The missing Dutch girls in Panama
Part 2 - the swimming photo
In part 1 of this blog series I tried to shed light on all the facts and details currently publicly known in this case. Instead of having all these pieces of information scattered all over the internet, I brought them together in a (long) overview story of my own, translating things from Dutch if needed and presenting to you what is known about the case so far. This includes official statements, interviews, journalistic articles, statements from people linked to this case, investigation results, possible theories, arguments pro and contra and more. I added source links wherever possible to back things up. I also illustrated some theories that are out there about what may have happened to Kris and Lisanne. And I tried to discuss and highlight the problems with each and every one of those theories. Once we have all the facts (as they are known at the moment; a lot of information is still missing), we can all come to our own conclusions for now. In this part 2, I present new photos, new evidence and primarily new CRIME leads. I also write more extensively about my own suspicions of what likely happened. In part 4 I cover the more technical aspects of this case (often revolving around the phones and camera). Part 4 also has the Latest Updates at its top. And in part 5 I cover many different theories from other people. I also translated many videos of interest from Dutch to English for you, in order to provide you with the most detailed archive of this case, together with Juan's extensive google album. I am not sure just how (un)readable the whole thing has become by now for the average reader, due to its sheer length. If you prefer a short summary of this case, then this is probably not the blog for you. But if you are interested in all the details, theories and updates on this disappearance case, then keep reading.
The swimming photo
First photo is 'the swimming photo', second photo added here is a comparison photo and a possible match for the area. Juan first published this leaked photo. (And here you can see a modified sharper version of the photo). I know Juan well and we discuss a lot. His album is fantastic. He published something new lately. It is a swimming photo that was leaked by a source in Panama, together with a whole batch of never before seen night photos, some daytime photos of the girls taken in Boquete before April 1st and finally also photos of all the diary entries about their Panama stay. The night photos, day photos and diary copies were all authentic information. But about the 'swimming photo' there remains doubt. It appears to show Kris and Lisanne, swimming with two young men. Some people may say that the photo is too vague, but it was taken almost 6 years ago, from the other side of the river. Possibly with an older mobile phone or another shoddy device. In my opinion, and despite the imperfect quality of the photo, it really seem to be Kris and Lisanne who are pictured. Kris' specific face profile with the slightly protruding mouth area, her hair- and skin colour match for instance. And the same goes for Lisanne's matching features; pale skin and brown hair and she has a very specific face with high cheekbones and a big smile; neither of them have the sort of face you normally see a lot in Panama. You can even see in the swimming photo that she is indeed taller than the Kris figure. But I realize this is not a mathematical fact and up to interpretation. Not everyone will see the same thing. This photo has only 800x600 pixels. It's a photo taken with a mobile phone or tablet anno 2014 and a cheap one probably too, so zooming in will always blow up and deform the pixels. Or perhaps a blurry and downgraded version of the photo was shared on purpose. But in my opinion there is more than enough to see, to positively identify Kris and Lisanne. And what's more, the males in the photo are identified we think. And there is an indication of the person who took the photo (or perhaps where it was taken) as the 'swimming photo' is officially named Photo Sabroson in the file. Leading directly back to one of the local youngsters who belonged to a group of friends (some in Boquete called them a gang) linked to Henry G. The stepson of guide F. A group who some locals link to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, and who have been fleetingly interviewed before by Panamanian officials. [It is suggested by the way that photographer Mark Heyer was also the person who obtained the swimming photo and leaked it. He also was the person who photographed the girls' diaries and leaked them indirectly].
This swimming photo was until now not known by the public. But ever since the parents of Kris have said that this swimming photo was already known in 2014. It instantly raises questions, such as: who took it? Where was it taken? Why was it taken? Why was it leaked? Who exactly are captured in it? And whether or not this is a real photo, or a photoshopped one? Dutch investigators and the NFI have in fact looked at this photo and confirmed in writing to Juan that the photo is legit and not photoshopped. But they think there are two other women pictured in it. Women who they never named or otherwise identified or even hinted at their nationalities for instance. I have my doubts about this, to be honest. Those women never came forward and at first glance (and ever after) I did instantly recognize Kris and Lisanne, for what that's worth. And who is to say that the local police didn't just show the Dutch a random picture of girls who look alike, but who never even were in the area? After all, we haven't even seen the CCTV footage of Kris and Lisanne themselves; that footage was said to have been 'overwritten' by the time investigators went to the store to view it. And even if the NFI was wrong in their conclusion (communicated by email) and the swimming photo is photoshopped or otherwise faked, questions still stand as to how it was leaked, together with the (legit) diaries and other legit, case-related information. Who created that photo, whether it is real or not? When was it taken? Why was it created and leaked? It should be more seriously investigated, one way or another. Hopefully there will be some answers eventually. Of course the Dutch prosecution simply stating (instead of proving) it aren't Kris and Lisanne who are seen in this swimming photo is disappointing, but not necessarily convincing in my opinion. It won't be the first time they cover up errors, there is a Dutch case for instance surrounding Dascha Graafsma, who supposedly 'suicided' and the Dutch Prosecution has made errors in that case, then covered up their mistakes. And look for yourself; gritty or not, these are the same faces, the same smiles, the same stand out features. I am convinced of this, even though the quality of the original mobile phone photo leaves a lot to be desired. Aside from specific hair and skin colour, Kris and Lisanne have very specific facial features and proportions which you don't just find anywhere in the street, let alone in Panama. And which match when you compare their known photos with this swimming photo (why has Pittí not asked a facial recognition professional to investigate this?). I made this collage of photo comparisons:
And what are the odds of having your exact doppelgangers walking around in the same small Latin American town in the same time window, with the exact same hair colour and profile features? Without actual evidence of the contrary, I believe my own eyes for now. The two girls in the swimming photo look just like Kris and Lisanne, especially when you resist the urge to zoom in far enough for the photo to become too pixelated to be reliable. It is not known when this photo was taken. Possibly in April of 2014. But we cán see in the swimming photo that the sun seems lower, softer, possibly matching 16:00 or 17:00 PM (or even later). Could this match with the girls getting off the Pianista around 15:30/16:00, as stated by multiple witnesses (new timeline)...? And then proceeding to have a fresh dip? But there is no supporting phone log data that supports this. There is also no specific information about anything regarding this swimming event. There is also nothing known about what may have happened afterwards. They all look happy and cheerful in the photo. Could this be the last photo of the girls alive (and if so, how come all their remains were found far away behind the Pianista trail)? Or can it simply have been a photo of an innocent afternoon swim with youngsters their own age at some point during their Boquete stay, one which they didn't feel like writing about in their diaries. Is it possible that Kris and Lisanne were so used to hanging out with their young male newfound friends in Bocas del Toro, that they searched for something similar in Boquete? They were both dealing with disappointments there, as their long-planned children's school work was unexpectedly delayed (possibly indefinitely) and they had to really adjust to the change from sweet holiday bubble party island Bocas, to 'real life' Boquete, staying with a host family they could hardly communicate with in Spanish. Could they have possibly met Osman and his friends and hung out with them, only for things to turn sour? Or is this all mere unfounded gossip and does this photo have nothing to do with the rest of the case photos shared by the leakers?
Swimming photo sharpened with photoshop:
Osman ValenzuelaJuan and I believe that the two young men in the photo have been identified and they both died relatively soon after this photo was taken. The leakers included photos of Osman Valenzuela and Jose Manuel Murgas, together with this swimming photo. And we also double checked the provided information, and found similar photos of these men, having the same build, posture, size and type of clothes (and wearing almost the exact same cap in Osman's case) and having the same facial features. The young man with the black cap on appears to be Osman Valenzuela. At the time of his tragic death on April 4th of 2014, Osman was already rumoured to have photos on his phone of a red haired and blonde haired girl, presumably Kris and Lisanne. He died a violent death several days after Kris and Lisanne went missing. He was found murdered in this very river that is shown in the swimming photo. With a head injury and he then drowned, according to Panamanian police. But at the time his death was ruled an accidental drowning, and it stayed that way for years. Only recently was the verdict changed into murder by police. Rumour had it that the phone of the deceased Osman had been seized by the local police once he died. And that photos of two red haired and brown haired western women were found on his phone, but never released. Word is that police never gave Osman's relatives his phone back either, so the photo story remained an unverified rumour for a long time. Then an anonymous source leaked the batch of night photos to two Canadians who have been acting as sleuths in this case. According to a Dutch author, the diaries were leaked by former lawyer Arrocha. The Canadians then leaked diary photos, some daytime photos and this swimming photo to Juan in November of 2019. They shared the batch with Juan in exchange for his help translating the diaries. Juan believed that this sort of case evidence does not belong in the hands of a couple of people behind the scenes, trading them around for more case files and documents. And so he published the lot, much to the anger of the two Canadians.
This swimming photo may link to what was claimed all along in gossip, and upon researching a local newspaper article surfaced from 2014, in which Osman Valenzuela's mother told an interviewer that her son died under very strange circumstances. That according to his mother, the boy had been very anxious and afraid in the days leading up to his highly suspicious 'drowning' (which it was still ruled at the time). That he had been stressed out about personal threats he received. I think it can all be fitted together with the gang framing him now with this 'swimming photo'. That this may have been the incriminating photo that was rumoured to have been found on his phone. Perhaps even being the reason he was murdered. The person who took this photo may have been the relative of the Sabroson owner (Edwin), because the photo carries his name. Or perhaps it is linked to one of the Sabroson restaurants in that area. I don't know. Those seem for now the only two logical indications, together with the knowledge that he was friends with Osman and Jose Manuel Murgas, the two young men we believe are seen in the photo. According to multiple sources from the area, Osman was also part of Henry's local gang of sorts (the infamous Los ND5 perhaps), or group of friends if you will, together with a son of the Il Pianista restaurant. It was reported by quite a few people, but without solid proof, it remains hearsay. You can read more about the deaths of Osman and Murgas further below. Tragically, everyone in that photo was dead within a year: Kris and Lisanne as we already know, Osman drowned under suspicious circumstances soon after and the other youth pictured, Jose Manuel Murgas, was killed about a year later by a speeding car at night nearby this bathing area. Osman is said by some to have also worked in that Caldera area at the time, at the zipline (Boquete Tree Trek), but I failed to find the hard evidence for this. Same for Jose Manuel Murgas, who was also rumoured to have worked there. Henry for sure did, as he is pictured in a Tree Trek staff photo at the time. And the taxi driver also died in the same month as Jose Manuel during another drowning incident. Of course, car accidents happen every single day, and drownings are said to be common in Panama. UPDATE 2023: there is a lot of new information out. Osman's mother has collaborated with a podcast made by Jeremy Kryt and has revealed a lot of new case info. I wrote an entirely separate blog post about it which you can read HERE.
This swimming photo may link to what was claimed all along in gossip, and upon researching a local newspaper article surfaced from 2014, in which Osman Valenzuela's mother told an interviewer that her son died under very strange circumstances. That according to his mother, the boy had been very anxious and afraid in the days leading up to his highly suspicious 'drowning' (which it was still ruled at the time). That he had been stressed out about personal threats he received. I think it can all be fitted together with the gang framing him now with this 'swimming photo'. That this may have been the incriminating photo that was rumoured to have been found on his phone. Perhaps even being the reason he was murdered. The person who took this photo may have been the relative of the Sabroson owner (Edwin), because the photo carries his name. Or perhaps it is linked to one of the Sabroson restaurants in that area. I don't know. Those seem for now the only two logical indications, together with the knowledge that he was friends with Osman and Jose Manuel Murgas, the two young men we believe are seen in the photo. According to multiple sources from the area, Osman was also part of Henry's local gang of sorts (the infamous Los ND5 perhaps), or group of friends if you will, together with a son of the Il Pianista restaurant. It was reported by quite a few people, but without solid proof, it remains hearsay. You can read more about the deaths of Osman and Murgas further below. Tragically, everyone in that photo was dead within a year: Kris and Lisanne as we already know, Osman drowned under suspicious circumstances soon after and the other youth pictured, Jose Manuel Murgas, was killed about a year later by a speeding car at night nearby this bathing area. Osman is said by some to have also worked in that Caldera area at the time, at the zipline (Boquete Tree Trek), but I failed to find the hard evidence for this. Same for Jose Manuel Murgas, who was also rumoured to have worked there. Henry for sure did, as he is pictured in a Tree Trek staff photo at the time. And the taxi driver also died in the same month as Jose Manuel during another drowning incident. Of course, car accidents happen every single day, and drownings are said to be common in Panama. UPDATE 2023: there is a lot of new information out. Osman's mother has collaborated with a podcast made by Jeremy Kryt and has revealed a lot of new case info. I wrote an entirely separate blog post about it which you can read HERE.
The photo locationI think it could be near the Caldera hot springs area. See this photo and review Juan and I found for instance; it looks very similar. I also contacted local tourism agencies who do tours in the Boquete area, and they identified this place as the same spot. For whatever that is worth. When I contacted one tour operator about it, he wrote back: "This place is at Chiriquí river, near the hot spring in caldera, actually at the hot spring up river." See how the type of stones on the shore are comparable and how the colour pattern of the water, including the deeper more blue-green parts and the shallower browner parts of the water overlap. (Although to be honest, you see similar stones and riverbanks all over that larger area it seems). We may have more indications that the girls could have been there, because they were claimed to be seen by several witnesses in that same Caldera hot spring area on March 30th and/or 31st. And search teams and dogs also searched in that area on May 30th of 2014. Witnesses can be wrong though. But clearly police took those reported sightings serious enough to check out the area. During their second day in Boquete, Kris and Lisanne are also said to also have shown interest in visiting the Caldera hot springs, as well as the Hidden Waterfalls. They showed this verbal interest when they talked to staff of the Spanish by the River language school. Without going there myself and matching the place, there is no full proof that the swimming photo was indeed taken near the Caldera hot springs, but it really matches in appearance. It is also conveniently close to the place Alto Boquete, where the girls were staying with a host family. Andries found this match online and shared it with Juan. It is a photo taken along the Rio Chiriquí, near Alto Boquete. It seems the exact place where the swimming photo was taken. I believe it has been identified for sure now as the spot Juan and I suspected all along. (Note; I blurred some random swimming people out of the 1st photo). The place also has a nearby bridge.
I made a map with all the places mentioned in this blog:
And Andries also found the specific location of the swimming photo, see
photo below. These are the coordinates: 8.6916543980342, -82.3021372577848
IP went to Boquete and also located the place to be near the Caldera hot springs. They provided the GPS Coordinates: 8.69150, -82.30244. It took them about 40 to 50 minutes to drive there (from Boquete, I assume). "It’s likely that only locals would know about it. We drove down a long poorly-paved windy road to get to this place".
IF this photo does show Kris and Lisanne, it may theoretically have been in the later afternoon of April 1st, (after the Pianista hike). But it could also have been taken at any other day of their short stay in Boquete. Looking at their short stay in Boquete, Kris and Lisanne arrived in Boquete on Saturday afternoon. They were exhausted then and wrote in their diaries that they slept a lot. Sunday they got themselves installed and accustomed to the place and went to Boquete to have lunch there at 'Boquete Bistro' and to explore the area. They took photos at the flower show as well that afternoon. Then they were home with their guest family all of the evening, as Miriam has declared in the media. On Sunday Lisanne was also not feeling well according to her diary post, experiencing symptoms such as panic, restlessness and unease. I feel this does not match with the happy swimming photo, with smiles and V-signs made. But on Sunday some witnesses did mention to have seen Kris and Lisanne at the Caldera hot springs area: "At the Hot Springs in the village of Caldera, some witnesses have told area units that the Dutch would have been there on Sunday March 30 before being reported missing". But, the source goes on to mention other tourist sites where Kris and Lisanne were also claimed to have been seen. So whether these are all reliable witness sightings remains to be seen (or guessed).
MONDAY AFTERNOON
A better match for that swimming event is in my opinion Monday afternoon. Especially for the Monday afternoon window of roughly 14:00-16:45 PM, there are no phone logs or other information as to their movements and whereabouts. What's more, local officials received information that Kris and Lisanne had been at the Caldera hot springs on Monday March 31st around 14:00 PM. Various witnesses claim to have seen them there that day, but also on Sunday March 30th instead. Witnesses have claimed a lot though in this case, and the majority are probably wrong. But how to sift out the correct ones? That is perhaps also what investigators and Sinaproc thought, because they sent an inspection team plus a search dog to the Caldera hot springs soon after Ingrid Lommers also informed them (on April 4th) about this place: the Dutch friends of Kris and Lisanne, Bas and Edwin, told her that they understood from the girls that they wanted to go to the hot springs. But nothing came from this search. Nothing was further done with the rather specific witness sighting on Monday 14:00 PM, despite one of the investigators specifically asking Sinaproc about it once more. According to the case files, Abelardo A. asked about "the girls and the man in Caldera". Monday is the day that Kris and Lisanne went to the children's school in the morning and were refused and sent away there. Then they went to the Spanish school to complain and look for other work options. But their midday movements are unknown. I reckon the nearly three hours they are unaccounted for, is enough time to go to the Caldera and come back again to Alto Boquete, as it is a short drive only. Of course, the next questions are immediately: who took them there? Were they invited by other people? Etc. But in any case, their phones made connection with the school's Wi-Fi again around 16:44 PM that Monday, meaning they couldn't have been swimming elsewhere from that moment onwards. They also had a massage that evening with Sigrid between 18:00 - 20:30 PM, making the time in between the Wi-Fi use in the school and the massage simply too short to travel to a swimming spot, swim and go back again in time for the massage. Sigrid never saw them with wet hair either when they arrived and despite long chats between them and her, the girls never mentioned a swimming event. Lisanne also mentioned this massage as the one thing that made up for the disappointment with the children's school:
"Maybe we will be able to start tomorrow at Casa Esperanza. Fingers crossed! To alleviate our disappointment we went to Sigrid for a full body massage. Some enjoyment! Another day tomorrow, hasta la mañana!"
You would think that if the girls had gone for a swim with friendly local guys that same Monday, that they would also have also mentioned it in their diary? And that a swim would have also been a way to alleviate their disappointment, considering the happy faces in the swimming photo? The fact that neither of the girls wrote about a swimming event or mentioned it to the people they were with, makes me wonder if Monday is a good fit for this swimming event (if true). Monday evening Kris and Lisanne spent time with the host family, as confirmed by 'host mother' Miriam and her kids. So they spoke to relatives, to Miriam, they spoke to Sigrid about their day and never mentioned a swim (although they were overcome with disappointment about their cancelled work appointment that day, and perhaps didn't prioritize mentioning their leisure activities). Is this something they would have omitted in their diaries? Perhaps. Did they document everything that happened in Bocas? Perhaps not. Maybe they met up with local guys at the Caldera, and did not want to write or talk about it? With worrying parents and a boyfriend at home? If this theory is correct then it means that Kris and Lisanne made it back safely from the swimming event. But it also sows the seed that they met and knew Osman and Murgas. And possible the rest of the Pandilla group who were present when this photo was taken. Linking Kris and Lisanne to the very people who in Boquete are most often named or whispered to be the perpetrators. But it begs the question (again...) why Sigrid the masseuse was never questioned by investigators? This is confirmed information, they never came round to talk with her about this Monday evening massage appointment she had with Kris and Lisanne. Nor to question her about their conversations then. What a missed opportunity. They could have asked Sigrid for instance what clothes Kris and Lisanne wore when they visited her. If these were different clothes from what they wore Monday morning? If Kris or Lisanne really did not hint at a swimming event to her? Were their hairs wet or not? But Sigrid was not questioned by police at all. Bizarre. The timeline is pretty packed for that Monday, but for me the Monday early afternoon, when there was no cell phone activity for the girls' phones between 14:00 and 16:42 in the afternoon, is the best moment for that swimming event. HOW ABOUT TUESDAY AFTERNOON
And what about Tuesday afternoon, after the Pianista hike, theoretically? The only reason why Tuesday afternoon could be the more likely day, is because both of the girls detailed a lot of what they did for most of the other days in their diaries. You can find the translations of them in this part 3 blog post. And because they never mentioned a swim to Sigrid the masseuse, on Monday evening. But Tuesday afternoon comes with its own set of issues. Unless the phone log data regarding GSM network signal was incomplete [or incorrect] somehow, it does seem like both the Samsung Galaxy phone of Lisanne and the iPhone of Kris moved further away from the nearest cell tower as the afternoon of April 1st progressed. See this graphic (and part 4 for more details about these phone logs). This technical data does not indicate that Kris and Lisanne returned to civilization in the afternoon of April 1st. Their phones did not connect to the cell towers near the Caldera. Unless they took another route through the mountains to the Caldera hot springs, which does exist according to private detective Martín Ferrara O'Donnell, former PTJ and bodyguard of Guillermo 'Billy' Ford (qepd), who privately investigated the case for a long time and believes that the girls fell victims to foul play after a party with local youngsters in one of the wooden sheds behind the Mirador and towards the Caldera area. This isolated terrain has no good cell reception either. But then we have a situation where we cannot fit in some of the many (but often dismissed) witness statements, seeing these girls return to the trailhead between roughly 15:00-16:00 PM. Knowing what we know now about Pittí's bungling manipulation of the SD memory card before Panama sent it to the Dutch for investigation, I personally do not trust her or her team to have done a clean job here, full stop. I sadly don't even know with certainty that the phone logs, printed and analysed by the Dutch NFI are 100% reliable*.. Sad but true, as there have been made so many blunders along the way, and there has been so much covering up done by the look of things. But nevertheless, the swimming photo does not fit in anywhere really, timeline wise. Or at least not in a convincing manner. And yet I am very inclined to say it shows Kris and Lisanne. A real head scratcher.
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PHONE LOGS NOT INFALLIBLE*I realize that many people see the phone log info as the Bible; as irrefutable evidence. But I do not agree with this. Not in this case. The log info may have been incomplete, a cherry-picked highlight of events or worse. There are various copies of the case files circulating among a few authors and some people who received them one way or another, including the Canadians and Imperfect Plan. And we do not even know for certain at this point if they all have the exact same copies in details. As everyone shields their versions and nobody publishes them in full for all to see. We know for a fact however that Betzaida Pitti messed with the night photos, before sending the camera to the Dutch NFI,. And that she and her team were also the first people to go through the mobile phones of Kris and Lisanne. When it comes to discovering phone log manipulation, it partly depends on who is doing the research and the detecting. If the NFI people were already looking at a tainted copy of the phone logs (say: with some info left in there, but other log details sifted out and removed, theoretically), then that is what they have to work with. And let's not forget that the NFI did not flag (or even detect?) the manipulated EXIF data from the night photos either. It was Juan who discovered that Betzaida Pitti has photoshopped the night photos and has overwritten the original photos on June 17th, before sending them to the Dutch NFI who she had delegated the investigation to. But not before messing with the evidence. She claims the EXIF data of the night photos were altered because she and her team only brightened the night photos or rotated them. But you'd be a fool to believe her on her word. Betzaida Pitti and her team idiotically altered the images on the original SD card with their photo editing actions [unbelievable...]. She had the original images photoshopped, rotated, brightened and SAVED this in the original SD card. That is criminal negligence and inexcusable stupidity in my book. Or calculated corruption. So we don't know what the NFI had to work with exactly. But when we know this, then it at the very least opens the door for suspicions of more widespread manipulation. There is a missing photo or video file #509, after all. And phone logs which seem fairly minimal and illogical at times. As if some data has been left out. For instance; there was a massive battery drop of 19% in the afternoon of April 1st, before the girls started calling 112 for help. Nothing in the phone log info explains this loss of battery, as there were seemingly no significant processes or apps running in the background, and the phones were in a zone without mobile reception. Did the original phone logs truly not log more information about what these phones did at that time? I have my doubts. But still, you need evidence then. True specialists need to look into these official phone logs. But the authorities shield them for dear life, and do not allow anyone to do a second opinion. 'Nothing to see here, the case is closed', they told Juan and others. And bad intentions are one explanation, but another is unprofessionalism and clumsiness of course. If Pitti for example decided to turn on Lisanne's phone without taking the precautions outlined in the mobile forensics manual, then the first thing that would happen was the clearance of the cache of any application data that was set to clear cache on a power on/off cycle. Oops. I can see Pitti - not being versed on this type of forensics - making this blunder if she was left to her own devices and did not straight away sent the phones to the local computer forensics department. You can read more about the phone logs and data in my blog post part 4.
Potential bra explanationIn the swimming photo you can see that neither women have shoulder straps from a bra visible. Either they wore strapless bikinis which are hidden under the water, or they went swimming topless. Kris and Lisanne did swim in strapless bikinis in Bocas del Toro. But we never heard from the families or host family if the girls' bikinis were found in their room, yes or no. That could be valuable information. If their bikinis were missing, then that would be further food for thought regarding this swimming photo. Then they may have planned to go swimming that Tuesday. Whereas if their bikinis were found in their room, then that could perhaps explain the seemingly topless girls. I read a comment from LaLynz on the Dutch FOK forum on a detail I always overlooked myself: "Always had the idea that the bikinis they wore in Bocas, a blue bikini for L and a green/black bikini for K, are lying on the left of the 2nd shelf from the bottom of the closet in the room with the host family. It is possible that there were several bikinis, but it is also possible that the swimming was a spontaneous action." - Good point. I never before noticed them on the shelves, but I think it is correct. See the photo compilation I made to point to this. The photo of their clothes/room was taken after the girls went missing.
The colour and the fabrics do match. I think LaLynz is correct and that we are looking at those bikinis. Now, as for the question if the girls may have brought multiple bathing suits along to Panama, I'm not sure. There is no evidence that they brought more than one pair of bikinis on this holiday. We have not seen any photos of them wearing other bathing suits than these blue and green ones. I went through all the known photos of their Panamanian holiday again, and all I can ever see are these two specific bikinis or normal bras underneath their clothes. See in the below photos, taken in Bocas del Toro and Boquete, respectively, that Kris and Lisanne either wore the same green and blue bikinis under their shirts also, or regular bras. Because these photos of the room show us what clothes were found after the girls went missing, one can make a point about the swimming event from the leaked swimming photo to have been a spontaneous thing. (That is, unless you of course don't believe it are Kris and Lisanne who are pictured here). So... in that case, those girls did not bring any bathing suits along with them on Tuesday, when they went out for a hike. This can mean that the swim was a spontaneous action, in which they possibly swam topless. hence why their bras were discovered folded up in the backpack. And hence why both seem to be crouching underwater, while the boys stand straight up, showing how shallow the water still is at that point. If this is true then it could spell trouble. It is unfortunately all too easy for vibrant young women to give the impression of 'leading people on', with something that may appear just spontaneous and a bit of fun to them. I hope that I am wrong. 
More Osman
The following information was in the news and on one of the Dutch forums where the disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne has been discussed for the past five years. This local Panamanian newspaper article was shared, with a graphic photo in it from a deceased young man. It details how 23 year old Osman Valenzuela from Alto Boquete, nickname Piki, was found dead in the river Chiriquisito. (In the media it was reported at the time that he was 22 years old). It happened on Friday April 4th 2014, so three days after the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon, in the same region near Boquete where the girls' host family also lives. Family members* from the unfortunate young man declared that they had all been bathing in the river that day. [*Scarlet: In the press it was reported that Osman (Piki) had been swimming with relatives that day, but this is incorrect: he was not with his family, but with other youngsters, including Henry and Edwin]. And after packing up to go back home, the young man excused himself to make a toilet stop around 18:00 pm. He walked back to the river. But he never returned. His family reported him missing and the Search and Rescue unit of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) came on the scene to look for Osman. Later friends of Osman and members of the National Police also helped with the search. They found him the next day, on Saturday April 5th around 12:50 pm. He was found in the river at about 5 meters depth and at about 25 meters distance from where the young man had last been seen by his family. Despite it looking like he drowned, some sources stated that no water was found in his lungs during autopsy.Osman was a good swimmer, reportedly. There were different stories going round, with one source reporting drowned, another site reporting that local youth gang members had hit him hard or even tortured him before dumping his body in the water; youths all coming from 'well-to-do Panamanian parents, driving in expensive cars'. Osman was friends with the stepson of guide F., someone regularly described by locals as troubled at best and psychopathic at worst. He also hung out with some other local youth, including the Sabroson kid Edwin and the relative of the restaurant at the Pianista trail. Some people claimed that Osmans parents had been separated and that one of them lived also in a house at the foot of the Pianista Trail. But this seems incorrect: Osman valenzuela lived with his mother in Bajo Boquete (there is however a house linked to a Valenzuela owner located at the Pianista trail, hence the confusion). Betzaida Pittí confirmed that Osman had actually helped Sinaproc with the searches for Kris and Lisanne the day of his death, before going for a swim. This was however denied in a new book from Hardinghaus and Nenner ("A false claim"). Officials and sneaky Pittí also claimed that Osman had been 'drinking alcohol' and that's why he drowned. Is that true though? He went missing in the afternoon and nothing was reported by others about him being drunk. His family also mentioned nothing about him staggering around drunk enough to be able to drown at 18:00 that day. He was a strong swimmer they said. His mother did say in the local press that the days before his death, Osman had been restless and not like himself. He had seemed very anxious about something according to her. Some people in Boquete whispered that it was because he had been pictured with Kris and Lisanne in the water and was now being threatened. Others say that they witnessed him challenge local criminal youth in a public place about the disappearance of the girls and heard that he had received death threats during the altercation. Either way, for some reason he was unsettled in the days before his death and had been telling his mum that he was afraid.
Update, police file about Osman Valenzuela's death
By now the police file about Osman Valenzuela's death has become public knowledge, and a very sinister image is painted in it. Osman was in a relationship with his girlfriend Kayla, a biology student. The youth in Boquete all know each other, and many are friends on social media. Osman is described as more of a solitary person, but he works at a local pool bar, Bar y Billar and is friends with Milagros P. Her name frequently pops up in this case (check out my post about Jeremy Kryt's podcast for instance). They are just friends, but some of Milagros' friends turn on Osman when one of them, Sam John D., suspects that Osman has his eyes on Milagros. This is denied, but when they are both in the bars Arcoiris and Los Arcos things come to a head. A fight commences and the son of the owners of the Il Pianista restaurant smashes a glass bottle into Osman's face, injuring him. Edwin A. and Henry G. also get involved and threaten Osman: if he goes to the police, they will kill him. (I have been tipped off about these specific lads years ago by people in Boquete; seems they were right). Osman is anxious. Milagros contacts him on April 4th 2014 and says she wants to talk. Osman agrees to meet up with her for a talk in a park, in order to find out what she has to say. They somehow end up for going for a swim near the Caldera hot springs. A place where the pandilla guys are also present: Henry, Edwin, Sam John, the Il Pianista son, Murgas, Jorge, as well as the young women Alba, Sandra and Xinia. During this swimming event, Osman mysteriously drowns. The Pandilla say that one moment he was there, the next he went for a toilet stop behind a rock and poof.... he was gone. Found drowned days later. His valuables stolen. Osman was dragged out the water with a suspicious head wound, and Sinaproc reported 'noting inconsistencies' when they pulled him out of the water. But police did not arrest the pandilla members and dropped the case. Baffling. We are supposed to believe that introverted Osman who had a lovely girlfriend.. was beaten up, maimed and murdered because he had supposed feelings for Milagros P? See photo attached. I have been told by various people in Boquete that this is not true, and that his murder had everything to do with him knowing more about Edwin and Henry interacting with Kris and Lisanne on a prior date. But of course those are just rumours and conjecture... I like to stress here however that these lads and their friends were literally right there with Osman when he "drowned". I don't understand how people can look away from that and pretend there is no correlation here. At the very least, we're dealing with another stellar Boquete 'crime investigator', looking away from what is right in front of the eyes. But then again, drowning in Boquete seems like the 'hunting accident' epidemic we have over here. Problematic people just happen to die at times during those events, unfortunately.
