal police opened fire on the two busses of the students and took them and the busses elsewhere. All of this was known and helped organize by the deputy chief of the municipal police force, Francisco Salgado Valladares. It went so far even that on September 26th itself, Salgado texted López to report that his officers had arrested the students for having taken the busses. Salgado then wrote that 21 of the students were being held on a bus. López responded by arranging a transfer point on a rural road near the town, saying he “had beds to terrorize” the students in, likely referencing his plans to torture and bury them in clandestine grave sites. Police chief Salgado next wrote that he had 17 more students being held “in the cave,” to which López replied that he “wants them all.” Salgado agreed to handing over the student group and not reporting arrests to his command. The two then made plans for their underlings to meet at a place called Wolf’s Gap, and Salgado reminded López to be sure to send enough men to handle the job. A bit later that night, Salgado also informed the crime boss that “all the packages have been delivered.”
-Page 1: Messages between Francisco Salgado Valladares, called Ignacio here, and Gildardo López Astudillo - named Gil.
-Page 2: Messages between Alejandro Palacios, el Cholo, and Ramón, an alleged police officer from Tepecoacuilco. In the conversation the alleged criminal commented that a clandestine grave was found in Pueblo Viejo, but this would have been because someone revealed the location. In addition, all the clandestine burial points of the Gil would have been located and they presumed some agreement. Supposedly, a ministerial agent asked for the capo's cooperation to deliver 10 bodies and calm the situation. By then, eight days had elapsed since the events. Later the officer revealed that he would transfer the Gil to "a cave" located in the domains of Cholo Palacios, since a search had been unleashed in "las cazuelas", which are presumed to be safe houses of Guerreros Unidos. In one of them they would have captured Ponpi and/or Pompi. Another subject identified as the Bear, the subjects point out, would have fled to Mexico City.
After the disappearance of the students and their busses, the police started to right away cover up both the evidence of the exchanges between Salgado and López, as well as everything that was already known by then about the crime itself. The Mexican army for instance had wiretaps with the facts of this case, but hid them. Police communicated lies that the students had been 'hooded and armed'. Investigators pretended to quickly try to resolve the crime, through illegal searches, detentions and torture of suspects. Many of the suspects arrested in the case were later released, and many claimed they had been tortured by police or the military. A former Colombian prosecutor, Angela Buitrago, said the group of independent experts found proof that authorities and even Mexico’s military (which works directly with the cartels) withheld or falsified evidence from the start of the search. “It was falsified from the first day to the last day.” Investigators, prosecutors and military personnel altered crime scenes and records. A government drone video obtained by the experts showed marines and police climbing around the area where the students were allegedly killed with little control. And the students were under surveillance because their college, which has strong ties to leftwing social movements in Mexico, was viewed as a hotbed of subversion, the experts said. “Security authorities had two intelligence processes under way, one to follow the actions of organized crime in the area and the other to track the students,” the investigators said in the report, which was based on declassified documents. This case turned out to be a shocking collusion between the police, army, organized crime, and a massive coverup by the Mexican government. Only very recently have some of the officials involved been linked to the crimes of forced disappearance and organized crime in relation to this student kidnapping. “It’s necessary to make it very clear that these crimes weren’t even investigated” let alone prosecuted by the former government’s prosecutors, said Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero. Even the former mayor of Iguala, José Luis Abarca Velázquez, and his beautiful wife, María de los Ángeles Pineda Villa, could have been involved in the students’ disappearance. But whether the true culprits will ever face justice remains to be seen. The leader of the Guerreros Unidos gang, linked to the abduction and murder of the students, was arrested in 2020, but soon after again released 'due to insufficient evidence'. Roughly 90% of missing people's cases are never solved in Mexico, a country where statistically one person disappeares every hour of every day..
This sounds even worse than what some of us accuse Betzaida Pitti of.. But just some context of what goes on in this region.
The disappearance of Belgian tourist Natacha de Crombrugghe in Peru, January 24th of 2022
The young Belgian is a law graduate from the Catholic University of Leuven who worked for an insurance company until recently. Natacha is 1.65m tall, has a slim build, has long curly brown hair and occasionally wears glasses. She was in possession of a black and turquoise backpack. She could wear a black hooded jacket, hiking clothes and sneakers at the time of her disappearance, according to the police of Brussels. Interestingly, Natacha is said to have left a backpack in her hotel room in the Andean town of Cabanaconde on January 23, before leaving to visit the Colca Canyon (assumed to have been the next day, the 24th), a popular tourist destination in the Peruvian highlands. The trek she took should have taken only about three to four hours. But she never returned. An acquaintance called Marius Pons-Bordeaux, had spent four days together with Natacha in Colombia earlier, where they explored the Amazon jungle in a group setting. He declared to Belgian media that he had last communicated with Natacha on January 23rd at 5:00 PM. This was half an hour before the very last known contact of Natacha, with her parents (at 5:30 PM - 22:30 GMT). "The last time we received a message from her, we had her GPS position. I know that on that day, the weather was not a concern." Marius Pons-Bordeaux also testified: "The possibility that she got lost is not excluded. I hope that we will find my friend very soon". "She is a very lively person, who smiles all the time, who brought a very strong energy to the group," said the French tourist. “All theories are possible, so none should be ruled out. The last time we received a message from her, as well as her GPS position, was January 23 at 5 PM. The possibility that she got lost cannot be ruled out. Apparently, that day, the weather was not necessarily good”, he then u-turned on the weather. "I am very concerned, ten days is not nothing (...) I really hope that we will find this person whom I appreciate enormously". Social media posts have by now been shared more than 14,000 times. In the comments, a backpacker claims to have crossed paths with Natacha near Lake Titicaca.
Rescuer Eloy Cayca, nicknamed “The angel of the disappeared”, became known in his country after finding the body of Ciro Castillo Rojo. Ciro was a 26-year-old student who disappeared in 2011 in the same area where the search for Natacha is now being carried out. He got lost and fell to his death. Cayca is helping to locate Natacha, and has explained which two things he believes are most likely to have happened to her. “We have to do our job in an inhospitable area. Also, the weather is very bad. There is a storm, it is raining.” He added that Natacha's planned hike is "well marked and not extremely dangerous", but that "there are difficult points". Eloy Cacya thinks that she either checked into a lodge on the way, and could not contact her family, for example because she is sick. Or she took the wrong path and she got lost. But he adds that the area is fringed with wild animals, which can attack people. “There are also other people walking around here, perhaps with less good intentions. We will keep looking until we find something,” concluded Cayca.
Colca Canyon
The Colca Canyon is located in southern Peru, about 160 kilometers northwest of the city of Arequipa. It is one of the deepest canyons in the world, nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon at its 3,400m deepest point (although some sites state a depth of over 4000 m), and home to soaring condors and endless trekking routes. There are also many animals living in this canyon, incuding condors, llamas, guanacos, alpacas and even pumas. There are also natural hot springs (one is called the Calera hot springs... I am not making this up). This High Andes fissure is one of the most impressive scenic landscapes in Peru and a popular tourist destination. In 2010 it received for instance more than 160,000 visitors. It offers multiple hike options as well as a large number of viewpoints and colonial towns along the route. Many activities are organized here (especially between December to March), including guided tours, rock climbing, mountain biking as well as rafting. Most hiking tours through the canyon are considered moderately intense to difficult. If you want to cross the entire canyon, you are looking at a four day hike, ending in Chivay town (at 3550 meters above sea level), but there are several different routes. That popular site claims: "There is no need to book an expensive tour as this Colca Canyon trek can be done self guided, cheaply and easily using this detailed route planning guide and 2 – 3 day itinerary. There is no guide requirement for the Colca Canyon trek. The routes are easy to follow and can be done by anyone with basic hiking knowledge." "Trekking options are readily available and start from the tiny and further village of Cabanaconde". Natacha was last in contact with her family when she was at a hostel in Cabanaconde, a nearby town where tourists leave for the hike to the Colca Canyon. From here, they usually take a bus to the canyon. Busses that go to the Colca Valley leave every 30 minutes from the central bus station. There are also luxury hotels situated near the canyon itself though.
* "Trails are generally wide and stable, although many areas are very steep and tend to be covered in loose gravel. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended and trekking poles are helpful."
* "The sun can be strong in the canyon and there is a noticeable shortage of shade. Starting early and bringing plenty of sun protection is essential. The solar heat can make the long steep climbs even more difficult."
* "Elevations are no greater than 3,400 meters at their peak, which may or may not affect hikers depending on their acclimatization."
* "There are a few 2 day / 1 night and 3 day / 2 night “classic” Colca Canyon trekking route options which most people choose in the canyon. In addition, there are several ways to shorten or lengthen these routes with longer trekking days or by adding side treks to nearby villages. Every option starts with a long and steep descent to the river and ends with an equally long and steep return to town. The western part of the canyon including Llahuar and Belén is the least frequented portion of these main routes."
* "There are accommodations in the canyon, so there is no need to carry camping gear unless you plan on doing an alternate route. Hotels in Cabanaconde will store excess luggage so only the essentials need to be carried on the hike."
* "It is possible to book your accommodations online before the trek if you know your route, or you can shown up and find a hotel on the fly if this is your style.[..] There are several villages in the canyon which have accommodations available for Colca Canyon trekkers. The main towns visited are San Galle, San Juan de Chuccho and Llahuar, but there are also guesthouses in at least Malata, Cosñinhua (directly next to Malata) and the alternative destination of Tapay."
* "There are no ATMs in Cabanaconde so bringing adequate cash is a requirement."
* "Depending on the time of year, natural water sources may be hard to find along the Colca Canyon trek. Bottled water is sold in all villages along the way. Carrying water purification helps cut down on plastic consumption."
-SO, it sounds like this canyon has its fair share of dangers and risks for hikers, including falling down, suffering from sunstroke or dehydration. But at the same time it is a well paved tourist area with a lot of other tourists and amenities in place.
Natacha de Crombrugghe is now being searched by two rescue teams from the National Police of Peru (PNP) in the Jesana area, on the road leading towards Sangalle, in the sector known as The Oasis. The Colca Autonomous Authority (Autocolca) reported that the rescue teams went to this sector, because it is a route that she is expected to have taken to reach the tourist area, located in the bank of the Colca River. The rescue teams, lead by Eloy Cacya, began their search in the Achachihua, San Miguel and Jesana sectors. On Sunday the 6th of Februari, they returned to this place to continue with the rescue efforts towards Sangalle. Eloy Cacya is said to want to summon in another 10 specialized rescuers from Arequipa. Police have reported that Natacha stayed at a hotel in the Cabanaconde district, with the intention of getting to know El Oasis (which is a very touristic, busy area on the edge of the Colca River). The young woman traveled alone to the Colca Valley. Her itinerary and whether she made friends with other tourists or locals is unknown. Although someone named Luis Garrido wrote on facebook that after settling in her hostel/hotel in Cabanaconde, Natacha had met a certain 'Mirko', who works in that hostel. But that she left for the canyon hike alone. Natacha's parents are flying to Peru to help with the searches.
I looked online for reviews of this Oasis place. One hiker wrote: "Got to Colca canyon after so many reviews on it. Took the trail from Cabanaconde to the oasis and back. The way is beautiful with a lot of vegetation, you need to climb up and down 1400m or so, in those two days. From sangalle it's possible to take a mule for the ascent of 1000m. I think that Peru is so amazing you don't need to pay 70 soles to get amazing views on nature, that was a bit too expensive, 70 soles only for getting into the reserve. Also there are no markings along the way and... it's very easy to get here by bus!"
StChristoffel wrote on May 2014: "Amazing experience. We arrived at the oasis after a harsh 6 hour guided walk from Cabanaconde. It was dusk, so we only took a short dive in the pool to cool off from the hike. At night it is was too cold to swim, showers have the same temperature. There are several companies that have little huts for rent (15 soles for a twin) in this oasis. The hut was very basic, only two beds and a lamp, but hey, you are in an oasis in the middle of a desert canyon, that was more than we wished for. As in most remote places in Peru water is scarse. The huts together with the palms, swimming pool, restaurant and the view of the canyon are truly an amazing experience. The food they serve tastes good, you can also order all kinds of soft drinks/juices/beers/cocktails. Take some supplies with you (water!), or be ready to pay a high price as everything has to be brought there by foot. You have to master a pretty steep hike in and out of the canyon, but is definitely worth the effort."
Someone else wrote: "One need to remember that this Oasis is very basic, there is no electricty on the ground and it accessible only by trekking, so one can't expect very high standard or any comfort that require electricity. Rustic rooms are basic as they could be, there is no floor, bed is located on the ground, there is no furniture and there is no electricity - we were provided with the candle. Beer, water and some snacks can be purchased here, but it is more expensive (consider, that all food has to be carried by person or more likely by person on the 6 hours return trip along the steep path). So it is recommended to bring your won food. The swimming pool supplied by mountain water is naturally cold."
And another review: "A magnificient "paradise" at the bottom of the Valley. 24 km of hard but wonderful trekking were you keep finding amazing corners to take pictures and other people to share experiences. I decided to make the route the same day, starting at Cabanaconde (3.200m) going down until the "Oasis" (2.200m) and back up, but you can also spend a night at the lovely resort located at the bottom of the canyon. It is worth the effort, make sure you bring enough water with you. Enjoy!!! 👊💪"
Canyon searches with a drone and with groups of rescuers descending into some of the ravines to try to find Natacha, have resulted in the discovery of female clothing, ten meters from the path. This happened in an area called Yaguar, according to Gazzeta de Arequipa. Natacha's family, who arrived in Peru, will have to determine now if these clothes belonged to Natacha or not. The police are hoping to retrace the canyon hike of Natacha and identify the people she may have met on her way. They are also counting on the electronic trace of the young Belgian's mobile phone, to try to locate her. According to Canal N and Infobae, the Peruvian police have contacted their Belgian counterpart to coordinate the rescue strategy. "As the days go by, the search area expands," local policeman Víctor Zanabria told Canal N. “From Cabanaconde there are several circuits of two, three or more days in the Colca Canyon. "We [already] redid the route taken by the majority of tourists to Cabanaconde but did not obtain results," said the police chief. "We believe that (Natacha de Crombrugghe) could have come across one of these routes,” added Eloy Cacya, a specialized rescuer. in the high mountains who participate in the research. "We have to explore all the hypotheses." But the rain erased the recent traces and complicated the operation, he added. Update: Eloy Cacya has since announced that he will not be continuing the search due to personal issues.
Update February 9th 2022According to the Peruvian newspaper LR Arequipa, local police have announced that the clothing that was found cannot belong to Natacha, as it had already been lying there for several months. Still no sign of Natacha or any of her belongings within the canyon. According to Sudpresse, Natacha was also seen in another hostel in the Cabanaconde region. There, she apparently used the internet to "communicate with her family", assures someone named Juli of "Miko's": "She came alone […] She slept in another hotel." I don't know if this info is verified at this point, and where it fits into the timeline. Small new case details seem to drip in every day though. A golden retriever dog named Wally is helping the searches, which now enter their 7th day. In all, twenty-five members of high mountain rescue in the area are deployed, drones fly over hard-to-reach places and Wally the tracker dog is involved. All routes through the canyon are traced, searchers have knocked on doors of every cabin they passed and asked mine workers if they have seen Natacha, which they denied. Police still presume that Natacha may have had an accident, but the Public Prosecution of Peru has also opened a criminal investigation. Policemen from the Murder Cases team have investigated Natacha's hostel room and personal possessions, also with luminol. Hopefully her mobile phone will be analyzed soon and researchers will try to locate it.
Update February 12th 2022In the ongoing search for Natacha de Crombrugghe, a large segment of the rescuers have stopped. Their reason: the Peruvian government refuses to support them and their logistics. A group of ten rescuers wanted to comb out the road between Sangalle and San Juan de Chuchco, and had to cover a distance of seven hours. They had requested transport, but this proved impossible. The rescuers also asked for fuel to be able to move by car, but they were not granted any support. Since the search began, rescuers have apparently paid for almost everything out of their own pocket. According to statements by Joel Quicaña, a rescuer in action since last Saturday, to various local media, the authorities have not paid for any accommodation, transport or food. Joel Quicaña also asked Autocolca and the mayor of Cabanaconde for support with a truck, but none agreed to help them. “The manager of Autocolca did not want to support anything and my group has decided to return. We wanted to go down to comb out the route from Sangalle to San Juan de Chucho, and for that we needed a truck to pick us up, because we were going to walk down from Cabanaconde and that is exhausting and far away. Well, he told us that they didn't have a truck. We then told them that in that case, we could find a truck but if they could then support us with fuel, but they said that they didn't have that either and that it was not possible.” Autocolca later resonded to this and has stated that they work with another group of rescuers, to whom they provide the necessary supplies and logistical support. This group is in charge of Alfredo Humaní. - That is all well and good, but it sounds like a bit of a childish spat to play things out this way, from Autocolca. They clearly have money to support every decent rescue opweration, also of these local men. It is very unfortunate that well intending and professional searchers are treated this way, when every person helping to find Natacha should be welcome and supported. Currently, there are still 30 police officers in the area, integrated into three brigades, which cover the left bank of the Colca Valley. The municipality of La Molina has also joined in the search efforts. It provided a modern "DJI Dual" drone with infrared vision. Experts from Divincri, the investigation unit of the Peruvian police carried out luminol tests in the hostel where Natacha was staying. No trace of blood was found there. For the investigators it is therefore ruled out that the young woman was the victim of an assault at her hotel. However, crime is still considered on the track which Natacha hiked. According to several Peruvian media, Belgian police may come over in the near future to reinforce the team of investigators on the spot. Belgian's federal prosecutor's office declared in this respect that for the moment, "it is theoretically possible that an international letter of request will go there. But as at the judicial level, there is no bilateral agreement between Peru and Belgium, the procedure will be longer". - So we are starting to see similar mechanics at work in Peru as back in 2014 in Panama... Belgium has to wait and see while Peru is leading the investigation. And while Peru is starting to make errors of judgement (not providing volunteer specialists any sort of financial support is probably a silly mistake). Luckily Peru uses at least luminol and infrared drones... Something we could have only dreamed about in Panama back in 2014. - Below you can see Joel Quicaña in action (you can select the automatic translation option and chooose English subs). He also highlights dangers along the route.
Update February 13th 2022The owner of the hostel where Natacha stayed, Gladys López (also called Gladis Lopez Jimenez), spoke to police and the media. López said that on January 23, at approximately 7:30 PM, Natacha arrived alone at her hostel, 'La Estancia', in Cabanaconde. Gladys says that Natacha went there on the recommendation of Mirko, the owner of a place called "Pachamama" in Cabanaconde. Gladys said that the young woman spoke fluent Spanish. After settling in her room on the third floor (room No. 33 and no one was with her), the young tourist went down to the reception to consult López about a place where she could have dinner and after going out to eat nearby, she returned to the hostel at 11:00 PM and spoke again with Gladys. "She comes back and tells me that she is going to do a tour of the Colca Canyon for five days and asked me if I had a deposit to store the backpack or could she leave it in the same room", López says. The owner apparently told Natacha to leave the backpack in the room, and she would not further charge her for it. "Since I had no more guests, I told her to leave her room and she would only be charged 30 soles for that night." Another important detail for the investigations is that on January 24, the last day Natacha was seen, López opened the door for her and Natacha left at approximately 5:00 AM All the clothes she was wearing were black and she was carrying a small black backpack. Another detail that López revealed was that that night in the same lodging, on the fourth floor, her sister and brother-in-law were sleeping, while her mother and herself slept on the first floor level. Gladys' mother also witnessed Natacha leaving the hostel. Gladys said that she had to travel to the city of Arequipa for personal reasons that day, but that she had to return immediately after the disappearance of Natacha. According to her narration, she had to give her testimony before the police. "I do not have anything to hide. Between heaven and earth there is nothing hidden. The luminol test that they have already done ruled out a possible murder (in the hotel) We have to have a little human feeling that we are an entrepreneurial family and we are not here to do anything wrong and nothing in the Cabanaconde area", López told La República.
Very unfortunately for Gladys, but thanks to her cooperation with police and the media attention for the disappearance of her young tenant, police in Cabanaconde have found out that her hostel does not have the necessary permits, and is therefore closed immediately. "La Estancia, the hotel where Natacha de Crombrugghe (28) was staying, will be closed by the District Municipality of Cabanaconde, province of Caylloma". In an interview with La República, district mayor Christian Cayani Benavides stated that the lodging did not have an operating license. “It is a new business that had started operating in the midst of the pandemic, before it did not exist. If it wasn't for the case of this tourist, we wouldn't have known that this hotel worked. At no time have the owners regularized their procedures in the municipality," Cayani said. The municipal authority explained that the hotel will be closed until the owners regularize their operating license. In this district there are other informal lodgings, although the mayor did not estimate a number.
Now what?