ACCIDENTAL DROWNING OVERTURNED IN MURDER
[Sam John D. at work in Il Pianista; a place that gets many 5 star reviews, but also some 1 star reviews, mentioning the threatening and mafioso Giovanni owner] - Police ruled Osman's death an accidental drowning. But aside from the reported head wound, the photo shows that his body froze in a strange pose. Research on 'rigor mortis in an unusual position' (which is rare apparently) states that when finding a dead body in such 'gravity defying' poses, it has in the past been linked to homicides and attempts to destroy evidence. And that in previous cases "the scene of death (occurrence) is different from the scene of disposal of a dead body, and time gap between the two places. [..] A dead body without decomposition, lying on its back with limbs raised in the air, indicates that the body reached full rigidity elsewhere." Because rigor mortis does not happen so soon after death that it can defy gravity. Here is another (basic) news article on his death. Despite police and Sinaproc suspecting this was a murder case, Osman's death was officially ruled an accidental drowning. Osman's funeral was reportedly disrupted by local youngsters, disturbing the relatives. Suzanne Miller wrote below a Press report (April 9, 2014 at 7:08pm) by Keith Woolford on Osman's death: "Want to hear the cruelest thing. These guys are now out of jail and attended his Mass and were sitting in the back laughing and disrupting the service. I am so glad I had to leave before the service was over or there would have been some new castrati to sing at mass. Thank goodness the Mayor sent the police over to protect the family and stop the brothers from doing something they might have had to pay for." But the authors Hardinghaus and Nenner spoke with Henry and several other 'Pandilla' youth who Osman was fearful of, and of course they entirely dismiss ever having disrupted his funeral. Just "a nasty rumor." But there are multiple reports about this incident.
[Sam John D. at work in Il Pianista; a place that gets many 5 star reviews, but also some 1 star reviews, mentioning the threatening and mafioso Giovanni owner] - Police ruled Osman's death an accidental drowning. But aside from the reported head wound, the photo shows that his body froze in a strange pose. Research on 'rigor mortis in an unusual position' (which is rare apparently) states that when finding a dead body in such 'gravity defying' poses, it has in the past been linked to homicides and attempts to destroy evidence. And that in previous cases "the scene of death (occurrence) is different from the scene of disposal of a dead body, and time gap between the two places. [..] A dead body without decomposition, lying on its back with limbs raised in the air, indicates that the body reached full rigidity elsewhere." Because rigor mortis does not happen so soon after death that it can defy gravity. Here is another (basic) news article on his death. Despite police and Sinaproc suspecting this was a murder case, Osman's death was officially ruled an accidental drowning. Osman's funeral was reportedly disrupted by local youngsters, disturbing the relatives. Suzanne Miller wrote below a Press report (April 9, 2014 at 7:08pm) by Keith Woolford on Osman's death: "Want to hear the cruelest thing. These guys are now out of jail and attended his Mass and were sitting in the back laughing and disrupting the service. I am so glad I had to leave before the service was over or there would have been some new castrati to sing at mass. Thank goodness the Mayor sent the police over to protect the family and stop the brothers from doing something they might have had to pay for." But the authors Hardinghaus and Nenner spoke with Henry and several other 'Pandilla' youth who Osman was fearful of, and of course they entirely dismiss ever having disrupted his funeral. Just "a nasty rumor." But there are multiple reports about this incident.
Notice by the way how Osman wore nearly identical sunglasses
as Lisanne, here pictured on her bed after the disappearance:
Jeremy Kryt's podcast info about Osman ValenzuelaIn the Lost in Panama podcast from Jeremy Kryt, Osman's mother Margarita plays a grande role. In it, a very different claim is made about this group of friends. Please note that this claim is a theory and none of these people referred to have been found guilty of anything at this point, so everybody should keep that in mind! Presumed innocent. Kryt and his team spent significant time in Boquete in 2022 and spoke extensively with Osman Valenzuela's mother Margarita. A very disturbing and sinister story comes from her. It revolves around Henry (nickname Tito) and his group of friends at the time, including the already mentioned son of the Sabroson restaurant owner, Edwin 'Sabroson' 'El Pulpo', the son of the Il Pianista restaurant owner and also Sam John D., Cesar 'La Cuervo' S, Milagros P. and Osman Valenzuela and Jose Manuel Murgas. They are called the Pandilla gang. All are in their early to mid twenties in 2014. In the podcast claims are made about this Pandilla meeting up with Kris and Lisanne. One person says they met in a nightclub in Boquete, another anonymous informant knows that Kris and Lisanne bought drugs from this group of friends from the Pandilla. The testimony is recorded on tape. They wanted to buy some cannabis in Boquete and spoke to a young man. Israel Guirre. They got along and agreed to go out together. And Israel got them in contact with one of the guys of Tito's posse, Sam John D. Then on March 31st, Kris and Lisanne allegedly went to a house party in Palo Alto with Tito and his clique. It was held in Césars house. The informant heard these details from Césars neighbour, also from another member of the group and it was also verified by another group member, he claims, who drove by the house and recognized the cars of Sabroson and others there. 'Tito' (Henry) was also there, as well as Israel and Sam John, 'Sabroson' [Edwin A.] and the girls. Osman Valenzuela is said to have seen Kris and Lisanne with Tito's group the afternoon of March 31st. "He was on Boquete's town square, and saw a double cabin red pickup truck parked there. He saw Kris and Lisanne sitting in it, along with four members of the Bandida." Martin: "At the park in Boquete he sees a red pickup and he sees mister Edwin A. who was driving the car, and mister Sam John D, who is in the passenger seat. In the back of the pickup he sees Henry G. and Jose Manuel Murgas and the two Dutch women sitting in the middle." Osman knew these guys well, and would not have misidentified them. In fact, he wanted to become part of the Pandilla, Martin says. "Mister Osman always wanted to belong to the group. He had that wish to be part of the group". Unfortunately, Osman died four days after seeing the Dutch women in Edwin's red truck. He was found dead in a river "with a suspicious head injury". Officially it was stated that he drowned, but later was reinvestigated and officially ruled a Murder by police. But despite authorities ruling Osman's death a murder, no arrests were ever made. Even though Osman was swimming that day with the pandilla members.. Osman's mother says: "They killed him because he knew about the Dutch girls. They have no scruples."
LURED TO HIS DEATHMargarita says that Osman was basically a good Christian boy, who tried to be part of the wrong crowd. He was good friends with a young woman in town, Milagros P. Margherita says, that’s where all the trouble started. Milagros was also friends with the members of the 'Pandilla' and got them into contact. Milagros introduced them to Osman. Osman had already known them from school, but never really fit in before. But Milagros arranged a job for Osman at a local restaurant, where he got to know some of the Pandilla lads better. They sold cocaine and marijuana and wielded power. According to Margarita, Osman told her shortly after the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne that he had something important to tell her. He told her that he was having some trouble with the young men in the Bandida. "He tells me: 'Mom, they are telling me they're going to kill me'. So I ask him: 'why?' And he tells me: 'Because I saw the Dutch girls in the car." On Boquete's town square, the day before their disappearance. "In the rear seat of the car he saw the Dutch girls. Each had a beer in their hands and they were smoking cigarettes. He didn't talk to them, he just saw them." Then after Kris and Lisanne disappeared, his friend Milagros told Osman that she knew they were dead. And that the Bandida was responsible. Margarita claims that Milagros also told Osman exactly what they did to the Dutch girls. And after that, the threats began. Osman told his mom: "Because I saw them with the Dutch girls, they are going to kill me. And then two days later, they killed my son."
Second death, Jose Manuel Murgas 
MURGAS TALKED TO OSMAN'S MOTHER
Interesting detail here, is that Jose Manuel Murgas had shorty before his death approached Osman's grieving mother Margarita outside a pool hall. Margarita: "I was coming from work and he was standing outside a pool hall. He said: 'I want to talk to you'." Margarita says that Murgas was 'haunted by guilt'. "I can't sleep, I see your son in my dreams. I can't take it anymore, I need to talk about this. I need you to know the truth". Murgas, according to Osman's mother, confessed to her that Osman was indeed killed by the Pandilla. And that Murgas was present, complicit, a witness and also an accomplice. "They killed him because he knew about the Dutch girls". Milagros had invited Osman to go out by the river. She then informed the Pandilla that Osman would be there. They followed him to the river and saw Osman sitting on a rock, looking out over the river. That's when the gang attacked. 'Edwin gave the order. He said: "Kill him". Margarita: 'He took up a rock and hit him at the back of the head. My son fell. He wasn't dead, he was still alive. He threw them from a bridge." Interestingly, Jeremy Kryt states in the Aftershow of this podcast episode, that the police report does indeed mention that Murgas was the last person to have seen Osman alive. Multiple witnesses who were interviewed by the police confirmed that they saw Osman and Murgas go off together, shortly before he died. These witnesses, questioned by police, included Henry 'Tito' and Edwin 'Sabroson' and their respective girlfriends at the time... They were there on site when Osman was killed, so on April 4th. Very interesting how that detail from the actual police report was kept out of Betzaida Pitti's media exercises, as well as out of the media until now. When these youngsters were asked by police where exactly Osman had gone off to relieve himself (take a pee) they gave a location. But police found that the body of Osman was in fact found upstream from there. "So was Osman a salmon? And somehow swam against the current after falling in and drowning?" Kryt says that the cops were in fact suspicious of that at the time. The police knew they were lying but could not prove it. So suspicion did not lead to an actual further investigation. What Kryt also said in the Aftershow is that multiple witnesses confirmed that there was a fistfight seen between Osman and Sam John, shortly before his death. So there was in fact animosity. So police turned the end verdict in a murder and it is confirmed that the Pandilla were the last to have been with osman, after Milagros lured him there. While Osman himself told his mother shortly before his early, brutal death that he was very afraid and had been threatened, because he 'knew about the Dutch girls'. Surely the claims so far seem to match up with the verified facts here?
Interesting detail here, is that Jose Manuel Murgas had shorty before his death approached Osman's grieving mother Margarita outside a pool hall. Margarita: "I was coming from work and he was standing outside a pool hall. He said: 'I want to talk to you'." Margarita says that Murgas was 'haunted by guilt'. "I can't sleep, I see your son in my dreams. I can't take it anymore, I need to talk about this. I need you to know the truth". Murgas, according to Osman's mother, confessed to her that Osman was indeed killed by the Pandilla. And that Murgas was present, complicit, a witness and also an accomplice. "They killed him because he knew about the Dutch girls". Milagros had invited Osman to go out by the river. She then informed the Pandilla that Osman would be there. They followed him to the river and saw Osman sitting on a rock, looking out over the river. That's when the gang attacked. 'Edwin gave the order. He said: "Kill him". Margarita: 'He took up a rock and hit him at the back of the head. My son fell. He wasn't dead, he was still alive. He threw them from a bridge." Interestingly, Jeremy Kryt states in the Aftershow of this podcast episode, that the police report does indeed mention that Murgas was the last person to have seen Osman alive. Multiple witnesses who were interviewed by the police confirmed that they saw Osman and Murgas go off together, shortly before he died. These witnesses, questioned by police, included Henry 'Tito' and Edwin 'Sabroson' and their respective girlfriends at the time... They were there on site when Osman was killed, so on April 4th. Very interesting how that detail from the actual police report was kept out of Betzaida Pitti's media exercises, as well as out of the media until now. When these youngsters were asked by police where exactly Osman had gone off to relieve himself (take a pee) they gave a location. But police found that the body of Osman was in fact found upstream from there. "So was Osman a salmon? And somehow swam against the current after falling in and drowning?" Kryt says that the cops were in fact suspicious of that at the time. The police knew they were lying but could not prove it. So suspicion did not lead to an actual further investigation. What Kryt also said in the Aftershow is that multiple witnesses confirmed that there was a fistfight seen between Osman and Sam John, shortly before his death. So there was in fact animosity. So police turned the end verdict in a murder and it is confirmed that the Pandilla were the last to have been with osman, after Milagros lured him there. While Osman himself told his mother shortly before his early, brutal death that he was very afraid and had been threatened, because he 'knew about the Dutch girls'. Surely the claims so far seem to match up with the verified facts here?
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But we are far from done with the murder spree. Because Murgas himself is killed shortly after. After telling Margarita (according to Margarita..) about how the Pandilla took Kris and Lisanne from the Pianista trail, over a hidden trail called Pata de Macho, to Cuervo's house, everything went wrong when Henry tried to touch up Kris and she slapped him. You can read all the details in my blog post summarizing this entire 2022 podcast, but effectively Murgas claimed that Henry and friends bludgeoned Kris to death and then Lisanne. Osman's mother Margarita also claims that Jose Murgas told her that the gang had faked the phone activity, staged the Camera photographs, as well as scattered the girls' remains along the river. Margarita told Murgas that he had to make a statement to a lawyer, but Murgas was afraid that he would end up dead, like Osman. Before he had a chance to talk to the authorities, he went to a canteen on his 22nd birthday and got drunk. Guess who was there? Milagros, the black widow. As well as Henry and Edwin. 'And they took him'. The Pandilla quietly disappeared with a drunk Murgas and drove away. He was found dead by the roadside the next morning, in a seeming hit and run. But in fact, Margarita and some others claim, he was purposely run over multiple times by Henry and Edwin. Martin says that the hit and run killing of Murgas was no accident. "He had blows to the head that are not compatible with a hit and run accident." Two witnesses who came forward made it sound like Murgas was run over on purpose. "A city official from the Alto Boquete area tells me: 'I heard a car pull up and they open it, like a pickup truck door, and they closed it. They backed the car up and they accelerated and drove off." And a woman who lives across the street of where the killing happened, heard voices coming from the car. "On the property across the street from where they found mister Jose Manuel Murgas, she says she heard a vehicle. That she stopped and heard some voices, saying 'Hurry up! Leave him there! Throw him, leave him there. Come on, come on, come on!"
Third death, Jorge Another friend from this circle of people, Jorge Rivera Miranda, also drowned under very strange circumstances in late March of 2015. [In Panama they seem to have no qualms about showing graphic photos of deceased people in the newspapers and media]. He was also part of the group of friends, gang if you will, of Henry, Edwin, the Il Pianista lad and others. Jorge was found dead in the Grande stream of the Dos Ríos community, in the Dolega district, in Chiriquí. The newspaper article added: "During the removal of the body, the competent authorities found some signs that showed that his death had not been accidental". Jorge was another claimed 'gang member' of the club of 5 and íf that is true, he would be the 3rd member who died within a year of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne; another suspicious 'drowning'. But maybe this Jorge is another Jorge from the one linked to the group of friends. It is hard to say. In the photo in that newspaper article you can see that he even had his arm and leg laying dry on land, and only had to lift his head to be able to breath. One of the friends within this group wrote 'Rest in peace' for him on his facebook page. I have been told that Jorge's parents own a pharmacy in Boquete. Unverified which one. So many drownings in the Boquete region.. Read more on Osman here. Jorge Rivera Miranda's drowned body was discovered on April 4th of 2015. Exactly one year after Osman was murdered and drowned.
Fourth death, Leonardo the taxi driverAnd then there was of course the taxi driver, Leonardo Arturo González, who also was found drowned around that exact same time. The taxi driver who claimed to police that he brought Kris and Lisanne to the Pianista trail in the early afternoon morning of April 1st. When the girls got in the taxi, there were already two other men inside the car. They heard the girls tell the taxi driver where they wanted to go. One of them told him in Spanish: "A la entrada del Pianista." After that, the other two Panamese passengers were dropped off first at their destination and then the taxi driver brought the girls to the start of the El Pianista shortly after. Witnesses have stated that they saw the two young women get out of the taxi at this point. But it has also been claimed (but not proven) that Leonardo witnessed Henry and Jorge Manuel Murgas (now dead) in the Pianista area that April 1st. And that this is why he ultimately 'had to go'. But none of that is verified info. The taxi driver turned up dead almost exactly a year later, on March 2nd 2015 (see his gravestone here), under officially “unexplained” circumstances. Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez Mastinu (34) drowned, apparently. “It’s a strange thing,” says César Castillo, a rock-climbing instructor who was teaching clients nearby when Gonzalez’s body was pulled from the water in a shallow stretch of the mini-canyon the locals call Gualaca. “It’s easy to swim there, with no strong current,” says Castillo, who frequently takes his climbing students for a dip in the same spot. “And we never heard any cries for help, or splashing around like he was in trouble. We know he didn’t hit his head on a rock, because there was no blood or bruising,” says Castillo, who helped pull Gonzalez from the water and tried to perform CPR. Castillo also reports the presence of other cars parked near the mini-canyon that day, although he admits he can’t be sure the death was not an accident. “Leo was a good kid,” says a fellow taxi driver in town, when I ask about Gonzalez. “Always responsible. Always on time. If he got killed over the Holandesas, it could’ve been because he saw something he shouldn’t have near the Pianista,” the driver says, referring to the trail where the young women disappeared. “Not because he did anything wrong himself.” In this news article, it is written that Leonardo Arturo González was at the time "investigated for having transferred the Dutch Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers to the Sendero El Pianista". The article ends that with the 'inexplicable' death of Leonardo "the number of victims of drowning increased already to four for the year 2015 in Chiriquí."
Interestingly, some of the Pandilla gang talked to two German authors, named Christian Hardinghaus and Annette Nenner. I will dedicate a separate blog post and/or video to this new book 'Still Lost in Panama' soon when I have more time. They have been very helpful I feel in publishing the most striking content of the case files, while also adding source links correctly. Making it possible for those who possess copies of those files, to verify their statements. I feel positive about chunks of the book, but feel also critical about others. For now I will highlight just the chapters of the book in which Annette spoke to most of the Pandilla members, after first befriending Feliciano. This is done after the shockwave causing podcast series of Jeremy Kryt. So the thought that these German authors are used here to strike back, does creep up in the mind. Most of the Pandilla members (who are all innocent at this point, just like literally everyone mentioned in this case; let's please remember that always) are described as seeming short on time, short on patience and in my opinion also short on precise memory. But what they collectively say is that the swimming photo is real indeed. And that it was taken on April 4th of 2014. So on the very day that Osman was lured to the Caldera area - the Chiriquicito River more precisely - by Milagros to meet up with the very Pandilla who had been threatening him in the days prior (according to Osman and Margarita) and was killed there by being hit on the head. So this is a real photo indeed. Just as the NFI and Dutch prosecution declared in their more recent Cold Case treatment of the disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne. But that it are not Kris and Lisanne pictured. I had to laugh when I read who they claim are pictured here. Standing on the right are Murgas and Jorge, they say. Crouching in the water are Milagros and her friend Sandra C.. So we are supposed to believe that the figure that looks exactly like Lisanne, is in fact Milagros.... Find the 1000 differences:
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And compare this photo of Milagros and Sandra "XiXi" C., taken on August 14th of 2014, with the figures in the swimming photo... Either the Pandilla are taking the mickey out of the two German authors, or they all collectively think their audience is blind or stupid? Because no offense, but Milagros looks nothing like that Lisanne type of figure. Nothing... Same for Sandra C. not resembling Kris whatsoever. These are 99,9% not the same women. Different skin colour, different hair colour, different body size and weight, very different facial features. Are they taking Annette for a ride? In fact, when Annette talks to Sandra C. she also cannot believe it is her who is pictured next to Milagros (which was Milagros' decided version of events). "She recognizes the others, the same as Milagros and Henry. What she doesn't remember, however, is whether she is the person next to Milagros. "It could be me," says Sandra and explains the crux of the photo: "You can't recognize the faces. But I remember exactly that I was in a few of the photos back then." She shrugs her shoulders. "But in this one? I really can't say for sure." - Neither can anybody else, I reckon. Bizarrely enough, the book authors seem completely content with this quick and sincere explanation though. They don't ask too many critical questions. Instead they write about how everybody else out there simply 'think the wrong thing' for believing we see Lisanne here (with her pale skin and lighter brown hair and broad smile and apple cheeks) and Kris (with her striking red hair and cream and peaches skin).
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OSMAN IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE KRIS
It becomes even more bewildering when Alba C, another friend of the Pandilla clique, says that it is in fact not Sandra C. who is standing in 'Kris's place, but Osman Valenzuela 🤣 Milagros and Osman are arm in arm standing deeper in the water. Annette also scratches her head initially, but then quickly adds that "the photo is so distorted and blurred that you can interpret anything and everything in it." Group friend Xinia P. also says that the figure with seemingly red hair is in fact Osman Valenzuela. Standing next to 'Milagros' in the water, who is making a V-sign. When Jorge G. is also confirming that he is the one with the black cap on, yes, and that in the water are Milagros and Osman, Annette is sold. "There's hardly any doubt in my mind now. No one has colluded here, nor has anyone tried to pull the wool over my eyes." OK then...
NOW ADD PARANORMAL EXPLANATIONS
Annette is told that this swimming photo was taken by Xinia P. with her tablet, together with a whole series of other swimming photos. All of which showed inexplicable distortions, blamed on supernatural stuff. Because that is probably one way to explain away the total absence of ANY resemblance between these people and the swimming photo figures. Quote from the book: "But," says Sandra C., lowering her voice. "There is something mysterious about this photo." She then talks about silhouettes that are said to have been visible in the swimming photo and in other pictures from that afternoon. "Similar to ghosts, something paranormal," she says. "Our people with blurred faces and unrecognizable." Annette continues: "In my mind, I dismiss this statement because I don't believe in paranormal phenomena. But a few days later, my skepticism matures when I meet with the lawyer who investigated the circumstances of Osman's death to find out more. He also tells me about unexplained apparitions and outlines in the photos." Xinia P. also tells Annette: "There were these strange phenomena on all of them, Osman's face was always altered, strangely twisted or even completely unrecognizable." She had never experienced anything like it before. "That's why they talked about it for a long time among friends." - So the grainy quality of the photo is explained away here because it was spooky and 'strange' that day and all the photos turned out distorted, due to paranormal activity lol. Not because we are dealing with a big bunch of coordinated lies here by the Pandilla people.
Annette is told that this swimming photo was taken by Xinia P. with her tablet, together with a whole series of other swimming photos. All of which showed inexplicable distortions, blamed on supernatural stuff. Because that is probably one way to explain away the total absence of ANY resemblance between these people and the swimming photo figures. Quote from the book: "But," says Sandra C., lowering her voice. "There is something mysterious about this photo." She then talks about silhouettes that are said to have been visible in the swimming photo and in other pictures from that afternoon. "Similar to ghosts, something paranormal," she says. "Our people with blurred faces and unrecognizable." Annette continues: "In my mind, I dismiss this statement because I don't believe in paranormal phenomena. But a few days later, my skepticism matures when I meet with the lawyer who investigated the circumstances of Osman's death to find out more. He also tells me about unexplained apparitions and outlines in the photos." Xinia P. also tells Annette: "There were these strange phenomena on all of them, Osman's face was always altered, strangely twisted or even completely unrecognizable." She had never experienced anything like it before. "That's why they talked about it for a long time among friends." - So the grainy quality of the photo is explained away here because it was spooky and 'strange' that day and all the photos turned out distorted, due to paranormal activity lol. Not because we are dealing with a big bunch of coordinated lies here by the Pandilla people.
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ALL THE OTHER SUPPOSED PHOTOS ARE GONE
But then the biggest bummer of all. So the Pandilla friends all claim to have taken many more photos during that swimming event on April 4th, the day that Osman died there from a violent attack by someone.... But due to bad luck, those other swimming photos no longer exist. Nobody has them anymore, even though they must have captured the very last living moments of their dear friend Osman... Because the tablet no longer exists. It broke down. And nobody apparently ever received a single copy of those pictures. Oh what a shame. There is no way anymore now to verify these claims of paranormal photo distortions in the rest of the supposed swimming photo series... Annette writes about this in their book: "Of course, I immediately want to see the other photos and ask Xinia about them. However, she says that she has since disposed of her tablet because it broke. She hadn't saved the pictures on it." Annette: "Unfortunately, we have not been able to find the other photos from April 4, 2014. What is behind these claims? It's a specific peculiarity in the Kris and Lisanne case. No sooner has one secret been revealed, than another pops up."
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NOBODY SAVED A COPY
So ALL of these supposed other swimming photos are gone now, as Xinia P's tablet was disposed of without saving the photos and apparently nobody else saved them either 🧐🤔 But we just have to believe their claims that it are them all in the one surviving photo and not Kris and Lisanne, because... they all coordinated their statements more or less? Despite us having no other photos, no text messages of that day that confirm that it were them in fact who were even at that place on April 4th 2014. No evidence shown of phone calls made that day, in order for us to see if cell tower pings were made to their respective phones. No copies shared of the police files regarding Osman's death, confirming that these Pandilla friends were named as witnesses in Osman's death on April 4th. In light of the importance of the specific angle of the sun and shade (that afternoon?) seen in the one surviving swimming photo, I would have also liked to hear from these friends at what time of day that photo was exactly taken? Heck, why aren't we shown its EXIF data that prove that it was indeed taken on April 4th? And not a few days prior for instance.. Where was Osman even, according to his "friends", if not captured in the photo? They all tell the same details about him going behind a rock to relieve himself, never to be seen alive again. They were all there they claim, but it must be that paranormal cloud that was hanging around that day, which swallowed Osman up when he went behind that rock and spat him out somewhere in the river. Who believes this nonsense? Well I know who do.. And why do these people, supposed friends of Osman, mostly blabber about who is in the photo, but not talk about the highly suspicious death that very day? They were there, so who killed him? We still don't know. How chilly, how bizarre. But all this does not seem to worry Annette one bit, or make her doubt this uniform answer from the gang. It is case closed people, when it comes to the swimming photo. The authors declare that "mysterious photo" to be totally explained satisfyingly now. Nothing to see here 😊 And the authors sound incredibly confident that their absurd eyesore 'identification' of Milagros and Sandra or Osman in that swimming photo is the solution of this swimming photo problem.. Maybe because they did not provide actual photos of Milagros and Sandra in their book? Well, I can. I honestly do not understand in what sort of world this is is supposed to be clear evidence. Does everybody need glasses?
So ALL of these supposed other swimming photos are gone now, as Xinia P's tablet was disposed of without saving the photos and apparently nobody else saved them either 🧐🤔 But we just have to believe their claims that it are them all in the one surviving photo and not Kris and Lisanne, because... they all coordinated their statements more or less? Despite us having no other photos, no text messages of that day that confirm that it were them in fact who were even at that place on April 4th 2014. No evidence shown of phone calls made that day, in order for us to see if cell tower pings were made to their respective phones. No copies shared of the police files regarding Osman's death, confirming that these Pandilla friends were named as witnesses in Osman's death on April 4th. In light of the importance of the specific angle of the sun and shade (that afternoon?) seen in the one surviving swimming photo, I would have also liked to hear from these friends at what time of day that photo was exactly taken? Heck, why aren't we shown its EXIF data that prove that it was indeed taken on April 4th? And not a few days prior for instance.. Where was Osman even, according to his "friends", if not captured in the photo? They all tell the same details about him going behind a rock to relieve himself, never to be seen alive again. They were all there they claim, but it must be that paranormal cloud that was hanging around that day, which swallowed Osman up when he went behind that rock and spat him out somewhere in the river. Who believes this nonsense? Well I know who do.. And why do these people, supposed friends of Osman, mostly blabber about who is in the photo, but not talk about the highly suspicious death that very day? They were there, so who killed him? We still don't know. How chilly, how bizarre. But all this does not seem to worry Annette one bit, or make her doubt this uniform answer from the gang. It is case closed people, when it comes to the swimming photo. The authors declare that "mysterious photo" to be totally explained satisfyingly now. Nothing to see here 😊 And the authors sound incredibly confident that their absurd eyesore 'identification' of Milagros and Sandra or Osman in that swimming photo is the solution of this swimming photo problem.. Maybe because they did not provide actual photos of Milagros and Sandra in their book? Well, I can. I honestly do not understand in what sort of world this is is supposed to be clear evidence. Does everybody need glasses?
BIZARRE
I'm not saying that this part of the investigation is sub-par, but it leaves a lot to be desired and therefore certainly is not enough to "debunk" the swimming photo theory. Not by a long mile. I haven't reread everything in detail yet in the new book, but I don't even know - with all the other photos being 'lost' - how the authors even explain THIS one swimming photo surviving and resurfacing in the package of leaked case photos which Juan received from the two Canadians? They simply don't even try to explain that. The authors also unearthed good bits of info about the investigation and don't hold back with warranted criticism. I don't want to give off the impression that it is a big nothing burger book, because it is extremely helpful to finally have proper insight in those case files, source links and all. As it should be. I also loved reading how one set of authors in particular is held to the test. One can only conclude that they must have had the misplaced belief at the time that nobody but them had copies of those case files, and that they could just claim whatever the heck they wanted (without providing any source links whatsoever). Not the case now... And how very sad it is to finally see it confirmed that they took very generous liberties with the truth. No doubt spurred on by Pittí in her thirst for compliments and good PR. Depressing stuff which is well researched. But it isn't all hosanna here, because the German authors appear biased and even illogical themselves when it comes to the topics of guide F. and the swimming photo especially. More on that in due time. But at least they make it clear when they are relying on actual case facts and when they lean on personal feelings and convictions. I will in due time try to write a separate evaluation post about this new book, but I'll need some free time first unfortunately.
I'm not saying that this part of the investigation is sub-par, but it leaves a lot to be desired and therefore certainly is not enough to "debunk" the swimming photo theory. Not by a long mile. I haven't reread everything in detail yet in the new book, but I don't even know - with all the other photos being 'lost' - how the authors even explain THIS one swimming photo surviving and resurfacing in the package of leaked case photos which Juan received from the two Canadians? They simply don't even try to explain that. The authors also unearthed good bits of info about the investigation and don't hold back with warranted criticism. I don't want to give off the impression that it is a big nothing burger book, because it is extremely helpful to finally have proper insight in those case files, source links and all. As it should be. I also loved reading how one set of authors in particular is held to the test. One can only conclude that they must have had the misplaced belief at the time that nobody but them had copies of those case files, and that they could just claim whatever the heck they wanted (without providing any source links whatsoever). Not the case now... And how very sad it is to finally see it confirmed that they took very generous liberties with the truth. No doubt spurred on by Pittí in her thirst for compliments and good PR. Depressing stuff which is well researched. But it isn't all hosanna here, because the German authors appear biased and even illogical themselves when it comes to the topics of guide F. and the swimming photo especially. More on that in due time. But at least they make it clear when they are relying on actual case facts and when they lean on personal feelings and convictions. I will in due time try to write a separate evaluation post about this new book, but I'll need some free time first unfortunately.
New infoIn 2022, well before the podcast came out, Juan came with a related interesting update. It is eerily similar in points with what Jeremy Kryt later brought in his podcast series. Juan received information from someone in Boquete about a local young man the girls were seen with, the already earlier mentioned Edwin A. Kris and Lisanne were reportedly seen being picked up in a pick-up truck by him and given a lift to another part of Boquete; downtown, where their host family also lived. He is the relative of a local restaurant owner and multiple people from the area mentioned him in anonymous tip offs. Which in itself does not make it more than gossip without actual evidence. He and his friends are claimed to have been questioned by police, but were released. He has been linked to the person who leaked info to the swimming photo. Vivian is the daughter of someone who had rented her house to masseuse Sigrid. Vivian was present there when the girls came round on March 31st for their massage. She overheard them while doing some chores in the house and also noted that one of the girls had a moderate sunburn.
The Boquete source writes: "I want to tell something about E., the el sabroson restaurant owners' X. [..] I found one testimony from a young lady from Boquete named Vivian. Sigrid, the Dutch lady who was working giving massages, used to rent Vivian's mother's house. Vivian met Kris and Lisanne the day they visited Sigrid, but she didn't talk with the girls, only with her father. Later, Vivian had a conversation with Sigrid about the girls, she mentioned something about how she didn't understand why Kris and Lisanne changed their plans, about going to the Pianista Trail. Vivian also mentioned that she finds E. a very suspicious guy because some people from Boquete saw him picking up Kris and Lisanne, he was driving a pickup, giving them a ride to a place Vivian called "bajo pueblo". I think it means downtown. Boquete's people know that E. doesn't behave well. I'm confused about E. and the Pizza restaurants owner, placed in the beginning of the Pianista trail. One of them has been linked to gang activity. Or maybe both?"
Boquete locals wrote also about the death of a 22-year old man on April 4th 2014, presumable Osman
Posted by 1qm2dsahxa4dw, April 8, 2014
"Death of a young man Friday. Not to take away from those poor missing girls, but a young man of 22 years old was hideously beaten and left nude by the side of the river. He was supposed to have come to my home to wash and play with Tigger who has been his friend since he was a pup. Four local gang members are being held. He had $300 from his pay he was bringing to his mother. I don't have a lot of details, but supposedly the forensic report will be given to the family tomorrow. With their permission I will be able to tell the whole story. Perhaps the four gang members should be questioned to see if they have any knowledge of the girls. Due to the manner and torture of my poor friend, maybe they aren't only picking on locals. All I can say now as I am terribly upset and in mourning for this young man. Perhaps we could reach out to the family and help them, even if it is just an acknowledgement that his life mattered too." "He wasn't with family members or they would have went back to look for him as any of us would with a family member. They wouldn't have allowed hours to go by without worrying, believe me I know Piki' s Mom. I will report what is happening and since I can't speak directly with Yaris the older sister, what a shame my mother had to call her to ask if the family was swimming and she just verified they had not been. Yaris just told my mother the forensic report was so awful the father will not show it to anyone, not even a friend of his who is an ex policeman."
William Wolff replied on April 10, 2014: "The young man was a friend of my step son. I have seen the photos of the body that were posted in one of the "more localized" papers. My wife pointed out that the feet and the head were the worst injuries. I do not recall the name of the paper, but it did indeed indicate that the crime was by gang members and it happened in Boquete. The body of the young man was left near the river."
Roger Bellido April 10, 2014: "It is strange that this murder wasn't covered by the tabloids and newspaper. Unfortunately in our society we are not used to these type of crimes. News like that sells their newspapers. Tabloids like CRITICA, El Siglo, etc usually covers this type of subjects in red letters."
billiesurmick replied on April 12, 2014: "The mind reels. Suspects are allowed to interrupt the funeral service, act like jackasses ... family of deceased has to hire a lawyer to bring some kind of justice...what happened to guilty until proven innocent that Panama seems to embrace."
This blogger wrote on April 9th 2014: "On an even sadder note, it's been reported a 22 year old man who worked odd jobs for an expat woman was found dead here 5 days ago along the riverbank. He was nude, and had been beaten to death with rocks, as well as tortured. His funeral was yesterday. Four gang members are in police custody, but for how long is anyone's guess. (No one seems to stay in prison for long here no matter how horrible the crime.) Boquete used to be free from much of this activity." - Are both reports about Osman Valenzuela and has the mainstream media toned down the details and turned Osman's death into another 'drowning'? Or were two 22-year old young men found dead in Boquete around April 6th of 2014?
Why is Osman's death of interest? This is a rumour that went round in 2014 already:
On August 25th 2014 already, a forum member called "Poekje01" wrote the following (translated from Dutch): "My contact in Panama* told me one month ago that according to his friend at the DIJ (Panamanian investigation) 2 photos were found in the mobile phone of the drowned 22-year-old Osman Valenzuela boy. One photo from a blond haired girl and one from a red-haired girl. This was not allowed to come out earlier. And the family of Osman also never received this phone back from investigators. He could not indicate with certainty whether the girls in the photo were Kris and Lisanne. That is why occasionally attention has been requested on these forums for the drowning and death of this Osman Valenzuela. Some here are laughing about that, but I would like to say; just keep on reading.. My contact in Panama thought it was suspicious that the girls disappeared on April 1, and that Osman (nickname Piki) disappeared on April 4, and was found dead in that river on April 5. My contact further said that Osman was part of a youth gang of 6 boys. The rest have been arrested for questioning. Two were imprisoned for a longer time, and one accused the other: "He did it". It is not certain if they referred there to the killing of Osman or the death/disappearance of the girls. Osman's mother apparently does not want to talk to Enrique Arrocha (the privately hired lawyer of the Kremers family). Perhaps you now understand my frustration with the 'forced' disappearance scenario, something which a number of the people on this forum are also so wrapped up in. One person on here does this in my opinion because she really is Ingrid Lommers from the language school, using an alter ego on this forum. The other because he is her friend, living in C, bordering on Panama. They have business interests in Panama, and nobody is interested in poor tourism in "Murderville". Also the fact that an insulin metre has been found on the trail (on April 5th, by a local in Boquete, SN), and that I have posted a link that shows how you can get to the confluence of the Changuinola and Culebra rivers by car and then by foot, what Panamanians do in that video, and so you can imagine that you can also do that to dump body parts, is laughed away here. Because a disappearance scenario "disappears" 'easier' from everyone's memory. Just look at a disappearance case such as that of Alex Humphrey (Boquete, 2009): will the same happen soon with this disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne? If Kris and Lisanne have had an accident on the trail, or encountered the wrong people (eg drug runners, or the gang) then I think you can also think for yourself what should happen to difficult witnesses. Maybe Osman disagreed. But, trying to prove it all is not easy. But just so you know: I was approached with this information about that Osman boy, I am not making this up." *The contact in Panama turned out to be a forum member called Baru, who is active on a forum called Websleuths. He is a former Panamanian guide from the Boquete area who resides currently in Germany. Baru also stated on websleuths by the way that three Panamanian men went to the police to try to collect the tip money in the Kris and Lisanne case. They were Colombians, living in Panama City.
On August 25th 2014 already, a forum member called "Poekje01" wrote the following (translated from Dutch): "My contact in Panama* told me one month ago that according to his friend at the DIJ (Panamanian investigation) 2 photos were found in the mobile phone of the drowned 22-year-old Osman Valenzuela boy. One photo from a blond haired girl and one from a red-haired girl. This was not allowed to come out earlier. And the family of Osman also never received this phone back from investigators. He could not indicate with certainty whether the girls in the photo were Kris and Lisanne. That is why occasionally attention has been requested on these forums for the drowning and death of this Osman Valenzuela. Some here are laughing about that, but I would like to say; just keep on reading.. My contact in Panama thought it was suspicious that the girls disappeared on April 1, and that Osman (nickname Piki) disappeared on April 4, and was found dead in that river on April 5. My contact further said that Osman was part of a youth gang of 6 boys. The rest have been arrested for questioning. Two were imprisoned for a longer time, and one accused the other: "He did it". It is not certain if they referred there to the killing of Osman or the death/disappearance of the girls. Osman's mother apparently does not want to talk to Enrique Arrocha (the privately hired lawyer of the Kremers family). Perhaps you now understand my frustration with the 'forced' disappearance scenario, something which a number of the people on this forum are also so wrapped up in. One person on here does this in my opinion because she really is Ingrid Lommers from the language school, using an alter ego on this forum. The other because he is her friend, living in C, bordering on Panama. They have business interests in Panama, and nobody is interested in poor tourism in "Murderville". Also the fact that an insulin metre has been found on the trail (on April 5th, by a local in Boquete, SN), and that I have posted a link that shows how you can get to the confluence of the Changuinola and Culebra rivers by car and then by foot, what Panamanians do in that video, and so you can imagine that you can also do that to dump body parts, is laughed away here. Because a disappearance scenario "disappears" 'easier' from everyone's memory. Just look at a disappearance case such as that of Alex Humphrey (Boquete, 2009): will the same happen soon with this disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne? If Kris and Lisanne have had an accident on the trail, or encountered the wrong people (eg drug runners, or the gang) then I think you can also think for yourself what should happen to difficult witnesses. Maybe Osman disagreed. But, trying to prove it all is not easy. But just so you know: I was approached with this information about that Osman boy, I am not making this up." *The contact in Panama turned out to be a forum member called Baru, who is active on a forum called Websleuths. He is a former Panamanian guide from the Boquete area who resides currently in Germany. Baru also stated on websleuths by the way that three Panamanian men went to the police to try to collect the tip money in the Kris and Lisanne case. They were Colombians, living in Panama City. 
Poekje01 then updated: "Then there is another scenario that you can imagine. And that is because my contact came with more info. If the girls were on the Pianista trail with the boys from the local gang, they of course knew the way everywhere. That may explain why they reached the summit of the Pianista at such a good time [after around 2 hours, Scarlet]. And that can also explain why they may have returned so quickly from the second Quebrada, back up on the Mirador, and back to town on April 1 at the end of the day. H, according to my same contact in Panama, had a car accident. A local woman died as a result of this. It is unclear whether Kris may have been seated in that car, and if that can explain why her pelvic bone was broken so badly. This also makes you wonder whether or not the girls may have perhaps been present in that car crash and had to disappear because they were witnesses. The Latino community, from which my contact comes, has been asking themselves all this for weeks now at home."
Poekje also updated on August 25th of 2014: "I checked that email once more and my contact in Panama wrote that it was a photo of Osman and two girls (young women), with blonde/red hair. The DIJ have the cellphone with this photo in their possession."
These posts were met with partial skepticism, partial interest on the Dutch forum. Some people wondered why Poekje01 didn't go straight to the police with this supposed information. This was actually done, Poekje wrote in a reply that he/she had contacted the police in the Netherlands multiple times about this and also contacted the spokesperson for the Kremers and Froon families, passing the above information on. They said that they would discuss it internally, to see if they could do something with it. Nothing was ever heard again from police about this, however. Make of that what you like, Poekje may have made the whole story up (which I don't believe), or the police may have found no evidence whatsoever related to this new info, or they did but cast it aside. Poekje01 wrote on the forum at the time, that the problem was that if the Dutch Public Prosecution Service waited any longer to forward the Dutch forensics (NFI) findings to the Panamanian Public Prosecution Service, the Panamanian Public Prosecution Service would be entitled at some point to stop doing anything with the info. Because if it concerns a 'normal' missing case, there is an official investigation period of 3 months for it. Then the budget for the case is exhausted. So the chance (four months later in August 2014 when these posts were made), to draw attention to a joint Dutch-Panamanian investigation into possible criminal activities, had to be grabbed right there and then. Poekje01 specified that he/she was specifically thinking here about sharing information about the telephone (call) data from Osman. It has been reported that these call data has now been released in Panama. We haven't seen it yet. Could the swimming photo perhaps be coming from Osman's phone? When was this photo exactly taken? And by whom?
Remaining questions from Poekje01 are (quoted):
- Has Osman Valenzuela been in contact with K&L by telephone or not?
- Can his death indeed be linked to a youth gang or to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne? [Yes it can, we now know]
- Is the Public Prosecution Service in Panama able to make Osman's telephone data 'disappear' for preservation purposes of local tourism? How about those supposed photos he had?
- And is this leaked swimming photo one of the two supposed photos of the girls on Osman's phone?
- Or is this information received from the Panamanian source useless or false in the end?
More early Gang Rumours
On websleuths it was also revealed early on that this supposed youth gang not only consisted of the guide's relative, Henry G. but also of a relative linked to the owner of a popular Boquete restaurant and the relative of a former hotel owner in Boquete. The name of the 'swimming photo' carries his families' restaurant name. The same Baru (former local Panamanian guide who moved to Germany) wrote: "This is rumor with real facts, not like everything that write people from Panama and another country in the Web. This until now is a speculation. Another guy come from a family who is owner of a popular Restaurant, and another one who is not from Boquete but his family had a hotel there." To which Amorogo, who lives in Boquete, replied: "That's another part of it... exactly." It was assumed that this restaurant had to be the Il Pianista. Although here it is suggested that Baru referred to a different Boquete restaurant in fact. However, this place has no ties seemingly with Osman, and neither his facebook friends. 
Gang of 5
Some claim online that Edwin A. (linked to the Sabroson restaurant, friend of Osman and Jose and Henry) may be a member of a supposed 'gang of 5', who some locals link to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. It could be a unique gang of 5, or even somehow be linked to that other band with the number 5 attached to it; La banda ‘Los ND5', o ‘Los niños de la quinta' / band 'The ND5'. Remember that the number 5 was visible on the stone of one of the nighttime photos, next to the plastic wrappers attached to the sticks. So anyway, this E. was named by locals as one of five suspects in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. People noticed a public facebook post from E., a verbal quarrel in fact, on April 28th 2019, with a certain Heriberto G. (who was also linked by some locals to this 'gang of 5'). Back in March of 2019 this same Heriberto made a public complaint about the Sabroson restaurant. He complained about the cost of a meal. Heriberto and his family paid over 30 dollars (which doesn't sound much to me, but I must be missing knowledge about local average prices or something) in the Sabroson restaurant. The consensus in the comments was that this was expensive, and Heriberto mocks the place; calls the owners thieves who even charge their guests for the packaging when they buy a takeaway. "Total theft", he wrote, and more. Anyway, someone is clearly unhappy with the price of the food, but so what. Well, the conversation then gets more unfriendly when Edwin mingles in and defends his family. He posted a screenshot of one of Heriberto's comments on his own facebook page, which reads: "Mrs. xxxx, I have to buy that restaurant with you inside so that you can cook me so I respect you so that you can scrape it". Which resulted in a short online altercation. Edwin is upset and accuses Heriberto of thievery and swindling. Note: I used online translation machines and there may therefore be small errors in the translation. "I do not know what will be the envy and pain of the thief and swindler Heriberto, who broke the neighborhood of N'uare, then he was a partner of Roger with the blockade and also swindled him and left the foreigners, you are a thief and comes over to make fun of my mother's business." To which Heriberto replies: "The mule returns to wheat! Going to keep signing every month to kill the kid in the river caldera .... and stop taking cocaine, that hurts .. that lady I think and only answered him stop saying in other people's pods." Edwin then bites back: "Comment in other people's bayas if you're talking about my business, honestly stealing it or swindling people, you do not even pay your workers, you're a rat." Heriberto replies sarcastically: "Peace and love ahhhh and nito presidente'' And then continues: "I had even forgotten that incident and this lady writes that enantes ... I just answered her. It was not a mockery of your parents' restaurant until I had forgotten it. But the interesting thing about all this is that I remember that I am a silver washer too, that is what stays on the list, another thing I do not want to break it, I will not kid one day and we will hijack the equipment, another I will not have a partner in the block, and the gringos that I have locked up every once in a while if they wake up if I pull them hahaha ... and the last one I do not put your mother in anything that is between you and me ..... do not put your mother in your entangled only you and I, the old ones are respected. I insist one day I gave my opinion that I was robbed and I keep holding it and I said that the system is the problem, not your mom or your dad." Etc. Edwin replied: "I am going to sign that there are so statements if you want to find out with my lawyer." And he finishes with: "If this is what God has to be, take control of what is coming."
Some claim online that Edwin A. (linked to the Sabroson restaurant, friend of Osman and Jose and Henry) may be a member of a supposed 'gang of 5', who some locals link to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. It could be a unique gang of 5, or even somehow be linked to that other band with the number 5 attached to it; La banda ‘Los ND5', o ‘Los niños de la quinta' / band 'The ND5'. Remember that the number 5 was visible on the stone of one of the nighttime photos, next to the plastic wrappers attached to the sticks. So anyway, this E. was named by locals as one of five suspects in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. People noticed a public facebook post from E., a verbal quarrel in fact, on April 28th 2019, with a certain Heriberto G. (who was also linked by some locals to this 'gang of 5'). Back in March of 2019 this same Heriberto made a public complaint about the Sabroson restaurant. He complained about the cost of a meal. Heriberto and his family paid over 30 dollars (which doesn't sound much to me, but I must be missing knowledge about local average prices or something) in the Sabroson restaurant. The consensus in the comments was that this was expensive, and Heriberto mocks the place; calls the owners thieves who even charge their guests for the packaging when they buy a takeaway. "Total theft", he wrote, and more. Anyway, someone is clearly unhappy with the price of the food, but so what. Well, the conversation then gets more unfriendly when Edwin mingles in and defends his family. He posted a screenshot of one of Heriberto's comments on his own facebook page, which reads: "Mrs. xxxx, I have to buy that restaurant with you inside so that you can cook me so I respect you so that you can scrape it". Which resulted in a short online altercation. Edwin is upset and accuses Heriberto of thievery and swindling. Note: I used online translation machines and there may therefore be small errors in the translation. "I do not know what will be the envy and pain of the thief and swindler Heriberto, who broke the neighborhood of N'uare, then he was a partner of Roger with the blockade and also swindled him and left the foreigners, you are a thief and comes over to make fun of my mother's business." To which Heriberto replies: "The mule returns to wheat! Going to keep signing every month to kill the kid in the river caldera .... and stop taking cocaine, that hurts .. that lady I think and only answered him stop saying in other people's pods." Edwin then bites back: "Comment in other people's bayas if you're talking about my business, honestly stealing it or swindling people, you do not even pay your workers, you're a rat." Heriberto replies sarcastically: "Peace and love ahhhh and nito presidente'' And then continues: "I had even forgotten that incident and this lady writes that enantes ... I just answered her. It was not a mockery of your parents' restaurant until I had forgotten it. But the interesting thing about all this is that I remember that I am a silver washer too, that is what stays on the list, another thing I do not want to break it, I will not kid one day and we will hijack the equipment, another I will not have a partner in the block, and the gringos that I have locked up every once in a while if they wake up if I pull them hahaha ... and the last one I do not put your mother in anything that is between you and me ..... do not put your mother in your entangled only you and I, the old ones are respected. I insist one day I gave my opinion that I was robbed and I keep holding it and I said that the system is the problem, not your mom or your dad." Etc. Edwin replied: "I am going to sign that there are so statements if you want to find out with my lawyer." And he finishes with: "If this is what God has to be, take control of what is coming."
Well, it is hard to make some sense out of this, and not even my Spanish speaking friend could make cheese out of it, as we say. See the original with the translated versions added in screenshots. But the tone is far from friendly, we can conclude safely. To summarize it, Edwin was pissed off with Heriberto's scathing review and he accused Heriberto of thievery and ridiculing his relative. Heriberto came back with a defense answer, but seemed to also refer to a murder that took place in the river, cocaine use and that he can release some foreigners who he has locked up. It may be said in jest, or I may not understand the gist of it all, which is hard to be sure of with foreign languages and slang. Then Edwin starts mentioning his lawyer, that a personal conversation is out of the question for him. That all sounds like a negative review escalated awfully quickly. Maybe that is the normal way of dealing with each other down in Panama however, I wouldn't know. A Dutch forum member who speaks Spanish, RapaNui, translated the facebook spat. She thinks that a certain R. is named as having a reporting obligation after the death of a young man in the Caldera. Where the normal translation refers to gringo's (foreigners) being tied and held, this forum member thinks it may refer to the accusation that the other has made ties with gringo's, probably referring to criminal dealings. But it's near impossible as a foreigner who doesn't speak Spanish nor local slang, to be sure what is exactly meant here. Probably just a meaningless discussion where 'caldera' and 'locked up gringo's' caught my attention. Am also unsure if this has anything to do with Osman drowning (although he wasn't found in the Caldera, so probably not; people drown there regularly I understand), or possibly even with Kris and Lisanne dying - the swimming photo looks like it could be shot at the Caldera. But these two youth were friends in the past and part of Henry's clique. Oh and Heriberto owns a fertilizer company and sells homemade fertilizer... (phosphates).
Update: thanks to Matt, who sent me a translation of the above shared online bickering, translated by a native Latin American Spanish speaker. As I understand it, Latin American Spanish is a little bit different at times from European Spanish. I'll add the results here, thanks again. And I also received a comment from Institución Educativa San Francisco de Asis wrote: "Scarlet. I want to help in translating the dispute on Facebook: Heriberto tells Edwin that he "returns the mule to the wheat". You keep signing every month to kill the boy in the Caldera river .... Remember that I am a "silver washer" it means that I legalize illicit money .... And the gringos that I have "trabado" from time to time when, if they are “ahuevados”, if I lock them, ja ja ja ... it means that he has business with gringos and if the gringos are careless, he locks them (scams them) ..... I came on a trip to spend what I have scammed everyone. Pos data: you, if you sign every end of the month ... Edwin. That I am going to sign that there are the statements. If you want, check with my lawyer."
"Look into the owners, or a family member of that restaurant"
On June 25th and 26th I received these anonymous messages: "Perhaps you could look into the owners, or a family member of that restaurant. Perhaps there is a connection to one of them - who happens to travel often between their place in Bocas del Toro (where there was also a rather recent murder that you've mentioned) and Boquete. Just a thought..." And: "Yes, in the case of S, the relative of the owners of a restaurant, it's a definite possibility, as he has always claimed his family has property and is well connected. As for F's relative, I know his family has been in Chiriquí Province for their whole lives, so they know many people. Or it may just boil down to the government not wanting to damage the tourist industry. I am by no means saying either of these people are guilty of this (possible) crime, but I, like you, have many questions, and when they both have means and motive, etc they should have been and should be interviewed and investigated." I understood from a local source that the relative of the Il Pianista restaurant owner has "spoken to Kris and Lisanne when they were still alive".
And then there was another local actually living in Boquete who wrote to me on youtube: P, June 25th 2019: "I will say that there are two real suspects, one of which you mentioned (who is also known to have a sort of mental disability, and knows that area VERY well). The other personally said some shady things to myself and others at a bar after this occurred, which was very suspicious. He had the means and the motive, and literally lives very near to the Pianista Trail."
And on websleuths Henry is also frequently implicated in things: "A theory spoken in the village involves a guide's relative, which may have been interested in guiding the girls. This doesn't constitute foul play, but makes one consider many possibilities. There was a finca/house mentioned not long ago on websleuths, that is apparently located close-to where the backpack was discovered" - This may all be unfounded gossip of course. But it could also perhaps be relevant to the case. If this relative of the restaurant owner is truly implicated in all this together with Henry (for which there is no proof at the moment, but we're going past all sorts of reasonable theories in these blog posts as the investigation itself failed to properly look into and rule out potential people of interest), then it could also perhaps explain why Azul/Blue the dog, hís dog, went back to the restaurant in the evening of April 1st without staying with the girls who took him on their hike, according to Doris. Of course, with the dog not being pictured in any of the photos from the girls, he may never have been there at all. More uncertainties...
Henry (H.G.) is described by several locals as troubled. He was at the time the rumoured 'leader' of that youth gang involving Osman, Jose Manuel, the kid of Sabroson, Edwin, and the relative of the Il Pianista restaurant owner. Jorge Rivera is also at times named as a friend of theirs. Henry also has posted some provocative stuff on his social media accounts. Strange photos where he has a girl laying in ashes and imitating to strike her with a stick. There was talk that Henry was involved in a car crash and that he had Kris and Lisanne in the back of the car, explaining why Kris had her pelvis broken. I would say: there is no proof for this at all. No evidence about a car crash. Besides; there are plenty of people on those roads there, nobody would have gotten away I think with a car crash involving two really photogenic exotic beauties in the back of the car, possibly already missing at that stage, with not anyone mentioning or seeing this. People typically stop and look or try to help with such crashes. He may have been present during the swimming event that was pictured as the "Sabroson" swimming photo. Nina von Rönne spent several months near the family of guide F. in 2015/16 and also encountered Henry. She wrote about him in her book "Ne t'en fais pas, nous sommes amis..." ("Don't worry, we are friends..."). She described Henry as a "force of nature", who shouts at neighbours and has moments of rage. During one incident Henry "rages at a neighbour about something that happened with a dog. He is really fired up by rage and even picks up a long sharp machete from the house to make death threats at the neighbour. I am afraid. Guide F. seems annoyed by his son's behaviour and does not know what to do in order to calm him down. It was a very bizarre atmosphere where family secrets and the unspoken reigned." - Notice by the way how close Miriam's place is to one of the Sabroson restaurants. Could Kris and Lisanne perhaps have passed it during their daily walks or perhaps even entered it for a drink and a chat.. with Edwin A.?
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More claims
A private detective, Martín Ferrara O'Donnell, was also shortly hired by several expats in Boquete to investigate what may have happened to Kris and Lisanne. It was through Lee Zeltzer and Alto al Crimen, the local crime prevention organization, that O'Donnell was hired for his investigation of the disappearance. Because Lee Zeltzer was of the belief that "Those of us who live here know that if we leave the matter to the local police, it is unlikely to be resolved." You can read more about that here. Martín Ferrara O'Donnell claimed later that Alto al Crimen hired him for only three or five days. For five years he then continued to investigate the case at his own peril and expense. He continued the searches after the payments stopped and is said to believe that Kris and Lisanne were murdered and dismembered. Osman Valenzuela and José Manuel Murgas were both also victims of the same (local) criminal youth gang he believes, which also consists supposedly of the often mentioned/described local psychopath youngster. One of them has a red truck. Ferrara calls them a bunch of misfits. Among them is a psychopath, a man who grew up as a spoiled child; his parents are even said to be afraid of him. The second man is a thief, while a third is an 'easily manipulated homosexual who wants to be accepted'. Kris and Lisanne would have trusted the boys, but under the influence of drink and drugs the atmosphere changed. He believes that Osman Valenzuela only saw the Dutch women once, and that was at the Adolfo Médica park in Boquete. Martin also believes that Kris and Lisanne partied and slept in a hut beyond the summit of the Mirador on the night of April 1st. It lies on a road towards Boquete Tree Trek, where several local youngsters worked at that time. Martin Ferrara O'Donnell said that there is a road through the Tree Trek park that leads very near to the house where Kris and Lisanne partied in the night of April 1 to 2. It was supposedly on the way back down to Boquete on April 2nd that some of the daytime photos were taken. He also believes that the camera times and the chronological order of the photos have been messed with at a later time. And what's more; just like Juan he believes that some photos were taken at Piedra de Lino (near the hostel of Pedro, where the girls were reportedly seen by several witnesses) and not on the Pianista trail, but that the photos were messed with to create a fake 'innocent afternoon walk turned accident' narrative. He also believes that the girls received a fateful lift that day. A friendly get together with local male youth, where alcohol and drugs were later introduced, turned at some point into a dangerous situation for the Dutch women. This detective believes that both Jose Manuel and Osman were murdered. All four young people in the swimming photo were victims in all this. He is also not convinced that Kris and Lisanne called the emergency services themselves on April 1st and beyond. But a bit of good news: the taxi driver Leonardo was not a murder victim according to the detective.
The parents of Kris and Lisanne apparently knew nothing of Martin's investigation. They made him feel they thought they were better than the Panamanians, supposedly. He accuses the authorities of having made many mistakes and says that they underestimated him. His theory is based on testimonies and proven facts; he knows who killed Kris and Lisanne, and possibly where and when. Corona has put everything on hold, but he's working on bringing the perpetrators to justice and has already spoken to the prosecutor's office in Panama. Also interesting: a local expat woman contacted Juan in the past and told him that she and a team of former army men also offered the parents of Kris and Lisanne help, right at the start of the searches. They offered to do their own investigation in Boquete. She has provided some evidence of this. These guys were former American militaries and they believed that they could find out much more than local police. But the parents REFUSED to work with them. Afraid that they would be ripped off by them. This really offended the team and they were like: you know what? Good luck with Pitti then. So I think there could be some truth in Martin's claims also. The parents were probably overwhelmed and totally unprepared for anything. They of course should have accepted such help, I mean even Ferrara's help would have been beneficial I think. But it appears they put their trust in the case officials and may even have been rude to some extent, or appear rude in their dismissal of other help offered.
Animal cruelty in BoqueteAnd this is a gruesome statement from forum member Skidawayme from Boquete, about the deranged cruelty of some local young men there: (Quote) "I've debated whether to mention this or not. [..] There have been references every now and then to a possible psycho killing Kris and Lisanne, but usually to debunk the notion. I work with a Boquete animal welfare group and there have been 2 instances of severe animal cruelty here in the last 6 months or so. Both times it involved dogs and both times they were horrendously mutilated. One dog had to be put to sleep; the other was saved after intensive medical intervention. In both instances, the conclusions of the vet, the rescuers and, I believe though I'm not certain, the police, were that more than one person had to have been involved in order to hold down the dog while the other person used the machete. In the States, this kind of behavior is a marker for later violence against people. Certainly, it takes psychopathic behavior to disembowel one dog and horribly cut another. We do have in Boquete two young men capable of unimaginable violence against helpless animals. So -- how likely is it that there is a sick psychopath here? Answer for yourselves. sk"
Witzah replied to this gruesome animal abuse statement: "Yes, animal abuse is known to be a precursor to violence against humans (and frequently seen in the younger lives of serial killers) so knowing that at least one disturbed individual lives/works in the area these two girls went missing is probative. We now know that the existence of a psychotic abuser/killer in the area is more than just conjecture."
To which Skidawayma replied: "I only told the story to address the question of how likely it would be for our small town and surrounding area to have a psychopath in residence. I think I've answered that. We have at least one and probably two. [..] Actually, if there were a crime in the girls' case, I'd think it highly unlikely they'd use machetes, at least initially. Too unwieldy. I can see rape, beating, strangulation, THEN I can see using the machetes to dismember the bodies. Remember, 28 bones have been found out of a total of 412 (206 per human adult) and none of them, I believe, are where you might cut apart a body. [..] I asked my surgeon husband how the foot could have separated from the rest of the body and he said there's no way except cutting or severe abrasion (the river scenario). I grilled him a bit more and he did say later that an explosion might do it, too. :bombshell:"
Now, of course there will always be youths who are simply looking for the boundaries and for identity. And verbal alterations online happen every hour of every single day between people and they usually don't mean much. The Osman death is peculiar because it reminds of the death of the taxi driver a year later, but (young) people seem to drown a lot over there. In shallow water. The circumstances of these drownings of Osman and the taxi driver Leonardo were peculiar; both (very) young men, both happened during the day under strange circumstances, Osman (22) was said to have had no water in his lungs (not officially confirmed though) and was found in a suspicious rigor mortis which may not match with drowning. Later police changed his cause of death in homicide according to Jeremy Kryt (no direct proof of this is provided though), but his killers were never caught, even though he was killed in the vicinity of his gang friends. Leonardo (34) seemed to have drowned while simply waiting for his passengers, in shallow water. Some forum members believe that all relevant evidence pointing towards foul play has been wiped away thoroughly, as nobody had any interest in any of this coming out (only the parents of Kris and Lisanne, but they have been sent on a wild goose chase more or less). Even the Panamanian president at the time, Ricardo Martinelli, referred to this disappearance case and publicly stated that "Boquete can not afford to commit a crime", hinting at its lucrious tourism industry most of all. But for every forum enthusiast, there is another forum member who is not too pleased with this 'hearsay' information and negative whispering. The sources did go to the police, both in Panama and the Netherlands with these suspicions, but they never heard from them again (in one case there even came an official dismissive response from the Cold Case team: "We do not see any reason to reopen the case. Thank you."). So perhaps in frustration over this, the person(s) behind the latest big documentation leak decided to dump this material out there instead. And with regards to local sources: despite all the info these people 'tipped' us with, nothing came out of it and police may not even have believed any of it or have taken it seriously. Or they did and found it all false information.