After two weeks of searching, the Police have not been able to find any sign of Natacha de Crombrugghe, despite the fact that 90% of the different roads on the left bank of the Colca Valley have been covered, between Cabanaconde and the oasis of Sangalle, an area where the young woman said she was going when she left her accommodation. Lima authorities have offer infrared drone to search for Belgian tourist, which has a thermal camera. "This modern equipment has worked effectively in our district, since we have found missing persons on the slopes of Cerro Centinela, also in different ecological parks thanks to the thermal camera that allows detecting the body temperature of the living or inert body," said the manager. of Disaster Risk Management and Civil Defense of La Molina, Jovan Jevtic, through a press release. Soon, 30 more police officers from the High Mountain Rescue Unit and the Homicide section of the National Police plan to arrive in Cabanaconde. The Belgian ambassador to Peru, Mark Van de Vreken, will also soon arrive in the city of Arequipa to coordinate the search efforts. He will be accompanied by the chief of the IX Macro Police Region, PNP General Miguel Cayetano Cuadros and three officers from the Belgian Federal Police. While disgruntled voices can be heard on social media about the total lack of police force in local cases of missing persons, Peruvian newspapers are starting to pick up that Natacha may not be just any foreign tourist. All these extra search troops and the presence of the Belgian ambassador may be explained, they say, because Natacha de Crombrugghe belongs to one of the most important families in hBelgium. Her father Eric De Crombrugghe is baron van Linkebeek and married to Sabine Verhelst who is a writer in Belgium.Théo Hayez
The media are starting to remember an ongoing missing person's case in Australia, which also involves a young Belgian tourist. Théo Hayez, 18, disappeared in 2019 while traveling through Australia. He was last seen on May 31 that year in a cafe in the surfing paradise of Byron Bay. He was supposed to return to Belgium a few days after his disappearance, but three years later the young man has still not been found. His family still hopes every day for new clues in the case.
Questions..
*There has been different information shared online about just how long Natacha was planning to hike that canyon. Initially it was reported that she only went out for a single day hike, and would be back by the evening, at the latest. But now the hostel owner says that Natacha told her she would leave for five whole days. But she left her backpack behind.. How many backpacks did she arrive with, considering Gladys now says that Natacha also left for her canyon hike with a black backpack? So she must therefore have dragged at least two with her, when arriving in Cabanaconde. This is also in fact verified on the CCTV footage image that was published, of Natacha talking with staff of the Pachamama hotel. on January 23. She wears her big turquoise and black coloured backpack on her back then, and her smaller black backpack over her belly. *If Natacha planned really for a 5-day trek, can we see the travel plans and the overnight bookings she made? Because one has to reserve a place to sleep somewhere in the canyon. So far we heard nothing about this. But the Peruvian media did publish also that Natacha also informed her family in Belgium on the 23rd that she would have poor reception in the canyon and that she might therefore not be able to communicate with her mobile phone for a few days.
*Since the Canyon del Colca requires tourists to buy an entrance ticket, is there any administrational evidence that Natacha passed the entrance to the canyon? There may be a schedule of entry and exit to the canyon?
*There is also different information out there regarding which time Natacha arrived at hotel 'La Estancia'. The hostel owner now mentions "approximately 7:30 PM", but elsewhere it is said (by her?) to have been somewhere in the late afternoon. Did Natacha already arrive at this hostel when she started calling her parents at 5:30 PM (22:30 GMT) on January 23rd, and her friend Marius Pons-Bordeaux at 5 PM? Or was she still traveling towards Cabanaconde at that point? According to the police, Natacha arrived on January 23 at 11:00 PM at the La Estancia hostel, located on Jorge Chávez S/N street in the Cabanaconde district, in the Colca Valley. This 11 PM time 1must be an error however.
*And who is this Mirko, of whom Gladys stated that he recommendated her hostel to Natacha? Has he been screened and checked out by police? Did Mirko only sent Natacha, alone, to that hostel of Gladys, while other tourists stayed at Mirko's hotel?
*Was there any other guest present that night in 'La Estancia'? Other than Gladys' family? Did they talk to Natacha?
*Where did Natacha have dinner that evening of the 23rd? And is there camera footage of this?
*And why did Natacha leave so early, at 5 AM, but nobody has since seen her? How come nobody remembers seeing her that early morning, in this small town? Not even the farmers who are said to work already out in the surrounding area, according to locals? A commentator called Antenor Victor Concha Barrios wrote for instance: "The Police must investigate the owners of the hostel where she had stayed. It is very rare that she left very early and that no one has seen her, because in those places the farmers get up early to go to the fields and they return late, in the evening. It is very rare that no one has seen her and I imagine that there will be security cameras." Mily Retamozo wrote that "It would be good if they interview Mr. Mirko".
*And who is this Mirko, of whom Gladys stated that he recommendated her hostel to Natacha? Has he been screened and checked out by police? Did Mirko only sent Natacha, alone, to that hostel of Gladys, while other tourists stayed at Mirko's hotel?
*Was there any other guest present that night in 'La Estancia'? Other than Gladys' family? Did they talk to Natacha?
*Where did Natacha have dinner that evening of the 23rd? And is there camera footage of this?
*And why did Natacha leave so early, at 5 AM, but nobody has since seen her? How come nobody remembers seeing her that early morning, in this small town? Not even the farmers who are said to work already out in the surrounding area, according to locals? A commentator called Antenor Victor Concha Barrios wrote for instance: "The Police must investigate the owners of the hostel where she had stayed. It is very rare that she left very early and that no one has seen her, because in those places the farmers get up early to go to the fields and they return late, in the evening. It is very rare that no one has seen her and I imagine that there will be security cameras." Mily Retamozo wrote that "It would be good if they interview Mr. Mirko".
*I also wonder; how often do people literally get lost in this canyon? Having an accident, sure. But as to getting lost; this is a canyon. You have heights and you have the bottom of the canyon and that's more or less it. You have the entrance on one side and the exit on the other. Or vice versa. There are small settlements with tourist commodities scattered throughout the canyon. It seems very difficult to actually get lost here, as you always know where you are due to the natural shape of the canyon. At what height approximately, with views down and up and left and right. Having an accident and falling or injuring yourself seems more likely. Or kidnapping of course. We now know that Natacha has well-to-do parents. But if she was kidnapped, why has nobody come forward to ask for money? Should her family's economic background mean that police have to upscale these searches to a national level? And why was her cell phone powered off on the 23rd and never got powered on again, as far as we now know?
Update February 14th 2022 The body of a female was found in a ravine. Mountaineers who were looking for Natacha de Crombrugghe found a dead body in a ravine, according to several Peruvian media. The body was found in a ravine on the side of Tapay, completely on the other side of the valley where Natacha was initially sought. Rescuers are said to have located the body with a drone. They are now trying to bring the body up and identify it. The High Mountain Police team has also been moving to the spot, to verify the finding and carry out legal expert reports. It is not yet known if this is the body of Natacha or from another female. The people who located the body are part of one of four groups of mountaineers in charge of looking for Natacha de Crombrugghe. There is some secrecy on the part of the Police for the moment, possibly to avoid speculation that could disturb the investigation. Newspaper El Buho published that there is a second version of events, namely that a woman found a body by Paclla, on the way to Fure, inside the canyon. However, there are no further details of this possible finding.
Update: the following was published several hours after the body discovery: "Supposed body found in #Tapay would be a false alarm. This was announced by the National Police."
Earlier today, Peruvian police discovered and published video footage of Natacha. The images come from a surveillance camera of a hotel where she stayed. The images confirm that she arrived alone in Cabanaconde on January 23. Footage from a hotel surveillance camera shows that Natacha checked into the Pachamama hotel at 3:20 p.m. on January 23. However, the owner of the establishment told her that he could not welcome her because renovations were in progress. Video images show Natacha then leaving the hotel eight minutes later (3:28 PM) to look for another place to spend the night. She then went to another hotel: Mirko's House where she was also refused, because of the presence of positive Covid-19 cases within the establishment. The owner recommended the La Estancia hostel to her. Here Natacha found a room. She settled in there, went to the central square of Cabanaconde two hours later, in search of a restaurant. And then returned. - The security video below shows Natacha de Crombrugghe on January 23, trying to stay at the Pachamama hotel. She is seen talking to staff in a courtyard, before leaving again.Last known CCTV footage of Natacha
Tapay
Update
Since the disappearance case of Natacha de Crombrugghe is ongoing, and more and more updates can be made, I created a separate blog post, dedicated entirely to her case. You can read it/more about Natacha's disappearance here.
The disappearance of Scarlett S. in Germany's Schwarzwald, September of 2020
Another tragic disappearance case, this time in Germany. A 26-year old blonde fit woman had hiked 5 of the 6 stages of the Schluchtensteig trail in the Black Forest, when she disappeared entirely. Despite finding not even a backpack of the young woman, police quickly ruled the cause of her disappearance a likely accident. On September 10th 2020, Scarlett S. (26) from Bad Lippspringe in North Rhine-Westphalia (Paderborn district) went missing. She had traveled to Stühlingen at the Swiss border on September 4th to start the six day/119 kilometers long Schluchtensteig hike. Scarlett was a reliable person and an experienced hiker and had been traveling the world with family members in previous years, but this hike in the south of her homeland Germany she did on her own. The Schluchtensteig hike is popular but also considered a medium difficult hike. It leads through forests, gorges and a waterfall. Scarlett planned six overnight stays. She carried a red Osprey trekking backpack and a grey tent with her.
Stages of the Schluchtensteig from start to finish:
Stage 1 Stühlingen to Blumberg
Stage 2 Blumberg to Schattenmühle
Stage 3 Schattenmühle to Fischbach
Stage 4 Schluchsee-Fischbach to St. Blasien
Stage 5 St. Blasien to Todtmoos
Stage 6 Todtmoos to Wehr
The trail is well marked and fairly easy to follow. Scarlett S.traveled on Friday September 4th to Stühlingen, where her car was also found. On Saturday the 5th she walked the 1st stage of the Schluchtensteig (Stühlingen to Blumberg), which took 19,3 kilometers and approxemately six hours. On Sunday September 6th she finished the 2nd stage (Blumberg to Schattenmühle), which took 20,4 kilometers and approxemately six hours. The 3rd stage took fives hours and 18,5 kilometers and was hiked by her on the 7th of September (Schattenmühle to Fischbach). On Tuesday September 8th Scarlett hiked the 4th stage of the Schluchtensteig (Fischbach to St. Blasien - 20 km/5 hrs). After arriving in St. Blasien, she continued by bus to Todtmoos where she stayed for one night (Tuesday September 8th to Wednesday 9th). This place was located ahead of her next departure point. On Wednesday September 9th she return again by bus to St. Blasien, where she started the 5th stage of the Schluchtensteig tour (St. Blasien to Todtmoos - 20 km/5 hrs). She then again spent the night in the same hotel in Todtmoos. On the morning of Thursday September 10, Scarlett was supposed to hike the last leg of the tour (Todtmoos to Wehr - 23,2 km/7 hrs). But it is unknown if she ever started this last leg. No other hikers have seen her on the trail. The last time Scarlett was seen alive was on the morning of September 10th in a supermarket in Todtmoos. She was also filmed by a surveillance camera in the supermarket, wearing complete hiking equipment. That is the last sign of life from her. Scarlett was in regular contact with her family and on Thursday September 10th she last had contact over whatsapp with relatives and friends. The last known location of her phone is the same (Edeka) supermarket in Todtmoos. But in the course of that day, her cellphone was turned off and could no longer be located. In fact; her mobile phone (a Huawei P20 Pro) was last active between 10:15 - 10:48 AM that morning, near the Keltisches Steinlabyrinth in Todtmoos. She stuck to that place for at least half an hour. After 10:48 AM, her phone could no longer be traced. Either she powered it off, or the battery ran out of power, perhaps. It is also possible that he phone was damaged by then. Scarlett had arranged to meet up with a friend later that day in Mainz, but she never showed up there. Below a video that shows the geography of this last 6th leg of the trail:
When Scarlett failed to arrive at her friend's place and her family could no longer contact her, they warned the police. Soon searches were started. These were extremely professional and extensive. On Sunday 13th, large scale police and fire brigade searches were conducted on the last leg of the trail, which she supposed to have hiked that day. The Hochschwarzwald dog rescue team was also helping with the searches, as well as Todtmoos mountain rescue teams, helicopters with thermal cameras and drones. The drone was used to search rocky sections that cannot be seen from the ground. The entire 22 kilometers between Blasien and Todtmoos had been combed through meticulously, as well as the rest of the entire 119 kilometer long Schluchtensteig trail. Without result. In addition, two hidden paths were searched, said a spokeswoman for the mountain rescue service. Individual sections were also searched by climbers. All in vain. Rescue dogs of the German Red Cross were also deployed. "The police in Waldshut-Tiengen in particular are still receiving information," said the Paderborn police on Friday September 11th. Individual searches in specific places were also carried out over the course of this week - without further result.
At the end of Monday September 14th, police announced that they found nothing and had gone past all the possible clues and that until new information became known about the whereabouts of Scarlett, the searches would not be resumed. There has not been a sign of life or any finding of Scarlett or her belongings since. Family, friends and volunteers did hike the last leg of the trail and its surroundings many times by their own initiative, also without result. And the police eventually also conducted more searches, in fact. A total of 22 local emergency services climbed down difficult and steep passages in the area. They were again helped by rescue dogs and drones.
Police have no evidence or indications of a crime or of a suicide, but stated that they cannot rule it out. Nevertheless, they assume that Scarlett made her way down the last leg of the trail alone on Thursday, September 10th, and had an accident. "All previously identified people who had contact with the missing person during the hike have been questioned," said the Paderborn police. However, there may be other contact persons who have not yet reported this to the police. On September 23rd of 2020, the case was passed on to the Paderborn criminal police unit. The family of the young woman are desperate and conducted their own search operations in the area where she is presumed to have gone missing, with the help of countless volunteers and hikers. They set up a facebook page as well, hoping for more information. Police insisted at this point that they had done everything in their power, including the full analysis of Scarletts cellphone and they could do nothing more at this stage. It had provided police with seamless information regarding all the other days and stages of her Schluchtensteig hiking, until the moment she disappeared. Police could in fact trace Scarlett on the morning of Wednesday September 10th all the way from the supermarket in Todtmoos to the entrance to the Schluchtensteig trail (around 11:00 am). That was the last contact point. Police made another public call for potential witnesses to come forward. Without result. Scarlett's family state: "We don't know if she even hiked the route or not! We need witnesses who saw her from September 10th. She met with other hikers the day before and confirmed that she would like to walk to Wehr (alone)." Until this day, Scarlett's family do not want to give up and fight for an explanation as to what happened to their beloved. "We very much hope that this nightmare will end as soon as possible and that Scarlett will be found and that we can finally find peace". In late May of 2021, private individuals are working to set up 'extremely risky' private searches.
Scarlett's disappearance does seem to be the result of an accident, although there is factually nothing known about her faith after roughly 11:00 am September 10th. Some people do wonder if she may have met foul play, somehow. A lone woman in a desolate stretch of nature can always be seen as a target. And these stretches of nature have no CCTV cameras, to name something. We do not know if she ran into someone on that trail therefore. And in effect, there is no evidence that Scarlett actually started the last stage of the Schluchtensteig trail at all, aside from moving in its general direction. No hikers saw her that day, anywhere. Some people online have suggested that Scarlett may have opted to spend the night in a hotel in Todtmoos on Tuesday (and Wednesday) night, instead of the more practical location of her forlast location, St. Blasien, because she perhaps had met someone there. This is an unproven theory however. Clairvoyant Michael Schneider, who has a rather interesting track record when it comes to providing vital information to German police in missing person's cases, believes also that Scarlett met foul play. [Currently Michael Schneider also weighed in on the spot where Madeleine McCann can be found]. He told investigators very specific coordinates in the forest, away from the main trail. And when police and a searcher went out to check on these specific coordinates, they found a big, filled discount bag in this place. It was filled with a female jacket, a mobile phone charger, a specific type of coca cola bottle, a marker, an opened box with disposable gloves. The person who found the bag while going after the coordinates with his mobile phone was very spooked to find it in the middle of nowhere and quickly gave it to police, without going through all the content. And police then stored it somewhere but believed it wasn't directly linked to Scarlett. Michael Schneider however feels strongly that a perpetrator put it there in a deranged, taunting manner, because he has Scarlett buried somewhere in the area. Given the desolateness of this Schwarzwald it is very easy to make someone for ever disappear. But Michael Schneider feels strongly that a perpetrator likes to tease therefore, by planting abag which only very vaguely could link to the disappearance case. The oddest thing is that he had the exact coordinates correct and that this bag was placed in a rough spot where no walker normally passes.
According to local rescue workers, there is normally a high probability that hikers who have had an accident on this specific, well marked trail are in fact found. Especially with the massive search operations that were deployed in this particular case. At least: insofar as they moved on the main path. Some people wonder if Scarlett Salice may have gone off trail? Police believe however that there is no indication for this, as she was a very experienced hiker who had already mastered five stages of the quite demanding path without problems, and the last stage is not considered the most difficult or dangerous one. If anything, these type of tragic disappearance cases highlight both how easy it is to have an accident while out hiking in nature, but also how quickly police generally rule these type of disappearances a hiking accident in the face of no further evidence. For any potential perv or killer, it is therefore always an advantage to focus on hikers and backpackers. Perhaps the same applies in the Kris and Lisanne disappearance. Read the latest updates about the search for Scarlett here. There are also unofficial reports and theories that Scarlett may have met some local men in the evening before her disappearance, and that they are linked to it. ****
Extra information about the last leg of the trail, where Scarlett went missing:Etappe 6 Von Todtmoos nach Wehr – Schluchtensteig
Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
"The last stage on the Schluchtensteig will spoil you once again with unspoilt bann forests, untouched streams and a fantastic Black Forest gorge. From Todtmoos you follow the Wehra through its narrow valley down to the reservoir near the city of Wehr. Although the Wehra flows steadily downhill, the Schluchtensteig winds its way constantly up and down the valley slopes. Most of the time you walk today on narrow paths through dense, untouched spell forest. At some vantage points you can expect incomparable views into the wild and romantic gorge. From Todtmoos the Schluchtensteig leads you gently uphill to the hamlet of Schwarzenbach at the beginning of the stage. Here are several traditional Black Forest houses and an inn provides hungry hikers with delicious specialties. From here you follow the path down to the Wehratal. You walk to the shore and cross the narrow river here. After you have passed the village of Au, the trail meanders only a few meters above the course of the river along the valley flanks. At a lookout point you can admire the beauty of the gorge, before crossing the weirs one last time. On the other bank you walk on narrow paths a little uphill. Quick are several meters between you and the river. When the trees clear the valley, you enjoy a dramatic view. From the small hiking hut Mettlerhütte the Schluchtensteig leads leisurely downhill. Soon you can take a first look at the Wehrastausee between the trees. On the trail it goes directly over the small dam wall and on the banks of the Wehra along you walk to the last milestone weir. After you have strengthened yourself in Wehr in one of the restaurants or inns, you can start your journey home by bus. The bus lines 7314 and 7335 connect the city with the station Wehr-Brennet. Here you get on the train 730, which either brings you back to Waldesruh or straight away home. The train goes to Singen, where you have connections to regional and long-distance trains."
A German clairvoyant weighs in on the case
Thomas kindly forwarded me email conversations he had with a relatively well known German clairvoyant, named Michael Schneider. This man has helped find several victims in recent missing person/murder cases in Germany, including the body of Carolin Gruber. In the Carolin Gruber case, he was extremely close with his information and predicted police correctly where they could find her body (at 300-400 meters, not buried, not in the water - ponds were inspected by police at the time - and he knew to tell them that the missing woman died as the result of a crime). Here he talks about missing backpacker Scarlett S., who disappeared without a trace in Germany's Black Forest in September of 2020 and in the video (which can be set to English translated subtitles) the presenter also mentions several other police cases which Mr. Schneider solved, for instance the (clairvoyant) locating of the body of Tanja Meyer in the Bodensee. Here he discusses more cases he helped solve. Thomas asked Mr. Schneider about his feelings with regards to the Kris and Lisanne disappearance. He attaching a picture of Kris Kremers in her red and white striped shirt and a photo of Lisanne Froon to his email for Mr. Schneider, without further information about the picture or the case, as requested by him. Only their disappearance in Panama was supposedly further mentioned. About the Kris and Lisanne case, Michael Schneider was short:
"both women are unfortunately dead and have fallen victim to a crime"
Michael Schneider regularly correctly predicts the place where victims are/were, and in this case he said that "I just got the place itself based on the headline (I only read superficially so as to not get too much information inadvertently and thus to be influenced incorrectly or to influence myself incorrectly)" and in Panama and the surrounding area he comes "to this very exact GPS coordinate in connection with the details" of both women having fallen victim to a crime (see also marked with a red dot in the map below):
https://www.google.de/maps/place/8%C2%B050'04.4%22N+82%C2%B029'07.4%22W/@8.8076864,-82.4895404,13z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d8.8345556!4d-82.4853889
Michael Schneider is sorry as to not be able to give more positive information regarding their fate. But: "My motto in such cases is Better an end with horror than horror without end. The agonizing uncertainty is often worse than a final sad result. In any case, this has been my clear experience since 2000, since I have been working as a police reporter and since 2006 as a seer". Even after this long time, Mr. Schneider recommends "first a superficial search and then a meticulous search with trained search dogs and / or ground penetrating radar of this area in Panama." [Scarlet: the map is interesting and links to the location where the plastic bag with food wrappers and the pink shoe sole were found, as well as the area where female screams and a loud bang were heard and reported to a ranger, a few days after the girls disappeared, as well as some local guys trying to hide in the bushes. It is also where guide P. made these strange lookalike daytime photos of the V-shaped tree and of the night photos. This is also the area which has the Cave of La Pandura. Also, Ingrid Lommers first told police that the scheduled trip from the girls with tour guide F. was to visit his "ranch in Alto Quiel", which is also in this direct area].
Greetings, God's blessings and good luck!
Michael Schneider
www.einseher.de
Update March 23rd 2022
(Source) There has still been no trace found of Scarlett S. (Salice), since September 2020. The then 26-year-old did not return from a hike on the gorge trail. Now the ZDF program "Aktenzeichen XY" will help with the search. It is scheduled to air on June 29, 2022. Last week, the ZDF television team filmed footage for the program "Aktenzeichen XY... unsolved" in the spa town of Todtmoos and its surroundings. The case of the hiker Scarlett S, who has been missing for a year and a half, was reconstructed. The investigators hope that the television presence will give them new clues. Hiker Scarlett S. from Bad Lippspringe in North Rhine-Westphalia has been missing since September 2020. The then 26-year-old was last seen in Todtmoos on September 10th. Apparently, the young woman wanted to hike the 22-kilometer last stage of the Festungensteig to Wehr. But she probably never got there, her trace is lost in Todtmoos. The investigators are now hoping for new information about the case through the ZDF program "Aktenzeichen XY... unsolved". The episode is scheduled to air on June 29. BZ accompanied the team of the television production company Securitel from Munich during the shooting at the original locations. The TV team spent two days in Todtmoos and in the Wehratal and one day in Waldshut-Tiengen. This was explained by the recording manager on the set, Michael Bergemann, in an interview. In Todtmoos, scenes were recreated at original locations, such as at Edeka Schmidt's market, at the Celtic stone labyrinth in the spa park and in the accommodation where the hiker had stayed. In addition, a statement by the public prosecutor's office was recorded in the district court in Waldshut-Tiengen. Five actors and 30 extras were involved in the shooting. As the main actress, Ann-Sophie Spindler took on the role of Scarlett. In fact, she looks amazingly similar to the missing person. Michael Bergemann explained the authentic appearance of the actress: "We have a large pool of actors that we can fall back on. And if something doesn't fit, then it will be made to fit." For example, the extras represented hikers who might have encountered Scarlett.
The case becomes part of a "missing specials". How was contact made with ZDF? Patricia Lindinger from the Facebook group "Please find Scarlett" says: "We had contacted the ZDF editors a long time ago. Unfortunately, we were rejected at the time because cases are only dealt with at the behest of the public prosecutor's office." After 18 months of intense searches and pressure from Scarlett's family, prosecutors have now given the green light. "It's just great that it's being reported, and we're very grateful for that," says Lindinger. Because the program "Aktenzeichen XY" has an enormous reach. Therefore, there is great hope that important information will be received. "Because the interest is local, too few people know about Scarlett's disappearance," says Lindinger. This is how the search has gone so far: Shortly after the missing person was reported, a large contingent of police, mountain rescue service, fire brigade and search dog squadrons searched for the hiker. Information was received from private parties, but this has not yet led to success. A large circle of private individuals around the Facebook group Patricia Lindingers have also repeatedly searched the area in and around the Wehratal on their own in recent months. Drones were also used in the rough and steep terrain to provide a better overview. So far in vain. So now the traditional program of ZDF should help. The Scarlett S. case will be part of a "missing persons special."
A chilling German case, where the killer DID allow his victim to keep using her phone, sparinglyAnonymous wrote me on December 29th, 2020: "This reminds me of the horrible case of the young German woman Frauke Liebs in 2006. Her captor(s) allowed her to use her cell during certain intervals to call/msg a friend, probably driving her around the area just to make sure to mess up the investigation. This went on for a week. So yes, the odd use of the women's phones by creating a pattern may very well be an indication of foul play."
I replied: "Thank you, yes I read about that case. Chilling... I thought of that scenario as well. Many people following this case keep bringing that argument up; that no captor or kidnapper would allow the girls to keep hold of their phone. But I'd say that it is also theoretically possible that those phones were handed by the captor(s) instead, pretending to be the girls calling (no SMS was ever saved or sent by Kris and Lisanne, after all and no Dutch written notes were found either). Or indeed, that like in this German case of Frauke Liebs, they were allowed to use their phone but instructed under threat to only use it in a certain way, before taking the phone off them again. Excellent comment!"
******
The Murder of Frauke Liebs (February 21, 1985 – after June 27, 2006) is an unsolved criminal case in Germany On June 20, 2006 the 21-year-old student nurse Frauke Liebs disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The last known sighting of her was at a pub in Paderborn's city center, where she and a friend watched the FIFA World Cup match between England and Sweden. While Liebs was still at the pub, she borrowed a friend's mobile phone battery, as the battery on her own phone had been drained. She later returned her friend's battery before leaving the pub at around 11 p.m. Since she probably had no more than five euros with her, she is believed to have been heading home on foot. The pub was about 1.5 kilometers away from her home; a distance of about 20 to 30 minutes on foot. At 12:49, her housemate* (her former boyfriend Chris Karaoulis, who had a new girlfriend by now but with whom Frauke shared a flat as friends now) received a text message from Lieb's mobile phone, saying that she would be home later.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006, 0.49 AM: "Will come later. The game was funny not against England Hdgdl*, until later" - *Hab Dich Ganz Doll Lieb (German abbreviation for 'love you', as said often between friends).
This message sounded completely ordinary and was written in a typical girl's way. Sometime later Chris called her. However, the phone was turned off. Because Frauke had earlier lent Chris her key of the apartment after he lost his, Chris was now waiting for Frauke to come home and to open the door for her. However, she did not return home that night, and when she also failed to appear at school (she studied to become a nurse) the day after, her mother reported her missing. However, the report is not accepted because, as the policeman explains, Frauke is an adult and she has the right to stay wherever she wants. It is said that it is definitely still too early to report the disappearance. The only thing the officers could do was check if the missing woman had an accident and was not in a hospital. But at around 2 p.m., under pressure from parents, the notification of the disappearance is officially accepted.
It is not known what path Frauke took to get home. Three different routes are taken into account. But police soon discover that shortly after leaving the bar, Frauke must have already been out of town, because police discovered that her text message had been sent from Nieheim, a small city about 35 km north-east of Paderborn. It can therefore be assumed that Frauke was then moving by car. In the following days, Liebs called her housemate five times via her mobile phone. Police were able to locate the calls, which all came from different industrial areas in Paderborn. During these calls, Liebs continued to say that she would return home soon, but did not communicate any information about her situation. She provided only vague or evasive answers to questions. She contacted her family a total of six times. Liebs' last phone call was on June 27 in the presence of her sister, who also talked to her. During this conversation, she is said to have answered the question of whether she was being held captive with a faint "yes", immediately followed by a loud "no". Contact broke off after this phone call.
Discovery and investigation
On October 4, 2006, Liebs' skeletonized body was found by a hunter in a forested area next to a Landesstraße ("state road") near Lichtenau. The body was found with the clothes she was wearing on the day of her disappearance. Her mobile phone, handbag, wallet and wrist watch were not found. Due to the condition of the body, the time and cause of Liebs' death could not be determined. A case analysis by the police came to the conclusion that Liebs was probably held captive in the area around Nieheim and that the phone calls from Paderborn may have been diversionary maneuvers. No motive for the crime has been determined. Over 900 people who were connected to the victim were questioned by the police, and the initial investigation produced a list of five initial suspects. All five were eventually cleared after producing alibis. The case aroused nationwide interest and was among others presented on the popular television show Aktenzeichen XY … ungelöst ("Case number XY … Unsolved").
Details of the phone calls and text messagesThis case is special because it is rare that an abductor allows his victim to keep using her phone to directly contact her family. Frauke called with her family members in a colourless flat voice. The calls were made for several consecutive days, and the circumstances that accompanied them and the specific things she said were terrifying, especially when you know that four months later, her body would be found in the woods. Frauke Liebs 'siblings, Karen and Frank, and their roommate Chris wrote down their recollections of Frauke Liebs' phone calls and text messages. Stern Crime magazine published the memory protocols in October 2015.
June 22nd, 22:25 PM; call to Chris. Chris picked up the call, and at first he felt uneasy because Frauke was addressing him in a different way than usual. Plus, her voice sounded like she was on drugs.
Frauke: “Hello Christos, I wanted to say that I am fine and that I will be home soon. Let mom and dad and the others know. " Then she hung up. After this call, the family waited in the apartment for the girl, but she did not appear. It was also impossible to call her, her phone was turned off. Chris was very unsettled by her use of the name 'Christos'. "Christos? She only said that to me when she was angry. Or when I should listen carefully. It was like a text that she read slowly and monotonously. Totally dazed, like on drugs, not herself at all. [But] I was so relieved that she got in touch. A sign of life."
June 23, SMS to roommate Chris
Frauke: “I'm coming home today. I'm in Paderborn. Hdgdl."
June 23, Frauke's brother Frank received an automatic message that Frauke's cell phone was available again. He called her right away.
Frank: "Frauke, what are you doing, when are you coming home?"
Frauke: "I'm coming home today, not too late either. I'm in Paderborn, don't ask, I'll come Home."
Frank: "Where are you?"
Frauke: "I can't say."
-What does "I can't say" mean? Does that mean she doesn't know or she is not allowed to say it? Frank thought her voice sounded clear when she called.
June 24th, 14:30 PM. Frauke calls Chris
Frauke: “I'll come back soon. I come home tonight."
Chris:" Are you hurt? "
Frauke: “No. I am in Paderborn. I am in Paderborn. I'm in Paderborn."
-Chris said about this: Why did she stress Paderborn so much? And why did she announce she was coming home, but not coming? We wondered if there was something wrong with her. Whether she screwed up and didn't want to go back because of it. All of this weakened the police's feelings at the time that Frauke was being held against her will. Frauke's mother Ingrid said: The police said to me: "What do you want? She called, she's alive, and that's no longer a task for us." I was beside myself. The whole thing really alarmed me. The constant announcement that she was coming home, her blurred voice, the cell phone turned off. The police didn't even know where the calls were coming from. Only the origin of the first SMS had been determined. It took days for the network operator to provide more information. I later learned that the police had only requested the data for the first few calls up until Friday night. We waited weeks for the others because the court order was missing.
June 25th, Frauke calls Chris
June 25th, Frauke calls Chris
Frauke: "I'll come home today."
Chris: "Are you in danger?
Frauke:" No. "
Chris: "Why didn't you come home yesterday?"
Frauke: "Can I explain to you."
Chris: "Where are you?"
Frauke: "I'll explain to you when I'm home."
-Chris said about this call: She gave answers, but they were puzzles. That's why I've come up with a strategy for the next conversation with the others: first find out what situation they are in. Do not exert any pressure. Don't say: What kind of things are you doing? Don't drill. But slowly circle around.
June 27th, Frauke calls Chris shortly before midnight, her sister Karen listens in.
Chris: "Are you in danger?
Frauke:" No. "
Chris: "Why didn't you come home yesterday?"
Frauke: "Can I explain to you."
Chris: "Where are you?"
Frauke: "I'll explain to you when I'm home."
-Chris said about this call: She gave answers, but they were puzzles. That's why I've come up with a strategy for the next conversation with the others: first find out what situation they are in. Do not exert any pressure. Don't say: What kind of things are you doing? Don't drill. But slowly circle around.
June 27th, Frauke calls Chris shortly before midnight, her sister Karen listens in.
Frauke: “Hello Chrissy. I'm fine. "
Chris:" Where are you? "
Frauke: "I can't say."
Chris: "Come home."
Frauke: "No, that doesn't work [I can't]."
Chris: "Why not?"
Frauke: "I can't tell you."
Chris: "Are you being held?"
Frauke: “Yes ... No! No! "
Chris:" Are you scared? "
Frauke: "No."
Chris: "Who's with you?"
Frauke: "I can't tell you."
Chris: "Are you tired?"
Frauke: "Yes, very tired."
Chris: "Do you know that the police are looking for you?"
Frauke: "Yes,
Chris: "How do you know this?"
Frauke: "I'm gone for almost a week, right."Chris: "Why are you gone?"
Frauke: "You know that, Chris."
Chris: "No. Have you met another guy?"
Frauke: “You know that I'm not going to be away for a week because of a guy. You know me. "
Chris:" Karen's with me. We're all worried. "
Frauke: "Are mom and dad there too?"
Chris: "They were here."
Frauke: "Tell them that I love them very much."
Chris: "When are you coming back?"
Frauke: "I don't know."
Chris: "Why didn't you come even though you said you would come back today?"
Frauke: "I'll explain to you later."
Chris: "Shall I come to get you?"
Frauke: "No, that doesn't work."
Chris: "Can we meet somewhere?"
Frauke: "That doesn't work."
Chris: "Where are you?"
Frauke: "Mom."
Chris: "Where are you?"
Frauke: "Mom."
Chris: "Where are you?"
Frauke: "Mom."
Chris: "When do you call?"
Frauke: "I don't know yet."
Chris: "Please contact me at least once a day."
Frauke: "I did the other days too."
Chris: "I was very sad that you didn't get in touch yesterday."
Frauke: "Yes, I know that you were very sad ... Give me Karen, please."
Karen picks up the phone.
Frauke: "Please don't question me!"
Karen: "Are you afraid of coming home?"
Frauke: "No."
Karen: "We'll clear the apartment too, and no one will ask you what happened. Come back."
Frauke: "That doesn't work, I'm still alive!"
Karen: "Are you with one or more people?"
Frauke: “Please don't ask me. I would like to be with you. I would like to go home. "
Chris picks up the phone.
Chris: "Get in touch at least once a day."
Frauke: "Yes, I will. Ciao. See you soon."
- Frauke spoke in an emotionless, exhausted voice. The family was shocked after this call. Especially the girl's mother, Ingrid Liebs. After Frauke was asked where she was, she answered three times with Mama. Her mother worked in a gymnasium in Bad Driburg and during the week she rented an apartment there. The relatives thought that Frauke's repeating of the word mama might be a suggestion to look for the perpetrator in this town or to link her stay with her mother's workplace in any way. But the investigator of the case said about this: Investigator: I see it as a call for help today, because she suspected or knew what to expect: the girl went silent after this last call. Sister Karen said about this last call: 'I was in tears. She sounded like in a trance. It wasn't just exhaustion. The language totally slurred. I got knockout drops in my glass once, after which I sounded like her. I think she cried too'. Mother Liebs: 'She went much further in this conversation, initially answered in the affirmative when asked whether she would be detained, but we still had no concrete starting point. No place, no people. But after that, at the latest, we realized that it was a kidnapping.' The local police saw the ending of contact as a sign however that nothing was the matter. The case was allowed to drift off.
Chris: What I asked myself most: Why did the perpetrator let Frauke call for a week? Did he want to reassure the police? So that he could do what he wanted to her? Was it a game for him? Maybe he put her off. You can go home if you follow the rules. Maybe she was still alive.
The family hired private detectives in the investigation, checked Frauke's computer and tried to find her in every possible way. Mother Liebs:The radio data was the most important thing. They knew that the first SMS from Frauke was sent from Nieheim, far outside of Paderborn. A rural area with lots of scattered towns. The calls afterwards all came from different corners of Paderborn. From Sennelager in the north, many English soldiers live there. Then several calls came from the Auf dem Dören industrial park in the east of the city. And a call from near the Mönkeloh industrial area, at the southern end of Borchener Strasse. The kidnapper must have been driving around with Frauke. The investigator: 'Unfortunately, the identification of the radio cells is not enough to search all houses there'. But on October 4, the police in Lichtenau received a report from a mushroom picker who was staying in the area. The man found a body under a tree. The discovery took place at the 817 national road, about 10 meters from the road. There are no houses nearby, and pedestrians rarely go there. Due to the clothes of the deceased, it was suspected from the beginning that it might be Frauke. A week later, this news was officially confirmed. As it was later established, Frauke died shortly after the last call. Due to the advanced state of decomposition of the body, the cause of death could not be determined. There was no evidence that she had been sexually abused prior to her death. The investigator said about this: 'It was immediately clear to me that it was going to be complicated. The body was skeletonized. The warm summer, the humidity, plus the animals. No violence was visible on the clothing. No cracks. The explosive dogs found no evidence of gunfire. It didn't seem like a crime scene to me, just a filing location. The weather had blurred all foot and tire tracks'. What is certain is that the place where the body was found was not the place of the murder. Mother Liebs: "Inspector Östermann was at our door two days later. Then you knew for sure that it was Frauke. He told me about the location. My school is nearby, but I've never been there. The killer must have known. The trees are tall, the road is narrow. Strange that this place is called Totengrund. Was that on purpose?"
The investigator: "I believe that the killer went there consciously to prevent the body from being found in a timely manner. It was getting difficult for forensic medicine. Frauke had died a few days after the last call at the most. Unexplained cause. No mechanical force against the bones. No evidence of stab wounds or gunshot wounds. The hyoid bone was not broken, which often happens with strangling. It is conceivable that she was suffocated. We had no sign of abuse, but we couldn't rule it out either. Socks were missing, but it is not certain whether she wore them, it was very hot on the day of her disappearance. There was definitely no cell phone, watch or handbag. No traces of drugs in bones or hair. However, knockout drops would have disappeared quickly". Investigators excluded from the group of suspects people from the immediate vicinity of Frauke. The only certain information is where Frauke's phone logs into the masts. It was found that it was from the Nieheim mast that her phone was logging in when making calls to her family. This mast covers an area of 15 kilometers in diameter. The police, with the help of a newspaper and leaflets, appealed to the local residents for help. In total, several dozen clues were received as to the places where Frauke could be held - buildings, barns, trailers. Each of them was checked. Without result. Despite the passage of months, and then years, no new clues have emerged that could contribute to its clarification.
Frauke's mother later said in an interview: I was outraged. It was all scary to me, those constant announcements that she would be coming home, her voice changed, her phone turned off. The police didn't even know where the connections were from. Only the origin of the first message has been established. It took days for the network operator to provide further information. Later, I found out that the police had only asked for her data from the first calls until Friday night. We waited weeks for the next ones because there was no court decision. She got along well with everyone, even weird birds. When I wanted to know what her acquaintances do for a living, she said: "You always ask! That doesn't matter at all." 
Roommate Chris: Frauke was in the kindergarten group with my younger brother. Years later, someone dragged her to a friend's party. And suddenly she was in my arms. I was 18, she 16. But that was long over in Paderborn. Frauke had another relationship in the meantime that had just ended. We got along well. Once a week we bought groceries together and cooked every now and then. Otherwise everyone lived their everyday life. Frauke was a very helpful person, it was almost a helper syndrome, maybe that was her undoing.Karen Liebs, Frauke's sister: My sister loved partying . But she wasn't the type to be talked to by men just like that. She never had a one-night stand. Never. She wasn't like that.
House of horrors
The hope for a solution to the case suddenly appeared. An elderly ex-couple - Wilfried and Angelika W. - was arrested in the town of Höxter, about 50 kilometers from Paderborn. The couple have been convicted of to have lured, locked, humiliated, mistreated and tortured women into their house. How many there were is still unclear today but two women did not survive. Susanne F. (41) and Annika W. (33) were tortured to death in the house that was hailed by the media as the home of a horror film, and there were suspicions that one of their victims may have been Frauke Liebs. Wilfried W. had previously lured the women with personals in newspapers and online dating portals. During the interrogation, Angelika B. stated that she was a slave to her ex-husband and therefore tortured the women. She was described in court by psychologists as highly intelligent, dominant and controlling but also suffering from autism, which made her have no sympathy for her victims. Her ex on the other hand was said to have very low intelligence. "Moronic in the legal sense. His worldview is comparable to that of a primary school child. He is always on the lookout for women for great love. However, he doesn't know what that actually means. "He is not to be taught guilt or responsibility," said the expert in her statement." The two worked in tandem. During their courtcase, it became clear that 'the victims were made compliant by so-called gaslighting. They have been deliberately disoriented, manipulated and deprived of their self-confidence. Angelika W. and Wilfried W. took money, cell phones or driver's license from the women. If there were still contacts with family or friends, these were torpedoed, for example, by fake SMS messages and then cut. The couple froze, dismembered and burned the body of one of their victims in a freezer in 2014 and distributed the ashes on the roadsides. They were convicted of murder and sentenced to respectively 13 and 11 years in prison.
We are seeing this same problem in the Kris and Lisanne case. When you don't perform the investigation properly, there is not enough evidence to go by and you end up in a Kafkaesque situation where no more investigation is instigated due to lack of evidence, which is the result of no more investigation being done. An round and round you go.