Panama's president Ricardo Martinelli, referring to this disappearance case, stated that "Boquete can not afford to commit a crime", hinting at its lucrious tourism industry
But IF the young locals were involved, then some of their relatives may have had a possible motive for wanting to cover up for them. Chris from IP, who lives in El Salvador, covered the case also. He writes the following specifically about family relations in Latin American culture: "Please note. These are my observations based on my travels and living in Latin America. I have no judgement against any person or culture. Everything is circumstantial and relative. In general, local’s in Central America tend to abide by these unspoken rules:*They protect their own people
*Locals have a deep sense of family commitment, and often protect their families before anything else
*They will often vouch for their family members, even family members that commit crimes (the “blood runs thicker than water” concept)
*Integrity often comes in short supply
*They fear governments and organized crime
*When in doubt, they are silent
*Police are often unable to gather information
*The have a general lack of trust for outsiders
*They are often secretive
*When they want something to go away, they make it go away
*They do not like to receive a lot of publicity
*Formal educational resources are not widely available to them
*They are predominantly poor
*The are god-fearing and usually Catholic
I have no doubt that a local person could have murdered these two girls. And I also believe that his/her family would have remained silent on the issue. Finally, I have no doubt that Panama’s authority would cover-up the truth. Governments in Central/South America and well known for shady practices. They should not be trusted, especially when the success of an entire tourism industry is being threatened." Chris also writes about other crime cases in Central America here. Some expats from Boquete have written me over the years as well with tips and angles to look at things, and that is a returning thing they told as well: how society there is still, in some ways, ruled by a couple of powerful, wealthy figures. I won't call it a tribal society still, but the totally lost Losters online seem to imagine some modern day, western town when they think of Boquete, with modern amenities and total democracy and personal freedom. When in fact there are some remaining structures there from the old days, where the general population tries to stay out of the ways of a small group of more powerful and rich and influential figures, who call the shots WAY before the local police do. Although I have trust in Sinaproc and do believe that they worked hard, independently and professionally.
"Where are the shitty Duchies?" (Donde están los holandeses de merde")
And then something else. Frightening.. I mean, imagine running into this while out alone and lost in the jungle (yikes!). Titled: "Where are the shitty Duchies?" (Donde están los holandeses de merde") and posted on August 30th 2014. The person who updated this video was at the time (August 30th 2014) a Facebook friend of the Boquete clique of before mentioned youth. Makes you wonder why the poor unfortunate missing Dutch women are called 'of shit' (shitty). Update: Apparently it may also mean "Where are the fucking Dutchies?"
Pandilla's friend Adonis is jailed for torture and murder of a woman in the Caldera
Things have been written about an active local gang in Boquete in 2014, called La banda ‘Los ND5′. And think of the '5' visible in one of the night photos, scribbled on the rock, which could be even a gang sign. Not that anyone ever seems to have looked into this further.. All Pandilla 'gang' friends were interrogated briefly by police over the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne reportedly, but off-record. At least two members of this group are described as troubled. Some have strange footage online. From a video of someone hacking off his penis, to pictures of himself posing behind a knocked out/sleeping woman covered in ashes from a fireplace, mimicking to hack her head off with a stick. To which a Facebook friend commented: "Todavia no conoces el lado malvado de Henry..." - "You still don't know the evil side of Henry." Henry posted things like; "Adventures are better when you can smell the danger." He also wrote on his social media: "Portate mal, cuidate bien, y niegalo todo. - Behave bad, take good care of yourself, and deny everything." But of course this by itself may be adolescent banter and does not tie him to the Kris and Lisanne case. He was friends with Osman at the time though, as well as with Jose Manuel and the other two youth linked to the restaurants. Some of them worked together at Boquete Tree Trek. He and friends had graphic videos of rapes on their social media at the time. And Juan discovered this: one of Henry's friends with the nickname 'Adonis' (Efrain Manuel Rios Gonzalez “Adonis”) got locked up in 2018 for the brutal rape and murder of a 50 year old woman in Boquete. (The victim, Nuris Castrellón was also said to have been 49 in other media articles). What started seemingly as a robbery of her phone, escalated into full blown horrific violence and rape. He also tortured Nuris with a tree branch and beat her unrecognizable. Here you see him being brought in after being arrested. The court didn't think that he acted alone. This all happened on familiar territory; the footbridge to the Rio Caldera. Roughly the same area where the swimming photo was taken. Another mate. Locked up now, but it makes you wonder if this is perhaps the sort of 'leisure activity' this youth prefers? In the first 6 months of 2018 alone, 22 women were murdered in our Boquete region. They hold silent wakes and candle vigils and all that in protest of it. Below are photos of some odd stuff Henry said and posted, thanks to Mike for pointing me to this. 
Some more about these supposed 'gangs' in Boquete at the time
In a local Boquete source the following is mentioned. Pennyinparadise wrote on April 11th, 2014: (Quote) "For months I have been warning people about the MIBO graphics appearing all over bus stops, culverts and fences around Boquete. This is DEFINITELY gang marking. Also, tennis shoes flung over electric wires running across roads is a traditional gang marketing technique in the US….there’s now a string on the Alto Jaramillo road. I have been told today about two disturbing things…..recently a young Panamanian male was found beaten to death and left beside the river (gang activity??). And, a group of about 20 teenagers, dressed in all black, carrying two (not one, but two) machetes each were seen walking up the road near Casona del Cuzco restaurant (if you recall, several months ago there were two attacks on gringos walking in that area). This group was out in the open in broad daylight, with their machetes and black clothing…where were they headed? Did the police know about them? What is going on in Boquete???? Since most of us do not read Spanish language newspapers, don’t listen to local TV or radio…we are not aware of what is going on right under our noses. And now, with Mark Heyer gone from Alto al Crimen, what can we do to stay safe?" And Suzanne Miller Moreno wrote on April 8, 2014 (so a week after Kris and Lisanne went missing) about local gangs murdering a young lad in Boquete. She also refers to 4 youth held in jail, which may be the same 4 who were at that time interrogated and held in jail by Boquete police over the Kris and Lisanne disappearance: "I am unhappy to report the death of a young man Friday who was robbed of $300 by gang members here. I will be able to tell more about this after the forensic report which the policia will give tomorrow. He was beaten to death with rocks and died a horrible death. This is all I can say as I knew him when he was 14 and had always been a great help to me with bathing and rough housing with Tigger who loved him very much as I did. I will add more information when I am up to it as I am very upset right now. He was a good boy who loved his mother and worked hard to help her. This was a local gang known to the police here. Perhaps someone should have a talk with the four who are in jail, plus the other two girls involved."
Chris, who lives in Latin America, wrote more about family structures protecting their (sometimes criminal) kids there: "The concept of “support” in Latin culture often comes with the “either you’re with us or you’re against us” mentality. “Do you support me?” often means “will you protect me if people ask questions?”. This is one reason why gang activity proliferates in Latin America. Respect is often completely void of “trust” and is usually only representative of submission. For example: “I won’t say anything because I know what will happen if I do”. In fact, trust exists to a substantially lesser extent than in lesser developed countries, and the reason is clear: Corruption runs rampant, Police are sometimes involved, and locals already have enough challenges in their own life. They simply don’t want more “problems”. Parents will protect their children’s secrets, even if they disagree with their behavior. Not only do they love their children, but giving up a child (to law enforcement) is equivalent to giving up a vital resource, someone that can provide for the family and someone that they can trust more than other people in their community. A lesser-defined form of tribalism is prevalent even in people that are not indigenous, nor part of a tribe. In many ways, this other form of tribalism can be attributed to gang and group protection." He also enlightened the macho culture there a bit, in relation to female rejection: [Quote] "Aside from money, foreign women have two other forms of value that could result in potential motives – their body and their sense of empowerment. Any young [Latin] man with spiking testosterone levels will feel a sense of frustration for being rejected by a woman. Adding insult to injury could have been the manner in which the man was rejected. Facing rejection from a foreign woman in one’s own country and being rejected in a way that led to embarrassment, perhaps in front of other male friends, in an environment with no other foreigners present, could quickly escalate to a dangerous scenario. Unfortunately, exerting dominance is sometimes the recourse. Men often compete amongst each other by utilizing various forms of challenges. A challenge from a female foreigner may not be welcomed, especially in the form of a rejection coinciding with perceived mockery, such as a direct laugh or a challenge to one’s intellect. If one man responded by heavily exerting dominance, possibly accidentally inflicting injury on one of the two women, the situation could easily and quickly deteriorate. Even a slight push that resulted in a slip and fall accident could have created a bad situation. [..] I suggest that women treat demonstrations of interest from local men with caution, especially when alone. If the scenario does occur, foreign women should express a sense of graciousness and flattery but also change course to escape the situation in a methodical and respectful manner. Do not laugh at any point during the situation. Laughing can make one feel embarrassed and disrespected, thus heightening frustration."
[UPDATE] Someone else also emailed me about this topic, local macho culture: He explained that he himself is coming from a western country, but that he has lived and worked in a neighbouring country of Panama for several years, befriending mainly local nationals as opposed to expats. He told me that although there are no certainties, in theory the chances of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne being a case of foul play by locals, might be higher than some people would assume. Some info he shared with me includes things he picked up while submerging himself in the local culture. Foreign western women for instance are often considered 'easy' or 'promiscuous', especially younger women traveling unaccompanied by men. It is also very easy, he says, for such female tourists to give off the wrong signal. Simple things like accepting a few drinks or a lift, will strengthen many men there in the conviction that they can expect sex. And if the woman then refuses intimacy after all, it can really anger men, or hurt their ego, believing she led him on. He translated it to this case also: Kris and Lisanne could have run into some guys who had 3 beers between them; the guys offered and the girls accepted one of them. That in itself could have already set up expectations (whereas in the Netherlands it is absolutely normal to give away drinks without strings attached). What may have reinforced the anger of local men is that foreigners are often assumed to be more wealthy than they may truly be. Prices of plane tickets are exaggerated and inflated in conversation. The girls could have innocently accepted a beer, not realizing the strings attached. When the guys tried to get more physical and the girls rebuffed advances, pride could have been hurt. In some local men's minds, it is an insult for a foreign girl, supposedly affluent, to accept a beer from him (costing a significant portion of his income) in front of his friends and then turning him down. Making him look like a fool. Or the girls could have easily and innocently just agreed to go to someone's house. Or were asked and agreed to something they didn't understand the implications of. He gave as an example that the guys may have used slang for a party which they understood to be specifically sexual, whereas the girls believed they could just innocently hang out and dance. This person also told me that in a place like the Costa Rican capital San Jose (where Kris and Lisanne passed through on their way to Bocas), there are slums where the police don't enter. "Because justice is implemented by the residents and the gangs. Their own justice. If foul play happened to the girls, justice might have been handled extra-judicially and an accident narrative was accepted by the actual authorities." (I now think of the deaths of Jose Manuel, Osman and the taxi driver here). 
Despite this information on these youths, there are many other theories out there, also within the Crime/ Murder scenario; we cannot exclude the taxi driver (later found dead) either, or the two Panamanian men inside his taxi (never identified as far as we know) who knew where the girls got out and who asked to be let out just a bit before their stop. There is still the tour guide (although always cooperative and seemingly willing to help), as well as other tour guides and locals. How about Osman? Or anyone else we don't know about yet and who stayed under the radar. Someone who didn't look for the media attention by going to the girls' room and to the police or by finding their remains. The vet from the area wrote some horrific account about badly tortured dogs and that the perpetrators came from Boquete and that she knows at least one psychopath there who walks around with machetes and who literally tortures without a flinch. There even was a sexual predator active at the time, a medically schooled expat. People drowned and were beaten to death in Boquete in the week of Kris and Lisanne's disappearance; this is not merely a sleepy expat village. 
The girls' bedroom[Wednesday 2 APRIL]
The girls reportedly had an appointment this day with local guide F. and Eileen, supposedly to visit a strawberry farm, although they also were said to have had plans to instead visit the local volcan Baru or a coffee farm that day. That morning of April 2nd, guide F. went to the Spanish language school in Boquete, where they were supposed to meet at 08:00 AM. But the girls weren't there yet. They didn't show up on the arranged time. The German coworker Eileen and guide F. said that they waited a while and then went to the host family soon after, to see if the girls were there. Guide F. has changed the details of his stories over time, but to La Prensa he said that it was already 10 AM when they were at the girls' guest home, and called Miriam to ask her for the key of the house. They then went inside.
This house from the girls' host family was relatively close by the language school; about a 5 minute walk. The curtains of their room were mostly closed. They could peek through one window and had already noticed that the girls were not there. F and Eileen received instructions about how to find the key from Miriam and then spent some time inside Miriam's house, looking for the girls and probably for clues as to where they could be. The guide said later to police and the media (De Volkskrant, 'Een fatale wandeling') that he felt instantly that nobody slept in that room the past night and that it gave him goosebumps. To local newspaper La Prensa F. said: "Upon entering, Feliciano says that together with Eileen he saw the unmade beds, some backpacks and cables to charge cell phones. "The owner of the house told me that she even made them breakfast, thinking they had come home late," he continued. 
So they spent time in their bedroom without police escort or officials accompanying them on at least two different occasions. During the course of that first week, there have been photos taken of the girls' bedroom. Some say the guide took the photos, others say that officials later made some pictures, including an official EPA press photographer. This person also photographed the girls' diary entries. Juan and I translated them for you in English, you can find them in part 3 of my blog series. But looking closely at the available photos which were over time published in the media, it triggers you to play a game of 'Find the 10 differences'.. Because a lot of items have been moved around. Or messed up. This may just be the process of investigation which was documented. But we don't know, it may also have been (partly) the work of the guide and Eileen, or of whomever else entered that bedroom since. Later also SINAPROC and even a press photographer went in the room. So we don't know for sure who moved around what exactly, and whether or not it is something of importance. But there appear to have been photos of their room taken at different times. Pitti and her police team said that the ongoing investigation can explain the different photos, with personal items having moved around. But it remains odd to me that the guide roamed through all their private stuff already on Wednesday morning with Eileen. Before the officials from Sinaproc. And finally the police came, days later, to make some final photos. They had NO clue by then what the room really had looked like when Kris and Lisanne last left it. And these photos also underline how not a single place or room was handled like a possible crime scene. No forensic approach, nobody even wore gloves and protective clothing to prevent contamination. The photographer traded the pictures of the diaries behind the scenes... The investigation was seriously lacking. Shouldn't things have stayed in place and shouldn't this room have been treated as a possible crime scene? By police and by the police only? Why was there no official inventory made by investigators of the bedroom and its contents? Why wasn't that business card of the guide, which was photographed pretty prominently on the bed, checked for fingerprints? If the girls actually handled it and put it there themselves, you would expect to find one of their fingerprints on it. There probably are fingerprints of theirs on it (and hopefully none of the guide), but these basic things should have been investigated by the book. Nothing was ever published about this though, most likely because it was never investigated (just like the other fingerprints found on their belongings weren't properly checked with a national database). And these photos made their way quickly to the local media. Who leaked them and was money made from this? Let's face it: that whole room was contaminated even before the police arrived, days later. The first people going into that room should have been forensic specialists, period. Not well meaning tour guides, school workers or even Sinaproc, with all due respect. Photo graphics of the probable lay-out of the house of Miriam, done by Power-Pixie. Notice how everyone in the family lived so nearby their guests. How is it possible that nobody was certain whether or not Kris and Lisanne had come home on Tuesday the 1st of April or not?
Picture 1. - red plastic bag stands next to sandals
Picture 2. - red plastic bag is placed onto the sandals
Picture 1. - light blue booklet lies left from a Spanish language course book
Picture 2. - light blue booklet lies on top of another black book, with the Spanish language course book now laying below
Picture 2. - shows a purple-white book with black stripes in the middle of the photo (Important! This is Lisanne's diary)
Picture 1. - does not have this book in it
Picture 2. - on the right lies a pencil and next to it lies a black book and a white piece of paper
Picture 1. - both have disappeared on photo 1
Picture 1. - on the right a receipt is seen
Picture 2. - no receipt is visible
Picture 1. - on the right top of the picture you can see 2 books on the side
Picture 2. - on the same spot there is suddenly only 1 book, and it stands straight
And in one of the top photos you can see that Kris' brown bag is lying on the end of the bed, with the bed covers mostly empty. Then the next photos show that the content of the bag has been spread out on her bed. F.'s business card (or a flyer of his) is now clearly visible and placed on the bed. Why did anyone do this? And does this imply that the girls had already met with guide F. and that he gave them his business card? Or did they get it from Eileen perhaps. Like I wrote above, were the girls' fingerprints even on that business card? Was this checked by officials? If so, why have we never heard a thing about it in the press.
Picture 3. - The planks with the girls' clothes on them look neatly folded
Picture 4. - The clothes look messy and like they have been moved and rumbled through
So the room has been thoroughly searched, which is also visible in the pictures of the shelves with the girls' clothes on them; one moment neatly folded (1st photo), the next overturned and messed up (2nd photo).And why did Lisanne's purple and white diary disappear from the 2nd photo? It was given back to her family eventually, but were investigators able to read it right away? Was German Eileen perhaps able to understand most of the Dutch written in it and is this perhaps why she and the guide spent some significant amount of time in that room on Wednesday morning? And things have been moved around in the different pictures too, or taken away, or added. For instance, in one picture a white business card is visible on the bed. But in another version, it seems to not be there. And some earphone (?) cables have also been replaced on the bed. Was it really left behind on that bed when the girls left the room? Or was it placed there later somehow? Everyone involved here was most likely looking for clues about where the girls could have gone. Although Eileen reportedly already knew about the girls' plans to walk the Pianista Trail. Or so she declared to the police at the time. She knew that the girls had looked up information about the trail in the Spanish language school and F. had supposedly already discussed guided tour options with them (although his statements on this have changed over time). There is no consensus about whether or not guide F. even met the girls in person before they disappeared. His own statements about this have also changed over time; one time he declared to the media that Yes he met them before they disappeared: "I remember well that I saw the girls for the last time. One was laying in a hammock at the Spanisch language school, and the other was standing in front of a map of Panama and was looking where she wanted to go. Hola! I greeted them. That was shortly before they went missing." However in this Dutch newspaper article from March 2019, he is interviewed and flat out says: "I still have contact with the parents from the girls and I don't want to make them sad. I only wanted to help. I have never seen the girls." (But keep in mind that nobody was found guilty of anything in this story, neither the guide; people are innocent until proven otherwise).
MADE BY POWER-PIXIE:
And below you can see that a yellow notepad was put on the bed for one photo, while it was not there on another. In fact, before it was laying on the ground under a side table. Unfortunately, no photoshop program available enabled us to zoom in enough to be able to read what was written there.. Are there just general notes on them, or something more interesting perhaps?
In the below three photos, some very slight changes are also visible: next to
the backpack lies a black item with red and purple details. It is gone in the second one.
Something we may deduct from these photos, perhaps, is that Lisanne may have been the most neat and organized one of the two? If you see the wardrobe (before it was rummaged through), it could probably be organized by Lisanne as well, as things are very neatly folded and stored. Also see the collection of bottles in the room. The backpack that was retrieved was Lisanne's. The fact all the valuables were neatly stored therein, may perhaps even indicate that Lisanne was the longest survivor (although this is really very far-fetched, I will say!) and that Lisanne was the keeper of the backpack in a scenario where they may have gotten themselves separated. People also wonder out loud in comment sections if it is possible that someone was eager to go search their room soon after they went missing, in order to perhaps erase evidence, remove possible notes or plant things there? Or to take battery chargers along from their phones for instance? We do not know. The families also didn't mention anything about missing phone- or camera cables in their daughters belongings.
UPDATE: Power-Pixie made these excellent compilation photos and compositions of Miriam's house and the lay-out of the room of Kris and LisannePower-Pixie, Dave M and I are even more surprised now, to see that Kris and Lisanne's room does not have its own, separate entrance (as was once reported in the press). Their room is right in the middle of the main house, and can only be accessed through the main door of the house. Guide F. therefore was told by Miriam where he could find the key to the main house, on Wednesday morning. Not a separate key for a separate entrance of this bedroom. It did not have a separate entrance. This raises the question: is it normal for Miriam to tell a local guide and Eileen how to get inside her house, while she herself was not present?
It also strikes us just how central the girls' room was within the house. There is literally no way for Miriam and her family to have missed the absence of Kris and Lisanne on Tuesday evening and night, or on Wednesday morning. I can only imagine that on Tuesday night, around or after dinner time, Miriam would have asked one of the kids to look inside the girls' room. As they were expected for dinner. And how easy would it have been then to verify the next morning if the girls had come home in the meantime (and left again) or not? But there is no information like that.
We also wonder: since Spanish by the River used Miriam's hostel more often, there must have been information available to Eileen about Miriam's address and phone number. We also know that Kris at least had Miriam's number on her phone (*Mytiam* plus phone number on her whatsapp). Can we therefore assume that Miriam also had the contact data of Kris and Lisanne? It is striking that at no point, she tried to call Kris or Lisanne on their cellphones, when they did not show up for dinner. Nor later that evening. Nor for breakfast the next day. Is that normal? Not that long ago, in my mid-twenties, I combined my normal research work for years with the running of a fairly large gite in the south of France, in a mountainous hiking area. And I can't imagine this scenario. If foreign young female tourists stayed over and said they would be back for dinner, I would call them on their cellphones to check how they were doing, later that evening. And if this failed, the police WOULD have been called by the next morning, if not sooner. It seems short-sighted that Miriam didn't at least try phoning Kris or Lisanne, to check where they were that evening, and especially as evening turned into night. Miriam would have likely been watching TV that evening in the room right next to the closed/empty bedroom of Kris and Lisanne, which looks like the place to congregate with the kids. Since the girls used the same main house entrance door, and had to cross this living room space to get in their own room, there would have been no possibility for them to sneak in unseen around that time. Miriam commented herself that Kris and Lisanne did not seem adventurous, that they appeared under the weather and that they did not seem ignorant either. Boquete is hardly Bocas, where could the two girls be as evening turned into night? It seems normal that Miriam would have by now asked her daughter about the girls. The daughter who stated to have seen Kris and Lisanne leave the house that Tuesday in their hiking clothes and with a small backpack.
And you'd think she would have also been aware of the absence of their presence in the morning: a lack of coughing from Lisanne perhaps, no Kris having to go to the toilet or using the shower, or just either of them doing their normal human movements. I myself don't remember ever 'forgetting' about tenants or hikers who stayed for some time in the gite. Yet Miriam calmly and casually proceeded to make breakfast in the morning. Her kids also get up to go to school, but without seeing Kris or Lisanne. Why didn't Miriam at this point try to call Kris or Lisanne? Or the police? Or Spanish by the River or Ingrid Lommers? Miriam also never gave any indication that she tried calling both women, and there is no available information in the case files even that she did. So she did not. Kris had Miriam's number on her phone. Miriam should have had Kris's number as well. Why rely on a tour guide and a fresh in town, young German girls to go through Miriam's private house, and then have them wait all day to inform the police by the evening of Wednesday April 2nd only? I still don't understand this part. It's also interesting how the media focused on the backpack, or rather Miriam stating that her daughter noticed they took one backpack. But why not give a description of what the girls wore? We haven't heard a single witness mention Kris' striking red and white striped shirt, for instance. Why is that? I don't think a single witness has so far detailed the clothes they wore that day correctly. [Note: the rooms other than the Kitchen, Living Room and Kris and Lisanne's room, are obviously well calculated but nevertheless imagined rooms. The door to the second room is 100% correct.]
We also wonder: since Spanish by the River used Miriam's hostel more often, there must have been information available to Eileen about Miriam's address and phone number. We also know that Kris at least had Miriam's number on her phone (*Mytiam* plus phone number on her whatsapp). Can we therefore assume that Miriam also had the contact data of Kris and Lisanne? It is striking that at no point, she tried to call Kris or Lisanne on their cellphones, when they did not show up for dinner. Nor later that evening. Nor for breakfast the next day. Is that normal? Not that long ago, in my mid-twenties, I combined my normal research work for years with the running of a fairly large gite in the south of France, in a mountainous hiking area. And I can't imagine this scenario. If foreign young female tourists stayed over and said they would be back for dinner, I would call them on their cellphones to check how they were doing, later that evening. And if this failed, the police WOULD have been called by the next morning, if not sooner. It seems short-sighted that Miriam didn't at least try phoning Kris or Lisanne, to check where they were that evening, and especially as evening turned into night. Miriam would have likely been watching TV that evening in the room right next to the closed/empty bedroom of Kris and Lisanne, which looks like the place to congregate with the kids. Since the girls used the same main house entrance door, and had to cross this living room space to get in their own room, there would have been no possibility for them to sneak in unseen around that time. Miriam commented herself that Kris and Lisanne did not seem adventurous, that they appeared under the weather and that they did not seem ignorant either. Boquete is hardly Bocas, where could the two girls be as evening turned into night? It seems normal that Miriam would have by now asked her daughter about the girls. The daughter who stated to have seen Kris and Lisanne leave the house that Tuesday in their hiking clothes and with a small backpack.
And you'd think she would have also been aware of the absence of their presence in the morning: a lack of coughing from Lisanne perhaps, no Kris having to go to the toilet or using the shower, or just either of them doing their normal human movements. I myself don't remember ever 'forgetting' about tenants or hikers who stayed for some time in the gite. Yet Miriam calmly and casually proceeded to make breakfast in the morning. Her kids also get up to go to school, but without seeing Kris or Lisanne. Why didn't Miriam at this point try to call Kris or Lisanne? Or the police? Or Spanish by the River or Ingrid Lommers? Miriam also never gave any indication that she tried calling both women, and there is no available information in the case files even that she did. So she did not. Kris had Miriam's number on her phone. Miriam should have had Kris's number as well. Why rely on a tour guide and a fresh in town, young German girls to go through Miriam's private house, and then have them wait all day to inform the police by the evening of Wednesday April 2nd only? I still don't understand this part. It's also interesting how the media focused on the backpack, or rather Miriam stating that her daughter noticed they took one backpack. But why not give a description of what the girls wore? We haven't heard a single witness mention Kris' striking red and white striped shirt, for instance. Why is that? I don't think a single witness has so far detailed the clothes they wore that day correctly. [Note: the rooms other than the Kitchen, Living Room and Kris and Lisanne's room, are obviously well calculated but nevertheless imagined rooms. The door to the second room is 100% correct.]
La Prensa also criticizes the investigation of the bedroomMay 30th, 2014
Article. [I only print the highlights here, Scarlet]. "The officials of the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) who initially attended the case of the two Dutch tourists lost in Boquete, did not follow the proper procedures of a judicial investigation. Sinaproc overstepped the line in the Dutch investigation. This was announced by Rafael Guerrero, head of the Complex Cases Unit of the Public Ministry (MP), who since last Monday has been in the Chirican mountains along with the multinational search teams, trying to find the whereabouts of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, lost since last April 2. "Sinaproc carried out proceedings that were not for them to do, without the endorsement of the MP," Guerrero explained to this newspaper, indicating that Civil Protection officials entered the room where the Dutch women were staying, without the company of criminalistics technicians. This action, he affirmed, prevented the scientific collection of clues that would have allowed for a better orientation of the investigation. “The alert for the disappearance was already being investigated by the MP. However, Sinaproc unilaterally began a process of interviews and judicial investigations. They even entered the residence where the young women had been staying. It would have been preferable if (they asked for the help of) the criminalistics technicians. (Thus) more scientific information would be obtained ... more evidence”, he added.
Had Sinaproc entered the bedroom in the company of technicians from the ILMFS, it would have been clear now if it was a case of disappearance, kidnapping, homicide or if "they simply left Boquete"
“If Sinaproc had entered with the technicians, we would have a fingerprint survey. We could have seen in the garbage cans if there were written notes, cigarette butts or any other evidence that would allow us to have clearer theories," added a source from the Judicial Investigation Directorate. “Obviously what happened was a mistake. I don't know why Sinaproc did that, considering they only have to deal with emergencies and disasters. The investigation processes do not correspond to them. I think they rushed and got carried away with urgency," the source added. When asked about the statements of the representative of the MP, the director in charge of Sinaproc in the Chiriquí region, Francisco Santamaría, denied the information. “I don't know who collected the belongings. We didn't go. We are not empowered for that,” he replied. Despite this information, the head of the Complex Cases Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office ratified his statement, and pointed out that Sinaproc's detailed actions appear in the case file, which already reaches a thousand pages. "Sinaproc even asked the police not to participate at the beginning of the search operation and when they inspected the Dutch girls' room," added Guerrero. On this matter, the director of Sinaproc, Arturo Alvarado, confirmed that officials from the Boquete delegation entered the room and took photographs and even questioned some witnesses before beginning the search. He explained that, in his opinion, his officials did not do anything inappropriate “because at that time there were no yellow tapes on the house. (When we entered) a criminal process (sic) had not started, ”he continued. Alvarado stated that to start a search "Sinaproc must carry out a preliminary investigation."
“If Sinaproc had entered with the technicians, we would have a fingerprint survey. We could have seen in the garbage cans if there were written notes, cigarette butts or any other evidence that would allow us to have clearer theories"
Through the photographs that the officials took, "we saw that their passports, toothbrushes and cream were there." That allowed them to "deduce" that the Dutch had not gone a long distance, since their backpacks were still in the room, he asserted. “Sinaproc was notified 44 hours after they were lost. We talked with the owner of the house and started the search. We delivered the photos to the MP two days later. We did not go in with the criminalistics technicians, because there was no crime. Still, one imagined that they could be in a restaurant... we did not touch anything, "added Alvarado, indicating that the officials of his institution walked 944 kilometres in search of the girls."
The plastic bag, the fuchsia sole and the long blonde hair
February 7th, 2020. Video (2014) from a volunteer who found a plastic bag with what looks like the sole of her shoe. A great find from Juan, is the unearthing of a volunteer video from April 10th, 2014, which was long considered lost by us. We knew from this April 12th 2014 article in Dutch newspaper the AD, that volunteers found a plastic bag with food items and wrappers, as well as several long hairs. Dutch news channel RTL spoke of "red or blonde hairs" (hair colours which are quite rare among local Panamanians), while another Dutch news channel ('Hart van Nederland') spoke of "red hair". They were said to have been found at 1,5 hours of walking distance from the Pianista Trail. The article also states that the plastic bag had been left there about 4 days before it was found and that flat grass indicated that people had rested a bit. But where were the video images? Nobody mentioned it for a very long time. It got snowed under mostly. But now Juan and his Human Super Computer project unearthed it again. Here is the video (left) and on the right I like to add Juan's video on this matter. Local Panamanian spokesman Elmer Quintero denied however that any hairs were found along with the plastic bag. The Dutch prosecution echoed this news quickly; no hairs were found. But people who were in Boquete and spoke with the commander in charge, had another story.
THE INTERVIEW WITH CARLOS V.