As for their possible involvement in the disappearance and murder of Frauke Liebs, Chris Karaoulis believed that the murder case could now finally be clarified: “I think that in the course of the investigation into Höxter, a lot will come to light and that a lot is currently still hidden. There are clear parallels to Frauke's case, such as the text messages that were sent from the victim's cell phone." After the death of her daughter, the mother of the killed Annika W. was left with a text message to believe that she was fine. Which suggested an overlap with Frauke's case. And through Frauke Liebs' cell phone data, the investigators found out that the 21-year-old was in several villages during the phone calls - all within a radius of only 30 kilometers from Höxter. Investigator Ralf Östermann was for ten years responsible for both the murder cases in Höxter and for the Frauke Liebs case. He said in May of 2016: "We will of course look very meticulously to see whether our current accused can also be responsible for the death of Frauke Liebs". But in the end, investigators reported that no evidence was found that would indicate that Wilfried and Angelika W. were related to the murder of Frauke. Because no usable traces could be secured on Frauke's corpse, the case has never been resolved. No good enough body to work with, no proper investigation is possible. We are seeing this same problem in the Kris and Lisanne case. When you don't perform the investigation properly, there is not enough evidence to go by and you end up in a Kafkaesque situation where no more investigation is instigated due to lack of evidence, which is the result of no more investigation being done. An round and round you go. The case of Frauke Liebs is still unsolved.
Tragic case of November 2021, where a young model and architect were kept hostage and drugged, then left for dead at a hospitalThis case has strictly speaking nothing to do with getting lost in a jungle. But in this recent case, a gorgeous model, Christy Giles (24) and her architect friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales Arzola (26) went out on November 12th of 2021 to have a good time in Hollywood. They were with friends and supposed to go to an afterparty, but a small group of weird acting men and one woman were seen interacting with them in the VIP area of the club they were dancing. They all left for the afterparty, but Christy and Hilda never arrived there. Instead, her phone pinged from an apartment in South Hollywood. At 05:38 in the morning, Christy had last texted Hilda: "Let's get out of here", to which she added a wide eyes emoji. The women clearly communicated silently through their phones with one another at this stage. Hilda texted her back "Yes" and said she had called for an Uber. But Christy never read that message according to her phone. And nobody came out to catch the Uber. Twelve hours later the body of Christy was dumped by masked men at one Hollywood hospital, and that of her friend at another. The person who lives in the apartment where the girls were last known to have been, declared that they died of a drug overdose. The girls' families said that they would never voluntarily take heroine, such as was found in Hilda's system. Beautiful party-loving girls, seen and chased by a small group of men and a mysterious ending. Here's a video about the whole ordeal. I can't help but think that this is along the general lines of what I think happened to Kris and Lisanne. I believe that they got too comfortable and close to a group of local young men with very bad intentions. And that a joyful time (swimming, some say there was a party) turned sour and then into horror very quickly. Both girls died and investigations into one suspect in particular are pending.
Power-Pixie wrote some very interesting things to me in response to this case. Apparently it is not that uncommon in Hollywood to have models dancing at parties and being scouted more or less for after parties. Power-Pixie wrote: "I agree with you in that this case shares some parallels in terms of the overall manner in which we suspect Kris and Lisanne could also have ended up on April 1. It's a tragic case of these two women as well. These two were just out having fun, but something about them I think exposed them earlier on. The people who want this type of no strings attached business at their parties, send out fixers to go fish from these barrels. The rest is what they make of it and sometimes there are castaways, basically women who don't make the cut even after they are picked up, or lured to go to these parties. These are scraps and they go to whoever wants them. Doing drugs of any kind is just not a wise decision, let alone alcohol, but when you're in the company of strangers, it's just as dangerous. I think neither of these two were drug users, at least from the description in the video. It's hard without actually knowing the two women in this way since unlike Kris and Lisanne who had just left to go vacation and work in Panama for a very short time, Giles and Arzola were transplants to LA or at least Giles was. This David Pearce sounds like one of the types with a big ego because he probably runs drugs to the celebs, so he is in where he needs to be, and then doesn't know how to separate business from pleasure, so he gets checked. In the video I also noticed Pearce is seen in a photo with Ice Cube, and I think some Tyrese look-alike. My guess is he knows people in the industry because he supplies the demand and I bet you Pearce probably uses these pictures on unsuspecting women to tell them that he is one of their close friends or that he was producing some crap with them. That's how it usually starts. Looking at the photos, though I think this guy probably cons the celebs into taking a photo with him. Fast talker, and slick-rick type of guy. Schmucks like Pearce usually are just built on the shady business side and come up or aspire to that way. You can draw some parallels to characters in the Kris and Lisanne case too - Henry, Aguirre, etc. The police probably stay off his back because he probably supplies some of their acquaintances too. Or they supply him with the stuff that they seize from narco raids. This is LA we're talking about so no biggie. I can't help but see that, LA is to Giles and Arzola, what Panama was to Kris and Lisanne -- a far out place where you could try anything and everything and the people didn't mind them or told them what not to do, or may just end up having a good time at their expense. Here they were watched and sourced, you can see in the video how they put on a show on the dance floor. Harmless, otherwise normal stuff, but for some people this is taken as someone they can go approach. They must have watched them for a while, before approaching them. I think the same with Kris and Lisanne. The more the night goes on, the more chance of the girls settling in, getting comfortable in whatever environment. They also would watch for friends, wing-men(women) who would be sober and watch out for their friend(s). So it's a cat and mouse type of game the minute they enter places like this, and not everyone there is new to the place. Giles and Arzola may have been naive like Kris and Lisanne, and also unaware, because busy dancing for social media posts, while the creeps marked their time and behavior. Looking at the K&L case, The aura fiasco aside, I find that Kris and Lisanne let their guard down early on in Bocas and then in Boquete. In the Bocas photos, I can see some signs of Kris and Lisanne trying to enjoy the company of the Dutch men at some bar where they hang out, but these guys seemed more familiar to them, being from their own homeland. So they look and feel comfortable, like I couldn't tell if they were in the Netherlands or in some dive bar in Panama. I wonder what the photos would look like of them hanging out with the Latin youth if they had been taken while they cruised the Boquete nightlife instead. Would they have looked as relaxed and comfortable? Confident? And if they did hang out with the Latin guys at some party or promised of a cool party they were lured into, just like Gile and Arzola, maybe they tried to leave like Kris and Lisanne may have tried. I'm wondering why the two women Giles and Arzola did not call the police or their family instead? It must have happened very quickly or subdued by many people. And there were no signs of injuries or bruises, etc. So that makes it a bit more confusing.
UPDATE: David Pearce, 39, was charged on Friday December 17 with two counts of forcible rape, one count of raping an unconscious person and one count of sexual penetration in the case of Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola.
UPDATE 2: The coroner has confirmed how Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola died. Giles, 24, died due to "multiple drug intoxication," and Cabrales-Arzola, 26, died from multiple organ failure and "multiple drug intoxication," according to two separate reports by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's office. The coroner ruled the women's deaths homicides, according to the results obtained by PEOPLE When she died Giles had a fatal mix of cocaine, fentanyl, ketamine –– an anesthetic commonly used by veterinarians and also misused as a street drug –– and gamma-hydroxybutyrate acid (GHB). GHB is commonly referred to as the date rape drug. Cabrales-Arzola tested positive for cocaine and MDMA and other drugs which were undetermined.
German tourist raped and murdered on Thai island
And this is a case of a European tourist being raped and the murdered with a brick in Thailand. The Thai murderer was sentenced to death for killing German backpacker Miriam Beelte, 26, by smashing her face with a brick after raping her on a popular island called Koh Si Chang. He was caught on CCTV, following Miriam up a mountain before the attack.
Pilot crashed his plane into the Brazilian Amazon and managed to survive, walking for 36 days to safetyApril 9th 2014
A Brazilian pilot, Antonio 'Toninho' Sena (36) crashed his plane into the Brazilian Amazon on January 28, 2021. He flew a Cessna 210, a small propeller plane that day and took off from Alenquer, in western Pará on the northern bank of the Amazon River, to a mining region in Almeirim in the Amazon rainforest. The illegal mine where he was headed is in the Maicuru reserve, where no human activities are allowed beyond those meant to protect the forest. The weather and visibility conditions were excellent, but Sena encountered aircraft problems mid flight. Engine loss forced him to make an emergency landing and to ultimately crash in the middle of the açaizal area; a dense and remote area of jungle. He reported his imminent crash over a portable radio to whoever might have been listening, noting that he was about halfway to his destination, a mine known as California. He managed to get out of his mangled plane alive, grabbed a pocket knife, a flashlight, a couple of lighters and a phone with not much battery left and scrambled away from the aircraft moments before it burst into flames. Sena had bread to his disposition and managed to feed himself with it. For days he stayed near the wreckage, hoping rescue teams would find him there. Search pilots did fly over the area, but never spotted him due to the thick undergrowth. “They flew right over, but couldn’t see me,” Mr. Sena said. Eventually he decided he had to start walking to civilization if he wanted to survive.
He turned on his dying phone one final time to launch a geolocation app and then, looking at the map, decided to head in the direction of the Paru River, some 60 miles away. It was the closest area he knew to be inhabited. Along the way he managed to feed himself with types of fruit he found in the forest. He struggled to sleep properly in the noisy jungle and woke up constantly, out of fear of encountering wild animals, falling trees and possible rainfall. He walked in the mornings and used the location of the sun to determine how to keep walking eastwards. The terrain was made up of jungle, swamps and vines. In the afternoons he sat up camp on hillsides, using palm tress and branches for shelter. He opted for hillsides because he feared wild animals, which usually moved toward lower rivers and streams he thought. Nevertheless territorial spider monkeys often attacked his shelter. But from watching them, Sena also learnt that a small, bright pink fruit called breu was safe to eat, and he fed himself with it and also ate 3 small inambu bird eggs.
Luckily he ran into a group of rural workers - nut harvesters - after 5 weeks and approximately 30 kilometers. Initially he just heard the sound of their chainsaws and decided to wait til the morning to locate the sound, afraid that he would get disorientated if he tried to search in a tired state. The next day he heard the chainsaw sound again and managed to locate the group near a river. They welcomed him into their tents and gave him food. He later told local media he had nearly drowned after he heard the chainsaw noise and crossed a stream to reach the harvesters. They made radio contact with town and lit a bonfire so that search teams could locate them. On March 5th, Sena was finally localized by the Public Safety Air Group (Graesp), which used a helicopter for the rescue. Sena had lost 25 kilo's by then, had been dehydrated, weak and had some abrasions on his body. He was reunited with his family, which was broadcast on Brazilian TV before being taken to hospital. Sena praised the love for his family, the desire he had to see his parents and brother and sister again as the driving force behind his long struggle for survival.
The disappearance of Kerstin Goedbloed and Andrew Murray Scott in the nearby Costa Rican jungle, 21 years ago
I stumbled on this little covered case by chance. Only one English article and a handful of local newspaper articles are left online to cover the horrific ordeal a young Dutch woman and an even younger Australian man endured right across the border of Panama, in Costa Rica in 1999. Kerstin was a 33 year old Dutch psychiatrist and divorced mother of three children. She had booked an adventurous 22-day holiday in Costa Rica from July 7th of 1999. She traveled alone, but would soon run into an Australian surfer named Andrew Murray Scott, who had arrived in the country days earlier, on July 2nd, traveling by land. "They did not know each other, but fate brought them together to share an adventure that cost them their lives in the mountains of Talamanca." They met while climbing Costa Rica's highest peak, the Cerro Chirripó (3,821 m./12,536 ft). Because Kerstin and Andrew got along well they decided to venture out on a jungle tour together. They chose the Talamanca jungle, which lies fairly close to the border with Panama, and about 80 kilometers as the crow flies from Boquete. Visiting the Talamanca jungle had been one of Kirten’s plans, as she had a great passion for indigenous people and the religion and medicine they practice. On July 23rd the psychiatrist rented a room for them from an indigenous woman in a little village called Bribri (but also named as San José de Cabécar -Talamanca de Limón here). They bought eggs, coffee, sweet corn and rice from an indigenous woman from the settlement. Soon after the two tourists went on a hike. They left many of their belongings in their room, including suitcases.
She did not returnKerstin’s last contact with her family was on July 15. Days went by in which they did not have contact, something which worried her brother right away. When Kerstin did not arrive in Amsterdam again on August 5, the day she was supposed to have returned home, her family decided to alert the judicial authorities. Searches were soon organized. Deputy head of the Red Cross Mountain Unit, José Campos, was one of the first to take part in the searches. “They came to Bribri together, I never understood why they went to that place, I can’t explain what they wanted to do there, it’s a place where you have to be into mountaineering to want to go, there are beautiful rivers, but there aren’t any specific things to go see. San José Cabécar is pure mountain, it is a paradise in terms of mountains,” said Campos. The rescuers were sure that the two foreigners had gone into the mountains, because the indigenous village people had seen them hiking there. Campos explained that this was a dangerous place due to drug and arms trafficking, so police officers were also part of the search, even though everything so far indicated that the woman and her companion got lost in the mountains or suffered an accident. Officers from the OIJ's Crimes Against Security and Kidnapping Unit visited the Cabécar indigenous reserve in order to seek more information about the whereabouts of the tourists. “They walked along a path where two horses can pass and in summer a quad bike. Where they went, you don’t need a compass or a machete, but suddenly they turned to the right, through a canyon where you had to use a machete to clear the way,” said.|
Following their tracks
Those who know about mountains use the term tracker, which is the person who is ahead, who does not carry equipment but has to keep his eyes wide open to see leaves, branches, footprints in the mud that indicate that people passed through there. The indigenous people saw them pass through a certain area, so for several intense days the rescuers walked from one side of the mountain range to the other. They were searching the surroundings of a mountain called Uyú, which is characterized by broken terrain. A place that is difficult to access and with dangerous cliffs. During the nights it becomes extremely cold. On August 9, the tracker located some of Kerstin’s belongings. “The trail took us to some slopes in a high part where there is a waterfall of about eight meters height, that could be descended with a rope. But we turned around and it looked like they jumped from there: belongings, backpacks, food, documents (her passport) and even money were left there,” Campos recalled. Some of the belongings were from the Australian man. They also found a trail, with broken leaves and slips. Until that moment, there were about 12 people looking for them, but the discovery allowed for more people to join and the number of people searching then doubled. “The area where we started looking is about half the size of La Sabana (metropolitan park). I think we spent about three days there. We combed that entire area and when we were still looking the wind rose through the Coen river canyon, it was a gust of wind and we got that smell of rotten flesh, the wind came from the bottom up, so we started looking down,” Campos said.
Unforgettable sceneThe expert commented that they located Kertin’s body about three kilometers from where they found the backpacks, on the banks of the Coén River in the Talamanca mountains, where she had disappeared since the end of July. “She was sitting on a stone, out of the river, a meter and a half from the water, she was dead. She had immobilized one of her legs, her ankle, with the aluminum rods of a backpack." She suffered a broken ankle, which she tried to splint herself. "We believe that we lost their trace because they followed the journey down the river current and that is as far as she got,” José described. Campos remembers the finding because it was Mother’s Day and he was finally able to speak with his mother, after many days without contact. “The OIJ agents did not go down to where the body was, but had several photos taken and gave permission to remove it, we moved several stones so that the helicopter could come down and take the body,” Campos said. The Ministry of Public Security journalist and photographer, Humberto Ballestero, recalls what happened. He worked as a photographer and he had to go to the area because several officers were involved in the operation and Air Surveillance also participated. “There was only one helicopter at that time, I remember that there were several overflights, I had to take photos of where the body appeared, she was sitting on some stones, at that time there were not so many resources like now, the body was removed on a makeshift stretcher and transferred in the helicopter,” said Ballestero. He assures that it was very hard for everyone when Kerstin’s body arrived at the Bribri square and her father and brother, Sven Goedbloed. who had been waiting for days of the news, asked to be left alone with the body for a few minutes. “They cried and hugged, I think maybe they were saying a prayer, then the father was very grateful to everyone because they always hoped that she would be found,” recalled the photographer.
Andrew ScottThe rescue teams did not find Andrew’s remains near Kerstin’s body, and at the time it was believed that Andrew had continued his way and had perhaps crossed the border into Panama. “Upon re-entry to the area, we found a pair of pants that belonged to the man, we doubted that he had drowned, he was a young man under 30 years old, a surfer and in (physical) good condition, the search was suspended due to the amount of time that had passed,” Campos said. Basically, it was said that the terrain was too treacherous and that too much time had elapsed to find the man alive. There were versions at that time that suggested that the two tourists got off the trail escaping from something or someone. An autopsy on Kertin’s body was performed to determine if she was murdered. The autopsy indicated that an infection from an ankle fracture and starvation took her life. A homicide was ruled out. There were no indications of violent trauma. The body was very decomposed so it was not possible to determine when she died. The autopsy report stated about this:
"Despite all these results, it has not yet been possible to establish how many days ago the death occurred, since its advanced state of putrefaction could be due to the humidity characteristic of the area. Nor is it possible to specify the cause of death."
So we're talking August 9th when her badly decomposed remains were found, about three weeks after she went missing. And already the decomposition was extremely advanced. Compare this to a ball of skin from Lisanne which looked fresh and hardly decomposed FIVE MONTHS after she went missing, in the same region, the same stretch of jungle, around the same altitude. As to what happened most likely, a mountain expert said: "She was there for several days and then she tried to cross the river but was dragged about a kilometer and a half, she managed to get out and went into an area of closed forest. There she took off a shoe, put the stocking inside and sat on a stone." It was at this site that a patrol made up of four baquianos and two Cruzrojistas found her. "They saw a couple of buzzards and felt the strong smell, that's how they found it," he explained. Humberto Ballestero, journalist and photographer, recalls that it was very emotional for him when the authorities handed over the body to the Dutch woman’s family. On January 11, 2000, an indigenous person found the remains of the Australian man some 800 meters from where Kerstin was found. The villager notified the Red Cross and the judicial police that he had spotted a body in the area known as Cerro Escuela. In Andrew's case, the cause of death could not be determined due to the advanced state of decomposition of the remains.
Brother contacted the families of two Dutch womenIn 2014 Sven Goedbloed, the brother of Kerstin, gave statements to the Dutch news media, in which he assured that many times they had lost the hope of finding his younger sister alive. Sven had been holidaying with his own family in Spain when contact with his sister ceased. First annoyed, then worried he flew to Amsterdam, hoping to pick his sister up from the airport when she should arrive on August 5th. But she never took the plane back home. The next day, Sven and his father flew to Costa Rica, carrying satellite phones, flyers, and t-shirts with his sister's photo printed on them. “We had no illusions back then. Sure, we had hope, but we said to each other, ‘She is probably dead, but we will find her for her children, for ourselves.’ It just took them two days just to find out where Kerstin had been before she started her jungle trek. It turned out to be Talamanca, a region near the border between Costa Rica and Panama, where the jungle stretches for many kilometers. After 2.5 weeks of intensive searching, her body was found on a small island in the middle of nature reserve La Amistad (she had a broken leg and had died from a wound infection and starvation). Sven said: “Up to two years after her death, I discussed with my father the scenarios of what could have happened. Then we stopped. We are glad that we found her and that we were able to participate in the search. That also helped a lot to accept her death,” he added. The statements were made by Sven after deciding to contact the families of two Dutch women who disappeared in Panama to share his experience with his sister. José Campos also was involved in the search for Kris and Lisanne: “When the two Dutch girls (Lisanne and Kris) disappeared, the Panamanian Red Cross asked the Costa Rican Red Cross for help, because Kerstin’s family had told them about the work we did in her case and, curiously, I had to go. We didn’t find them,” said the rescuer. Campos assures that they feel a lot of emotion when they find people alive, but when they find the remains they also feel the peace to be able to give closure to their relatives and the tranquility of knowing what happened.
Return to Costa Rica“Three years ago (in 2011) I returned to travel the route through the (Talamanca) jungle, with my sister’s three children and a guide. In the beginning, I was still angry with my sister for her risky and thoughtless behaviour. But when I saw the place where she got on the banana boat to go into the jungle, I understood it. It was so incredibly beautiful,” Sven told Dutch news. Advice from the Mountain Unit of the Costa Rican Red Cross: for everyone going out on such jungle hikes, the advice is to make a plan and to notify a family member or friend and share all this information, so that if you do not return they will notify the authorities, knowing a precise place to look for you. If you are lost or injured and cannot walk further, stay in one place. Bring a whistle, water, a spotlight, or headlamp, hopefully with flashing light (these can be seen from a helicopter). Also, a first-aid kit and enough food. Bring light and energetic food like granola bars, chocolates in addition to a blanket or thermal sheet, that will serve as a shelter from the rain and will keep you warm. Learn to use your cell phone so that you can keep GPS active, there are also applications that will give you the coordinates of the place you're at. And if you plan to go to difficult places, seek a guide.
Kerstins brother Sven later had contact with the parents of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, trying to help them with tips. Hans Kremers met Sven on April 25th, 2014, hoping to learn something from his search. "It's a different country but only the border separates the jungle." Sven advised the families: work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Red Cross, but at the same time organize an informal search with local experts. "You shouldn't surrender yourself completely to the authorities." 'Tribes live in the jungle who avoid any contact with the authorities, but who know so much more than the best Red Cross agent or helper. I will certainly approach that team again about the current situation, who knows what they can do now. 'That jungle cannot be underestimated. Certain parts are exploited by drug cartels, which cannot use prying eyes. And then there is that inhospitality: you walk for 10 minutes and you are lost." About his predictions at the time about Kris and Lisanne's fate. Sven said that the chance of finding the girls alive was getting smaller. "You quickly get lost in the jungle. There are deadly snakes and wild pigs, but the real danger comes from humans. Drug cartels are active in these areas, which do not tolerate prying eyes. The important thing now is that the women are found. And that is a job that is incredibly tough."
Geruisloos wrote on a Dutch forum on May 9th, 2021 (translated): "Some years ago I went to Boquete and I hiked the Pianista trail, until the Mirador. Even though I have been active on this forum at the time, I did not go there because of this case. I passed Boquete while traveling the central Americas. I hiked the trail from the Il Pianista restaurant until the Mirador in one hour and 45 minutes. I took a lot of photos and was recovering from an ankle injury, so normally I would have ascended the trail in an even better time. This is what I noticed. As soon as you reach the jungle, the trail becomes humid, wild and at times worn away. Large parts of the trail no longer catch direct sunlight by then. Wild growing vegetation and some fallen trees made the trail more difficult to follow. Another Dutch tourist I spoke with in Boquete had turned around for that same reason. It is not the nicest trail to take (at the time). Not really dangerous but not entirely innocent either. You do feel that you walk through the jungle, as opposed to a forest track. You do not even think about going off trail. Along the trail you pass a lot of sheds and finca's. At the last (and most remote) finca I saw, about 45 minutes from the Il Pianista restaurant, I was even attacked by an aggressive dog. At the Mirador there was a sign by now - the author went to Boquete several years after Kris and Lisanne went missing -, saying "Fin del Sendero, No Pase, Retornar" (End of trail, No access, Turn around). Other than that, you do not really have the impression that you reached the end of a trail because you can just as easily continue to follow this path. [..] Geruisloos adds in another post that at 23:10 in the video of Kris' parents, hans calculates where Kris could have been approxemately if she had turned around after taking photo 508, and exactly at this spot, geruisloos was attacked by a dog he writes. When he walked up, the dog came running toward him at high speed, jumped over or through the fence onto the trail. And when he walked back down later, the dog attacked him again, this time from behind. Geruisloos could jump away but was left with scratches. Not just the creepy dog, but that entire stretch of the trail spooked Geruisloos and did not feel safe. (Perhaps there is a correlation).
On the way back, I passed two indigenous people who were heavy packed and who carried machetes. I greeted them friendly but got no reply. This did not make for a comfortable atmosphere, considering they were the first people in saw in two hours and I was still on the trail. Very unusual also that people in these remote places do not greet you in return. I quickly walked on. My opinion about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne has changed a bit after my own hiking experience there. I always deemed an accident most logical. But now that I have seen Boquete for myself and tasted the mood, both in town and on the trail, I now think that the influence of a 3rd party will have played a role in their disappearance. [..] Boquete is not very cozy and some buildings and houses are pretty dilapidated. There are quite a few American pensionados with their own little trade and sports cafes and there are a lot of national tourists and people visiting the place for the day. And on top of that there are backpackers, of course. So it is busy, but it does not have that relaxed chilled out holiday vibe. There are beautiful places too and I met also friendly people, but in my impression it was not an idyllic mountain village where nothing ever happens. There are some beautiful houses, but as said, also a lot of shabby and abandoned houses, primitive and surrounded by barbed wire. I will add some photos of the place". (Source link to both the testimonial and the photos of Geruisloos)
Two tourists lost (and found) one year later near Alto RomeroAt June 8th 2015, Vincent Dupied wrote to locals in Boquete about his missing brother, Herve Dupied and his friend Elliot Nakache. The following message was shared on Boquete's online forum, Boquete Ning: "My name is Vincent Dupied and I am writing to you because I need your help. My little brother is hiking in Panama with a friend. Yesterday he launched his distressed beacon very close from your area. We are currently in contact with the French embassy in Panama and they are currently sending helicopters to find them. This is their GPS position. It is close from you. I would like to know if you know guides who will be able to go there trying to find them. Obviously I will pay you for doing it. Please keep me informed if you think you can do it. I am very worried. They are serious guys so if they launched the distressed beacon something must have happened. Can you also warn all the guides around that you may know and ask if they can go at the GPS position. Same thing I will pay for it. Thanks very much for your help. Best regards. Vincent"
In this local newspaper article and on Boquete Ning it was written that the two Frenchmen weren't lost, but that they had spent two nights at a Ngobe house, and they decided to use a sat phone because one of them had injured his arm (he had fallen). They also said that it is a hike of 3 days, but they did it in 2. They only turned back because one of them fell and injured his arm (he points at his arm). They decided to spend two safe nights at the house of a Ngobe woman, where they also received some food. And they decided to call via sat phone. 'The French were found alive and in good condition, they had been missing for less than 24 hours and were located by satellite signal and international coordination', according to José Donderis, director of Sinaproc on his twitter account: "Today two lives have been saved as a result of the rapid coordination and integration of the Joint Task Force."
So... even when you would be walking the much further and harder trail to Bocas, you will still run into people who live in this area, as these young men proved. One hurt his arm and they found a friendly Ngobe woman who offered them shelter, a bed, food and.. a satellite phone. I simply refuse to believe some of the hysterical stories going around that this wooded area behind Boquete is nothing but savagery and isolation. It is simply not true. Yes people get lost, yes people get injured. But they are found. Or they find help themselves and get saved. That is what happens usually. A Sinaproc helicopter picked them up in the end.
More stories about people going missing in the wild this past year
Another youtube video on this disappearance case, from True Scary Stories. And a very good new video from Peaked Interest
(1st half of the video is illustration of the basics in this case, 2nd half is a personal analysis)
Girl is found alive in the woods after 8 days
An 18-year-old girl who was missing for eight days has miraculously been found safe in the woods outside Seattle. Giovanna 'Gia' Fuda disappeared on July 24 after visiting a coffee shop in Index, Washington, and her car was found out of gas on a highway that winds through the Cascade Mountains the following day. Rescue crews spent more than a week searching the area and were beginning to lose hope when they finally discovered the teen near a ravine deep in the woods on Saturday afternoon. Fuda didn't have any food or water, but it's believed she survived by drinking from the ravine and eating berries in the woods. She was last seen on surveillance video from a coffee shop in Index, and the next day her car was found abandoned on Highway 2 between Skykomish and Steven's Pass. Police were unable to track Fuda's phone because it was either turned off or didn't have signal in the area Abbott described as a 'dead zone'. The King County Sheriff's Office labeled Fuda's disappearance as 'suspicious' on July 27, but officials now believe that she likely got lost after leaving her car to look for gas. Abbott said he wasn't sure why or how Fuda ended up in the woods and that investigators are giving her time to recuperate before asking for her side of the story. When she was first found Abbott said Fuda was not able to coherently explain what had happened over the eight days she was missing, merely telling rescuers: 'I don't know where I am.' However officials are hopeful that with time she will be able to recount the ordeal in detail. Just hours before Fuda was found, her mother expressed fear that there would be a tragic outcome. Law enforcement was prepared to suspend the search on Saturday. Kids: Get gas before you go for a long drive through the woods!A very strange story. Why not stay near your vehicle and flag down passing traffic if you find yourself without gas? Even if she had to venture off to find water on occasion, she could have spent the majority of her time near her vehicle. Although finding water in the woods is not thát easy.. Maybe she got lost while looking for food and water? Maybe she went into the forest in hopes of finding a spot with cell service, or maybe she heard hiker's voices, and then got lost? Or maybe something or someone scared her and she didn't dare to stay on the side of that road, alone. But in regards to your chances of being found; between the woods and the road, I wouldn't choose the wilderness over a well traveled road if in need of help. But she may have been desperately thirsty, perhaps. I'm sure there will be an update on the exact decisions she made, once she talks to police about what happened. But this case shows, again, that surviving in the woods for 8 days, when you have no food or water in your possession, is not that far-fetched.
Crime in general in Latin-AmericaI 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...
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]
*****
Jean-Claude Latombe has a "Mountaineering, Climbing, Trekking, and Travel Page" which you can find here, and walked on March 2018 for three days from Boquete to the Caribbean Coast, across the Central Cordillera of Panama.Below you can see the photos he made of his trek, importantly in chronological order and in particular the first part of it in the Boquete region show the exact sort of terrain that Kris and Lisanne encountered. They may in fact have walked this same route, possibly. Also the settlement Alto Romero is passed and photographed; the place near to where some of the girls' remains were found. So these images give you a very good impression of the terrain. Jean-Claude Latombe wrote: "This was my first trip to Panama. My main motivation was to visit an old friend with whom I had lost contact for more than 25 years and who recently sent me an email saying that he had retired in Boquete years ago. So, I spent some time in Boquete in the north of the western Panamanian province of Chiriqui. From Boquete I did a three-day trek across the Central Cordillera of Panama and I went to the huge mangrove in the south of the Chiriqui province. I also spent a couple of days in Panama City. There are definitively many more interesting places to visit in Panama for future trips.
Across the Cordillera Central from Boquete to Caribbean Coast - "This three-day trek took me from Boquete, a small town in the hills north of the Chiriqui province, to the ″suburbs″ of Punta Robalo on the shore of Laguna de Chiriqui (Caribbean coast), in the Bocas del Toro province, across the Central Cordillera of western Panama. See maps below. The itinerary roughly follows an old path (known as the Culebra trail) that was used by indigenous people (the Ngobe and Bugle) before the road connecting the Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro provinces over the cordillera was built. It now receives very little traffic, mostly indigenous people living in intermediate settlements and a handful of cattle owners from the Boquete area (like my guide Lauriano)."
Interesting here is that Kris and Lisanne may have been on this same Culebra trail, and that it was not searched much by rescue teams. From the photos added below of this trek, I am especially interested in the cable bridges and river passings, wondering where Lris and Lisanne may have taken their nighttime photos. As well as the photos of the settlement 'Alto Romero', as close to there some of the girls' remains and backpack were found.Notice also that this area is NOT solely dense jungle woods. It has many open spots where trees seem to have been taken down, or where cattle can graze. Places where human activity takes place. It also has many river passings where locals come and go daily, as well as little sheds and shelter places along the way. A beautiful trek with stunning views along the way. However, after photo #508 we have not seen a single photo of this beautiful region. Making a lot of people think that they either never made it past that point, or turned around to go back to Boquete and something happened to them on the way back, or they did make it further and took photos of this, but those were deleted. Latombe describes this trek: "The first half of the trek crosses the crest of the cordillera and lies for the most part in uninhabited dense forests. The second half lies mostly in the Ngobe-Bugle Comarca (in Panama, a comarca is a region administered by indigenous people). With many ups and downs, it traverses an area alternating forests and pastures and passes by a number of Ngobe-Bugle settlements. Although I did the trek at the end of the dry season, the trails were still extremely muddy."
Maps: Western Panama:
Google Earth image with waypoints.
"Waypoints 14 and 18 are where we spent the two nights. Waypoint 14 points to the small finca owned by Lauriano. Waypoint 18 points to a Ngobe-Bugle settlement. In each case we slept in a house on dry ground. The total length of the path is about 30+km.]"
Day One: "On this first day we started hiking at 5am. For more than an hour we walked with our headlamps. When some sunlight came out (around 6:30am) we were already in the deep forest on muddy terrain. [..] For this trek I was accompanied by Lauriano (main guide) and Nikolas. Both were great strong companions, with a wonderful sense of humor. To see pictures of this trek [see Day One, Day Two and Day Three]. However, it is impossible to capture the real atmosphere of the trek in pictures. The constant humidity and heat, the smells, and the noises, especially the loud howls of the howler monkeys and the suction noise made by the boots as they rise from the mud cannot be photographed. To compensate, the links below give access to many pictures, probably too many. Most, taken individually, are not particularly interesting, but I hope that their sequence presented in chronological order gives a reasonably good sense of this trekking experience. On this first day we started hiking at 5am. For more than an hour we walked with our headlamps. When some sunlight came out (around 6:30am) we were already in the deep forest on muddy terrain.
"Is this a bridge? Only 3 cables! On the left, a Ngobe-Bugle man who
was travelling alone in the opposite direction."
was travelling alone in the opposite direction."
Crossing the second ″bridge″ of the day.
"After more than 10 hours on the muddy trail, including almost 9 of actual hiking, we finally reached the small ″finca″ of Lauriano (waypoint 14), where he owns a bunch of cows. This is when I realized that he had been carrying 15kg of salt in his bag, as cows do need salt to maintain appetite and body weight. Skulls of cows posted around the small house welcome the visitors. We spent a dry, comfortable night in this cozy ″refuge″."
Day 2: "View toward the Caribbean Sea from Lauriano′s finca (waypoint 14)."
This big rock on the right of the photograph is considered a possible match by some people on public forums for the rock seen in the nighttime photos of Kris and Lisanne.
Another finca with citrus trees along the way.
"Alto Romero, a major Ngobe-Bugle settlement along the way."
"Another small settlement."
"Ngobe-Bugle settlement where we spent our second night (waypoint 18). The thatched house is the kitchen. The largest house on pilotis is where the family lives. Note the wooden pipe between this house and the blue container used to collect rain water. [..] On that day we lost much elevation to reach sea level. We passed by an increasing number of Ngobe-Bugle settlements and we forded more and more rivers. With loss of elevation sun became our enemy."
Some more on the psychology of Lost Hikers - by Statistician Robert Koester There are thousands of lost hiker in the wilderness and backcountry each year. Survivalist Robert Koester hopes to keep you on track. Koester, a 45-year-old from Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, has spent seven years creating the International Search and Rescue Database. With 50,000 documented incidents, it's the largest, and first, compendium of its kind in the world. But the lifelong hiker isn't just a collector; like a backcountry actuary, he also analyzes risk. Using his vast database, Koester predicts who will live, who will die, and, most importantly, where lost hikers may be found. Based on his data, he can see how hikers lost in the woods behave differently from hikers lost in the desert for instance. He also discovered differences between mountainous and non-mountainous areas, and how someone lost with children behaves different from someone all by himself. What's the typical profile of the average lost hiker?
It's a male. The age range is pretty broad, though: 20 to 50 years old. Solo males make up 40 percent of what Koester sees. Overall, people hiking by themselves account for 58 percent, which is kind of surprising. If you think about who you pass on the trail, you don't see that many solo hikers. But going solo clearly ups your risk of getting lost. The typical lost hiker also hasn't packed any survival equipment. Koester is not talking fancy stuff here, but most don't even carry the essentials. GPS units are good tools for instance, and they're getting better every year. But they're still useless unless you've practiced with them. If you don't know what you're looking at, it's just lines on a screen. What's the most common mistake a lost hiker will make? Most people—especially males—just keep plowing ahead in the direction they were going, in the hope that just around the corner they'll see something they recognize. That rarely happens. The most effective get-found strategy is actually the least used, and that's backtracking until you know where you are. In what environment do most people get into trouble? The mountains. That's partly because the mountains are where most of the recreational land is, but it's also because routefinding decisions are more complicated. The most common scenario is an error at a particular decision point, which we think of as a distinct chunk of land where a hiker makes a navigational decision. That could be an intersection of two trails, where someone takes the wrong trail. Or it can be more subtle, like you didn't notice that your trail branched. Or maybe your decision was to follow a game trail or something that seems like a trail for a while, but isn't. There are simply more of these decision points in mountainous terrain. You should definitely worry more about navigation than about bears. People are terrified of spiders, rattlesnakes, bears, and mountain lions, yet your probability of being attacked by an animal is extremely low. There are many bigger dangers out there: a dramatic change in the weather when you're not prepared for it, or water crossings when you can't swim or don't have the skills or equipment to cross safely.
It's a male. The age range is pretty broad, though: 20 to 50 years old. Solo males make up 40 percent of what Koester sees. Overall, people hiking by themselves account for 58 percent, which is kind of surprising. If you think about who you pass on the trail, you don't see that many solo hikers. But going solo clearly ups your risk of getting lost. The typical lost hiker also hasn't packed any survival equipment. Koester is not talking fancy stuff here, but most don't even carry the essentials. GPS units are good tools for instance, and they're getting better every year. But they're still useless unless you've practiced with them. If you don't know what you're looking at, it's just lines on a screen. What's the most common mistake a lost hiker will make? Most people—especially males—just keep plowing ahead in the direction they were going, in the hope that just around the corner they'll see something they recognize. That rarely happens. The most effective get-found strategy is actually the least used, and that's backtracking until you know where you are. In what environment do most people get into trouble? The mountains. That's partly because the mountains are where most of the recreational land is, but it's also because routefinding decisions are more complicated. The most common scenario is an error at a particular decision point, which we think of as a distinct chunk of land where a hiker makes a navigational decision. That could be an intersection of two trails, where someone takes the wrong trail. Or it can be more subtle, like you didn't notice that your trail branched. Or maybe your decision was to follow a game trail or something that seems like a trail for a while, but isn't. There are simply more of these decision points in mountainous terrain. You should definitely worry more about navigation than about bears. People are terrified of spiders, rattlesnakes, bears, and mountain lions, yet your probability of being attacked by an animal is extremely low. There are many bigger dangers out there: a dramatic change in the weather when you're not prepared for it, or water crossings when you can't swim or don't have the skills or equipment to cross safely.
Some examples of silly mistakes made by hikers: a lot of backpackers will discard their gear when they get in trouble. You think: Why on earth did you do that? Wouldn't a jacket and tent come in pretty handy? They even ditch water, which is essential to your life support system! But they feel they need to lighten their load to go faster because they're in trouble. It's absolutely the worst thing you can do. Some things hikers should do to make sure they stay found: make reasonable estimates of how much time and effort your hike will require and plan your trip accordingly. Also, tell someone exactly where you're headed and when to expect you back. In many cases, wandering aimlessly can result in becoming even more lost, and also make it more difficult for rescuers to find you. When accurate navigation is not an option, it may be wise to stay put and make your campsite as visible as possible. If you’re out in the back country and you fall, you hurt yourself, you get lost, just stay put and don’t try to walk around and get even more lost. This hiker got lost in Yosemite Park, and did everything right to be found. He followed the basic survival skills that he learned. He kept close to a water source, conserved his energy, rationed out food supplies, tried to keep warm, and found a suitable location to setup camp so that he would be as visible from the air as possible. Hikers are often better off staying put and waiting for help than stubbornly wandering in circles, which can be a dangerous mistake. There comes a time when you must swallow your pride and wait for help. If you ever find yourself lost in the backcountry, you’ll need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of attempting to navigate to safety versus signaling for rescue. Someone detailed his frightening ordeal in Venezuela
Here you can see the
entire Pianista trail walk
Clan Chumico Community posted many photos of the Pianista trail and other local trails near Boquete
December 21st 2020 - I found these photos, which were posted on September 8th 2014, so they show the trail and Pianista hike itself in great detail as it was in that same year of 2014. And dear loyal Blue the dog accompanied them. Notice how beautiful Blue rarely strays from their side and has been photographed many a time. Just like Kris and Lisanne would have done in my opinion, if Blue had really been with them during their hike. The hiker wrote about it: "The trail has an altitude of 1645 meters above sea level, 5 kilometers of distance that we covered in 5 1/2 hours."
Clan Chumico Community also posted photos of the Sendero Piedra Lino trail near Boquete
This Sendero Piedra Lino lies close to the Pianista Trail, but it is a shorter loop-type of hike. It has been debated whether or not Kris and Lisanne walked this trail on April 1st instead oron top of the Pianista trail, after Pedro from Casa Pedro sent them there and saw them come back from it. Here Ingrid Lommes tells all about it. The hiker wrote about it: "One of the highest points in the Boquete district. A set of stones at the top of the mountain, with a spectacular view. Intense hike. 3km ... 11/2/14."
This Sendero Piedra Lino lies close to the Pianista Trail, but it is a shorter loop-type of hike. It has been debated whether or not Kris and Lisanne walked this trail on April 1st instead oron top of the Pianista trail, after Pedro from Casa Pedro sent them there and saw them come back from it. Here Ingrid Lommes tells all about it. The hiker wrote about it: "One of the highest points in the Boquete district. A set of stones at the top of the mountain, with a spectacular view. Intense hike. 3km ... 11/2/14."
Hiker Remi walked from Boquete to Bocas del Toro
June 2010
By Remi
"We began each day around 6:30am. We did not see many people on our first day, just locals cleaning up paths with their machetes. On our second day, we met a few children who asked our guide if we wanted any help. Not much interaction or encounter with locals or other hikers". "The terrain on the first two days was in the highlands where nearly everyone raises cattle consequently, we had to trudge through deep cattle trenches that at times were more than three meters deep of thick muddy sludge, plodding through these trenches knee-deep. We crossed rivers with cable lines 30 meters wide with two cable lines on top and one cable line on the bottom. It was a balancing act walking, holding onto the lines trying not to fall into the river, and as a result, though minor, I lost my hiking stick while walking on the cable. The highland terrain is up and down through numerous valleys, crossing the same winding river 20 times, and on a multitude of occasions crossed deep areas of water that sometimes came up to our thighs. The upshot of this our boots became waterlogged and as a result, I got three to four blisters on both feet and I lost a few toenails". "The hike on the third and final day lasted six hours. On this third day, we hiked out of the highlands finding the terrain flat, farming with the planting of crops, more populated with Ngäbe living along the river, and walking along the trail. Finally, arriving in Puerto Robalo, I waited for the bus, and rode it to Gualaca". I asked Remi if he found the hike to Bocas difficult, his response, “yes” then I, asked him why. Remi: "I thought climbing the Volcan Baru would would be the toughest but on a scale 5-10 the Volcan Baru is an 8 and Bocas is a 9.5. I found hiking across the Comarca Territory more of a military hike because of the terrain. I lost 6 kilos/13 pounds on the two and half day hike from Boquete to Puerto Robalo, Bocas. I feel good about losing the weight because I wanted to anyway. Anyone eager to losing weight hike to Bocas! The trek to Bocas was beyond my expectation knowing it would be a long hike I assumed it might not be difficult and as a result, it turned out to be a real jungle hike. Nonetheless, I have to say I would not repeat it. The locals do this everyday without much of a problem but then they are used to the terrain. I suggest having a good guide, the best are the Ngäbe, but they are difficult to find. In addition, there is neither a signal nor medical help in close proximity".