Here you can see a short interview with the person who found the plastic bag and the hair. He is named Carlos V. in the police reports and says: "It is forest, an area far from the trail. At that spot was some sort of hiding place or shelter. A sort of small cave, where people sat in." The Dutch interviewer asks: "What did you find there?" He replies: "We found food, leftovers from cookies, juice and other things such as potato chips." Reporter: "And hairs?" Answer: "Yes, we found a hair on an insole of a shoe. But we don't know for sure if it is from one of them. That is now investigated." And correspondent Marc Bessems who was present there at the time, told the Dutch news channel that after this finding, the coordinators immediately sent several rescue workers to this location. This was on Wednesday April 9th. But the coordinator of the rescue operation told the reporter that it was very difficult to find the exact location of the plastic bag and shoe sole again. "Because it was a volunteer who found this plastic bag and shoe sole, at approximately 1,5 hours from the Pianista Trail. The same trail where Kris and Lisanne were supposedly last seen. And then it took a long time before he could report this to the coordinator. They all went back then, and they have not been able yet to find the exact finding place again, but in the wider area where the plastic bag and the hairs were found, they also couldn't find any new clues. It means in any case that they will continue tomorrow. They will send manpower to the region and they will also schedule several helicopter flights over the area." And press officer and reporter Casper van der Kruit tweeted the following (I translated in red):
Here you can see a short interview with the person who found the plastic bag and the hair. He is named Carlos V. in the police reports and says: "It is forest, an area far from the trail. At that spot was some sort of hiding place or shelter. A sort of small cave, where people sat in." The Dutch interviewer asks: "What did you find there?" He replies: "We found food, leftovers from cookies, juice and other things such as potato chips." Reporter: "And hairs?" Answer: "Yes, we found a hair on an insole of a shoe. But we don't know for sure if it is from one of them. That is now investigated." And correspondent Marc Bessems who was present there at the time, told the Dutch news channel that after this finding, the coordinators immediately sent several rescue workers to this location. This was on Wednesday April 9th. But the coordinator of the rescue operation told the reporter that it was very difficult to find the exact location of the plastic bag and shoe sole again. "Because it was a volunteer who found this plastic bag and shoe sole, at approximately 1,5 hours from the Pianista Trail. The same trail where Kris and Lisanne were supposedly last seen. And then it took a long time before he could report this to the coordinator. They all went back then, and they have not been able yet to find the exact finding place again, but in the wider area where the plastic bag and the hairs were found, they also couldn't find any new clues. It means in any case that they will continue tomorrow. They will send manpower to the region and they will also schedule several helicopter flights over the area." And press officer and reporter Casper van der Kruit tweeted the following (I translated in red):
REPORTER CONFIRMS THE FINDAs you can read, Casper seemed to have boots on the ground there during the search operations, and stated that "According to the commander a plastic bag with garbage was found and a possible sleeping location. Not known if these are traces of Kris and Lisanne." He updated: "Breaking. With the found plastic bag from the jungle, a red hair has also been found. It was sent to the lab for DNA testing." The plastic bag and its content was investigated for spores or traces from Kris and Lisanne. But we never heard about it again, as far as my knowledge goes, and searching the net again now I find no more news articles on it either. Was it not officially linked to Kris and Lisanne therefore? (*Update; I found the reason why we never heard about this again... I added the respective newspaper which explains it a few paragraphs further down..). Despite the fact that this plastic bag came from the same local supermarket in Boquete where Kris and Lisanne had shopped that fateful morning of the day of their disappearance. They were seen there on CCTV footage, according to Ingrid Lommers, head of the Spanish school they attended, but this footage had been overwritten accidentally before police could investigate the images. She posted that unfortunately, the CCTV was accidentally overwritten. In this Dutch newspaper it is also stated that police confirmed that the girls had been caught on CCTV camera in Boquete, nearby a supermarket and shortly before they started their hike. Correspondent Marc Bessems also told Dutch news that Kris and Lisanne were seen in a local supermarket on the day of their disappearance. Ingrid also posted that several camera systems recorded the girls "walking towards Romero Supermarket". Which is exactly the logo on the plastic bag which was now found [so on the morning of April 1st]. (2nd and 3rd photo also made by Juan; big thanks).
COULD IT HAD BEEN THE GIRLS?So could this bag be of the girls? Casper the tweeting reporter also wrote that "A mountain guide told us that he saw vultures circling above the jungle. That would be less good new." Here you can see the guide discuss it on camera. But he says in fact to the reporter that he has not seen vultures fly over*. If the girls perished out there, he had expected to see vultures. And that people must have participated in something that is no good.. Which is a peculiar comment in all this, considering how the guide later on always made a case for an accidental fall in the river. The guide made also other conflicting statements (although he was interviewed a lot, so then you can also more easily say conflicting things) about having met and greeted Kris and Lisanne shortly before they disappeared, followed by an interview in which he stated that he never met the girls at all. Guide F. also stated as soon as the backpack was found, that that should be enough information for the parents and that tour guides and locals should no longer "risk their lives" trying to find the girls' remains at that point. (All linked to and described in part 1 of this blog series). He also tried to steer the investigators to the Il Pianista area from the start and he then summoned local investigators in interviews to search abandoned and closed off houses in Boquete. The person who found the plastic bag, has been pictured working for him in the past. That does raise the question whether or not the bag was truly left there by Kris and Lisanne, or if it was left there by someone else entirely: planted there by a third party perhaps even, who were involved in their disappearance. By the way: I am beyond the whole questioning by now of "why would a perpetrator not just destroy the camera and the phones and the bag??" I believe this disappearance case received way more (inter)national attention than any 3rd party ever anticipated and that they decided to use the belongings to set out a fake trail and end the large search operations. And Betzaida Pittí instantly cancelled any pending house searches as soon as that bag was found, and ruled the deaths an accident. That is a motive, right there. The phone data, the belongings and night photos all tell us very little. But the fact that these photo loving girls left no visual/audio/text evidence for 11 days that they were actually lost and alive and out there, plus the absurd state in which their bones were found, could still indicate that it was all staged by others.
LOCATIONAnd where was the bag exactly found? Juan and Jeremy figured out the location based on the things Elvis Gonzales, publisher of the video on facebook, wrote about it. It lies roughly in between the Pianista Trail, the trail towards the Lost waterfalls (more on that trail a little bit further down part 3 of this blog post series, made with the help of Jeremy S) and ... the hamlet of Alto Quiel, which is where tour guide F. is reported to have his coffee farm. And where he brings tourists to sometimes. Ingrid Lommers first told police that the scheduled trip from the girls with this guide was to her knowledge going to "a ranch in Alto Quiel", the same place where the plastic bag, long hair(s) and a fuchsia red shoe sole were found later on. Alto Quiel is in the opposite direction of the Pianista Trail, however. Jeremy wrote me about the location and that he based it partially on the comments that were placed under the facebook post of Elvis. The volunteer found the bag and sole of the shoe around 3 kilometres from the crash site of a small plane, years ago. Jeremy wrote me; "There are a number of key items in the words, such as the bag being found in an area that Sinoproc hadn't searched and weren't planning on searching (obviously only based on Sinoproc plans at the 10th April). The key item for me though is the description by Elvis, he states: "Video echo por voluntarios que se suman a la búsqueda de las jóvenes holandesas (área entre cerró orqueta y donde callo la avioneta ) como tres quilometros dentro comenta no ver rastro de búsqueda reciente... " Google Translate tells that me this means "Video made by volunteers who join the search for young Dutch women (area between closed orchestra (forest?) and where the plane fell) as three kilometres inside comments not seeing a recent search trail ..." I've done a lot of searching and there's only one plane crash in the general area and it was into Baru in December 2007, it was a big story because whilst a small plane with only 3 people and a pilot, the passengers were American so American media descended on Boquete. The first link is the most complete and told from the local perspective, it includes pictures, the other two are ABC News which are US TV crew who followed the story most closely. First link, Second link, Third link So, unless there's another plane crash before 2014 which I can't find or unless Google Translate is mis-translating it appears [this is it]." - So, 3 kilometres from "La Pandura" he found this plastic bag. Below I show you the locations found by Juan and Jeremy and in the last photo I roughly drew the important locations on this map.
Update: In the police files, the location of the discovery of this plastic bag is named as Cerro Horqueta. Well done to Juan and Jeremy and others for finding it years prior already through good sleuthing. Please scroll further down this blog post towards a post headlined "About the 2007 plane crash in the Baru volcano area" in order to read more about this plane crash.
ELVIS GONZALEZ
In the comments under his video, Elvis Gonzalez also made an interesting statement: "In reality what the volunteer who made the video says, is that although the effort they [the search teams] are making is arduous, they are only looking on the trails and not away from them ... and the local people of the area who know a lot about these mountains should be recruited." - So, the searching was intense and arduous, but they only focused on the trails and didn't go so much off trail. Again, this was the situation at the start of April; searches became more widespread as the weeks and months progressed. Marcelino gives also an interesting reply (also translated) and seems to criticize the search teams for what sounds like incompetence: "We know of its existence and remember that in previous years there have been other disappearances and they have not been found. That has been a very closed issue at the level of the FFDD. My suggestion is to look for personnel who know the areas in depth and know the bright that leads that search and how to do it."
In the comments under his video, Elvis Gonzalez also made an interesting statement: "In reality what the volunteer who made the video says, is that although the effort they [the search teams] are making is arduous, they are only looking on the trails and not away from them ... and the local people of the area who know a lot about these mountains should be recruited." - So, the searching was intense and arduous, but they only focused on the trails and didn't go so much off trail. Again, this was the situation at the start of April; searches became more widespread as the weeks and months progressed. Marcelino gives also an interesting reply (also translated) and seems to criticize the search teams for what sounds like incompetence: "We know of its existence and remember that in previous years there have been other disappearances and they have not been found. That has been a very closed issue at the level of the FFDD. My suggestion is to look for personnel who know the areas in depth and know the bright that leads that search and how to do it."
THE BAG'S CONTENTNow over to the content of the plastic bag. Considering the girls had for a fact visited the same Romero supermarket the morning of their disappearance, and considering the commander in charge of the search operation has stated that there was a long hair found, I am leaving the option open that this plastic bag did belong to Kris and Lisanne. Going against this however is the knowledge that this plastic bag has always been considered a dead end by the Dutch press and according to the Prosecution and parents. But let's look more closely at the bag's content. Empty wrappers from cookies, an empty can of Pringles ships, something looking like an empty bag of taco chips of the brand Picaronas, an empty plastic bottle of pineapple (papaya?) flavoured yogurt drink. And more empty plastic (fast)food wrappers. We also saw the loose sole of a left shoe, laying nearby out on the leaves. It is placed there upside down, but once the volunteer picks it up, you can see that the sole has a red/pink colour (fuchsia). It is clearly worn and to me seems to belong to a rather large shoe. I'm no expert, but I have shoe size 39 myself, and this sole seems slightly bigger. Considering Lisanne's length, a good 10 centimetres taller than me, I'd say this may be a size 40. And what's more; the found Wildebeast shoe of Lisanne had a similar fuchsia coloured inner lining. There seems also to be a small hole in the sole, perhaps a puncture mark of sorts? Could she have stood on a nail that punctured her shoe and her foot, injuring her perhaps? Who will say.. Unfortunately I don't speak Spanish so I can't hear if the volunteer has more findings he tells about. But from Jeremy I got the impression that no great secrets are told in the video.
Could this be their bag? Lisanne drank such yogurt based fruit drinks; she was even pictured with one such a drink (Vifit) in her backpack at the airport, before boarding to go to Panama, .
MATCH WITH THE LINING OF LISANNE'S SHOE
Also Lisanne's walking shoes have a very specific colour of lining, matching the colour of this sole. Her shoes were only available at the time in a Dutch store called Perry Sport, and is of a brand called Wildebeast. Panamá América also reported on this here. Below you can see what it looked like new and when the shoe was found in Panama eventually. As usual there was a lot of fog and unnecessary doubt strewn around in this disappearance case, because how simple should it have been for investigators to immediately confirm if the sole was from Lisanne or not. DNA testing should have solved that quickly, and if that wasn't possible for whatever reason, then investigators should still have been able to link the sole through fibre testing to the found left shoe from Lisanne in June 2014. A new Wildebeast shoe could have shed light on the type of sole in this shoe. Or Dutch sniffer dogs could have probably verified if the sole belonged to Lisanne. But nothing was further published or released on this matter and for all we know it was never even investigated by Pitti. Just like scientists have declared openly how they wanted to test the blue shoe that was found, linking it to Kris or not, and Betzaida never gave the order for the testing or to send the shoe to the lab. And thus, the shoe wasn't tested. And why were those two blue shoes that were found splashed all over the media, but this fuchsia coloured sole which may very well be the lining of Lisanne's shoe not? It took years for someone to find that obscure video again. But this upload from Elvis is real, and the date he posted it, without any signs of editing, shows also that his upload is real.
Also Lisanne's walking shoes have a very specific colour of lining, matching the colour of this sole. Her shoes were only available at the time in a Dutch store called Perry Sport, and is of a brand called Wildebeast. Panamá América also reported on this here. Below you can see what it looked like new and when the shoe was found in Panama eventually. As usual there was a lot of fog and unnecessary doubt strewn around in this disappearance case, because how simple should it have been for investigators to immediately confirm if the sole was from Lisanne or not. DNA testing should have solved that quickly, and if that wasn't possible for whatever reason, then investigators should still have been able to link the sole through fibre testing to the found left shoe from Lisanne in June 2014. A new Wildebeast shoe could have shed light on the type of sole in this shoe. Or Dutch sniffer dogs could have probably verified if the sole belonged to Lisanne. But nothing was further published or released on this matter and for all we know it was never even investigated by Pitti. Just like scientists have declared openly how they wanted to test the blue shoe that was found, linking it to Kris or not, and Betzaida never gave the order for the testing or to send the shoe to the lab. And thus, the shoe wasn't tested. And why were those two blue shoes that were found splashed all over the media, but this fuchsia coloured sole which may very well be the lining of Lisanne's shoe not? It took years for someone to find that obscure video again. But this upload from Elvis is real, and the date he posted it, without any signs of editing, shows also that his upload is real.
And then there is the Pringles crisp can. The same Pringles crisps in another flavour were found on the girls' room (on the table between the beds). But then again, who doesn't eat Pringles?
WAS IT THEIRS?Could this plastic bag perhaps have been theirs? It could be a coincidence of course, and I am not sold on this tbh, but things seemingly fitting are the bigger sized pink sole of the shoe, the Pringles chips and the yogurt fruit drink. Of course, we needed simple and effective DNA investigation of this bag and its content. Did Kris or Lisanne drink and eat from these food items, yes or no? Unfortunately, as usual in this case, we haven't seen the test results. And how about the content of the bag; was there a receipt perhaps? Matching in time with the moment Kris and Lisanne were seen on CCTV images (later overwritten unfortunately)? I mean, it not only seems odd that they went out hiking without food in their bag, but it also seems odd to go for just an afternoon hike with so much food in their bag. All that fast food... did they really buy all that at Romero that morning to bring it along? Surely the shop had CCTV footage which could have helped us confirm that? But that footage was overwritten before police could investigate it. What is interesting however, is that this video of the volunteer showing the content of the found plastic bag has long been considered gone. People couldn't find the video anywhere and the media didn't show it either when they reported on this plastic bag finding. They reported on the finding, but they had no images or clue really as to what was found or where. Was this video simply ignored from the start because no genetic link between the girls and the bag was ever presented? Someone from the Dutch prosecutor's office has stated in writing to Juan that Panama was leading in this case and the Dutch let Panama decide. Only when Panama asked them specifically to look into the memory card of the camera and of the phones, did the Dutch step up and investigate something.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
I understand that this find and video will make a lot of people believe even more firmly in a Lost scenario, where Kris and Lisanne dropped their food wrappers in true Hansel and Gretel style, but to me personally it changes nothing about my crime suspicions. I also suspect that if this bag with food wrappers and the hair were in fact from Kris and Lisanne, the bag and food wrappers would have been pictured by them in at least one of their photos. Especially if the girls left the plastic bag on purpose, to mark where they had been. If they had the time and the opportunity for this, then why not make a photo of the bag before leaving it behind? 'See, we left the bag here. This is what we encounter along the way of this stressful period in time.' And if their DNA was in fact on these items then I still suspect that a third party had taken their freedom away, and planted this bag in the same fashion in which they later planted the backpack. Drawing rescue groups to one side of the region, when they probably had to look in fact in another part. But this is of course well-motivated speculation. Nevertheless it is the same pattern again and again; throw out as many contradicting statements and pieces of evidence as possible, so that not even the truth among it is recognized and trusted in the end. So here one person says "it was a red hair!" and another says that no in fact it was a blonde hair. Another talks about multiple hairs while a 4th insists that no hairs at all were found. Sigh..
I understand that this find and video will make a lot of people believe even more firmly in a Lost scenario, where Kris and Lisanne dropped their food wrappers in true Hansel and Gretel style, but to me personally it changes nothing about my crime suspicions. I also suspect that if this bag with food wrappers and the hair were in fact from Kris and Lisanne, the bag and food wrappers would have been pictured by them in at least one of their photos. Especially if the girls left the plastic bag on purpose, to mark where they had been. If they had the time and the opportunity for this, then why not make a photo of the bag before leaving it behind? 'See, we left the bag here. This is what we encounter along the way of this stressful period in time.' And if their DNA was in fact on these items then I still suspect that a third party had taken their freedom away, and planted this bag in the same fashion in which they later planted the backpack. Drawing rescue groups to one side of the region, when they probably had to look in fact in another part. But this is of course well-motivated speculation. Nevertheless it is the same pattern again and again; throw out as many contradicting statements and pieces of evidence as possible, so that not even the truth among it is recognized and trusted in the end. So here one person says "it was a red hair!" and another says that no in fact it was a blonde hair. Another talks about multiple hairs while a 4th insists that no hairs at all were found. Sigh..
PRINGLES CAN
I attach a great photo from Mutinyonthekitkat, who proves that the mirror in the SOS photo is truly the underside of a Pringles tube. (Meaning that Kris and Lisanne would not only have carried all that fast food, which wrappers were found in the plastic bag, but also at least TWO tubes of Pringles crisps, because one tube was found in the plastic bag and it still was in one piece, so they would have needed to have brought at least one more tube to make this mirror out of).
I attach a great photo from Mutinyonthekitkat, who proves that the mirror in the SOS photo is truly the underside of a Pringles tube. (Meaning that Kris and Lisanne would not only have carried all that fast food, which wrappers were found in the plastic bag, but also at least TWO tubes of Pringles crisps, because one tube was found in the plastic bag and it still was in one piece, so they would have needed to have brought at least one more tube to make this mirror out of).
PLASTIC BAGCould this found bag mean anything? Perhaps. Although perhaps this bag was not left by Kris and Lisanne but by someone else entirely. Maybe strangers who had nothing to do with them, or perhaps the girls had already ran into other people, who provided them with this food and these drinks, but kept them under control and prevented them from returning to their host family. Perhaps Kris and Lisanne truly secretly left the bag and sole behind as a sign that they were there, or maybe a 3rd party planted this bag themselves, just like they did 2 months later with the backpack. If this location of La Pandura is correct, then the bag was found near the hamlet of Alto Quiet where 8 people live and which has one coffee farm. The bag was found rather close to this coffee farm. Another problem with this new location is that it is very hard to imagine that Kris and Lisanne walked there, lost supposedly, passing inhabited hamlets and villages as well as trails, in a week where it was very nice weather in the Boquete region, and that they did not run into a single human being who could help them... Despite the word being out that they were missing, posters placated everywhere and rescue teams looking for them. Despite them having a bounty reward on their head and being searched by Sinaproc, helicopters, dogs, their families and mostly everyone else living there. And it gets even more strange because we have to also believe that while this bag was found south-east of the Pianista Trail, close to the town of Boquete, that going by the location of their few found bones, they would have also walked BACK to the Pianista Trail again, and walk beyond the Mirador all over again, to end up 15 walking hours up north near the village of Alto Romero. Anyway, I wanted to update here on this new finding from Juan. Update: Forensic investigation of the bag and its content resulted in no detection of DNA traces to work with, according to the case files. No biological traces of Kris and Lisanne were found either, according to the police. The pink shoe sole was attributed to a shoe from another brand.
CLAIRVOYANT
Regarding coffee farms: A Panamanian clairvoyant (psychic), Marcia Smith Del Rio (45) claimed on April 15th of 2014 to a Dutch newspaper that she saw Kris and Lisanne in a dream. She saw them at a coffee plantation near Boquete and not far from the Pianista Trail. The first dream dated from April 7th, 2014: "I saw a girl with light-colored hair that was grabbed by a man in a forest setting. He was wearing jeans and work shoes. His hand had the color of a latino. The girl screamed and was dragged roughly by her hair behind a house or cabin. So rough that she was bleeding. I saw dark, chocolate-colored earth moving and I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach. This pain was so intense that I woke up crying." The Panamanian woman claimed she had a second dream on April 14th, 2014. In it she saw a mountainside and plants that she thought looked like coffee bushes. "I saw one of the girls through her own eyes. They looked up at the sky. She lay on her back among the bushes and was very calm. I think she's dead", said the clairvoyant who got overwhelmed by emotions at this point. Marcia had useful tips in the past for the police that led them to find her lost sister and a murdered local Indigenous person. In order to find the coffee plantation she saw in her dream, Marcia went to a coffee plantation on a mountainside near the Pianista trail with a private investigator. This happened a week before she spoke to the Dutch newspaper, so in the week of April 8th. They also searched a few houses and huts but found no traces of the girls. "I didn't get a special feeling there either. I hope to get that at the plantations." - Perhaps Marcia saw the coffee plantation of guide F. in Alto Quiel, close to the finding spot of the plastic bag with food wrappers, in her dream? - You can read the whole article further down this blog post.
Regarding coffee farms: A Panamanian clairvoyant (psychic), Marcia Smith Del Rio (45) claimed on April 15th of 2014 to a Dutch newspaper that she saw Kris and Lisanne in a dream. She saw them at a coffee plantation near Boquete and not far from the Pianista Trail. The first dream dated from April 7th, 2014: "I saw a girl with light-colored hair that was grabbed by a man in a forest setting. He was wearing jeans and work shoes. His hand had the color of a latino. The girl screamed and was dragged roughly by her hair behind a house or cabin. So rough that she was bleeding. I saw dark, chocolate-colored earth moving and I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach. This pain was so intense that I woke up crying." The Panamanian woman claimed she had a second dream on April 14th, 2014. In it she saw a mountainside and plants that she thought looked like coffee bushes. "I saw one of the girls through her own eyes. They looked up at the sky. She lay on her back among the bushes and was very calm. I think she's dead", said the clairvoyant who got overwhelmed by emotions at this point. Marcia had useful tips in the past for the police that led them to find her lost sister and a murdered local Indigenous person. In order to find the coffee plantation she saw in her dream, Marcia went to a coffee plantation on a mountainside near the Pianista trail with a private investigator. This happened a week before she spoke to the Dutch newspaper, so in the week of April 8th. They also searched a few houses and huts but found no traces of the girls. "I didn't get a special feeling there either. I hope to get that at the plantations." - Perhaps Marcia saw the coffee plantation of guide F. in Alto Quiel, close to the finding spot of the plastic bag with food wrappers, in her dream? - You can read the whole article further down this blog post.
SCREAMS HEARDCloseby screams were heard.. This place of La Pandura can be linked to a blog of two French speaking tourists and bloggers who walked the same trail on April 6th, so 5 days after the girls went missing, and they declared that a local told them not to get into the tropical forest as he had heard someone scream the day before; screams coming from the jungle. This is their blog. Important passages translated from French: "The problem at the moment is that two 23-year-old Dutch girls have been "lost" for the past four days, and they put this argument forward to discourage us from hiking without a guide. The hike begins with a track that goes down. We cross the Rio Caldera and then we enter a path that sinks into the beautiful rainforest. The path is flat at first and then climbs up to another guard post, which we reach after 3h30 of walking and more than 1200m of elevation. It is then possible to go down on the other side, towards the village of Cerro Punto and to take buses to return, but it takes 3h of transport. At the guardhouse, we meet a guy who, the day before, heard frightened screams from two girls, then a loud crash, and then saw three guys on the trail. This explains the presence today of many cops and rescuers on the trail in search of the girls. After the picnic we go down the same path, a little troubled by this story and the possibility that the two Dutch had a bad meeting in the area. In fact, it is almost impossible to get lost on these well marked trails, and it seems even less possible to stay lost here for the duration of 4 days ... This hike, which is announced as one of the most beautiful in Panama, did not really dazzle us. We left very early to try to observe the wildlife but we did not see much, only some birds and cows, sheep, cats, dogs and hens not really shy and not really wild .. Although others stated to have walked the Pianista Trail in the night (!) of 1 to 2 April 2014, and they heard or saw nothing unusual."
Juan noticed that this place where the screams were heard may link to the location where this plastic bag was found, as it isn't very far away and on the same route. Not all that far from the Pianista Trail either, leading toward the Lost waterfalls in direction, as well as the volcano; Sendero Quetzales, Sendero Piedra de Lino, Volcan Baru... Cerro Horqueta is a more mountainous top and apparently where you end up if you go left on the Y-crossing at the Pianista Trail. It's not that far from the Lost Waterfalls. - The source of this claim may be the following: in the early days of the police investigations into the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, there was also a statement made by a German tourist, Marcus M., who claimed to a local forest ranger at a control station that he witnessed that Kris and Lisanne had been beaten and thrown down a ravine. This may coincide more or less with the information the two French tourists were given. Marcus had arrived in Boquete on April 4th and this event had taken place on April 5th he claimed, at Cerro Punta at the Quetzal Trail. He was the one who claimed to have heard a female voice screaming for help, followed by a loud bang. He then claimed to have witnessed two men crouching and hiding in the bushes, after which he ran away in fear. Senafront did visit the spot in the evening and searched for the women, but they found nothing (aside from the German tourists own plastic water bottle). At the end of the day I personally do not believe that the plastic bag with food wrappers was left behind by Kris and Lisanne. I don't believe that they were out on this trail and not even the fuchsia sole of the shoe may belong to Lisanne. The media largely ignored this find probably because there was nothing to it. But why have we not seen the test results of these items?
This Panamanian news article updated in May 16th 2014 that the test results of the plastic bag and shoe sole GOT LOST:Albin Garcia
Friday, May 16, 2014 - 12:00 a.m.
Chiricanos media say that ‘clues are being sown’, and today the Public Ministry will hold a press conference to clarify ‘rumors’ that disturbed the tranquility. "They find clothes that could be theirs. Search block is abandoned by the Police. A strand of blond hair and the sole of some shoe or slippers are some of the things that had been found in the first search of the Dutch girls Lisanne Froon, 21, and Kris Kremers, 20.
But Lisanne's family now complains that all this material and the results now mysteriously disappeared when handled by some people of Boquete.
Days after the test results got lost, the authorities suspended the search for the girls entirely. It is for this reason that family members decide to set up a privately funded search team, which has been in the mountains for the past two days. Part of this group is a staff member of the newspaper El Siglo, after having been asked to join and report on this search initiative. The private detective Martín Ferrara, former PTJ and bodyguard of Guillermo 'Billy' Ford (qepd), has always stayed in contact with the family, and it is he who has collected the evidence, both the evidence that was lost (although the finding of the items was filmed) as well as new evidence which may now be gathered. Ferrara was the one who could retrace the steps of the girls during the last day that they were seen alive, the vehicles in which they were transported, and name of the guide who would accompany them the next day. There is another detective hired by the Froon family: Emigdio Miranda. On Wednesday, the private search team went for another tropical forest trek inland and they found something: physical traces. And they heard voices (sounding more like screams) at the bottom of a ravine. The group is led by Verísimo Fuentes, a man who has been living for more than 38 years in the area, and with a lot of experience in search and rescue. The Boquete Police did not lift a finger - The girls were seen entering the path known as El Pianista, in the northern part of Boquete, in Chiriqui. That search was restarted, before the sun came out, on Wednesday.
When the search group was about to return, as it was getting dark, two of its members sensed a strong but pleasant smell of perfume. It looked like a sweet women's perfume. Fifteen minutes later, everyone in the group heard a sound similar to that of a can hitting against some object. The noise lasted shortly, less than a minute, which in the forest is an eternity. When the sound of the can stopped ringing, a scream was clearly heard, a very high voice. The group was astonished for a few seconds, and then they launched in search of the origin of that 'call'. The voice seemed to come from the bottom of a ravine, which is not part of the path. They reached a clearing. Nothing. They decided to walk around and it was then that they found a kind of blue coat, with visible signs of tearing, and without a sleeve. This garment could reinforce the idea that the girls fell down the ravine and were very injured, and it could mean that they were alive. However, Lisane Froon's parents do not recognize the clothing. [It was neither from Kris, Scarlet]. Official disinterest? - After finding this garment, it was decided to leave the place for the time being, due to the hour, it was very late. Without anyone knowing who warned them, a helicopter from the National Aeronaval Service arrived at the place. When they were told about the findings, they said they would participate, and promised that they would return to the place with the private explorers hired by the family. never arrived at the place where they had decided to pick up the explorers on Wednesday. They even said they would send 50 men to help. But late into the day, yesterday, they said that a strong wind prevented them from taking off.The private search group found a letter ‘K’ carved on a tree. (From Kris?) They saw it yesterday. The marking appears to be several days old, and is about 4 centimetres in size.
According to the version of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the girls searched throughout the day for a guide to accompany them on the path, but they did not find one. Those who saw them in town agree that the girls were exceptionally beautiful. The next day, when the girls went down to their hostel, defeated because they didn't find a guide, a vehicle stopped and they got in. But the car did not take them to the center of Boquete, but instead returned to where the El Pianista trail begins. Residents of the nearby area confirm "having seen the girls standing there, at about 4:45 p.m., and saw the vehicle leave but without the girls." So that is an interesting news article. I doubt that everything mentioned in it is correct, but there are quite some revelations made; about a carved "K" in a tree, the sound of clickety clang on a tin and screams (I posted about that already before on this blog). And of course the information that the plastic bag, its content and the sole of the shoe got lost while being handled by the Panamanians? Update: police files claim that the plastic bag was only lost for a short amount of time and was later found to be stored somewhere at the Sinaproc office. Forensic investigation of the bag and its content resulted in no detection of DNA traces to work with. No biological traces of Kris and Lisanne were found either, according to the case file. The pink shoe sole was attributed to a shoe from another brand.
Authors Christian Hardinghaus and Annette Nenner have shared what is in the case files in their new book Still Lost in Panama. And the Romero plastic bag and shoe sole and hair are also mentioned by them. After confirming on April 12th in an RTL 4 Dutch news report that he found a long blonde hair (approximately 60 centimeters in length) on the pink sole of a shoe, Elvis Gonzalez says that the items are now being examined in a laboratory. But a day later already, Sinaproc General Director Alvarado tells on television that the discovery of the hair is a rumour. (Even though you can clearly see the hair in Elvis' video, when he shows it to the camera). Alvarado denies that the plastic Romero bag has anything to do with the missing Kris and Lisanne. And authorities never again mention the plastic bag. Even though ths fuchsia coloured shoe sole matches the colour of the lining of Lisanne's Wildebeast shoe. In the above mentioned El Siglo article from May 16, 2014 the parents speak about their distress about finding out that the bag disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Now Hardinghaus and Nenner reveal that Carlos V, the maker of the Youtube video in which Elvis shows off the plastic bag, was summoned to talk to police on the evening of April 12. "The investigators are surprised that the man was already been called in by Sinapro on the same day to show them where the bag was found, which is about a mile from the Pianista trail. Carlos, like many other locals, has taken part in voluntary searches because it has become known that the responsible civil defense authority doesn't leave the hiking trails to search open terrain. He takes an oath that he discovered the plastic bag on April 11 at 14:00 PM while searching the Las Bolsas Forest area between Cerro Horqueta and the Pianista Trail. It had been lying under a redwood tree about 50 meters from the trail.""The hair had been misplaced or lost"
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Under oath he declares that Sinaproc members did not touch the bag at the instructions of a direct superior. "Unsuitable as evidence"
Instead they are told to pack the plastic bag up in an empty box from a US military catering company and to seal it. The next day the box was picked up by the DIIP, Panama's equivalent of the FBI. It lands on the desk of personaría manager C. on April 24. This local investigator "breaks the seal, takes the items out of bag, and then records in writing that she has sent the food package inside to the IMELCF biomolecular laboratory to have them analyzed for bodily fluids and fingerprints." But the plastic bag and the shoe sole were not part of this analysis. They were merely photographed in the box and then destroyed. No forensic investigation of them what-so-ever. In a note from Lisis C. the reason given was: "unsuitable as evidence and easily spoiled". In the investigation report, the expert involved wrote an angry note then, stating that the chain of evidence had not been recorded correctly and that the expert had no idea who else had had this bag in their hands already. And no 'useful traces' were then found. The investigators describe Lisanne's shoe brand incorrectly as "Jaguar" instead of Wildebeast and there has been no mention anymore of the blond hair found by Carlos. So the truth is now finally known: after all the poo-hah about this bag in the media, the case officials managed to take its content away from Sinaproc, managed to lose the long hair entirely without ever forensically investigating it, and they managed to destroy the shoe sole and bag without proper forensic inspection. This is why Adelita Coriat dedicated newspaper articles to this topic. Incompetence or malicious intent? That is up to you to decide.