Other missing hikers
Searching for Kris and Lisanne; what the environment looks like
A youtube video on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne,
reflecting the articles from Jeremy Kryt's The Daily Beast
reflecting the articles from Jeremy Kryt's The Daily Beast
Kris and Lisanne's disappearance reminds me in some ways of another missing persons case from The Netherlands. One that has never been solved until now, and where officials both at home and in the country where this one plays out, were very quick to point towards an accident. Without any proof. Sophia Koetsier went to Ugandan on October 22nd 2015. The attractive 21 year old medicine student did an internship in a Ugandese hospital and afterwards travelled around a bit longer with two other Dutch medicine students. On Wednesday afternoon, October 28th 2015, they arrived in Murchison Falls National Park. They stayed in a cheap backpackers place called Student Center. After a boat trip on the Nile they arrived there at around six pm. They unloaded the car and Sophia announced she was going to the bathroom, a separate building, a little further away. The guide on the terrain had told them that the toilet was about 50-100 meters out, but that they couldn't go there alone at night because wild animals might be around. They were supposed to tell him that they had to go, and he'd bring them with his car. They dropped off their luggage and the 2 friends went to the toilet. While walking back, they passed Sophia, who told the guide she had to go to the toilet too. The guide waited near the barracks where they would sleep, but could not see the toilet as it was located behind a bush. After a few minutes the guide approached them and asked if they had seen Sophia. They assumed she was somewhere nearby. This is the last time Sophia was seen. Her two friends raised the alarm and within 15 minutes a search party, including park rangers, was in place. Without any results. In the following days police and park rangers searched further, on land and in the river, but Sophia was not found. They do find a plastic water bottle about 20 minutes walk from the toilets, one that her friends say Sophia also carried. Searches were conducted by helicopter and on the ground, with local search dogs and a mixed group of police and park rangers. On November 4th 2015 a Dutch police team arrived, equipped with a drone. Sophia was still not found. But along the river, they did find her sunglasses, a shoe, a water bottle, pieces of colorful fabric from her trousers which were partially tied to twigs and were scattered on the ground near a tree, other pieces of fabric including her black underpants were also found 5 meters or 17 ft up high in that same tree (which were confirmed to be Sophia's) , and a etui without any contents in them. Later near the river some folded up clothes were found from her. Also her Ray-ban sunglasses, a right shoe, half a dollar bill, Then the big blame game started. Some said that wild animals ate her. Other said that she accidentally drowned. Others referred to her parents admittance that Sophia took medication for bipolar disorder, and this must have taken her own life. No leads have been found since then, and it still remains a mystery what happened to her. The alligator theory was soon dismissed as no blood was found near the river, nor where there any screams heard or any traces of her found in the river. Also her folded clothes near the river could not be the work of wildlife. "The last thing that was found from Sophia is some clothing in the vicinity of the river," says Van de Goot, who is part of the investigation team. "That was some distance from the place where they stayed. She is said to have disappeared from the toilets. Hours and hours later, perhaps even days later, these items of clothing were found." The forensic pathologist questions the scenario that was outlined by the Ugandan police. "I don't want to deny or flatten out that scenario. But because her clothes were found on land and neatly taken off, I consider a scenario with only wild animals extremely unlikely." Because the two friends of Sophia stated that Sophia had acted strangely the days prior to her disappearance (she locked herself in the toilet for longer period of times). The friends called with Sophia's mother, say they are worried about her behaviour and the mother warned them not to tell Sophia about this or their plans to have her return home sooner, because she may walk away then if she is having a bipolar flare up. Soon after Sophia (who didn't hear this conversation the friends say, but the parents stress that during a manic flare Sophia is highly sensitive) to the toilets, never to be seen again. However the crime scene was not closed off and many people touched Sophia's (clothing) items before police collected them. Ugandan police state that Sophie drowned herself and was eaten by wild animals. Her parents think that she fell victim to crime, because they bought the exact same pair of trousers that Sophia had been wearing, and with the best attempts in the world they could not tear it apart with their hands. As was done to their daughters trousers. Not even with their teeth. They do not believe that their daughter could have done this herself. They believe other people were involved. They feel it is the easy way out to declare their daughter 'crazy' and state she must have had a fatal accident. With no bodily remains, nobody really knows...
But their theory is supported by forensic analyst Richard Eikelenboom. After researching the found pieces of fabric from Sophia's trousers, he thinks that the Sophia's cotton trousers must have been cut into pieces with a knife or scissors (something she did not carry with her). In addition, the Dutch Forensic Institute examined her underpants to determine if this was from Sophia. That turned out to be the case, but DNA from an unknown man was also found on it. This has not been investigated further, and neither have her other found items been further investigated. "It may be DNA from a cop who has taken the panties off the tree. But we don't know that", says Eikelenboom. "New research could show whether Sophia herself tied the pieces of pants to the branches or someone else. If you tie a knot, you have to put strength and you leave a lot of skin cells behind." And there are more mysterious aspects to this case. Her black underpants was shoved with the help of a branch four meters high in a tree. Her right shoe, found on the banks of the Nile. was spotless. Also the profile of the bottom part of the shoe. "How is that possible?" Says mother Marije. "The earth is orange there." And Sophia's water bottle and personal items were found on nearly exactly the same spot. But several days after one another. Someone must have put the items there after the water bottle was already found. Her parents think of the worst possible scenario's: local devil or spirit expulsions, rape, torture, murder. Ugandans with war trauma's. They worry that their daughter is still alive and is continuously abused. But then again, she did have manic episodes in the past, where she can walk off just like that. What hell for her parents. In Uganda her friends also detailed how she didn't sleep much and was gone one night, sitting in a lookout post all night. She didn't want to miss anything and had set herself a goal, a mission; to survive a night out there like she did in the lookout post. Sophia had also chatted to a friend the night prior, and told how it annoyed her that her two travel companions were audibly worried about her. That she wanted to be alone. Perhaps Sophia set herself another goal that night, went for a walk, tried to climb into the tree and survive another challenge night. She may have thrown the water bottle down. Then moved on the next day and ran into foul play, with a 3rd party coming back to place the other items the day or night after (explaining why the water bottle was the only thing found initially, followed by all the other personal items a day or so later on virtually the same spot suddenly. Or she ended up in the river herself and just never made it out there in any shape or form... (Although don't forget that people started looking for her there within 15 minutes of her not returning from the toilets). But if she had a bipolar episode she could also have reacted different from normal to other people. In the days prior she sat up all night once to talk to local men at a camp fire, and another evening she randomly interviewed strangers in the street, for instance. Anyway, a deviation from our main story! But mainly to underline just how easy officials throw a mysterious case onto an accident. Like with Kris and Lisanne. Just like with the Kris and Lisanne case, Nikki van Passel worked with Sophia's parents as spokes person for them to the media. Here and here you can find facebook pages for Finding Sophia Koetsier.Read my full blog post about Sophia here
Nora Quoirin went missing in the jungle of MalaysiaThe tragic case of Nora Quoirin has been in the news for almost two weeks now, and had a devastating ending. Nora, 15, vanished on holiday in Malaysia on August 4th. Together with her parents and younger brother and sister, she had been staying at the Dusun eco-resort which is popular with local tourists and located in an area known as the Pantai hills. They had only arrived the same day, and gone to bed early due to jetlag, when the next morning at 8 AM, Nora's father found his daughter gone. A window was wide open. She slept together with her younger brother and sister in one room, but nobody had heard or seen anything that night. Police were called and sniffer dogs tried to follow her scent, but didn't get very far. Extra attention was paid to the fact that Nora attended a school for young people with learning and communication difficulties. She had a smaller than average brain and struggled to act independently having been born with Patau's syndrome, or holoprosencephaly. The schoolgirl's grandfather, Sylvain Quoirin, who is a mayor in France, said it was 'unthinkable' Nora would have wandered off alone because of the severity of her learning difficulties. Normally her parents wouldn't let her go to the shop alone even. The condition left her struggling to complete everyday tasks and with limited speech, walking ability and co-ordination. She never before left off on her own, which made her parents suspect that she was kidnapped. When strange fingerprints were found on the outside of their holiday home, this reinforced their suspicions. But they also recalled that Nora had been particularly enthusiastic to visit a waterfall in the area.
The search for Nora had involved up to 350 staff from various government bodies over a period of ten days, alongside helicopters and drones equipped with thermal imagining technology. During the search operation, rescuers had also played Mrs Quoirin's voice through loudspeakers in the hope her daughter would hear, saying: 'Nora, darling, Nora, I love you, Mummy is here.' Then on the 13th of August, so 9 days after she went missing, Nora was found by volunteers, near a waterfall. And now post-mortem has revealed she died of intestinal trauma caused by starvation. Medics say she survived in the jungle for a week before she died, meaning also that she could have been found alive if search teams had got to her in time. This must be especially hard for her poor poor parents, as they spent their every waking hour looking for Nora, together with a large rescue team involving hundreds of police, volunteers, sniffer dogs and helicopters, who also desperately searched for her. Specialists specified that Nora died from intestinal damage, likely caused by hunger and stress, police revealed today. The 15-year-old had no signs of physical or sexual violence on her body, pathologists said after a 12-hour autopsy, quashing fears that she could have been kidnapped and killed before her remains were dumped. Her body was eventually discovered just 1.5 miles from the resort near a remote jungle waterfall. An area which already had been searched previously - with no sign of her found. Malaysia's Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop told reporters that Nora likely died two to three days before her body was found, meaning she was alive and lost in the jungle for six or seven days. The ruptured intestine was most likely caused by stress brought by not eating any food, medics said. Mr Yusop said she had not eaten any food and this was a factor in her death. I had to think of the Kris and Lisanne case also, while reading this sad and hopeless news update. Within a week, you can die from starvation clearly, in such a horrible way. Although with Nora it is said that she are nothing, no foods at all. This may have been due to her young age and medical condition, which made her unable to live independently in normal day life also. Kris and Lisanne would have probably had the capacity to realize that they needed food, and hopefully the ability to find things to eat. Even if it were only insects or bugs or roots. But it goes to show again that survival in the jungle is no small feat, for nobody :( Although the family of Nora at this time of writing, is not accepting the official autopsy and police verdict, and still believe that she was abducted.
Update:Nora's parents gave an exclusive interview on December 17th with Ireland's state broadcaster RTE. In it Frenchman Sebastien, 47, and Irish woman Meab Quoirin, 45 stated that they do not believe that Nora walked out of their holiday home on her own. They still believe that a crime took place; that someone abducted her while she was asleep. "We're at a stage where we believe that it is one chance in a billion that Nóra got lost by herself" - said Nóra Quoirin’s father Sebastian. Despite doctors who examined Nora's body ruling out foul play. A post-mortem examination revealed Nora died from internal bleeding probably caused by hunger and stress. The ruptured intestine was most likely caused by stress brought by not eating any food, medics said. But her parents do not believe this verdict. Now they urge Malaysia to do extra investigations. Police in Malaysia said they found no evidence of abduction or kidnapping.. Nora's mum said that it would have been "impossible physically, mentally to imagine that she could have got any distance at all. For us something very complex happened. We have insisted from the beginning that we believe there was a criminal element to what happened. And crucially we're struggling because it was difficult to get resources in place fast enough to investigate a criminal angle." Her mum added: "While a post mortem when it comes through may give us answers, and has already given us some basic answers around what caused Nóra's death, it doesn't explain any of how she could possibly have got to where she was found." Meanwhile, the family believe it is "going to be difficult to get the whole truth but it's important to try". Sylvain Quoirin, Nora's paternal grandfather, had previously told the Irish Times that "dark areas need to be cleared up for the family to be able to grieve in peace." He said: "She wasn't there [during previous searches]. Someone put her there, to get rid of her. 'Can you imagine her walking 1.5 miles, naked and barefoot, over rocks, in the middle of the night? For me, that's absurd."
Update 2:Nora's parents have stated that they believe their daughter was the victim of foul play. And Nora's mother has declared to have heard strange voices in the early morning of Nora's disappearance. "According to the mother, on the morning of the disappearance, she heard the voices of two unknown persons in their holiday home. She took no action because she was half asleep and thus not fully conscious.The parents are still battling the malaysian authorities." The owner of the resort, where the family was staying, has been charged with alleged negligence, the Associated Press reports. The family blames the entrepreneur that there was no security at the resort and that one of the windows of the holiday home was broken at the time of the disappearance. According to the mother, the Malaysian police have made a lot of mistakes in the investigation into the disappearance. For example, the detectives failed to interview the resort employees and started looking for evidence, such as fingerprints, too late. The family stated that the officer sent to take her statement did not speak a word of English and that this made the conversation difficult. Senior police officers who later approached her were also "rude and arrogant" and are said to have told the family not to interfere with the disappearance. However, according to the family, Nora was unable to move on her own due to her physical and mental disabilities. The girl was born with Holoprosencephaly, which caused her to have a smaller brain and therefore a mental retardation. "She couldn't even walk to our neighbors' front door at home," the parents stated earlier. “It is an absurd idea for Nora to get up in the middle of the night, leave the bungalow naked and barefoot and walk into the jungle herself and head into total darkness, is an absurd idea for us. We have therefore called from the beginning that we believe this case has a criminal tinge. ”
Update 3: On June 16th of 2021, a Malaysian High Court overturned the coroner's verdict of 'misadventure' being the cause of death of Nora Quoirin. The verdict was replaced with an 'open' ruling on Wednesday in a victory for her family. The coroner had ruled out homicide, natural death and suicide and said she likely got lost after leaving her family´s cottage on her own, and that no one else was involved. Police have said there was no evidence of foul play, but her parents said she wouldn't have wandered off on her own. Nora'sparents however do not believe that Nora could have left the holiday home of her parents by herself, considering her disabilities and inability to walk that sort of natural terrain. The High Court reopens the option of a crime having taken place with this ruling, agreeing in this with Nora's parents. "High Court Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan agreed with Nora Anne Quoirin's parents that it would not have been likely for the 15-year-old to venture out on her own, navigate the steep terrain and evade detection for days due to her mental and physical disabilities. He ruled that "the verdict of misadventure ought to be vacated in the interest of justice and substituted with an open verdict," which would mean there was suspicion of foul play but inadequate proof. The family had cited unidentified fingerprints on the outside of a window in their cottage that was found open on the morning of her disappearance, the initial failure of hundreds of trained rescuers to find her, and police dogs unable to follow her scent. They feared possible DNA evidence was lost because of the lapsed time and the finding of her body in water, and noted a lack of major physical damage to her body that would have been likely from walking through the rough terrain.The ruling is a legal victory for Nora's parents, who believe she was likely kidnapped and had appealed the coroner´s verdict, issued in January. They listened to the online verdict from their home in London."We still feel that the circumstances surrounding Nora´s death were suspicious," the teen´s mother, Meabh Quoirin, told Irish broadcaster RTE Radio. "But in terms of what´s legally available to us, an open verdict was incredibly important in our quest for justice for Nora, and that´s what we got today." Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan told the Seremban High Court that changing the verdict was 'in the interests of justice', adding: 'There was no credible evidence to support any other verdict.'
Another missing hiker, this time in the Pyrenees
Esther Dingley (37, from England) was last seen on November 22nd 2020, while doing a solo hike in the Spanish-French Pyrenees. She and her partner Dan have a blog which I had followed for some time already. They packed up their belongings and sold the rest six years ago, to tour through Europe with a motorhome. They hiked many mountain ranges, including the Alps in these years, of which you can see videos here.
Esther decided to go on a month long solo tour recently, while her partner Dan was house sitting in France. They had been hiking together a lot and as an experienced trekker, Esther loved climbing on her own also at times. She said it was good for their relationship also, to sometimes do things apart. She drove their campervan to the Spanish town of Benasque. From there she started her hike. Initially she updates cheerful messages on facebook and instagram. I will add them below. Then suddenly after November 21st, no more updates came. She was last seen on November 22nd. Her plan had been to hike from the town to Pic de Sauvegarde, a mountaintop in the Pyrenees, which she reached on November 22 - sending Dan a picture via WhatsApp at 4PM, which was their last contact. This is the last photo she sent to her boyfriend. From there she planned to walk between Port de la Gléré and Port de Venasque - a route of some eight miles - before hiking down from the mountains on Wednesday. Search and rescue teams from both Spain and France have been searching for her on the route she took and beyond ever since. Dan initially wrote: "I'm broken. Shattered to report that my beloved Esther, the person who taught me how to feel, is missing. She has was last seen six days ago when she sent me this photo. Search and rescue teams have so far found no trace of her. The only purpose of this post is to ask for prayers, thoughts, candles and whatever you have. I've not been saying anything, but this wonderful person believes in the power of positive thought and right now I'll take anything if it means that she can be found. I need her back. I can't face the alternative."
As rescue operations continued, Dan updated on December 1st: "It's very difficult to say this, but another day has ended with no trace at all of Esther. For several days now there has been talk that perhaps Esther might not be up there and that this was the reason they couldn't find her. Because the weather window is closing fast, with snow tonight and more expected, the search and rescue teams obviously had to prioritise the search on the ground. They've gone over and over and over the trails in the area. They've used helicopters, dogs, a drone and lots of people. I'm very grateful for the effort they've put in on both sides of the border and for the way both teams have kept me honestly informed of their progress and expectations. I have great respect for the work they've done having walked many of the trails myself as well. However, with no result day after day, taking into account Esther's high level of experience, the nature of the terrain, the good weather she would have had, the fact she had a clearly defined route for Sunday evening and Monday, and various other factors, both search coordinators have essentially told me that although they can never be 100% sure, the prevailing opinion in the search teams is that she isn't there. That if she had fallen from one of the paths, they really would have expected to find her given the intensity, the closeness of the search and the fact most of the trails are really quite straightforward across open ground. As things stand tonight, Esther is now listed as a national missing persons case in Spain and the case has been passed to a specialised judicial unit in France. This means they will be looking at other options beyond a mountain accident. While this is a terrifying development in many ways, I'm trying to focus on the fact that it leaves the door open that Esther might still come home. She was so utterly happy and joyful when we last spoke, I'd do anything to see her face and hold her right now."
He updated later, on December 3rd: "I wanted to say thank you once more for all of you leaving kind messages. Now that this is a formal police investigation I've been asked to let any future updates and comments come out via formal channels, which makes complete sense to me. If anyone has any information they feel may be relevant, please let the appropriate authorities know directly. Thank you all again for your support."
Because Esther has not been found anywhere along the trail she was said to have taken, and because search teams, dogs and helicopters could not find a trace of her, police are now expanding their searches and are looking into a possible crime scenario as well. Esther mentioned in some of her last updates that she ran into another male hiker. Because of the French lockdowns, the Pyrenees were as good as deserted, so there were very few witnesses on the trails. Esther revealed the existence of the man in a Facebook post on November 19, saying they met by chance at the peak of a mountain, before hiking down together. She wrote that she had accepted a lift from the man back to her camper van, which was later found abandoned in the Spanish town of Benasque. She wrote: "It was the first time I'd seen anyone else for almost two days and as this kind fellow hiker took some photos the weather blew in..." "I had the option of staying at a great caban, even had a mattress, but it was only 2 PM or going down with my fellow hiker and getting a lift. He'd take me further up the valley so I could continue my planned tour to another refuge, or back to the camper. "There will be more days in the hills!" I said to the little part of me that didn't want to go back just yet.' 'This was about making it easy on myself. It would be warm and sunny back at the camper and here was someone willing to take me...' 'And then as we drove off this magnificent rainbow appeared. Yoga, good food and sunshine and warmth awaited me back at the camper.'The meeting happened just three days before Esther was last seen, and police believe the man may hold vital clues about what happened to her. The man took this picture. A police source told The Sun: 'This man would have had conversations with her and may know what she planned' 'They may have arranged to meet and hike another route. It is imperative that we find him.' Authorities are now said to be looking into the identity of this man and are trying to find out who he is and if he knows where Esther is. But her last update on November 21st shows her alone making a selfie on a peak at the border of Spain and France, and not even in the reflection of her sunglasses is a second person to be seen. I hope there is no other person involved in her disappearance, but I think it may still be possible that Esther is out in the Pyrenees somewhere and got lost or fell down some place nobody has been looking yet. She wrote in earlier posts about having to backtrack because she lost a trail. She brought a backpack however with all the necessities; camping gear, clothes, food etc. Below are Esthers last messages about her trip:
Update July 23rd 2021. Police searching for missing British hiker Esther Dingley find bones near site where she last made contact with her boyfriend in November ·
Police searching for missing hiker Esther Dingley have found bones near the site where she last made contact with her boyfriend in November. French police confirmed remains had been found at Port de la Glere but said it would take 'several days or even weeks' before they were properly analysed and any results obtained.
A mountain runner raised the alarm around 2 PM on Friday after discovering what he believed could be the remains of a body. Spanish police went to the area but had to alert their French counterparts after discovering the spot was just over the border. French police have now taken charge of the investigation to try to confirm they are human bones and if they are, who they could belong to. Spanish police sources said they appeared to be human bones. A mountain runner raised the alarm around 2 PM on Friday after discovering what he believed could be the remains of a body near the spot where missing hiker Esther Dingley went missing late last year. French police chief Jean Marc Bordinaro said: 'We cannot say anything at the moment because the discovery of the bones is too recent and they must be properly analysed. 'We will not have a result for several days and possibly several weeks.' A prosecutor based in Saint-Gaudens is expected to make an official statement if there are any changes to the current situation. Spanish Civil Guard said the discovery was a matter for the French police to comment on as the bones had been found on their side of the border.
Civil Guard sergeant Jorge Lopez Ramos, whose elite mountain search and rescue team led an eight-day search for Esther on the Spanish side of the border before it was halted last December because of bad weather, confirmed late last year Port de la Glere was on the route Esther told her boyfriend she was planning to take before she disappeared. Referring to the mountain pass by its Spanish name, he said at the time: 'Esther told her partner she was planning to spend the night in a nearby refuge on the French side of the border called Venasque before doing a long half-circle to re-enter Spain through a mountain pass called Puerto de la Glera and heading back down to Llanos del Hospital. 'It would have been a long day's walk or she could have spent the night somewhere and finished the following day. 'We don't know if she reached Venasque that night. It's shut at the moment and only an emergency part of it is open for people to sleep in and consume any food they have with them.' Mr Bordinaro had previously admitted the possibility Durham-born Esther had suffered a mountain accident was a 'strong one.' A Civil Guard source said: 'A mountain runner has found what could be human bones just over the French side of the border at Puerto de la Glera. 'He called the Civil Guard who went to the area but after confirming it was on the French side of the border they called the French Gendarmerie who went to the spot and have now taken charge of things. 'They appear to be human remains but it will up to French police now to analyse them.' Another Spanish source said it appeared '90 per cent certain' they were human remains.
Puerto de la Glera - Port de la Glere in France - is close to the 8,796ft Pico Salvaguardia summit where Oxford graduate Esther last made contact with her partner Dan Colegate around 4 PM on November 22 last year. Specialist officers from Spain and France have carried out several searches of the area around the Puerto de la Glera hiking trail. Esther's partner claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident. He said: 'The search has been so prolonged and so intense, that as far as I'm concerned the probability of an accident is now less than the probability of a criminal act.' Spanish Civil Guard officers resumed the search for Esther in mid-June and have been supported by a helicopter from a permanent base in the town of Benasque, where the missing hiker was staying before she vanished. A Spanish court probe that opened after the Durham-born 37-year-old went missing on November 22 remains open. A woman judge based an hour's drive away from the Pyrenees village of Benasque in Boltana remains in charge of the Spanish judicial probe sparked by Esther's disappearance. Maria Saenz Martinez has yet to approve the return of the camper van Esther had travelled to Spain in to her boyfriend. The vehicle remains at a Civil Guard station in Benasque where it was taken for forensic analysis soon after Esther vanished. French investigators have made their own inquiries and share information with their Spanish counterparts on a regular basis but are understood to have obtained no new indications about what might have happened to the missing Brit since the suspension of the mountain search. Esther was expected to spend the night in an unmanned shelter on the French side of the border the day of her last conversation with her boyfriend, but it is not known if she ever arrived. They spoke after she reached the summit of Pico Salvaguardia, which the French call Pic de Sauvegarde, for the second time in two days. She was seen by several witnesses including an Olympic Spanish skier asking for some fruit hiking on the path leading up to the summit. Esther's mum admitted in February: 'Each day has been nothing short of an excruciating hell for me, balancing on the edge of breaking down. 'Not knowing where she is or what has happened to our beautiful Esther is destroying me and our family.'" - In an earlier Daily Mail article from mid June 2021, it was reported that police had resumed their search for Esther, and that her devastated boyfriend continued to walk trails in the Pyrenees in his own efforts to find her. Seargeant Jorge Lopez Ramos said at the time already that he was counting on the possibility of receiving information from other hikers, as the weather was good and many would hike in the Pyrenees in the peak months of July and August.
Update: The boyfriend of missing British hiker Esther Dingley said the mountain pass where bones have been found was an 'easy' route that was 'well within her capabilities', as her family appealed for 'urgent' answers after the discovery. He said: 'Her onward route would have involved a descent northwards towards the Hospice de France, a flat traverse westwards around the Imperatrice Way, and a climb southwards to the border at Port de la Glere. 'From the border the route descends back towards Hospital de Benasque. 'This route would have been well within Esther's capabilities for a day hike, in addition to the fact she had a tent, camping equipment and significant experience using it". 'Distance was 16km with 1100 metres of ascent, five to seven hours of hiking time. 'The weather remained excellent that Monday. The route is very obvious on the ground and also from the terrain when starting from Refuge de Venasque. 'It's basically impossible to get lost in good visibility here. 'The entire route is a well-made and easy to follow path." 'Although Esther believed and had warned family that there was poor signal in the area, in fact the signal is very good on the French side. 'Within half an hour of leaving the refuge, Esther should have been able to use her phone for most of the rest of the day.' - An investigating French source on Saturday said there was no 'immediate proof as to the identity of the remains' and that 'a medico-legal procedure will be followed to establish the identity of Person X in the days ahead.' One unconfirmed local report said the unnamed runner had come across a human skull. A Spanish radio station covering the province of Huesca which includes the town of Benasque where Esther began the hike she vanished on, said: 'Sources close to the investigation have indicated that the skull could correspond to Esther Dingley's because of the colour and length of the hair.' Scarlet: Quite baffling that the police and search teams didn't find her earlier if the bones were found on the route she was known to have taken? Surely the place she was last known to have been would've been the first place to check? The area had been searched for a long time and very extensively, before snowfall made the search teams stop. How come it was a runner who found the bones? Did Esther have an accident and did these bones somehow lay there all along? Or were they placed there later, somehow (this seems very unlikely but who knows). Time will tell us more, in this respect.
Tragic British hiker Esther Dingley may have been MURDERED, French investigator admits for the first time after failing to find any of her belongings or more remains near where skull fragment was discovered August 10th, 2021
Source
Esther Dingley went missing on November 22 while out hiking in the Pyrenees. Last month, human remains were discovered in a mountain pass and were later confirmed to be a fragment of the 37-year-old's skull. Searches of the area have yet to uncover any of her numerous pieces of kit. This may weaken the theory that she died after getting into an accident Christophe Amunzateguy, the French prosecutor leading the probe, said investigators were not ruling out any theories regarding cause of death. 'We are not closing the door to any hypothesis,' he said.
Police investigating the death of British hiker Esther Dingley have said publicly for the first time that she may have been murdered. Christophe Amunzateguy, the French prosecutor leading the probe, said investigators are not ruling out that her death may not have been accidental. 'The aim is to put forward a scenario to explain the disappearance of Esther Dingley,' he told The Sun. 'To find out what may have happened — whether it was an accidental thesis, or a criminal thesis, because we are not closing the door to any hypothesis.' Esther went missing on November 22 while out hiking in the Pyrenees, last month, human remains were found by Spanish hikers at Port de la Glere, a mountain pass on France's border with Spain, just south of Bagneres-de-Luchon. The trail is known as Puerto de la Glera in Spanish. The remains were later confirmed to be a piece of Esther's skull, however extensive subsequent searches have as yet revealed no further clues as to what happened to her. The 37-year-old Oxford graduate had numerous pieces of kit with her at the time of her disappearance, including a bright red and grey rucksack and a distinctive yellow tent which are yet to be found. The gear was made of durable, brightly coloured materials and would be expected to have remained in good condition despite months-long exposure to the elements. 'When this clothing and kit does turn up, it is likely to answer a lot of questions — or pose some more. 'Finding out what happened remains a priority,' The Sun reported a spokesman for Esther's family as saying.
Investigators initially suggested that Esther's remains may have been moved to the well-trod trail where the bone fragment was discovered by an animal, after the hiker perhaps died in a fall. But the fact that none of her kit has yet been uncovered may add weight to the theory that her death was not accidental. Specialist teams in France and Spain are continuing the search for other remains and Esther's kit in the mountainous border region. Tests on the bone fragment confirmed to be part of Esther's skull are ongoing and it is not yet clear whether the remains will offer any indication of her cause of death. Esther's boyfriend Dan Colegate, and her mother Ria Bryant, 74, are assisting with the investigation. Colegate has expressed disbelief at the theory that Esther may have died after becoming injured during her solo hike as she was an experienced hiker who should have had no problem with the route she is believed to have taken. The search for the then-missing hiker was called off in February because of deteriorating weather, but it resumed in the spring. In her last known message, sent to Colegate on November 22, Esther wrote: 'Might dip into France. Hoping Refuge Venasque has a winter room. Keep you posted when can. Love you xxx'
Police investigating the death of British hiker Esther Dingley have said publicly for the first time that she may have been murdered. Christophe Amunzateguy, the French prosecutor leading the probe, said investigators are not ruling out that her death may not have been accidental. 'The aim is to put forward a scenario to explain the disappearance of Esther Dingley,' he told The Sun. 'To find out what may have happened — whether it was an accidental thesis, or a criminal thesis, because we are not closing the door to any hypothesis.' Esther went missing on November 22 while out hiking in the Pyrenees, last month, human remains were found by Spanish hikers at Port de la Glere, a mountain pass on France's border with Spain, just south of Bagneres-de-Luchon. The trail is known as Puerto de la Glera in Spanish. The remains were later confirmed to be a piece of Esther's skull, however extensive subsequent searches have as yet revealed no further clues as to what happened to her. The 37-year-old Oxford graduate had numerous pieces of kit with her at the time of her disappearance, including a bright red and grey rucksack and a distinctive yellow tent which are yet to be found. The gear was made of durable, brightly coloured materials and would be expected to have remained in good condition despite months-long exposure to the elements. 'When this clothing and kit does turn up, it is likely to answer a lot of questions — or pose some more. 'Finding out what happened remains a priority,' The Sun reported a spokesman for Esther's family as saying.
Investigators initially suggested that Esther's remains may have been moved to the well-trod trail where the bone fragment was discovered by an animal, after the hiker perhaps died in a fall. But the fact that none of her kit has yet been uncovered may add weight to the theory that her death was not accidental. Specialist teams in France and Spain are continuing the search for other remains and Esther's kit in the mountainous border region. Tests on the bone fragment confirmed to be part of Esther's skull are ongoing and it is not yet clear whether the remains will offer any indication of her cause of death. Esther's boyfriend Dan Colegate, and her mother Ria Bryant, 74, are assisting with the investigation. Colegate has expressed disbelief at the theory that Esther may have died after becoming injured during her solo hike as she was an experienced hiker who should have had no problem with the route she is believed to have taken. The search for the then-missing hiker was called off in February because of deteriorating weather, but it resumed in the spring. In her last known message, sent to Colegate on November 22, Esther wrote: 'Might dip into France. Hoping Refuge Venasque has a winter room. Keep you posted when can. Love you xxx'
Colegate wrote a 23-page report about Esther's plans to do a circular hike between Spain and France which involved sleeping at a mountain refuge. He said in his dossier: 'An individual that Esther met on November 19 came forward to say he had specifically suggested this route through France, between Port de Venasque and Port de la Glere, to Esther when he met her. There is no reason to think that Esther did not stick to this plan.' In a section titled 'Esther's Planned Onward Route', he suggested she reached the mountain refuge in France and slept there overnight before continuing a hike to return to her initial starting point in Spain. He said: 'Her onward route would have involved a descent northwards towards the Hospice de France, a flat traverse westwards around the Imperatrice Way, and a climb southwards to the border at Port de la Glere. From the border the route descends back towards Hospital de Benasque. 'This route would have been well within Esther's capabilities for a day hike, in addition to the fact she had a tent, camping equipment and significant experience using it. 'Distance was 16km with 1100 metres of ascent, five to seven hours of hiking time. The weather remained excellent that Monday. The route is very obvious on the ground and also from the terrain when starting from Refuge de Venasque. 'It's basically impossible to get lost in good visibility here. The entire route is a well-made and easy to follow path. Although Esther believed and had warned family that there was poor signal in the area, in fact the signal is very good on the French side. 'Within half an hour of leaving the refuge, Esther should have been able to use her phone for most of the rest of the day.' The couple, both Oxford graduates, had been travelling around Europe in a camper van for years after quitting their careers and Durham home." 
The Sun article states:"POLICE probing the death of hiker Esther Dingley have admitted for the first time that she may have been murdered. The experienced adventurer had more than 30 pieces of kit including a rucksack and survival gear made from tough, durable materials, much of it brightly coloured. Search teams had believed a wild bear or wolf may have moved the bone fragment close to a well-used trail after Esther died in a fall. But if that theory is correct, it is likely clothes and equipment would have been scattered across the rugged Port de la Glere mountain pass and been found by now. They were being supported by her partner Dan, 38, who is out on the mountain every day looking for clues, and her mother Ria Byrant.
Pathologists are still carrying out tests on the bone shard found by Spanish hikers last month in a bid to establish a cause of death. A key part of the inquiry will be to work out if there are animal bites on the skull or whether severe force caused it to break up. It was found next to a hiking trail and was not spotted before — indicating that it was moved. Searchers believe the rest of Esther’s remains may still be hidden in a remote cave or gulley. A spokesman for her family said yesterday: “When this clothing and kit does turn up, it is likely to answer a lot of questions — or pose some more. “Finding out what happened remains a priority.”
You can read more about the disappearance of Esther Dingley in this blog post I made
The disappearance of Nymphe Poolman
[Full blog post on this] Back in 1991, a time when some readers may not have even been born yet, The Netherlands was shaken up by a very haunting disappearance. In the north of the country, the angelic looking Nymphe Poolman (almost 7 years old) asked her father if she was allowed to walk back home alone, after buying some groceries in the village of Vriescheloo. Peter Poolman was with the car and because it was only a short walk to get back home, he allowed his daughter to walk alone for the first time in her life. It is November 28th of 1991 and in the middle of the day. He drove past her in the village street and waved at her. She waved back at him. But back home they waited in vain for Nymphe to arrive.Nymphe's father got back in the car and drove back and forth between the village shop and their home, looking for Nymphe. Her mother Jacqueline told interviewers that she was out calling her daughters name, but that she felt deep down that her daughter would never come back. And that she almost had the feeling that Nymphe herself had a foreboding. "She had slept in my bed for three nights in a row. Because she couldn't sleep. She was very restless. And the day she went with Peter in the car to get some groceries, she waved with two hands, the way you do when you go and make a long journey. I had had a stomach ache all day already and that afternoon when she didn't return, I instantly had a nagging feeling of 'Oh no, surely it won't be... And I was looking for her on the little road between the village road and the house and I walked around while calling her name. But once I did so, I knew that she wouldn't come back. That was the first reaction I had. But then you go back inside and tell yourself, of course she will come back." Nymphe's father Peter decided to call the police. They came with a search dog initially. All sorts of other people showed up and actively started searching for the blonde girl. Not just friends and other villagers, but also complete strangers, it was later revealed. Nymphe's parents recalled how police units searched systematically through the wheat fields. It was beautiful weather.They used sticks to see if Nymphe's body was somewhere in the fields.
The parents started to appear in the media, in an attempt to spread the news of their daughter's disappearance, in the hope that this would lead to the golden tip. But the eccentric and sensitive couple were sometimes considered "odd' or accused of talking in a 'strange and distant way' about Nymphe. Especially Jacqueline Poolman's comment on TV that despite all the misery, she found it quite an interesting time, did not sit well with many viewers. A journalist of Dutch newspaper Trouw wrote for instance: "Jacqueline Poolman appears to be a rather isolated woman with a strong interest in anthroposophical and paranormal matters. She concludes that the drama has a purpose. For her it is a test from God: Jacqueline has to get to know herself and get more in touch with earthly life."In 1992, 29-year-old German pedophile Georg Adler confessed to having snatched Nymphe. He admitted that he had raped and strangled the girl and the dumped her body in an oil barrel at his workplace. The drum was transported to England he said, and destroyed there. A German court sentenced him this same year to 11 years in prison plus detention under a hospital order, a type of compulsory treatment. But because Nymphe's body has never been found, her parents have doubts about Adler's confession. Father Peter instead suspects that his daughter ended up in the child pornography circuit. Georg Adler is, according to him, at best indirectly involved. "The police came and told me about this Adler. And I thought; what sort of shit story in this? It did nothing with me. This is not what happened." Jacqueline: "The first sentence that went through my head was: this is not correct. But then the policeman starts to elaborate and then your heart starts beating fast, because he [Adler] did see her. Or else he couldn't know some of the things. But it felt like too simple an explanation."
Peter Poolman appeared in court and stated that there were witnesses who had seen Nymphe the day after she went missing. Both parents did not believe that the case was solved and urged the police to do more investigation, especially into a bigger child pornography circuit of which Adler was a member in their belief. He is strengthened in his beliefs by a letter they received from the German, Georg Adler. In it he writes that he denies being involved and that he can refute everything that has been said about him. Another reason why father Peter suspects a bigger operation behind his daughter's disappearance, is because he says Eastern European people had talked to Nymphe and one of her sisters at the school yard of their school, prior to the disappearance, giving them sweets while the other kids in the yard did not. Over the years, Poolman collected boxes full of papers and documents from the judiciary investigations. For fifteen years he kept investigating, where the police had long stopped their search. But last year he thought it was enough. "I burned it all, it's gone now." You can read more about this case in this new short blogpost I made.Nymphe vs Kris and Lisanne
Can any comparison be made between this case and the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne? Seemingly not. But reading up on the decade long battle of Peter Poolman with the Dutch authorities, I had to think of the parents of Kris at times. Nymphe's father was called an idiot often in the national press, but he was sincerely convinced that the Dutch police stopped the investigation much too soon. He felt that they took Adler's confession too eagerly as fact, without investigating his statements and without researching the possibility of a larger network being behind it all. He believes Adler was made a scapegoat and that Nymphe died in the porn circuit. The fact that both of Nymphe's parents had a cool way of talking about the tragedy, combined with their statements about 'just feeling' that it wasn't the right conviction, caused a lot of criticism. Both parents felt they weren't taken serious by the Dutch police, officials or in some cases not even by the media. I don't know if their suspicions are correct or not. But reading how poor Peter drew a line under a 15 year long private investigation at some point, ending over a decade of court cases against the authorities, I had to think of Hans Kremers, who has said on more than one occasion how let down he feels by the shoddy investigation and approach Dutch authorities and how they treated him like a troublemaker. It must be very difficult to want justice for your daughter, but to run into concrete walls every turn you make.
Btw; another fascinating crime case with an outstanding podcast series about itI found this series mesmerizing and very eerie; it's called 'West Cork' and is about a 1996 murder there of a French (beautiful) woman who was staying in Cork over the Christmas holidays, alone in her desolate holiday home. Then something terrible happened. It is set to be claimed that the victim was surprised by the killer, who called to her holiday home late at night as she read on the night of December 22, 1996. When the conversation with the late caller “degenerated”, she first tried to get back into her house before fleeing. The young woman, injured, after first trying to reenter the house, fled across the field, pursued by her aggressor, before being trapped at a wall which she tried to scale, because her front gate was closed. But she was caught and beaten to death as she tried to climb the wall in order to escape. The attacker also used a breeze block found along the escape route for this, as well as a blunt instrument with a “ridged” edge. Ms Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s husband, French film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, said she had called him at around 11 PM Irish time on from bed and was getting ready to sleep. The victim was found in her nightclothes. A trace of blood compatible with the victim’s profile was found on the outside of the back door. The case still hasn't been solved but a lot has happened in the meantime and I found it such an atmospheric and interesting listen; you are thrown back and forth between suspicions of possible perpetrators. Very well made, a real in-depth psychological and crime based saga. But also more intense than seeing a documentary, because you only hear the voices and the recorded wind and the waves and the desolate wild nature of that place. Making up images and scenes in your own head can be more frightening than seeing it on TV perhaps. (You can download the entire West Cork podcast series here). And see my full blog post on this murder case here.
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.. (source) 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 BoqueteJanuary 16th, 2020. (Source, source) I 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 wrote: “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.