French tourists heard about Marcus M's unsettling encounter nearby
This all reminds me of the strange encounter a German tourist had near this Cerro Punto point, and which he reported to a ranger and the police. His story ended up in the case files and was confirmed by Pittí. (But nothing came from it). Two French tourists (Boris and Edith - French) walked the same trail on April 6th, and they declared that a local told them not to get into the woods as he had heard someone scream the day before (so on April 5th); screams coming from the jungle. None of these people have been questioned however by authorities. This is their blog. Important passages translated from French: Quote: "The day after our arrival [in Boquete] we explore the place. We are desperately searching for an information office which does not exist, at least not in the center. We grab information in the tourist agencies, who each time recommend us a guide, but we know very well that the hikes in the area are quite feasible alone. The problem at the moment is that two 23-year-old Dutch girls have been "lost" for the past four days, and they put this argument forward to discourage us from hiking without a guide. On April 6 we leave early by taxi to do the Quetzal trail [which is west of the Pianista Trail, Scarlet]. The hike begins with a track that goes down. We cross the Rio Caldera and then we enter a path that sinks into the beautiful rainforest. The path is flat at first and then climbs up to another guard post, which we reach after 3h30 of walking and more than 1200m of elevation. It is then possible to go down on the other side, towards the village of Cerro Punto and to take buses to return, but it takes 3h of transport. At the guardhouse, we meet a guy who, the day before, heard frightened screams from two girls, then a loud crash, and then saw three guys on the trail. This explains the presence today of many cops and rescuers on the trail in search of the girls. After the picnic we go down the same path, a little troubled by this story and the possibility that the two Dutch had a bad meeting in the area. In fact, it is almost impossible to get lost on these well marked trails, and it seems even less possible to stay lost here for the duration of 4 days ... This hike, which is announced as one of the most beautiful in Panama, did not really dazzle us. We left very early to try to observe the wildlife but we did not see much, only some birds and cows, sheep, cats, dogs and hens not really shy and not really wild .. Although others stated to have walked the Pianista Trail in the night (!) of 1 to 2 April 2014, and they heard or saw nothing unusual."
This all reminds me of the strange encounter a German tourist had near this Cerro Punto point, and which he reported to a ranger and the police. His story ended up in the case files and was confirmed by Pittí. (But nothing came from it). Two French tourists (Boris and Edith - French) walked the same trail on April 6th, and they declared that a local told them not to get into the woods as he had heard someone scream the day before (so on April 5th); screams coming from the jungle. None of these people have been questioned however by authorities. This is their blog. Important passages translated from French: Quote: "The day after our arrival [in Boquete] we explore the place. We are desperately searching for an information office which does not exist, at least not in the center. We grab information in the tourist agencies, who each time recommend us a guide, but we know very well that the hikes in the area are quite feasible alone. The problem at the moment is that two 23-year-old Dutch girls have been "lost" for the past four days, and they put this argument forward to discourage us from hiking without a guide. On April 6 we leave early by taxi to do the Quetzal trail [which is west of the Pianista Trail, Scarlet]. The hike begins with a track that goes down. We cross the Rio Caldera and then we enter a path that sinks into the beautiful rainforest. The path is flat at first and then climbs up to another guard post, which we reach after 3h30 of walking and more than 1200m of elevation. It is then possible to go down on the other side, towards the village of Cerro Punto and to take buses to return, but it takes 3h of transport. At the guardhouse, we meet a guy who, the day before, heard frightened screams from two girls, then a loud crash, and then saw three guys on the trail. This explains the presence today of many cops and rescuers on the trail in search of the girls. After the picnic we go down the same path, a little troubled by this story and the possibility that the two Dutch had a bad meeting in the area. In fact, it is almost impossible to get lost on these well marked trails, and it seems even less possible to stay lost here for the duration of 4 days ... This hike, which is announced as one of the most beautiful in Panama, did not really dazzle us. We left very early to try to observe the wildlife but we did not see much, only some birds and cows, sheep, cats, dogs and hens not really shy and not really wild .. Although others stated to have walked the Pianista Trail in the night (!) of 1 to 2 April 2014, and they heard or saw nothing unusual."
Photos of the Sendero Los Quetzales
(Quetzal trail)
More photos of the Lost Waterfall trail
One possible new scenario
[On the right are two newly leaked photos, taken by Kris and Lisanne] Even though I believe that the swimming event (if true) fits in best on the Monday afternoon, because we have a few hours in the mid afternoon unaccounted for, with the girls' phones powered off. Plus having some witnesses statements made to police of people who claim to have seen the girls at the Caldera that afternoon. And several witnesses have stated that they saw Kris and Lisanne in the Caldera hot springs on March 30th and/or 31st. This may be reliable info, or it may not be. On this local Boquete forum it was stated: "The latest search, which entered its fourth day with no trace of the young women, was dispatched with rescuers from the Netherlands in the company of dog to the area known as the Hot Springs in the village of Caldera, where some witnesses have told area units that the Dutch would have been there on Sunday March 30 before being reported missing. "Several sites have been tours this Friday as The hot springs in Caldera, the Canoping in Palo Alto, Los Naranjos known as the Wye area, and Sky Star to Paradise, all in the district of Boquete, tourist sites where witnesses have stated that the girls have been seen." And in this news article from September 9th, 2014, a Dutch newspaper cited the Panamanian newspaper La Estrella, who had the information published that "an inhabitant from Altos de Romero tried to take Kris and Lisanne to a house in the neighborhood. Altos de Romero is lies close by to the location where the girls' backpack had been found."
But I like to also try to make a case now for a theory where Kris and Lisanne returned from the Pianista trail and voluntarily went for a swim on Tuesday afternoon instead. The girls were said to have been seen at the trailhead again around 16:00 PM by multiple witnesses. Of course, none of these many witnesses correctly described the clothes they wore that day, making you wonder if their sightings were correct at all. But Kris and Lisanne were also reported to have been seen by witnesses with two young men in the days prior; once in what appears to have been Nelson restaurant in Boquete and another time outside in the street. For what it is worth, because not all witnesses could have been correct with their wildly varying testimonies, and some people believe they were all wrong. But we simply cannot be sure of that, and may throw out correct witness statement also with that all or nothing approach. Is it possible that Kris and Lisanne returned after taking photo 508. They may have met some people during the Pianista hike and then felt hot and sweaty from the hike on this warm day. Maybe they were invited to come for a swim. Or did Kris and Lisanne make it to the summit with help along the way from locals, who gently pushed them to walk the trail beyond the Mirador, promising a waterfall perhaps further down the road? Then reaching the swimming location through another trail? Just a theory.. But the girls were perhaps invited afterward for a refreshing swim. Or maybe they had heard about this local swimming spot and went there on their own initiative. And met the wrong people there, which wat the catalyst for their disappearance (in this theory).
They were reported to have been seen by several people at the start of the trail again around 15:00 - 16:00 pm, asking for a way to get back to Boquete. For instance on this local Boquete message board, it was reported that on April 7th, 2014, Lee Zeltzer had a word with one of the volunteers searching for the two missing Dutch women in Boquete. "Phil [..] said the owner of Il Pianista, Giovanni, had spoken to the women on April 1 and told them where to catch a bus back to Boquete. This along with other rumors drove me to drive to Il Pianista. (Il Pianista at the road to the trail). Giovanni was not at the restaurant but his wife Doris was. This is what she said: Giovanni saw the women on 1 April near Don Pedro hitching toward Il Pianista. An employee at Il Pianista saw them start-up the trail between 15:00 and 15:30 PM. They may simply have hung around the trailhead then, waiting for a taxi. A bus or taxi was recommended to Kris and Lisanne after all; they asked about it again at a small cigarette store nearby; the shop owner also suggested a taxi to them. Maybe these witnesses were right and the girls were indeed at the start of the Pianista trail after actually returning from their hike. Neither of the girls spoke much Spanish. This would mean that the new timeline is the correct one: Kris and Lisanne were on the summit at 13:00 PM and at the location of photo #508 at 14:00 PM. It is a downhill walk to get back to Boquete and 1,5 hours is enough for this. Other people who have walked this trail managed to get back down from the summit in approximately one hour and they often walked it under worse conditions. Then from there on, they were reported to have been seen with a taxi driver again, back at the trailhead. So they didn't walk to the Caldera hot-spot, no they were driven there. Either by the local youth they were seen swimming with in that photo, by a local in that witnessed and documented red truck perhaps, or by taxi. It is no more than a 30 minute drive by car, making it possible for them to arrive at the swimming spot around 16:30. This time matches with the low, and some would say almost golden sunlight that can be seen in the swimming photo. Light from the late afternoon, if you ask me; lower and softer. Consequence of this would be that the data regarding their phones never having made contact with any cell tower again after the early afternoon of April 1st may be... sketchy. Or false. Or conveniently incomplete. Or they both had powered their phones off or set them to flight mode during their descent from the Pianista and during their swimming activities, maybe they realized that their phones had little battery life left. (Even though the phone logs as we know about them, do not seem to indicate this and show a phone powering off by 17:52 PM (and not sooner)...
But I like to also try to make a case now for a theory where Kris and Lisanne returned from the Pianista trail and voluntarily went for a swim on Tuesday afternoon instead. The girls were said to have been seen at the trailhead again around 16:00 PM by multiple witnesses. Of course, none of these many witnesses correctly described the clothes they wore that day, making you wonder if their sightings were correct at all. But Kris and Lisanne were also reported to have been seen by witnesses with two young men in the days prior; once in what appears to have been Nelson restaurant in Boquete and another time outside in the street. For what it is worth, because not all witnesses could have been correct with their wildly varying testimonies, and some people believe they were all wrong. But we simply cannot be sure of that, and may throw out correct witness statement also with that all or nothing approach. Is it possible that Kris and Lisanne returned after taking photo 508. They may have met some people during the Pianista hike and then felt hot and sweaty from the hike on this warm day. Maybe they were invited to come for a swim. Or did Kris and Lisanne make it to the summit with help along the way from locals, who gently pushed them to walk the trail beyond the Mirador, promising a waterfall perhaps further down the road? Then reaching the swimming location through another trail? Just a theory.. But the girls were perhaps invited afterward for a refreshing swim. Or maybe they had heard about this local swimming spot and went there on their own initiative. And met the wrong people there, which wat the catalyst for their disappearance (in this theory).
They were reported to have been seen by several people at the start of the trail again around 15:00 - 16:00 pm, asking for a way to get back to Boquete. For instance on this local Boquete message board, it was reported that on April 7th, 2014, Lee Zeltzer had a word with one of the volunteers searching for the two missing Dutch women in Boquete. "Phil [..] said the owner of Il Pianista, Giovanni, had spoken to the women on April 1 and told them where to catch a bus back to Boquete. This along with other rumors drove me to drive to Il Pianista. (Il Pianista at the road to the trail). Giovanni was not at the restaurant but his wife Doris was. This is what she said: Giovanni saw the women on 1 April near Don Pedro hitching toward Il Pianista. An employee at Il Pianista saw them start-up the trail between 15:00 and 15:30 PM. They may simply have hung around the trailhead then, waiting for a taxi. A bus or taxi was recommended to Kris and Lisanne after all; they asked about it again at a small cigarette store nearby; the shop owner also suggested a taxi to them. Maybe these witnesses were right and the girls were indeed at the start of the Pianista trail after actually returning from their hike. Neither of the girls spoke much Spanish. This would mean that the new timeline is the correct one: Kris and Lisanne were on the summit at 13:00 PM and at the location of photo #508 at 14:00 PM. It is a downhill walk to get back to Boquete and 1,5 hours is enough for this. Other people who have walked this trail managed to get back down from the summit in approximately one hour and they often walked it under worse conditions. Then from there on, they were reported to have been seen with a taxi driver again, back at the trailhead. So they didn't walk to the Caldera hot-spot, no they were driven there. Either by the local youth they were seen swimming with in that photo, by a local in that witnessed and documented red truck perhaps, or by taxi. It is no more than a 30 minute drive by car, making it possible for them to arrive at the swimming spot around 16:30. This time matches with the low, and some would say almost golden sunlight that can be seen in the swimming photo. Light from the late afternoon, if you ask me; lower and softer. Consequence of this would be that the data regarding their phones never having made contact with any cell tower again after the early afternoon of April 1st may be... sketchy. Or false. Or conveniently incomplete. Or they both had powered their phones off or set them to flight mode during their descent from the Pianista and during their swimming activities, maybe they realized that their phones had little battery life left. (Even though the phone logs as we know about them, do not seem to indicate this and show a phone powering off by 17:52 PM (and not sooner)...
Other than knowing where the photo was taken, who the boys in the photo are and that they were both dead within a year, there is nothing more known about when that photo was taken and what may have happened afterwards. They all look happy and cheerful in it. It may simply have been an innocent afternoon swim at some point during their Boquete stay, before their Pianista hike, which they didn't feel like mentioning to others. But the fact that none of the investigators or the parents ever even mentioned this swimming photo, seems odd and a bit suspicious to me. The Dutch investigators let it slip to Juan in an email that they already knew of the existence of this photo for quite some time. Supposedly... So why was it kept out of the press for all that time? Why was that photo leaked together with a batch of later verified real night photos, diary photos and daytime photos? It is of course possible that it has been proven behind the scenes that this swim took place days before the girls went missing. Or maybe the fictitious doppelgänger lookalikes really do exist, and the evidence was all hidden from the public. But the lack of transparency makes me wonder. Perhaps the Dutch just wanted to cultivate a certain image of their daughters; of cautious and serious and somewhat shy girls. And perhaps swimming with strangers didn't fit in that image. I don't know. They swam with new made friends in Bocas del Toro, and they swam with new made friends in Boquete, seems to be the safest conclusion now. 
Some new questions:
*Why did this swimming photo suddenly turn up now? And who released it?
*Why did this swimming photo suddenly turn up now? And who released it?
*Why have we not heard a single investigator or family member mention this swimming photo ever in the past 5+ years?
*When was it taken and by whom?
*In previous days the girls have been seen talking with (never further identified) local young men in a Boquete restaurant, among other places. There has also been a witness who stated that the girls had an appointment with two local men to see the waterfalls. Are these young men in the swimming photo perhaps the same locals which have been mentioned by multiple witnesses?
*How come everyone in that photo was dead within the year?
*What could be the implications of this photo? Were the girls not alone on the Pianista Trail perhaps? Did someone invite them for a swim or did they go there of their own accord?
*Was this in fact the last daytime photo taken of the girls? Or was it made on one of the previous days?
*Is it possible that the nighttime photos were also taken at another location entirely then?
*But if that is true, and Kris and Lisanne did walk or travel back from the Mirador and Pianista trail, then how come their mobile phones never made cell tower contact again after Monday 13:38 pm? They should have. Unless this phone log data is incorrect altogether.
*Does all of this affect the Timeline as we have known it until now?
Let's not forget that there are still many other scenarios possible; we have no direct evidence that this swimming photo is related to the girls' disappearance. There is also the taxi driver, the men in his taxi at the time that Kris and Lisanne stepped in (according to the taxi driver), there is the possibility that they ran into a drug cartel while out walking, or criminals of some sorts. Organ or sex trafficking has been mentioned often as a possible cause of their disappearance. Indigenous people may have been involved, local farmers, state officials, you name it. People go missing and die there all the time, often due to ill-willing individuals of sorts.
Video about Boquete, 'village of crime, without a capable police force'. "They don't know the bad boys in town."
Presenter: "Boquete, is the name of that village in Panama where Kris and Lisanne disappeared. Initially the village was portrayed as touristic, but on closer inspection it looks like the Dutch women ended up in a drug den where police do not have the means to tackle the criminality. And neither has the means to properly investigate the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne." Local: "Those people have to search over there."
Manuel Burac, supervisor forest Boquete: "My mind says that they are not here. But in my heart I still have hope. Maybe there is still a small possibility."
Presenter: "Manuel Burac is sent into the forest every day by the municipality to look for traces of Kris and Lisanne. He searches with all his heart, but at the same time he knows that what he does is pointless."
Manuel Burac: "I think that some people with bad intentions have maybe taken the girls, you know. I don't think that they are still in these mountains."
Presenter: "Not only the team of Manuel is searching for the Dutch girls. Rich foreigners are also helping along."
Caesar Sherrard, president Alto Al Crimen: "When I first got here there was almost no crime that I knew of. And little by little we started witnessing some burglaries."
Presenter: "Caesar Sherrard is the founder of Alto Al Crimen. An organization that investigates crime in the region of Boquete. The main reason for this: he believes that the local police does not have the capacity to do so."
Caesar Sherrard: "Well they need all the help they can get. Let's put it that way.. The finances are limited, the number of vehicles they have are limited. Sometimes a vehicle doesn't start. There is usually only one vehicle in Boquete. And it is a town of 20.000 people. Sometimes you don't have a battery to start the car, or the car won't start, or you need gasoline..."
Presenter: "Sherrard works closely together with the private detective who is put on the disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne. Contrary to police, this detective does know who are the dangerous young men in the village."
Caesar Sherrard: "They're rotated regularly [the cops]. They're not here permanently, like in some countries where the police are from your town. And they know the bad boys. Our investigator is from here. He's lived here many years. He knows a lot of bad boys. He knows taxi drivers who maybe smuggle stolen stuff out of here. And it's a dangerous job. Well because the bad boys know that you're the detective. And that you might be turning them in to a jail sentence."
"Former police chef Erik Westra also believes, just like everyone with any expertise, that we're dealing with a crime in the disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne."
Presenter: "We travel to Volcán. A Panamanian small town where former Dutch police chef Erik Westra lives. He also believes, just like everyone with any expertise, that we're dealing with a crime in the disappearance case of Kris and Lisanne. This is not so strange, because touristic Boquete, where the girls disappeared, is less charming than many people think." Erik Westra: "Well I also thought that Boquete is a pretty idyllic village, in a beautiful valley. But when you truly have a look behind the scenes there, you find out that there's a lot of trouble going on. The cocaine, which is freely available there. And the organized crime, which has settled there."
Presenter: "Westra says that the Pianista Trail, which Kris and Lisanne hiked and where they were last seen, is not as safe as people usually think. This year there were even armed robberies on the trail. For decades, maybe for centuries, there has been a connection between Bocas [del Toro] and Boquete. So it is not just a tourist spot where you can enjoy the views. But people walk back and forth between both places. That will take you a few days, but people have the time here."
Presenter: "So it could be a route where drugs are smuggled?"
Erik Westra: "Yes... Yes, I say yes because although I never knew it before, I found this out now that I have been involved with this disappearance case and have spoken to many people. And I hear this more often from others."
Manuel Burac: "This is not a crime ridden town. My family lives here. There are some cases of robbery. But no serious crime. No rapes. I think it is for 80% a healthy town. In this case we don't have any trace. No sign that the girls are still here."
Presenter: "The fate of the Dutch girls touches everyone here. But despite the $30.000 reward, mouths remain closed. And that has a reason in this country."
"They are afraid of retribution. So it is hard to get information out of people. Because everybody in a little town like this knows somebody. So if you give up information on somebody, they might come back at you. And.. it could get ugly. So people are very slow to give up information. They are very afraid."
Caesar Sherrard: "Because they are afraid of retribution. So it is hard to get information out of people. Because everybody in a little town like this knows somebody. So if you give up information on somebody, they might come back at you. And.. it could get ugly. So people are very slow to give up information. They are very afraid."
Erik Westra: "People are afraid. And people as a rule of thumb do not trust the authorities. The Police, so to say. People don't easy go to the police to talk. And that is perhaps the reason why I do sometimes have a chat with someone who has something to say."
Presenter: "Kris and Lisanne have been missing for weeks now. As a result, retired police chef Erik Westra has gone back to work. He is in daily contact with all sorts of people, with regards to this disappearance. The case which holds the whole of Panama in its grip has to be solved."
Erik Westra: "I have a daughter myself and she is slightly older than Kris and Lisanne.. But imagine what it must feel like to lose your child while she is on holiday. It is impossible to live with that uncertainty. And that's why I do this."
Presenter: "The private detectives of Alto Al Crimen stay on the case, as long as money keeps being paid."
Caesar Sherrard: "As long as they keep providing funds from Holland, we will keep him on. Because this case will never close, until we find something."
Manuel Burac: "I feel for the parents of the girls. And then I want to give them some hope.
Presenter: "Boquete. The search there continues."
The views of one of Holland's best known crime reporters on this disappearance case
This is Peter R. de Vries versus the Kremers family; Accident versus Crime. Despite having defended the Lost theory in the past, Peter R. de Vries also states in this actuality news video from August 4th, 2014: "What seems strange to me, is that when I heard that they carried their phones and a digital camera with them, that I thought: imagine that they had an accident or got lost. And that they slowly but surely weakened. Then I would have expected - and I do believe these girls were sharp enough to come up with this as well - that at some point they would have said to each other: we need to make a short film on our phone, or we need to make a (voice)message. Because suppose that things will end badly for us, then there is a chance that our phones or digital camera will be found. And then our parents will at least have the chance to learn something about what has happened. So I expected to find some sort of message or recording from these girls. And they didn't leave any of that. And this raises some question marks for me.. Especially now that I hear that this mobile phone has been used for multiple days after they went missing. Or at least; that someone has made attempts to call an emergency number." 
Gaby Gnazzo, a Panamanian journalist, actress, singer, producer, radio and TV personality and self proclaimed activist and humanist, stated that Kris and Lisanne had been raped and murdered on the Pianista Trail.She made the twitter comment in April 29th, 2018 as part of the "Story" campaign, where female leaders, feminists and influencers decided to tell personal real life stories of violence against women that never led to judicial justice.
We wanted to go to Panama to learn Spanish! But in the end we were raped and killed when we walked down a path in Boquete. The worst part is that many said it was our fault because we never should have walked around alone. I tell it because Lisanne and Kris can no longer. #Cuéntalo
The Dutch ambassador Dirk Janssen (also mentioned in this radio investigation show as a bit of an incompetent, issue-dodging career diplomat) was quick to remind her that rape nor murder were ever officially proven, and he scolded her for making "unfounded suggestions". But in the comments below her twitter post, Gaby Gnazzo insisted that the rape and murder of the girls were a fact and that the case was only closed because the Panamanian Prosecutors didn't do their job properly (due to lack of evidence), and because the girls' families had decided to leave the case to Panama to solve. She added that a documentary will come out in due time, proving - with new independent evidence - that the girls were in fact raped and murdered. She also wrote the following in her replies to comments: "Unfortunately I am not mistaken... Lisanne and Kris were killed in Boquete and Catherine Johannet was murdered in Bocas del Toro... And believe me there are many more. #Cuéntalo" - "I understand that the family desisted from the investigations in 2017 because the public ministry does not help at ALL! The case is unfinished and the last thing that could be found independently (for a documentary that is soon to come out) is that they were raped and killed." - "It is a fact that these cases occurred, it is a fact that there are many cases of rape, harassment and abuse in these areas of Panama, forgive me but to tell me that I should hide them and not mention them in favour of "tourism" is really disgusting of you to suggest."
Dutch forensic pathologist Frank van de Goot, and his earlier views on this caseVideo dates from March 4th, 2015. (Source). In the Lost in the Wild episode on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, Dr. Frank van de Goot did not sound as convinced anymore about the girls having fallen in the area of the Pianista Trail. Here you can view the entire episode, and here is the summary of the specialist statements done in the show. I have written a fair bit about this show already, but summarizing Frank's contribution, he stated in this Travel Channel episode from 2019 about the Pianista Trail area that: "There is no way to get lost. You actually don't need a guide." And with regards to the official theory that the girls fell both off a monkey bridge and washed away Van de Goot said: "No way. They would never ever go on it." When Kinga mentioned to Frank that "this area has a bit of a reputation", he replied: "Yes, I know". Kinga: "There are other people who have gone missing here." Frank: "Yes, correct." [..] "When you're looking at the Pianista Trail, there are little farms everywhere. There is no way not to be noticed up there. You are actually passing through people's backyard." Kinga: "So you do think they were alive for several days after they disappeared?" Frank: "Yes, unfortunately yes." Kinga: "What do you think went on in the girls' head at this point?" Frank: "Waiting, yes. Panic, yes. Fear, yes." Kinga: "What about the photos from the camera? There were 90+ photos taken..of just random things.." Frank: "Yes. I saw them. They are creepy. They're Blair Witch Project. The part of the jungle out there is known by the guides as 'jungle hell'. Past the Continental Divide... people die, up here." [..] "When you are out there in daylight, there is no problem. When you are out there in the dark, it's game over." "You haven't seen the cable bridges. I'm a mountaineer; you're full mortal on that bridge." Kinga: "That's the official story from the government: that they fell from these bridges." Frank: "No way." Kinga: "You don't believe that?" Frank: "No way. No way. Because they would never ever go on it." Kinga: "Why, because it's so hazardous?" Frank: "Because they're sensible girls".
Based on that airing, many people, me included, wondered if Frank van de Goot no longer necessarily believes that the girls fell down a ravine, somewhere in that jungle. But that something else may have also happened to them. A crime for instance. Although he never straight up says so. But Frank van de Goot nowadays no longer is certain about anything and insists that still no-one knows what happened and that all options are literally still open. They may have fallen, they may have gotten lost somewhere else entirely (they may have met foul play even). Let's look at what he said earlier on the matter..
My English subtitles to go with this Dutch news clip: Video dates from March 4th, 2015: "The parents from Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon are now convinced that their daughters died as the result of an accident in Panama. For a long time they suspected that a crime took place. They hired a team of specialists who investigated the case and have now concluded that the girls most likely died during a fatal fall incident. This is what the parents of Kris say about it today: Statement of the Kremers family: As a family we are relieved that we now finally have a possible and plausible explanation for all our questions about Kris' death. - Kris and Lisanne disappeared nearly a year ago, during a hike in the tropical forest of Panama. An ultimate attempt to unravel the secrets of the jungle. What happened with Kris and Lisanne when they walked on the Pianista Trail? After visiting the area, a team of specialists comes now with a list of possible scenarios. Frank van de Goot:
"I do think that, based on the investigations we did, we came to the conclusion that an accident scenario is the most likely one. Not getting lost; not a crime, but a fall is now thought to have killed the two Dutch girls. Directly next to the Pianista Trail is a steep slope. If one slips there and falls, one makes a 30 to 40 metre drop, under a 60 degree angle. You end up in a riverbed. On the cameras of the girls, a series of photos were found which show part of the riverbed, and parts of the surroundings."
"For more than a year now, the parents from Kris and Lisanne are living without knowing what happened. Some personal belongings were found of the two, as well as some bone remains. The families were hoping that a last search operation could perhaps bring answers to the many questions that remain, with regards to their disappearance. Frank van de Goot: "I hope that it is enough, for all the parties involved. To close this chapter now, and move on with life. Because regardless of all the misery; life goes on." Interviewer: "But you can also not give 100% certainty about the cause of death? Despite this extensive research?" Frank van de Goot: "No. 100% certainty I cannot give, unfortunately." - This last search operation did not result in new findings of the remains of Kris and Lisanne. The researchers believe that due to the nature of the jungle environment, nothing new will be found anymore."
Frank van de Goot not only said on Dutch TV that he believed the girls fell to their deaths, but he also stated it in this interview with Jeremy Kryt. He said at the time that “You can’t really exclude a crime, but I remain [of the opinion] it was an accident scenario.[..] I can’t completely exclude a crime, but I have nothing to prove that. With an accident, there are a few possibilities” And forensic pathologist Frank van de Goot, who led the Dutch forensics team in this case, hypothesized back in March of 2015 that the girls must have fallen into a ravine of 30 to 40 metres deep at the start of the Pianista Trail. He even went as far to make the quite outlandish seeming statement that "The geographical conditions, the social conditions and the technical facts as revealed by the forensic investigation make a crime in the form of a robbery, sexual offense, violent crime or kidnapping very unlikely."
*If this ravine is near the Pianista Trail summit; how is it then possible for the (few) remains of the girls to have been found at a distance of 14 walking hours up north? On flat land. Nearby one another, not stretched out.
*How did their remains get out of that ravine, with Kris having her pelvis broken in two and Lisanne having her left foot severely broken in most places? And with no microscopic animal markings on the bones, so no animal predation or dragging of the bodies?
*How come no sniffer dogs ever found their scent in the area that actually has ravines, despite combing through that entire Pianista area?
*How come volunteers and guides, who went down those slopes on ropes, never found the girls in the first week and neither found any (!) indications of a fall? No slip streams, no personal items, not even crushed vegetation?
*How come, if they made such a fall, that the jeans shorts from Kris were found many hours up north at a river, in a fairly good state? Without the sort of damage you would expect from such a 30 to 40 metre fall or slip? Not many tears or extensive slip marks were found on those jeans shorts. Same for their shoes that were found. And how did their backpack come out without extensive damage? The phones without a dent or scratch or any damage to the glass; even their plastic sunglasses were not broken from that fall.
*If these girls really ended up in a ravine nearby the Pianista Trail, how come skin from Lisanne's leg (shin bone) was found in late August of 2014, deep into the tropical highland forest? Well over 14 walking hours up north? Intact, in a very early stage of decomposition, 5 months after they disappeared?
*And why have their other skeletal remains never been found?
Heard a highly interesting radio interview. It shows us just how incompetent and unwilling the Dutch officials really were in the very early days of the investigation into Kris and Lisanne's disappearance.
September 8th 2014, 15:00 PM. Dutch Independent Criminologist Dick Steffens calls the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands, to offer his services to analyse the telephones from Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon meticulously. He tells them that he can measure up to 4 metres accurately where their phones have been used. Steffens just needs their telephone numbers for this, among a few other things. At the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Steffens then sends an e-mail that is forwarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the embassy in Panama. Steffens receives a message from the embassy in which his offer is rejected. "Everything was already in order". And just as bad: the information about Steffens offer to help is not passed on to the parents. They only hear months later about his offer. If Dutch people go missing abroad, a special team of former detectives must be ready to travel there quickly. This is what former police officers Juul van der Linden, Dick Steffens and Klaas Wilting want from now on. In the case of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne in Panama, the first traces could have been picked up better, the former police officers believe. An earlier broadcast of EenVandaag shows that the parents of Kris Kremers do not believe that their daughter got lost in the Panamanian jungle. Steffens also argues that there are still too many unanswered questions to see them getting lost as the cause of the drama. When Steffens heard of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, he offered his help. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Panamanian authorities of the offer, but nothing was done with it. In Radio EenVandaag Steffens tells how expertise could have contributed to the Panamanian case. Here you can listen to the radio interview with Dick Steffens and former chief of police Klaas Wilting and I added English subtitles so you can follow it if you don't speak Dutch: Source: NPO Radio 1: "Opsporing Panama had beter gekund" ("Investigation Panama could have been better") from 8 September 2014. 'Simpar' is the name of the website of the organization these former cops did set up. It also repeats and emphasizes the qualifications of these former cops, now researchers for their organization Simpar, and the background experience they all have, which is impressive: - Former police force police detectives, tactical or technical
- Intelligence service
- Analysts
- Forensic investigators
Some quotes from the interview with Dick Steffens"The search operations: I mean they have now searched with a battalion of militaries so to speak... Who trashed with their soldiers boots through the area. Sometimes that can be an advantage, but here we have a serious disappearance case and... it could also be a serious case of abduction, it is truly not yet known what has happened here. Although I do have my thoughts on that. But with that method of searching, you destroy a lot of traces. "When you allow soldiers to march through these traces and tracks..?" Yes. You have to remember that the military are no professional detectives. And in the Netherlands we work differently than in Panama.. And one of the most important things you would learn in the Detective Academy in Amsterdam, is that when there is a crime scene, then you seal it off with tape and you do not allow anyone in, not even the mayor. "But here it wasn't immediately clear that it was a crime scene..." No that is true, but...
we as a commercial company had offered, but without commercial intentions, that we have the capacity to 'ping'. And 'pinging' means: we can trace a telephone if it is switched on and has cell phone coverage. When you do that, you normally know where the owner is, and then you would have a much more specific and concrete search area.