Current mystery in France: the disappearance and death of Lucas Renoud
(Source) One such a mystifying case of a young man getting lost in nature, in a very popular and widely visited stretch of nature, in the summer, has recently hit France. 20 year old student Lucas Renoud visited the waterfalls of Hérisson, in the Jura region, on June 18th of 2019. He went there with some colleagues to hike to the local waterfalls. The media report that it is a walk of average difficulty. He walks at the end of the line (something read often in the Missing 411 stories) and was pictured as such, carrying the dog of one of the colleagues. He called his mother with his mobile phone around 17:30 PM to wish her a happy birthday and they chatted a bit. When the colleagues prepare to leave the nature park around 20:00 pm, they notice Lucas is missing. They alarm the authorities. That evening at 22:20 pm, Lucas manages to call emergency number 112 (works in Europe in general) and he tells the person on the other end of the line that he has gotten lost and that he has been walking all this time but is having sore legs now. His call lasts 8 whole minutes but then ends abruptly. That night help is sent to the nature park, and a helicopter with thermo camera's searches through the night, as well as 90 rescue people including mountain rescue personnel and dog units. But after about a week (one source says 20 days, an updated article states 5 days) they stop the search. The family of Lucas keep searching, also with the help of a drone. They find nothing. But on June 28th an unsuspecting hiker finds Lucas' body, behind a tree.
Lucas is eventually found only 30 meters from a main trail, and 500 meters from the parking lot... Despite this park being flooded with tourists and locals at that time of year, nobody found him in time...
Fast forward, 5 months later, and Lucas' family have still not heard from officials what their son died of and what the autopsy report showed.. His body was too badly affected by wildlife to determine a cause of death, the official reading sounds, and the family was therefore not allowed to identify him. But he suffered no traumatic injuries before his death. Blood work showed that he had taken normally dosed medication, but no overdose or anything. But it looks like he got lost and perished. Amazingly, this happened in a popular stretch of nature, in summer, and only 30 meters from the main trail. Despite being searched for extensively! Gob smacking. Made me think about the Kris and Lisanne case. Entire teams and families looking for someone, yet missing him while he was so close by... What could have gone wrong here?
Another case where the Latin-American authorities were very quick to conclude that an 'accident' took place - only here they were actually wrong In April 2018, German cyclist Holger Hagenbusch and Krzysztof Chmielewski has from Poland were holidaying in Mexico. During a pan-American (world tour) biking holiday, the two men went missing in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Holger had already traversed Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. The 43-year-old German cyclist was planning to travel throughout Latin America, after which he would continue to Africa. "You can only really experience foreign countries without the pressure of time," Hagenbusch wrote in a blog post for German biking supply manufacturer Mainstream MS-X. "So I let myself be inspired locally by the locals and experience what is happening right in front of the wheels." The cyclist met Krzysztof Chmielewski (37, a Polish citizen and had been travelling the world by bike for three years) in the town of San Cristobal de las Casas on April 20 and decided to travel together to the ancient Mayan ruins at Palenque, some 200 kilometers (130 miles) away. Holger Franz Hagenbusch's brother took to the social media platform on Sunday after failing to hear from the cyclist for 11 days. "He is cycling in Mexico. His last location was San Cristobal. His destination was Ciudad del Carmen, but he never arrived there," said Rainer Hagenbusch in his Facebook post. An appeal to find the missing German cyclist riding through Mexico gained traction online, with Facebook users sharing posts and possible sightings. The families of the men also ushered Mexican authorities and the German Embassy into action to find them. The Federal Criminal Police Office also got involved. Mexican journalist Ciro Gomez Leyva circulated a video that showed images of Holger Franz on his journey through Mexico. 'We're going to find Holger', it sounded everywhere.
Then on April 26th 2018, their bodies were found in a ravine. Mexican authorities soon after claimed that the two men had died from an accident. Chmielewski's body was found first, 40 metres below the road. His body was found next to a bike - but it was not his own. It belonged to his German companion, which aroused suspicions. Hagenbusch was found eight days later - on 4 May - further down the ravine, but beneath the same road that runs between Ocosingo and San Cristóbal de las Casas in the country's far south. After they were found dead at the foot of this sheer rock face in the Mexican state of Chiapas, authorities were quick to claim that they had accidentally both cycled off a cliff. The regional attorney general in Chiapas, Arturo Pablo Lievano, originally said there was no evidence of bad intent and everything pointed to an accident. He said they may have been run off the road by a vehicle. "Cycling here is very risky, they could lose control and fall into a canyon", explained the prosecutor Liévano. It was also claimed that the Pole suffered head injuries during the fall and his body was later partially eaten by wild animals. Investigators echoed Liévano's words, stating that the pair "appeared to have lost control of their bicycles" while on a winding mountain road. However, Hagenbusch's brother, Rainer, told the German press he believed they had been killed and there had been some sort of attempted cover-up. And when Rainer flew to Mexico and saw his brother and Krzysztof in the morgue, he was shocked. Holger had a shot wound in the head and Chmielewski was missing a foot and was decapitated. All that from a fall in a ravine, obviously. Rainer wrote on his Facebook page that both bodies had been mutilated. "The Polish cyclist was decapitated and had a foot missing," he added. Only then Mexican authorities, faced with the indefensible, retracted and had to admit that yeh...
It was only after this information that the prosecution’s office claimed the mistake had been made during the investigation. And after a group of fellow cyclists also questioned the official version of events, a special prosecutor newly appointed to take over the case concluded that the cyclists had in fact been murdered. "It may have been an assault, because our investigations up to now indicate this was an intentional homicide," special prosecutor Luis Alberto Sanchez - assigned to the case by deputy of Liévano - told journalists. "Our investigations up to now indicate this was an intentional homicide," he said. "The tests carried out definitely indicate that there is a hole in a skull. The skull may belong to the German cyclist. The hole looks like a typical result of a gunshot" – said Luis Alberto Sánchez. He added that the head of the Pole was torn off his body and there was a mark on his skull made by a heavy object. It is not known yet if it was made before or after the death of a victim. Talking to BBC Mundo, Mr Sánchez said the assailants were probably trying to cover their tracks. "Those that did this wanted to make it appear like an accident, so they put the bike there, but they made a mistake and used the German's bike," he said. He added that the motive appeared to have been robbery. Mr Sánchez also told the BBC: "We think that they were travelling short distance from each other, maybe one was assaulted first ... and then the second one arrived and they were both captured." "It was very premature to call this an accident. The bike [belonging to the German] did not show signs of having been in a traffic accident," he added. Investigators now believe that the pair
were assaulted on either the 19 or 20 April. In the end Mexico had to admit that the two men were robbed and murdered. Aaaaand as usual, empty and hollow consequences were promised (but never followed up on).The Chiapas state government vowed to "intensify the investigation" to solve the case. The region around San Cristóbal is apparently considered a tourist region, but, nevertheless, Mexico is struggling to deal with a wave of violent crime that has left a record 25,000 victims dead last year. Ever since the government launched a controversial military offensive to fight the country's powerful drug cartels in 2006, the country has registered more than 200,000 homicides."
Another case that was quickly ruled an accident is the case of missing Canadian man Jesse Galganov for instance, who went backpacking alone in Peru; never to be seen again. His mother even hired an Israeli private investigator, Mossad-style, and yet nothing was ever found back of him or heard about his whereabouts, despite the use of search teams, dogs, detectives and drones. Wiped away. And a few years ago I read about two West Australian surfers who were killed on a gang-plagued Mexican road. The van of surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman was found burnt out alongside a Mexican highway with their charred bodies inside. The van was intercepted by a gang driving a car that flashed police-like lights. Mr Coleman was shot in the face when he tried to resist. The robbers then killed Mr Lucas, drove their vehicle to another location and set it on fire. Anyway, life is cheap in many countries. Not saying don't go on holiday abroad :) But I do think people should be aware of these risks and possibilities and keep a sane head, especially when venturing out alone on 'hikes' and such in lawless no mans land. See good and interesting videos on the disappearance of Jesse here and here.
There was a similar case of two French tourists in the jungle in Salta, Argentina. Here is a documentary on the matter. On July 15th, 2011, two French students of the Sorbonne would be found dead in the nature reserve of Quebrada de San Lorenzo, located 8 kilometers from the city of Salta in the north of the country. In the afternoon, the two young French women hiked through the reserve, towards a summit called, fittingly, El Mirador. Unfortunately, the ran into the wrong crowd. Several Argentinian men requested their phones and camera. When the women objected, they were dragged from the trail. After their possessions were stripped off them, Cassandre Bouvier and Houria Moumni were raped, tortured and killed by firearms. Cassandra was shot first and when Houria tried to escape, she was shot in the back. Then the perpetrators forged visitor data with the help of a park ranger, to make it look like another group of people entered the reserve after the French women. However, after police found their bodies two days later, investigating of the crime scene quickly guided them to the trails of the perpetrators, who used the phones of the girls.
And very recently, Hawaiian Amanda Eller (35) got lost in nature on the island of Maui. After 16 days alone in the wild, without shoes, Amanda was found alive on May 24th, 2019Amanda - a physical therapist - went out on a hike in the nature reserve of Makawao on May 8th. She had a day off work and had not left behind a message for her live in boyfriend, nor texted or called him. One day later her abandoned car was found on the parking lot of the reserve, at the Kahakapao Trail. The car key was found under a tire of the car and her mobile phone was left inside the car, as well as her wallet, ID card and credit cards. A backpack and full bottle of water were also found on the passenger seat of the car. Her running shoes were missing from her house and backpack, making investigators assume that she had gone for a run. The car showed no signs whatsoever of foul play or violence. Friends and around 100 volunteers, professional trackers and search dogs have since searched for her. From a “base camp” in the Makawao forest reserve, her father John Eller and the rest of a mostly volunteer team had been spearheading a huge search in hopes of finding Eller alive. Yesterday a helicopter (hired by her family) spotted her inside the Maoi forest, about 6 kilometers away from her car and far off the beaten path, and got her out alive. Amanda had caught the helicopter attention by standing in the middle of a small river in a ravine and waving. It was near two waterfalls, called Twin Falls. She had fallen in a deep ravine, slightly twisting her leg and been unable to get out. "Ms. Eller had intended to go on a short trail walk, one she had done before. She went off the path at one point to rest, and when she resumed hiking, she got turned around. “I wanted to go back the way I’d come, but my gut was leading me another way — and I have a very strong gut instinct,” she said. “So, I said, my car is this way and I’m just going to keep going until I reach it.” But instead she ventured further away from her car, ending up many kilometers north. “I wanted to give up,”Amanda Eller said from her hospital bed late Friday night. “But the only option I had was life or death.” “I heard this voice that said, ‘If you want to live, keep going,’” she said. “And as soon as I would doubt my intuition and try to go another way than where it was telling me, something would stop me, a branch would fall on me, I’d stub my toe, or I’d trip. So I was like, ‘O.K., there is only one way to go.’” Temperatures in the area can dip down to the low 60s, with high humidity, cool mist and frequent rain. Amanda had been wearing a thin tank top and capri-length yoga pants. She had left her water bottle, cellphone and wallet in her car, leading many to believe that she had been abducted, or worse. But Amanda said she had not taken those things because she had planned to be gone only a short time.
On the third day, as police officers and firefighters began to search for her, Amanda abandoned hopes of finding the trailhead and started looking for water instead. Things only got worse. She fell 20 feet off a steep cliff, fracturing her leg and tearing the meniscus in her knee, according to her friend Katie York. The next day, she lost her shoes in a flash flood. She moved much more slowly after that. “The whole time I was going deeper into the jungle, even though I thought I was going back where I came from,” Amanda said. At night Ms. Eller covered herself in ferns, leaves and whatever else she could find on the ground. Some nights she slept in the mud. She spent one night in the den of a wild boar. She ate whatever she could salvage, including wild strawberry guavas, plants she could not identify and moths that landed on her body. “I was getting so skinny that I was really starting to doubt if I could survive,” Ms. Eller said. She had begun to crawl instead of walk, and was faced with a steep drop-off ahead that appeared impassable. Meanwhile, an army of volunteers turned seemingly every stone. They rappelled into ravines, searched caves, free-dove into pools and navigated fast-moving streams looking for her. Others killed aggressive wild boars and checked their intestines for human remains. At least one volunteer was attacked by a boar. On Day 17, Ms. Eller was near a stream searching for “some plant to eat for dinner and some place to sleep that wasn’t directly in the mud” when she saw a helicopter. She said she had seen and heard multiple helicopters fly above her during her ordeal, according to her friend Ms. York, but none had spotted her. This one did. “I looked up and they were right on top of me,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ and I just broke down and started bawling.” Rescue workers had been combing the thickly wooded 1.5-mile radius around Ms. Eller’s car. But on a whim, the searchers in the helicopter on Friday decided to go farther, about seven miles from the central search area by air — the equivalent of 30 miles walking in such rough conditions, said Javier Canetellops, a search coordinator who was in the helicopter. “We all did a double-take,” he said, referring to when they saw Ms. Eller. “Where we found her is an extremely treacherous area.” She was airlifted to an airport and taken to a hospital, where she is expected to recovery fully from what she called a “spiritual journey” to stay alive. “I am forever indebted and overwhelmed by the amount of people that came out to help me,” Ms. Eller said. “It was pretty miraculous.”
Amanda was not wounded and had only mild sunburn, although her legs had more severe sunburn and skin damage. She drank from the river and fed herself with plants and berries. Her family had also offered a 50.000 dollar reward for anyone who found her. Both her parents and her boyfriend, Benjamin Konkol, stated earlier that they felt she was still alive and out there. The boyfriend had prior even been asked to take a polygraph test with police, and passed the test. Eller’s family had said in the previous week that they believed that if anyone could survive being lost or injured in the vast forest, it would be Amanda. As a doctor of physical therapy and a spiritual person who cares about clean living, her mother said, “She’s very strong. Her whole constitution has been fine-tuned. That’s going to serve her well in this particular situation.” “We’re still hopeful,” John Eller said (last week), as the sun set and volunteer crews began leaving the forest after another day of searching. “The guys that have experience in this [say] you’ve got weeks [during which a person can survive alone]. If you can get water, you’ve got weeks.” I must add that on the map, this Maui nature reserve looks relatively small and the Twin Falls are fairly close to the coast. (See map I added). But according to the New York Times, the reserve is more than 2,000 acres, and is surrounded by thousands more acres of dense forest full of steep ravines, lava rocks, giant ferns and thick vegetation that often must be hacked with machetes. Chris Berquist ("The guy with a beard that talks really loud at everyone") wrote about their method of searching: "We found Amanda because we did it right. We covered the ground so well that we had little to no doubt that she wasn't with-in our reasonable radius. You rallied and pushed further out. Pushed harder. Stretched yourself to the limit and did the work! That is the only reason I could confidently ask for a heli to look further out and try to send our people deeper. Because we did Everything we could to make sure that she wasn't there. Everything. And you did it well. You guys and gals turned that map BLUE!"
Summarized about Amanda Eller's ordeal:
*Was wearing a tank top and yoga pants.
*3rd day of being lost fell off a 20 foot cliff and tore her ligament above her knee
*4th day she lost shoes in a flash flood
*Injury and loss of her shoes slowed her down considerably.
*At night covered herself with ferns and leaves
*Stay in some wild boar’s den
*She survived by eating almost anything she could find, including the moths that landed on her body
*She began to crawl instead of walking
*She had seen and heard multiple helicopters but was not spotted despite her trying to get their attention.
As Power-Pixie wrote me: "Amanda's perseverance is down to human beings just trying to survive any which they can. I think Lisanne and Kris would have done the same unless they were severely incapacitated either unintentionally or intentionally. And I think SINAPROC, not Feliciano, would have found them, alive or dead." - Indeed, with two healthy young women, you do expect them to do everything to survive, and for them to hold it out at least as long as Amanda did. And for them to have been found already, soon. Hád their remains been found in some far away ravine, then I may have accepted the accident narrative. But the location where these items and bones were eventually found were in Sinaproc search area, and along the main river leading to Alto Romero. In the vicinity of habitation. It is absolutely bizarre, unless you take the explanation of foul play into account. What struck me personally most of all about what Amanda Eller has declared after she was found, is that she felt a strong urge to move in the other direction of where she knew she had to go to get back to her car. I heard that more often mentioned by those lost and found. Some sort of inner feeling or even a voice for some people, to do the opposite of what would have been logical and consistent with previous behaviour. What is this odd thing? Why are people lured away by a feeling or a thought? And why do they give into it? Maybe some people out there have already studied this phenomenon, if we can even call it that. I haven't come across it yet though.
As Power-Pixie wrote me: "Amanda's perseverance is down to human beings just trying to survive any which they can. I think Lisanne and Kris would have done the same unless they were severely incapacitated either unintentionally or intentionally. And I think SINAPROC, not Feliciano, would have found them, alive or dead." - Indeed, with two healthy young women, you do expect them to do everything to survive, and for them to hold it out at least as long as Amanda did. And for them to have been found already, soon. Hád their remains been found in some far away ravine, then I may have accepted the accident narrative. But the location where these items and bones were eventually found were in Sinaproc search area, and along the main river leading to Alto Romero. In the vicinity of habitation. It is absolutely bizarre, unless you take the explanation of foul play into account. What struck me personally most of all about what Amanda Eller has declared after she was found, is that she felt a strong urge to move in the other direction of where she knew she had to go to get back to her car. I heard that more often mentioned by those lost and found. Some sort of inner feeling or even a voice for some people, to do the opposite of what would have been logical and consistent with previous behaviour. What is this odd thing? Why are people lured away by a feeling or a thought? And why do they give into it? Maybe some people out there have already studied this phenomenon, if we can even call it that. I haven't come across it yet though.
I have been thinking for a while about the comparison between that Amanda Eller case and the Kris and Lisanne case. Both 'found' at about 7-12 kilometers from the starting point. Both went missing for weeks. Just like with K+L, Amanda was lost in a specific, more or less marked area. Just like K+L there were hundreds of volunteers looking for her, as well as dogs and a helicopter. But that is also where the comparison ends. Maui seems a safer place than Panama. The Twin fall, the area where Amanda was found was very close to the coast and civilization. From what I read, the researchers went about very methodically in Amanda's case. Those researchers worked so methodically that they progressed far too slowly. From that parking lot they just turned over every stone and only around day 15 or 16 (so the day she was found) did they decide to extend the radius, and that helicopter arrived for the first time in the area where she actually was. If they had also searched there from the beginning, she would probably have been out there for only a few days. Amanda heard the helicopter come over several times and at one point she could stand in the riverbed and wave for attention. She stood at a spot where they could see her, she waved her arms. In K+L's case there were multiple (!) helicopters, flying many days and covering all of the area behind the Pianista Mirador. And they found and saw nothing... The girls had all the possibility of the world to hear the helicopters come and go, come and go, and find a place where they could be seen; there were many meadows, open spots, many places along or in the riverbeds and there were logically other ways to attract the attention of actively searching people in a helicopter with a garment for instance.. Just take a piece of your coloured clothing and wave it. Yet, nothing. So unlike with Amanda, in the girls' case all the area where their remains were later found WAS in fact covered by rescue teams and helicopters. Amanda was only 7 kilometers away from the car park I read, in the end. The remains of K+L were found further from the Pianista, but not that much further, and all that area was covered by searchers. Why would K + L not have done the same thing as Amanda if they had simply lost their way? Of course, they may have been stuck under trees and unable to flag the helicopters. But given how often those things were pulled out and the size of the area that they covered, why did no one find Kris and Lisanne on some day at least?
They were giants compared to the average Panamese (in hot-pants), they supposedly were at a riverbank near a crossroad with a monkey bridge, which is used regularly by locals. That spot is at the main road! They could have walked back, and rescue teams have walked there, as well as other tourists who were looking for them. Early May there was no one there, there was no jeans shorts, there were no SOS paper signs or red plastic back remnants. The chef of SINAPROC said in the news: "we combed through the entire are and they are not there. If they were, we would have found them by now". Isn't it strange that a few minuscule bone remnants are found in that jungle, but not a trace from these two super tall girls in hot pants? The Amanda Eller case only highlights for me how different the K+L case is and that they did most likely run into foul play. Unlike Amanda.. If one of the girls broke her foot or leg, they would have stayed put near the rod and would have been found very early on, as all these roads were combed through. If one had an accident, the other would have been able to get help. If they somehow both fell in a ravine, it must have happened on the Boquete side of the Pianista Trail (as there are slopes there), but guides going down there with ropes to look for them found nothing. Their backpack was also found intact. The cheap plastic sunglasses inside were in perfect state. It doesn't add up. And even if we are to assume they went through the same thing as Amanda, being turned around, wandering in the wrong direction, getting both injuries that prevented them from walking onward: that still does not explain the mass of mysterious details and strange elements: if they got injured, why not stay on the path? How can two girls both simultaneously get injured and if not so, why would the other not walk back to get help? Why did they not make any photos or videos for 8 days while being 'lost'? Why did they never, not once, try to call their families or host family? Amanda left her phone in the car, whereas Kris and Lisanne had both their phones ánd a digital camera on top. Not a single draft message for home, no video, while that camera had plenty of battery left and memory card space. Everything that phone did could have been done with a locked screen. Why was photo 508 removed and removed beyond recovery? How come hardly any of their remains were found back? How come Kris' bones contained phosphates linked to bleaching techniques, while the soil didn't have this element in it? You know, the questions that have been plaguing this case for years now (and which I repeat a lot on here lol).
The search troops at work:
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