And if there is no reflection going on, we can trace the phone precisely." "Because you have a detective agency? And you have offered the officials ato trace these girls' phones in this manner?" Yes that is correct. "And did they take up the offer?" No. It was if I recall correctly April 4th (2014) that my wife and I were watching the news. And that this information was provided. Then my wife said to me: You have to offer your services there. At around 10 or 11 o'clock that night I called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are able to analyse a phone if it fulfills the criteria I just gave. When you do that, you normally know where the owner is, and then you would have a much more specific and concrete search area. "And what was their reaction?" The first reaction was: 'Just write us an email'. The very first reaction, I have to add, was shocking to me: they asked me why I hadn't called sooner. To which I answered: it is only now in the news, how could I have called sooner? But I did write it down in an email and they sent it to the embassy in Panama.. Aside from the pinging I told them that we are also capable to trace payments done with bank cards or credit cards. Imagine that they were kidnapped and forced to make a money withdrawal, then you have a place where you can go to and work from. 'And the governments cannot check that?' The governments also have the ability to do so, but there are serious doubts that they actually checked all that in Panama. I got a message back from the Panamanian embassy, saying that "We thought of everything and everything was provided." I talked to Hans Kremers and the spot where the backpack was found, somewhere alongside the river. Then the place where the jeans shorts from Kris were found, 14 hours walking distance further. And I am talking then about the walking time for a native person from there, not 14 hours for someone like us, so that makes a big difference also. Then the place where some bones from Kris were found, which were found again several hours walking distance further. And then I say: that is not correct, that makes no sense. And the story we're getting from Panama is then: "Well, wild animals could have grabbed them". That is possible, but would a jeans shorts have then been found fairly intact? With only a few scrapes and holes.. Can then a shoe that was found be still so intact and undamaged? A wild animal rips apart everything he gets in his grasp. And in my opinion that didn't happen here." Hear the full interview in the video I added above. By the way, on online forums some people have said sketchy stuff about private or former official investigators like Steffens. That they are 3rd rate investigators, and in it for the money or the fame. Aside from the fact that Steffens and his colleagues have a long successful career behind them with the national police and are respected investigators with a clean slate in terms of reputation, as well as being very well known over here with regards to his diplomatic role in the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, you also have to look at the place where this disappearance took place.. Local Boquete resident and websleuths veteran and crime author Skidawayme wrote in that respect (from the Panamanian perspective): "Very interesting story. Here in Panama, when any gringo goes missing, is a victim of theft or home invasion, or has any criminal misfortune it's recommended that they hire a private investigator. There is in Boquete an organization called Alto al Crimen. It's composed of gringos who are former law enforcement officials and they work closely with the local police. But private detectives in the rest of the country are recommended."
And in this Dutch interview article, Dick Steffens elaborates even more on the Kris and Lisanne case
It is highlighted how Dick Steffens was involved in the infamous Heineken kidnapping in the Netherlands. During his career with the police, he worked as an infiltrator in criminal environments. He now searches for missing persons all over the world. In 2014 he started Simpar with a former colleague, an organization of volunteers and he advises families of missing persons. He says the following in the article about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne: "Speed is essential in a disappearance case. You must travel to the place where the person has gone missing as quickly as possible. If a missing person is of age, the local police often assume that someone's phone is broken, or that someone has willingly disappeared off the radar. And although that is often the case, there are also cases where someone does not return after a while. Then it becomes suspicious." If the disappearance case (abroad) is taken seriously immediately, a great deal still needs to be done before the Dutch police can help on the spot. First the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is contacted. The Dutch embassy in the country where the person went missing is then contacted. The Dutch police must apply for a judicial request to be allowed to conduct an investigation. This investigation is never independent. Everything is done under the supervision of the local police. According to Steffens, this does not always go as you would like. According to him, there is sometimes not enough control over the case in the first hours after the disappearance. “The work of the police is often criticized, but people do not know with how much impotence we are dealing. A detective simply wants to solve a case, and it is frustrating that sometimes we have to do it with very few resources." Steffens’ frustration reaches its peak during the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon.
“The parents of Kris asked if I wanted to look at the case and give my opinion about the official conclusion. It soon became clear to me that mistakes were made during the investigation and that there were many loose ends.” The belongings from Kris and Lisanne were found miles upstream from where Lisanne's left foot was found. “Furthermore, there are very few bodily remains to rely on. That is absurd if your conclusion is that they have fallen and had an accident" he says.
The river that was pictured on the camera of the pair was only examined two weeks after the discovery of the camera. "If you visit all the places where that person might have been within two days after a they disappeared, you have a greater chance that someone is still alive than if you wait almost twenty days," says Steffens. But the Dutch police is only allowed to intervene abroad with a missing persons case after three weeks.
Sophia Koetsier
One of the most controversial cases in which Steffens became involved is the disappearance of Dutch medical student Sophia Koetsier. In August of 2015 she had left for Uganda for her graduation internship. Three months later, on October 22, she disappeared when she went to the toilet during a road trip. To this day, nobody knows what happened to her. One of the few things found were black underpants hanging in a tree at four metres height. For a while there have been wild speculation in the media about the case. Koetsier sometimes had manic episodes due to bipolar disorder. How her trousers ended up so high in a tree, or why there were no mud traces on her shoe, remains a mystery. After a while the case disappeared from the media and eventually the police had to close the case without knowing what happened. The Koetsier family continues to look for answers. "If I read what has been done during the search for Sophia and if I watch videos of how the police worked, I cannot say that there has been hard work put into that search," he says. Steffens relies on a film clip made of the place where Koetsier disappeared, and a police file that lacks crucial information. A hiking shoe can be seen in the video. There is no mud on it, not even on the sole. A little further lies the inner sole of the shoe, which is brand new. According to Steffens, it seems that the shoe has not been used at all, but that it instead has been planted there later. "Then you see her underpants hanging four metres high in a tree." Steffens acknowledges Koetsier had episodes of mania in the past, “but I cannot imagine that in such a state of mind you will tear off all your clothes, crawl into a tree completely naked, and that then not a single trace of DNA can be found there. The scene was just too clean. It's no good, something is not right there", says Steffens. He also finds the conclusion that she was eaten by a crocodile absurd. "I have never heard of a crocodile eating someone without leaving a splash of blood, then bringing a shoe back and hanging underpants on top of a tree," he says. - You can read more about the disappearance of Sophia Koetsier in this blog post of mine.
One of the most controversial cases in which Steffens became involved is the disappearance of Dutch medical student Sophia Koetsier. In August of 2015 she had left for Uganda for her graduation internship. Three months later, on October 22, she disappeared when she went to the toilet during a road trip. To this day, nobody knows what happened to her. One of the few things found were black underpants hanging in a tree at four metres height. For a while there have been wild speculation in the media about the case. Koetsier sometimes had manic episodes due to bipolar disorder. How her trousers ended up so high in a tree, or why there were no mud traces on her shoe, remains a mystery. After a while the case disappeared from the media and eventually the police had to close the case without knowing what happened. The Koetsier family continues to look for answers. "If I read what has been done during the search for Sophia and if I watch videos of how the police worked, I cannot say that there has been hard work put into that search," he says. Steffens relies on a film clip made of the place where Koetsier disappeared, and a police file that lacks crucial information. A hiking shoe can be seen in the video. There is no mud on it, not even on the sole. A little further lies the inner sole of the shoe, which is brand new. According to Steffens, it seems that the shoe has not been used at all, but that it instead has been planted there later. "Then you see her underpants hanging four metres high in a tree." Steffens acknowledges Koetsier had episodes of mania in the past, “but I cannot imagine that in such a state of mind you will tear off all your clothes, crawl into a tree completely naked, and that then not a single trace of DNA can be found there. The scene was just too clean. It's no good, something is not right there", says Steffens. He also finds the conclusion that she was eaten by a crocodile absurd. "I have never heard of a crocodile eating someone without leaving a splash of blood, then bringing a shoe back and hanging underpants on top of a tree," he says. - You can read more about the disappearance of Sophia Koetsier in this blog post of mine.
“I went to Panama and Costa Rica this year for business and you can buy a lot there. You pay for information from a police officer or someone from the forensic investigation. Let me be clear: there are definitely also non-corrupt people, but in different countries, also in Europe, there are different rules for dealing with the police.”
According to Steffens, it is an advantage that he himself has a police background because it is easier for him to steer the local police. “In the case of Koetsier for example, it is always possible to even start a completely new case. Then you could also speak to the policemen who were working on the case three years ago." Mixing yourself into crime cases in corrupt countries is not without danger. For example, crime journalist Alberto Arce describes in his book the dangerous situations that you end up in when you, as an outsider, enter a world of corrupt agents and violence. "You have to be careful, yes," says Steffens. “I have never been in immediate danger, but you are aware of it. You should never go out investigating all on your own and always make a planning for the day and leave it somewhere, preferably on the internet, in case you yourself disappear from the radar." "On top of that, Steffens believes that it is important that you stay on friendly terms with the authorities. “If necessary, you pay them a little. You first give them a small amount of money, and then you tell them that you pay the rest if you have received the correct information. It is extremely dangerous to go out and about with a large sum of money." When I ask Steffens why he is still busy after a long career as a detective - he has been retired for some time - he says it is simple. “I just like doing it. I have to, because I can't let go. As a family of a missing person, you are at the mercy of the gods."
How come Kris and Lisanne managed to have weak cell coverage on April 2nd? Here is a low resolution coverage map for Digicell, which has the widest coverage of all the Panamanian cell phone providers that could be found back in 2014. You can see the important part, which is where the long mountain range in the middle, blocks the phone signal. Near Boquete there's a big mountain range, so the signal will cut off sharply as soon as you cross over the ridge (within 1.5km, according to the map) and beyond that there will be no signal at all. Not just an irregular signal, but no signal. The weak signal region is the purple region on the north side of the ridge. Only within that small region will there be irregular reception. Beyond that, there will be none at all, because the signal isn't fading with distance or blocked by irregular objects, it's being entirely blocked by the mountain. There may be a small variation of a few 100 metres, but that changes little. These maps show that the only place they could have gotten a phone signal, is near or at the top of the mountain ridge (or the south side of that mountain range). Translating for us in the Mirador summit, and on the ascent to it, on the Boquete side of the mountain, just like the local guides also said in the media. The first few phone calls that were made by Kris and Lisanne could not get a signal. This matches with the other facts we know - between their last known position (which was in the weak signal region) and the 1st distress call, they could've walked about 2-3km. Assuming they continued walking the direction they were going, this would put them about 1.5km outside of the purple region, and they would have zero signal. Not even enough for a GSM handshake. And that's exactly what we find. When they tried to make their 1st distress call - no signal. 12 minutes later they made the 2nd call, and again there was no signal. This suggests that at that 2-3km distance there wasn't just a weak signal but (effectively) no signal at all, and that agrees with the coverage map.
A SHORT CONNECTION?
But on April 2nd, Lisanne's Samsung phone manages, according to some sources, to make connection with 112 for 1 to 2 seconds. [Although this is not stated in the official police files, so it may be simply an error from the journalists involved; they did have the other phone log data correct however]. Then the connection is broken off again and the phone is powered off soon after. And Kris' iPhone is then also not powered on right away, to try to make a new connection. So, if true and going by the theory here that Kris and Lisanne were out alone in the tropical highland forest, lost, then in order to get a weak signal, this must mean based on this map that between April 1st and the early afternoon of April 2nd, they must have travelled to a higher elevation, closer to the top of the mountain ridge, either toward the south or east (most likely south), as that's the only way they could have gotten a signal, going by this map.. Because north of the Mirador, all the way to Bocas del Toro, there is only white region of no cell phone reception. But this creates a puzzle: if after backtracking back up the mountain and starting to get a weak signal, how and why did they eventually end up back down the mountain on the same (wrong) side? It's not a matter of getting lost again, because they were already going the right way, and getting the phone signal must have confirmed that to them too. Of course, this isn't 100% proof. But it suggests a scenario which I think should be considered. If they did come back eventually within the purple region, what happened? Have to add that Panamanian officials have not done much to reliably read out the data from these cell towers. There seems to have been little interest in all this. Overall, none of the official investigators could locate the phones pinging in a specific place on any day of their disappearance. And the Dutch may not have pressed hard for this sort of local data either.
But on April 2nd, Lisanne's Samsung phone manages, according to some sources, to make connection with 112 for 1 to 2 seconds. [Although this is not stated in the official police files, so it may be simply an error from the journalists involved; they did have the other phone log data correct however]. Then the connection is broken off again and the phone is powered off soon after. And Kris' iPhone is then also not powered on right away, to try to make a new connection. So, if true and going by the theory here that Kris and Lisanne were out alone in the tropical highland forest, lost, then in order to get a weak signal, this must mean based on this map that between April 1st and the early afternoon of April 2nd, they must have travelled to a higher elevation, closer to the top of the mountain ridge, either toward the south or east (most likely south), as that's the only way they could have gotten a signal, going by this map.. Because north of the Mirador, all the way to Bocas del Toro, there is only white region of no cell phone reception. But this creates a puzzle: if after backtracking back up the mountain and starting to get a weak signal, how and why did they eventually end up back down the mountain on the same (wrong) side? It's not a matter of getting lost again, because they were already going the right way, and getting the phone signal must have confirmed that to them too. Of course, this isn't 100% proof. But it suggests a scenario which I think should be considered. If they did come back eventually within the purple region, what happened? Have to add that Panamanian officials have not done much to reliably read out the data from these cell towers. There seems to have been little interest in all this. Overall, none of the official investigators could locate the phones pinging in a specific place on any day of their disappearance. And the Dutch may not have pressed hard for this sort of local data either.
UPDATE
Gaetan wrote me and stated that if a cell phone connects to the network for 2 seconds, theoretically, then the operator automatically knows many things. Because when a mobile phone connects to a network, many data are checked:. First, once the pin code is entered, the phone connects to the nearest cell tower. Your phone number is verified by the servers to know which operator you can get access to, then your subscription plan (or prepaid plan) is checked and once deemed valid, you can access the network. All this takes a few seconds. Then you see the network operator’s name on your cell phone. Considering that on April 2nd, Lisanne's Samsung phone was claimed to have had a few seconds of connection, this would mean that the phone was actually connected to a specific cell tower. Meaning that Panamese cell operators should be able to know which cell tower was used when this specific 112 dial was made. Of course, a cell tower doesn’t give you a precise localization like GPS. The accuracy depends on whether or not you are in an urban area (more towers, more accuracy) or in the countryside (less towers, larger radius). In the case of Kris & Lisanne, it would have helped to know if the calls were made from a city or a forest. It would also be good for us to know if a tower near the Pianista Trail pinged, or one near... let's say the Caldera swimming area. However, Panama supposedly found no info on this. Even though cellular tower companies should keep records or logs of established connections. As far as the public and the media are aware, Betzaida Pitti and her team failed to get this information. The Dutch investigators as a result had nothing to work with. - Gaetan also confirmed that if somebody needed to access the iPhone, a code and pin code were required. At that time, to charge or to connect the iPhone to a computer, you needed its non-standard 30-pin connector to usb-a cable Kris certainly left in her room. Another thing which Gaetan told me, is that in 2014, the iPhone4 (which Kris had) used iOS 7. Even now, people usually leave the tracking location services on by default. It means the iPhone regularly pinpoints your location using either cell or gps. There was even an app showing on a map where you’ve been to. It could be interesting to know where the 112 calls have been made. Hopefully Dutch forensics knew about this hidden tracking device and checked it and did their job. - You can read a lot more information and research into the phone logs and the phone's connectivity in my part 4 blog post.
Gaetan wrote me and stated that if a cell phone connects to the network for 2 seconds, theoretically, then the operator automatically knows many things. Because when a mobile phone connects to a network, many data are checked:. First, once the pin code is entered, the phone connects to the nearest cell tower. Your phone number is verified by the servers to know which operator you can get access to, then your subscription plan (or prepaid plan) is checked and once deemed valid, you can access the network. All this takes a few seconds. Then you see the network operator’s name on your cell phone. Considering that on April 2nd, Lisanne's Samsung phone was claimed to have had a few seconds of connection, this would mean that the phone was actually connected to a specific cell tower. Meaning that Panamese cell operators should be able to know which cell tower was used when this specific 112 dial was made. Of course, a cell tower doesn’t give you a precise localization like GPS. The accuracy depends on whether or not you are in an urban area (more towers, more accuracy) or in the countryside (less towers, larger radius). In the case of Kris & Lisanne, it would have helped to know if the calls were made from a city or a forest. It would also be good for us to know if a tower near the Pianista Trail pinged, or one near... let's say the Caldera swimming area. However, Panama supposedly found no info on this. Even though cellular tower companies should keep records or logs of established connections. As far as the public and the media are aware, Betzaida Pitti and her team failed to get this information. The Dutch investigators as a result had nothing to work with. - Gaetan also confirmed that if somebody needed to access the iPhone, a code and pin code were required. At that time, to charge or to connect the iPhone to a computer, you needed its non-standard 30-pin connector to usb-a cable Kris certainly left in her room. Another thing which Gaetan told me, is that in 2014, the iPhone4 (which Kris had) used iOS 7. Even now, people usually leave the tracking location services on by default. It means the iPhone regularly pinpoints your location using either cell or gps. There was even an app showing on a map where you’ve been to. It could be interesting to know where the 112 calls have been made. Hopefully Dutch forensics knew about this hidden tracking device and checked it and did their job. - You can read a lot more information and research into the phone logs and the phone's connectivity in my part 4 blog post.
Writer Ramón Hernández published a compilation book in October 2015 about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne and has his own thoughts on what likely happened to themSource. Writer and journalist Ramón Hernández wanted to clear up the case of the missing Dutch women. His compilation book is called "Mystery in the Path of the Pianist", and it is a compilation of the journalistic Panamanian publications on the girls' mysterious disappearance. Hernández selected relevant news articles and photos that were published between April 29th 2014 and October 2015 for his book. Hernández is called 'one of the heroes from November 3rd 1959, when he and Aquilino Boyd led the "Operation Sovereignty".
"Their death was a crime and not a disappearance, as the prosecutor in Chiriquí says". Hernández added: "I think that the public prosecutor did not know from day one how to lead and carry out this investigation. I am asking that the fact that this was a crime is further investigated. Because in my opinion, it may not be possible for the murderers to be free."
Article in a Dutch crime-related magazine about the Lost in the Wild episode from Kinga Philipps and J.J. KelleyToday a Dutch magazine published a long article about the American Travel Channel episode on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. You can read my entire review and summary of the Travel Channels episode about the Kris and Lisanne case HERE. And you can view the whole tv episode here. Journalist Carlo has received extensive information from our own Juan, who has updated him on all aspects of the case. Just like (and this is no misplaced vanity) Juan and I provided the Travel Channel team with detailed information on this case, some of which you also directly hear back in this interview with Kinga. So most of the information about the main story and the inconsistencies of this disappearance - as given by Kinga and JJ below - will be no news for you, if you already read my main post. But there are very interesting parts in the article, where the presenters reveal some things that happened OFF CAMERA during their time in Panama, or impressions which they could not air on TV. This article is based on conversations Carlo had with the Lost in the Wild hosts. It was published in Dutch, but here I give you the translated version (Thank you Juan, Carlo, Kinga and JJ! I also anonymized the names, Scarlet)
American Travel Channel explored the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne
January 13th, 2020. [Quote] "People are still preoccupied with the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon. Also internationally. In every country there are several forums on which this case is still extensively discussed, and on YouTube there are numerous videos about the Dutch girls, who disappeared in 2014 after a walk on the Pianista trail in the Panamanian jungle and of whom only some bones and a backpack full of stuff was ever found. J.J. Kelley and Kinga Philipps are the makers of the American TV program Lost in the Wild, a series of broadcasts on the Travel Channel network about people who never came back alive from the jungle. The pair digs into these missing cases with a firm toughness which brings our own Dutch Peter R. De Vries to mind. And they dedicated the first episode entirely to Kris and Lisanne. Armed with a camera crew and helicopter, Kelley and Philipps left for Panama to investigate. The duo did a reconstruction of the girls' hike and interviewed both the local population and a forensic pathologist who had investigated the bones of Kris and Lisanne at the time. Mannen Magazine spoke with Kinga Philipps. "This is really a very mysterious case." Lisanne (22) and Kris (21) disappeared in April 2014 when they took a walk on the famous Pianista trail. When they reached the summit, they probably walked a bit further, with the intention to go back again via the same path. As a result, the two were supposed to have ended up lost in the jungle and eventually fell to their deaths from the so-called "Monkey Bridge", a bridge that only consists of two wobbling ropes above fast-flowing water full of rocks. After intensive searches, only a few remains of both women were found, including their backpacks which contained their phones and photo camera, with which ninety mysterious night photos were taken eight days after their disappearance. J.J. Kelley and Kinga Philipps made a reconstruction and spoke to various parties involved."
"This is a case where nothing seems to be right," Philipps tells Mannen Magazine. “Whatever theory you adhere to, it remains a strange story. Strayed? Okay, but why so few calling attempts then? And never during the night. Wouldn't any healthy, young girl do anything to avoid having to spend the first night in the jungle? Yet, they only made an emergency call at five o'clock [in the afternoon] and then again the next morning. No mobile connection in all cases. And never, in all those days, have they tried to send a message, which would have been sent even if their phones would only have made a second of connection with a cell tower. By contrast, do you believe in a crime? Then it is also very difficult to make everything right. Then the perpetrator took the night photos, but why is Kris's hair still clearly visible in one of the photos? It is all wrong and that is why it is such a big mystery, which keeps people all over the world preoccupied."
Honest opinion - J.J. Kelley and Kinga Philipps naturally have their own theories by now. But they could not air them freely in their broadcast. "You can't just accuse someone," Philipps knows. Quote: “You have to be very careful with that on television. Then you really have to have solid evidence. But if you ask my honest opinion, then we have reason to suspect that the guide F. knows more than he shows. He was the one who, on the first day of their disappearance, entered the host families' room of Kris and Lisanne on his own, to investigate the situation there. At leisure; he took his time. He claims that the girls booked him for an excursion, but did not show up for their appointment that day. So he went to their host family, asked for the key and went inside their room. To thén afterwards notify the police. A strange story, because what sort of guide does such a thing? Young people often do not show up for a booked excursion, especially if they have partied the night before. Wouldn't it be something if all those guides would then start to search through holiday homes and hotel rooms? This guide is also the one who found the bone remains of Kris and Lisanne and to whom the found backpack was handed over before it was given to the authorities. And he has a farm on the Pianista Trail. The man was literally involved in everything. When Kris's parents came to Panama, looking for answers for their daughter, it was this guide again who led the Dutch to the top of the mountain.” Already in the fourth minute of the Lost in the Wild episode about Kris and Lisanne, when Kelley and Philipps embark on their Pianista walk, we see guide F. pass by, looking timidly into the camera. Why has this man not been interrogated? "We asked if he wanted to respond on camera, but he refused," says Philipps. “He walked up the path in front of us, so we assumed that we would pass him again later. After all, he himself told the parents of Kris that there is only one path that leads to the top of the mountain. But we have spent the entire day and night on this trail and have never encountered him again. That means that he has taken a different path.” (Scarlet; but keep in mind that nobody was found guilty of anything in this story, neither the guide; people are innocent until proven otherwise).
Relative - There are many rumors in Panama about a relative of the guide, who is said to have been in a youth gang at the time and could also know more about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. Quote: "That could certainly be the case," thinks Philipps. “When we approached F., I noticed how small and thin he is. It is hard to imagine that he could overpower two girls on his own, but on the other hand he is always carrying a machete. We think, however, that there is a greater chance that X. knew the girls and that the guide tries to keep his relative out of the wind. However, we deliberately chose not to appoint the suspicious guide in our broadcast, because it is dangerous to appoint a guilty person without having solid evidence for that. Yet I firmly believe that he knows more than he shows. Let's keep it at that." Now that Kinga Philipps has walked the Pianista path herself, she can no longer imagine that Kris and Lisanne would have lost their way and could thén have spent another eight days in the jungle, without encountering anyone. “The story is that they have reached the top of the Pianista trail, but instead of turning around and walking back, they walked a bit further. But for what purpose? With what goal? It was late, it would be dark soon, then you do not keep walking on like that. They also took a lot of photos of their walk, but not of the part where they would have lost their way. When we walked there ourselves, I kept taking pictures all the time. It is really spectacular there [beyond the Mirador summit], what a beautiful area. Yet there is not a single snapshot of this place on their camera (*See this specific place pictured by Kinga and JJ below). I simply don't believe it. I don't think they have been that far up on that side of the Pianista."
Bras - Another strange thing. How was it possible that their backpack was found completely dry and in a beautiful state, with their belongings and bras neatly folded in it, while it supposedly had been lying in the jungle for months and was carried away by the water. "If they indeed fell from a bridge, as the Panamanian government claims, the bag would not have been in this state," Philipps knows this for sure. Quote: “With all their things neatly stored away. Also their bras. Why on earth would they take it off? That backpack was put there one hundred percent intentionally. It also only surfaced after the girls' family offered a reward of 30,000 euros. Suddenly, there were a backpack and bone remains. The villagers who found the backpack, by the way, never got paid and are still angry about it.” J.J. Kelley and Kinga Philipps would like to make a sequel of their broadcast about Kris and Lisanne. “This is really a mysterious case and has kept minds busy for years. We have already dealt with many strange cases, especially many missing cases, but we have not experienced anything like this before. A disappearance where there is a lot of evidence - a backpack with belongings, bones, photos and telephone data - but nothing seems to be right. It was very refreshing to walk in the footsteps of the girls and do that Pianista trail, but it has also made things even more confusing for us. Because as I said, why would Kris and Lisanne have walked on so far? I can imagine that they wanted to walk on for a little bit, but to really walk deep into the jungle while it is already getting dark, no, I don't believe that. And if they were forced to spend the night in the wilderness because they got lost, they would have stayed close to the path. There are also no dangerous abysses where you can easily fall in. The worst thing that can happen is injuring your ankle or something. So suppose one of them was injured, could not walk any further, and the other decided to stay with her, they would still have met someone. There are enough people walking there every single day. Although one of those people may also have been an opportunistic murderer, of course ... But then how do we explain all those emergency calls that were made for days in a row in the morning and afternoon? Never at night and never once to family or their host family. And never a text message. Or would a possible attacker have let them keep the phones, knowing that there was no reach [cell tower coverage] anyway? I can't imagine that either. Or have those emergency calls been staged and were they never even made by Kris and Lisanne themselves? But then those ninety night photos, which were taken with the camera after eight days, cannot be explained again. One of those photos really shows Kris' hair. The rest is black or there are only some rocks and vegetation on it. It is suspected that the girls wanted to signal with their camera for help. But where the hell did they fall, where the rescue teams could not find any trace of them in all those days?"
Psychologists - "Kinga Philipps has especially a hard time letting go of the "neat" backpack. "I keep finding it strange," she explains. “If those girls were indeed injured and died in the jungle, then they didn't make farewell messages for their loved ones in their last hours and moments, but then they díd take the time to tidy up their things?
We have talked a lot with psychologists for our programs. They tell us that people who know that they are dying always think of their relatives and leave something behind. No way that Kris and Lisanne would not have done that. They were very close with their parents.
"And to think that the bones and backpack are found miles apart ... this case stinks. Also the taxi driver who brought Kris and Lisanne to the start of the Pianista, and therefore would have seen them last, was found dead in a recreational lake, a year after their disappearance.” For Lost in the Wild, Kelley and Philipps have access to a true helicopter, which they used to fly to the village of Alta Romero, a mountain village on the other side of the Pianista trail. A woman from Alta Romero is said to have found the backpack at the time. Kelley and Philipps tracked her down and put her in front of the Travel Channel camera, after the village first held a mysterious "meeting" in which it seemed to be agreed what story to tell. "After walking around this village, I now think these people know more than they say," says Philipps. “The Pianista area is their back garden. They know everything that is happening in the jungle. If the rumors are correct that drugs are smuggled along the trail, then this village is in the middle of the route. They need to be aware of that and they might get paid to keep their mouths shut.”
Forensic pathologist - In the broadcast, a forensic pathologist from Panama, who was involved in the investigation at the time, speaks. He not only claims that the bones did not show any signs of a hard fall at all, disproving the official story where the girls supposedly fell from a Monkey Bridge. But he also says he has reasons to suspect that Kris and Lisanne have fallen victim to organ trafficking. Exactly as the AD reported in 2014, but then had to rectify this story due to lack of evidence. Philipps:
“What this pathologist showed us off-camera was very convincing. He was really afraid for his safety, which meant we were not allowed to broadcast everything. Believe me: something much bigger is going on here than is suspected in the Netherlands and I certainly do not exclude the involvement of high-level people."
"The editors of Lost in the Wild conducted research into medical tourism in Panama. "A booming industry," said Philipps. “The first successful heart transplant took place there in 2016 and Panama has now become a popular destination for this type of tourism. Surgeons earn more than 300 grand a month there. A lot of money goes round in medical tourism. It would not be a bad extra income for a drug cartel to trade organs here and there. That is also what the forensic pathologist suspects. And if he is right, then people from higher up must know. There is no other way. Which explains why they have the means to stage such a successful cover-up. And why the government also claims that the girls have fallen from a bridge. However, after our own investigation, we are certain: Kris and Lisanne never reached that Monkey Bridge. They already turned around before that point, to walk back to Boquete. I maintain that they have been abducted. But by whom? We can only guess about this, for the time being. We continue to hope that someone there wants to talk and that more information will come out in the near future. Then we will definitely go back to Panama to make a follow-up episode." - The chance that this case will ever be reopened is small, by the way. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) in the Netherlands has recently announced that their investigation at that time only concerned a partial investigation into the camera. The total investigation was done by the Panamanian Prosecution. A possible reopening of the case can only be arranged by Panama ..."
Lawyer Arrocha's criticism
[Wednesday 13 AUGUST] Enrique Arrocha files a complaint against the Panamanian prosecution, in name of the Kremers family. They accuse Panama of mishandling the case and performing a weak investigation. Arrocha reveals that it turned out that after the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) determined the test that was done to the skeletal remains of the second finding (carried out by residents of Alto Romero) negative, and that false evidence was possibly being created and planted: "They are planting bones and evidence, something that is a crime and that worries us" Arrocha said. The bones found there turned out to belong to a mammal, a woman and a 3-year old child.
[Wednesday 13 AUGUST] Enrique Arrocha files a complaint against the Panamanian prosecution, in name of the Kremers family. They accuse Panama of mishandling the case and performing a weak investigation. Arrocha reveals that it turned out that after the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) determined the test that was done to the skeletal remains of the second finding (carried out by residents of Alto Romero) negative, and that false evidence was possibly being created and planted: "They are planting bones and evidence, something that is a crime and that worries us" Arrocha said. The bones found there turned out to belong to a mammal, a woman and a 3-year old child.
The useless Dutch
And what is worse: Juan just heard from the press-/spokesperson for the Dutch Prosecution, that in this entire Kris and Lisanne Disappearance Case, the Dutch prosecution have by their own admission now only looked into the photo card from the camera and the mobile phones. And not by their own demand, no, but because they were asked to do so by Panama. They literally wrote that "Our investigation was only a partial one, a sub-study. The totality of the investigation was performed by the Panamanian prosecution. Led by Mrs. Pitti. Therefore they are the ones who can look at the new evidence material and decide whether or not to reopen the case." Yeh, small chance of that ever happening.. Shocking that the Dutch never did a second opinion check up of all the parts of the investigation. I mean, if Panama were the only ones to do the rest of the research - including the DNA testing of the bones - then who will be certain now that they did a good job? Here's to hoping that the Travel Channel or anybody else for that matter, will come with a sequel and will not let go of this case! Please ask the Dutch prosecution why they refuse to let new specialists weigh in on the photo card evidence? And why they refuse to use updated modernized techniques to try to reopen the case. Wished we could hire the FBI to take over.
Regarding the messing up of this investigation:
*FINGERPRINTS weren't properly investigated and checked. As many as 34 different fingerprints were reported to have been found; 13 on the backpack, 12 on the phones and the camera, as well as 6 different ones on the bras. They have never been further investigated, although in the media it has been published that one of the found fingerprints matched a Panamanian Database. However, no updates were ever given on this;
*No fingerprints were taken from the volunteers and those who found the girls belongings and bones;
*DNA from many different people was detected on the bag and its content, but they have not led to any suspects;
*SOIL: Soil remnants found on the backpack have not been thoroughly compared with soil samples of the spot where the backpack was located, to be certain if it had been planted there or not;
*WATER BOTTLE; the water bottle wasn't checked either, nobody knows if the last water remnants in it came from supermarket water, tap water or river water for instance. And if there had last been river water in that bottle, did it come from river water from behind the Pianista? River water from ANOTHER location? Priceless info, potentially. Waaaaahhhh!
*The jungle cabins including the one from the guide weren't checked by sniffer dogs or for evidence of blood or DNA.
*They may have interviewed some local people, but this also led to nothing. According to locals, the police did not go proactively after witness statements or potential suspects from the area.
*Camera footage showing the girls that day in Boquete was either never released or they were too late to prevent it from being overwritten.
*Sinaproc staff were well intending, but unwillingly messed up not just a possible crime scene in the jungle, but also the crime scene of the girls' bedroom for instance, by not entering it with criminal specialists or even the police.
It's great to walk around with a large force, but if you don't look at the right places, it leads to nothing. Spreading reasonable doubt about foul play and stating that "no indications pointing to it" were found, was enough in this case to steer the dominant and prevailing opinion towards an accident. Despite many little facts and details making no sense. Besides, local guides already went out for their own research before the large Sinaproc team arrived, in the first days after their disappearance. Uncoordinated and unchecked (from a police point of view).
Travel Travel author Susie Greene wrote in September 2019 that a new investigation report in 2017 ruled this disappearance case a homicide after all
"Between 2009 and 2017, over 24 other tourists have gone missing in this area or turned up dead. The case was revisited in 2017 in which there was enough evidence to suggest that these disappearances may have been linked to a serial killer. Leaked law enforcement reports suggested someone dismembered the young women and scattered their remains deliberately, which might have happened to others as well. After an eighteen-month investigation, the report said that the evidence pointed to homicide." I also feel that the fact that only a few bones from Lisanne's left leg were found in the end, together with rolled up skin from her shinbone, points towards dismemberment. This is also what locals have been whispering. - The Daily Beast also wrote about this by the way, back in 2017. Strangely enough practically all Jeremy Kryts articles on this disappearance case from Kris and Lisanne were free to read back in March and April 2019, when I wrote these blog posts. Not anymore now, they're all turned into 'members-only' now, meaning you now need to pay for them in order to read the info. Great... Have some info from this article nevertheless: Since The Daily Beasts original investigation, brand-new manifestation and eyewitnesses have come to light. Others have also turned up dead or went missing in the same region of Panama. Now new law-enforcement reports are revealed, as well as previously unknown maps and photos, and additional forensic information, including an expert testimony that cartel-style dismemberment tactics seem to have been used to dispose of the victims. "Finally, we can now place the case of the Holandesas, the Dutch girlfriends, within the context of more than two dozen other unsolved murders and disappearances in this same, principally rural region of Panama over the last eight years, with more than two-thirds happening since 2014, when Kris and Lisanne went missing." Victims include tourists from at the least three European countries, as well as local women and children, and most recently American citizen Catherine Johannet, 23, who was murdered in February of 2017. "And those are just the cases we can confirm. Other sources indicate the true body count might be far greater."
How to correctly go about in a Cold Case (and why I think this case will never be solved)
I read an interesting article from a Dutch Cold Case detective called Harrie Timmerman. He blogged about some unsolved murder cases in the Netherlands, and also about the system he and his colleague Johan Stienstra developed to handle Cold Cases. His method is based on investigating Different Scenarios. When Timmerman and Stienstra are allowed to look into an old and unsolved case, the two men first carefully read the entire existing case file again. They also use the help of a national TV program called 'Opsporing Verzocht', which asks help from the viewers in crime cases. They pose some specific questions in this program, usually about details that spring out in the case in question, and appeal for witnesses to come forward. Anonymously if needed. The two investigators also revisit old witnesses. After they concoct new possible Scenarios, the men work very systematically. They do not want to focus just on one suspect.
SUSPECT PROFILE
First they make a clear profile of the suspect (called 'daderprofiel' here: offender profile). You create a suspect profile based on the facts as you found them on the crime scene. For instance: was the perpetrator most likely an acquaintance of the victim or not? What could have motivated him/her? Did the perpetrator have a sexual, financial or other motive? What did witnesses describe? Was the perpetrator most likely from the same area or not? Did the perpetrator show self control or impulsiveness or rage, for instance? Did he/she leave any traces or revisit the scene of the crime?
First they make a clear profile of the suspect (called 'daderprofiel' here: offender profile). You create a suspect profile based on the facts as you found them on the crime scene. For instance: was the perpetrator most likely an acquaintance of the victim or not? What could have motivated him/her? Did the perpetrator have a sexual, financial or other motive? What did witnesses describe? Was the perpetrator most likely from the same area or not? Did the perpetrator show self control or impulsiveness or rage, for instance? Did he/she leave any traces or revisit the scene of the crime?
SCENARIOSThen they sift through all the newly made possible scenarios, to determine which of those are 'possible' and they then order them from most likely to least likely (For instance; the scenario where a young woman is murdered by a spurned lover). The third step is then to investigate whether the most likely scenario could have in fact occurred in reality. Based on this last step it is also possible to determine if there is a suspect, yes or no. If so, you investigate if you can prove that this suspect committed the crime, for instance with the help of DNA if possible. If so the suspect can be detained; if not, or if there is no suspect within this scenario, you move on to the next most likely scenario. And you start this process again. But before you skip to the next scenario, you first check if there are more possible suspect candidates within your initial Scenario. Only after all the possible suspect candidates within this scenario have dropped out, you can start with the next most likely scenario (for instance: the young woman in question also had work clients who she fell out with and who felt threatened by her work-related investigative powers). If there are no clients who could have matched with the perpetrators, you move on to the 3rd most likely scenario.
DIFFERENT SCENARIO PRINCIPLE
Only in cases where there is no clear indication in what direction you have to search and investigate, is the (time-consuming) Different Scenario principle handy. Timmerman also writes that he can tell from experience as a former cop, that police and Justice Department investigators have made a habit these days of stating that they "are investigating all possibilities and / or that all scenarios are being taken into account". They do so to avoid being accused of suffering from tunnel vision. This gives the impression that these officers also work with the Different Scenario's concept. But Timmerman writes that this is not always the case however. For each case, you first have to analyze the facts and then decide on that basis whether or not you focus on one scenario or whether you have to take several scenarios into account. So not all cases are the same and require his multi facet approach. Only in cases where there is no clear indication in what direction you have to search and investigate, is the (time-consuming) Different Scenario principle handy.
Only in cases where there is no clear indication in what direction you have to search and investigate, is the (time-consuming) Different Scenario principle handy. Timmerman also writes that he can tell from experience as a former cop, that police and Justice Department investigators have made a habit these days of stating that they "are investigating all possibilities and / or that all scenarios are being taken into account". They do so to avoid being accused of suffering from tunnel vision. This gives the impression that these officers also work with the Different Scenario's concept. But Timmerman writes that this is not always the case however. For each case, you first have to analyze the facts and then decide on that basis whether or not you focus on one scenario or whether you have to take several scenarios into account. So not all cases are the same and require his multi facet approach. Only in cases where there is no clear indication in what direction you have to search and investigate, is the (time-consuming) Different Scenario principle handy.
"The police are doing everything they can to prevent it being made public that they have made mistakes"
THE REALITY OF COLD CASE TEAMS
With Cold Case Teams here, it is so that research can only be done after new information has shown up. For instance new information from witnesses who report on the case, or new information results from new forensic investigations. The reason for this is that the police are doing everything they can to prevent it being made public that they have made mistakes. That is why old cases can only be solved through new developments and not through new research.
RELYING IN WITNESSES
So as you can read, these specialist Cold Case detectives rely on witnesses for a large part. In this Kris and Lisanne's Cold Case (as I'd like to call it), the witness part has been mostly entirely skipped by investigators. There were no official reports about witnesses interviewed by police, but on local forums people did complain that anyone who knew something had to go to police by their own initiative. Police invited people to voluntarily come to the police office to give off statements, but hardly anybody did. The police only spoke Spanish, discouraging English speaking expats in the process, and in the local culture of social control and threats nobody felt particularly motivated to voluntarily 'snitch'. So the police had little to go by in that respect. Although they may have found out a lot more in secret, which didn't lead to anything in that case. The suspect part was - officially at least - also almost entirely skipped. Houses were not searched, possible suspects were not called in for interrogation (with very few exceptions; apparently some of the local youth mentioned elsewhere were shortly detained, only to be released again), nor were their properties checked. DNA and fingerprints were not collected from the volunteers involved in the search parties, so no matches could be made or excluded with the 30+ DNA samples and fingerprints collected from the girls' belongings. And I doubt that Panamanian inspectors under Betzaida Pitti's lead were stimulated to come up with a series of Different Scenarios, to the point of being allowed to thoroughly investigate each and every one of them. The Dutch for their part allowed for this case to be trashed and ruined by investigators, and then swept under the proverbial carpet, in favour of good diplomatic relations and less hassle. They sat on important files for long times and frustrated the parents to no end with their slow and uninspired handling of the case. Even with a Cold Case team looking into the Kris and Lisanne case again right now (as we speak) will with near certainty NOT reopen the case [Update; no reopening of the case].. There is zero incentive. I estimate the chance of it ever being solved less than 1% tbh. The Panamanians may have their own motives to stick to the scenario where the girls just got lost and died through their own incompetence. Even if we had a perpetrator who blatantly posed on a photo with the girls (missing photo 509?), EVEN if we had that photo, the investigators could still in theory deem it 'inconclusive' evidence and not enough to reopen the case. I think this case will remain unsolved and a mystery forever most likely. One which the public can speculate about to the moon and back. Going round and round in the soup of incomplete photos and phone data and incomplete forensic results.. :(
"They weren't there". On April 15th-16th 2014, only two weeks into the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, an explorer decided to walk the Pianista Trail himself, looking for the girls
This explorer and writer actually walked the same Pianista Trail, after learning about the disappearance from Kris and Lisanne. And although there are some minor errors in the introduction of his text - he writes for instance "[..] two young women got into a taxi to go and walk the Sendero or track of the Pianista. Fate was about to deal them all a dark and complex trick, ultimately no one whom was in that car on that fateful day was to survive." - which is not true, as there were also two other men already in that taxi, who shared it with Kris and Lisanne (who got in later). So out of the 5 people in that taxi, only 2 wouldn't survive it within the next year, or so we assume - and there are also some errors in the details about where they stayed and who first reported them missing, or went into their room. But despite these errors, the part where he goes into details about the hike up onto the Pianista is really interesting I think. Aside from describing the path going up, with all the natural beauty he encounters being detailed, he wrote about the situation at the Mirador summit for instance: "Finally the Mirador was reached, very obvious by all the food wrappers left about by the previous searchers, it had taken exactly two hours to reach this point without stopping all the way from the restaurant. [..] Could they have become turned around thinking that the direction toward Boquete was in fact toward Changuinola to the North? It seemed really unlikely as the Mirador had the section with the view to Boquete cut back on the right hand side, with few trees rising above the path level, yet to the North it remained thickly wooded, even in the thick cloud it seemed unlikely, but of course not impossible."
NORTH OF THE MIRADOR
He also describes the north side of the Mirador summit as steep, matching what Dutch news have reported. He determined that: "the steepest slope to the North, falling away toward the Atlantic, should be searched first and I was about to implement the decision, when an Indigenous bloke appeared on the path coming up from the Atlantic side carrying a sack. I was able to talk with him for a bit and turned the subject to the lost women, he also appeared really puzzled not understanding how you could get into trouble here, and in good weather. Asking about cats we talked for a while, the puma he said does not bother anyone and are a common sight sometimes crossing the tracks whilst they are walking along. On the other hand the jaguar was a more of a problem and that they been known to have taken people, he pointed down to the North, and explained that you would not be likely to encounter one up here as they don’t like the cold, but lower down they were not uncommon." So aside from the jaguar story, he runs into someone up there... Which means it is not far-fetched to assume that it was possible for Kris and Lisanne also to run into someone up there, considering they hiked at an extraordinary nice day also with warm temperatures, sun and dry walking circumstances. This explorer then goes down the Mirador, on the north side (so not the side facing Boquete but the other side facing the jungle, where Kris and Lisanne are assumed to have gone missing). Unlike the parents from Kris in their reconstruction video, this man then goes 'off piste', not taking the main path going down but another more wild route. "So I descended the path a little bit on the northern slope and chose the easiest place to plunge into the thick jungle to make a long traverse along the front of the mountain and down to a small stream .. There was absolutely no sign of anyone having pushed through the bush, no broken branches or telltale skid marks where someone would have slipped, as is normal on steep difficult terrain." In other words: two weeks after Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, there were no traces to be seen of anyone skidding down this off-beaten north side of the mountain. But he then more or less proves that there are other ways to get to the first quebrada/small stream (the stream which Kris crossed in photos 507 and 508): "After a long traverse I descended into the small creek, which is literally part of the headwaters of the Culebra River, then descending downwards following the stream through really thick overgrowth. Nothing, no sign of anything." Perhaps his route coincides with the routes which Jeremy S. sent me and another map with some Russian websleuths have thought out:
NORTH OF THE MIRADOR
He also describes the north side of the Mirador summit as steep, matching what Dutch news have reported. He determined that: "the steepest slope to the North, falling away toward the Atlantic, should be searched first and I was about to implement the decision, when an Indigenous bloke appeared on the path coming up from the Atlantic side carrying a sack. I was able to talk with him for a bit and turned the subject to the lost women, he also appeared really puzzled not understanding how you could get into trouble here, and in good weather. Asking about cats we talked for a while, the puma he said does not bother anyone and are a common sight sometimes crossing the tracks whilst they are walking along. On the other hand the jaguar was a more of a problem and that they been known to have taken people, he pointed down to the North, and explained that you would not be likely to encounter one up here as they don’t like the cold, but lower down they were not uncommon." So aside from the jaguar story, he runs into someone up there... Which means it is not far-fetched to assume that it was possible for Kris and Lisanne also to run into someone up there, considering they hiked at an extraordinary nice day also with warm temperatures, sun and dry walking circumstances. This explorer then goes down the Mirador, on the north side (so not the side facing Boquete but the other side facing the jungle, where Kris and Lisanne are assumed to have gone missing). Unlike the parents from Kris in their reconstruction video, this man then goes 'off piste', not taking the main path going down but another more wild route. "So I descended the path a little bit on the northern slope and chose the easiest place to plunge into the thick jungle to make a long traverse along the front of the mountain and down to a small stream .. There was absolutely no sign of anyone having pushed through the bush, no broken branches or telltale skid marks where someone would have slipped, as is normal on steep difficult terrain." In other words: two weeks after Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, there were no traces to be seen of anyone skidding down this off-beaten north side of the mountain. But he then more or less proves that there are other ways to get to the first quebrada/small stream (the stream which Kris crossed in photos 507 and 508): "After a long traverse I descended into the small creek, which is literally part of the headwaters of the Culebra River, then descending downwards following the stream through really thick overgrowth. Nothing, no sign of anything." Perhaps his route coincides with the routes which Jeremy S. sent me and another map with some Russian websleuths have thought out:
CELL PHONE USE
This male explorer then decides to climb back to the main trail; the one followed by Kris' parents also. "Finally after descending quite some way it just seemed obvious that no one had come this way, so I started making my way now back up to the descending ridge of the Pianista path." He then walks back to the Mirador (summit of the Pianista Trail) and here he has a weak telephone signal: "I encountered the path and climbed back up to the lookout, sat down and rested a bit, I was able to use the cell phone I had with me Here to check in, but only at the very top of the ridge and the signal was weak." Then he runs into another person again: a local guide shows up on the Mirador and tells him that he finds it very strange that the two girls just vanished into thin air: "At around this time another person showed up, he turned out to be a guide from Boquete whom seemed quite surprised to see me, we talked at length. He had been searching for the two women for some time, we talked of the terrain, he felt as I did that it was unlikely that they could have remained lost for very long and on the whole it was also unlikely that they would have had an accident up here, which would have proved fatal. It was really a puzzle." So the guide was of the opinion that you cannot easily just perish by an accident in that area. The explorer then does another sweep of the mountainside, this time a little higher up, thinking that if an animal had dragged them off then maybe there was some belongings to be found, but again he came up with nothing. Although this time there are signs of others before him, which he takes to be also searching for the girls. By then it is the late afternoon and after already one night spent up that mountain, he has to abandon his search and go back to work. That is how he leaves things for quite a while; in the upcoming months the parents of the missing women come to Panama, official rescue parties and the local Boquete expat community try to find the girls in a coordinated manner. Nothing is found and this male explorer then believes that if they had been lost in the wilderness, it was already too late and it was a case of looking for bodies, so there was no reasons for carrying on.
This male explorer then decides to climb back to the main trail; the one followed by Kris' parents also. "Finally after descending quite some way it just seemed obvious that no one had come this way, so I started making my way now back up to the descending ridge of the Pianista path." He then walks back to the Mirador (summit of the Pianista Trail) and here he has a weak telephone signal: "I encountered the path and climbed back up to the lookout, sat down and rested a bit, I was able to use the cell phone I had with me Here to check in, but only at the very top of the ridge and the signal was weak." Then he runs into another person again: a local guide shows up on the Mirador and tells him that he finds it very strange that the two girls just vanished into thin air: "At around this time another person showed up, he turned out to be a guide from Boquete whom seemed quite surprised to see me, we talked at length. He had been searching for the two women for some time, we talked of the terrain, he felt as I did that it was unlikely that they could have remained lost for very long and on the whole it was also unlikely that they would have had an accident up here, which would have proved fatal. It was really a puzzle." So the guide was of the opinion that you cannot easily just perish by an accident in that area. The explorer then does another sweep of the mountainside, this time a little higher up, thinking that if an animal had dragged them off then maybe there was some belongings to be found, but again he came up with nothing. Although this time there are signs of others before him, which he takes to be also searching for the girls. By then it is the late afternoon and after already one night spent up that mountain, he has to abandon his search and go back to work. That is how he leaves things for quite a while; in the upcoming months the parents of the missing women come to Panama, official rescue parties and the local Boquete expat community try to find the girls in a coordinated manner. Nothing is found and this male explorer then believes that if they had been lost in the wilderness, it was already too late and it was a case of looking for bodies, so there was no reasons for carrying on.
SECOND TIME
But then he decides to go out there a second time. He brings a friend this time, Samuel. Again this explorer goes off-piste around the Mirador, exploring the wilderness there at several different altitudes. "It had been raining on and off steadily on the Atlantic slopes now, the weather was no longer stable, but on the day we went up it was actually quite dry." They drive up the first part of the Pianista Hike in a Chevy four wheel drive, until they can go no further at the end of the cattle pasture (the place where Kris and Lisanne took pictures of each other, carrying the backpack, against the backdrop of flat green surroundings and wooden poles). "We spent a fruitless day searching around the lookout in long swathes through incredibly dense foliage and thickets, many times we were crawling on all fours to get along, or clambering on top of dense vines and twisted trunks of trees fifteen feet or more off the ground. At one point I slipped and rolled very literally down a steep incline, the ground being so soft no harm comes of it." [..] "We had a good day and covered a lot of territory, a complete circumnavigation of the mirador had been made at varying altitudes. There were now a lot of signs of others who had searched before us, we tried as much as possible to pick new lines, and every so often we would see tell tales of cut saplings or the bush pushed aside. The results were dismal, at this point we were looking for shoes, clothes or anything which might give us an idea of what had occurred, And so around five in the afternoon we gave it up and slogged back to the truck covered in mud and mulch." They come to the conclusion that there seemed little point in continuing, and are sure that it was most likely that no further evidence would be uncovered of the two Dutch girls.
MID JUNE 2014
The first finding takes place: the girls' backpack and some remains are found many kilometres up north. "This was found in the Rio Culebra and a little further upriver a shoe was discovered with the remains of a human foot." Still this explorer believes there is no foul play involved and that Kris and Lisanne simply got lost and perished. "The remains were discovered many Kilometres down the Culebra River, no one had any idea how they got there, again the spectra of foul play was brought up. To me it was now confirmed that this was no criminal case, the cell phones, money and anything else of value would have been taken for sure had these young women been abducted or attacked, just the nature of the beast". He still believes at this point that the girls reached the Mirador late in the day. Then more remains and objects were discovered, a piece of pelvic bone belonging to Kris, the foot was DNA tested and belonged to Lisanne, A pair of shorts belonging to Kris were discovered much further up the river.
But then he decides to go out there a second time. He brings a friend this time, Samuel. Again this explorer goes off-piste around the Mirador, exploring the wilderness there at several different altitudes. "It had been raining on and off steadily on the Atlantic slopes now, the weather was no longer stable, but on the day we went up it was actually quite dry." They drive up the first part of the Pianista Hike in a Chevy four wheel drive, until they can go no further at the end of the cattle pasture (the place where Kris and Lisanne took pictures of each other, carrying the backpack, against the backdrop of flat green surroundings and wooden poles). "We spent a fruitless day searching around the lookout in long swathes through incredibly dense foliage and thickets, many times we were crawling on all fours to get along, or clambering on top of dense vines and twisted trunks of trees fifteen feet or more off the ground. At one point I slipped and rolled very literally down a steep incline, the ground being so soft no harm comes of it." [..] "We had a good day and covered a lot of territory, a complete circumnavigation of the mirador had been made at varying altitudes. There were now a lot of signs of others who had searched before us, we tried as much as possible to pick new lines, and every so often we would see tell tales of cut saplings or the bush pushed aside. The results were dismal, at this point we were looking for shoes, clothes or anything which might give us an idea of what had occurred, And so around five in the afternoon we gave it up and slogged back to the truck covered in mud and mulch." They come to the conclusion that there seemed little point in continuing, and are sure that it was most likely that no further evidence would be uncovered of the two Dutch girls.
MID JUNE 2014
The first finding takes place: the girls' backpack and some remains are found many kilometres up north. "This was found in the Rio Culebra and a little further upriver a shoe was discovered with the remains of a human foot." Still this explorer believes there is no foul play involved and that Kris and Lisanne simply got lost and perished. "The remains were discovered many Kilometres down the Culebra River, no one had any idea how they got there, again the spectra of foul play was brought up. To me it was now confirmed that this was no criminal case, the cell phones, money and anything else of value would have been taken for sure had these young women been abducted or attacked, just the nature of the beast". He still believes at this point that the girls reached the Mirador late in the day. Then more remains and objects were discovered, a piece of pelvic bone belonging to Kris, the foot was DNA tested and belonged to Lisanne, A pair of shorts belonging to Kris were discovered much further up the river.
SOMETHING STRANGE
There he left it and thought no more of the subject. But again much later still, something really strange occurred. "There is a place in Chiriqui called the Cangilones de Gualaca, where a lot of local people and tourists go to swim in the river, it is unusual in that the rock formation is a long canyon of vertical rock rising some twenty feet from the water, it is very narrow and the depth of the river is some thirty feet at the deepest. It’s a great place to practice climbing, the bouldering moves are really difficult and when you fall, it’s directly into deep water, no equipment needed and a soft landing. The shallower spots are used by locals to swim and to wade, and it's very popular during the dry season, people bring food and make a day of it. So it was a great surprise when it was reported in the paper that on the third of march of 2015 the body of Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez was found floating in the water. It was he whom had given the two girls the taxi ride to the start of the trail on that fateful First of April the year before. The report simply stated that he had given a lift to three tourists to the Cangilones and whilst they were enjoying the location, he had been found floating dead. I had the opportunity to ask some locals about what occurred and they said he had dived in and hit a ledge, there being no one looking he had simply drowned. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the whole thing felt like a visit from a very dark place not of our world; as I said no one whom got into that taxi survived [Correction; the two other passengers in that taxi did survive to the best of knowledge; but Kris, Lisanne and this taxi driver did all die within a short time span). "Then in early 2016 whilst surfing the internet the dutch girls came up in an unrelated google search, the photos from the cell phones and their camera had at some point been published, they had originally been suppressed out of respect for the family, which was understandable. It was a really strange and unsettling feeling to see them so alive and happy in the first group of photos from their cell phones where they are seen walking the path, at a brook, marveling at the deep overhead banks of the Sendero, smiling, alive, when you know their very soon to unravel fate. The last group of photos taken were just plain spooky, not much else to say to be honest. On their camera there were ninety photos taken on the 8th of April exactly one week after their disappearance, of which the report states eighty-seven were blank, and the last three were really strange, taken at night, two were of rocks and trees and one is of a small branch with some red plastic from what looks like supermarket bags tied to it, this seems fairly obviously a signal device. The ninety photos were reportedly taken between 1am and 4am only three of which were good, one every two minutes or so.
There he left it and thought no more of the subject. But again much later still, something really strange occurred. "There is a place in Chiriqui called the Cangilones de Gualaca, where a lot of local people and tourists go to swim in the river, it is unusual in that the rock formation is a long canyon of vertical rock rising some twenty feet from the water, it is very narrow and the depth of the river is some thirty feet at the deepest. It’s a great place to practice climbing, the bouldering moves are really difficult and when you fall, it’s directly into deep water, no equipment needed and a soft landing. The shallower spots are used by locals to swim and to wade, and it's very popular during the dry season, people bring food and make a day of it. So it was a great surprise when it was reported in the paper that on the third of march of 2015 the body of Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez was found floating in the water. It was he whom had given the two girls the taxi ride to the start of the trail on that fateful First of April the year before. The report simply stated that he had given a lift to three tourists to the Cangilones and whilst they were enjoying the location, he had been found floating dead. I had the opportunity to ask some locals about what occurred and they said he had dived in and hit a ledge, there being no one looking he had simply drowned. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the whole thing felt like a visit from a very dark place not of our world; as I said no one whom got into that taxi survived [Correction; the two other passengers in that taxi did survive to the best of knowledge; but Kris, Lisanne and this taxi driver did all die within a short time span). "Then in early 2016 whilst surfing the internet the dutch girls came up in an unrelated google search, the photos from the cell phones and their camera had at some point been published, they had originally been suppressed out of respect for the family, which was understandable. It was a really strange and unsettling feeling to see them so alive and happy in the first group of photos from their cell phones where they are seen walking the path, at a brook, marveling at the deep overhead banks of the Sendero, smiling, alive, when you know their very soon to unravel fate. The last group of photos taken were just plain spooky, not much else to say to be honest. On their camera there were ninety photos taken on the 8th of April exactly one week after their disappearance, of which the report states eighty-seven were blank, and the last three were really strange, taken at night, two were of rocks and trees and one is of a small branch with some red plastic from what looks like supermarket bags tied to it, this seems fairly obviously a signal device. The ninety photos were reportedly taken between 1am and 4am only three of which were good, one every two minutes or so.
SOMETHING STOOD OUT
Something stood out clearly though, and for me changed everything, it was the photos taken on their cell phone on April the first at El Mirador, the sun was shining high in the sky there was little cloud, it was remarkably clear, and there it was! The photos were analysed by experts, it was not five thirty or six in the evening, it was 1pm in the afternoon or thereabouts, these young women had left in the morning NOT at three thirty in the afternoon, it changed everything. I know the reported time of their start up the path fixed in stone our search area at the top of the ridge El Mirador, I am sure it influenced others. At one in the afternoon there was time to carry on with the adventure, squeeze a little more from the day, they were young and therefore not tired, so instead of turning around they might well have kept going on the path towards Changuinola heading to the North. Thirty minutes or so would have got them to the first quebrada or creek, There is a second quebrada another ten minutes along the path, both of these creeks join a little further down and they make up the headwaters of the Rio Culebra. So if the Girls arrive say 2pm it’s the height of the hottest part of the day on a sunny mountain, if you have ever experienced this you will know with the sun beating down it can get pretty warm. So there is a cool stream, well, human nature is to go for a swim. Maybe you would want a little privacy for this, so follow the river up, or down to look for a pool. From the second creek onward to the north, there are no real features until you reach a major branch of the Rio Culebra, but this is two or hours or more further on and through dense jungle. So it makes sense that this would be the point where they decided they had gone far enough, after all they did not have anything more than the items aforementioned, certainly nothing to spend the night out in the cold. There has to be a point where they would decide they had gone far enough and it would be closely related to the time. From either the first or second creek it would take more than two hours solid going to be able to get to the sealed Boquete Road again." Their cell phones register a call placed to the dutch emergency number of 112 at 16:39 that day and another at twelve minutes later using alternately both their cell phones. A total of eight emergency calls were made the last being on the 3rd of April. This information was also released some time after the initial searches. "So clearly they were in trouble at 16:40 in the afternoon, given delays and messing around it seems unlikely that they would have gone much further than the first or second creek which are slightly to the north of El mirador. So if indeed this is where they got to, what occurred there that ultimately proved fatal?"
Something stood out clearly though, and for me changed everything, it was the photos taken on their cell phone on April the first at El Mirador, the sun was shining high in the sky there was little cloud, it was remarkably clear, and there it was! The photos were analysed by experts, it was not five thirty or six in the evening, it was 1pm in the afternoon or thereabouts, these young women had left in the morning NOT at three thirty in the afternoon, it changed everything. I know the reported time of their start up the path fixed in stone our search area at the top of the ridge El Mirador, I am sure it influenced others. At one in the afternoon there was time to carry on with the adventure, squeeze a little more from the day, they were young and therefore not tired, so instead of turning around they might well have kept going on the path towards Changuinola heading to the North. Thirty minutes or so would have got them to the first quebrada or creek, There is a second quebrada another ten minutes along the path, both of these creeks join a little further down and they make up the headwaters of the Rio Culebra. So if the Girls arrive say 2pm it’s the height of the hottest part of the day on a sunny mountain, if you have ever experienced this you will know with the sun beating down it can get pretty warm. So there is a cool stream, well, human nature is to go for a swim. Maybe you would want a little privacy for this, so follow the river up, or down to look for a pool. From the second creek onward to the north, there are no real features until you reach a major branch of the Rio Culebra, but this is two or hours or more further on and through dense jungle. So it makes sense that this would be the point where they decided they had gone far enough, after all they did not have anything more than the items aforementioned, certainly nothing to spend the night out in the cold. There has to be a point where they would decide they had gone far enough and it would be closely related to the time. From either the first or second creek it would take more than two hours solid going to be able to get to the sealed Boquete Road again." Their cell phones register a call placed to the dutch emergency number of 112 at 16:39 that day and another at twelve minutes later using alternately both their cell phones. A total of eight emergency calls were made the last being on the 3rd of April. This information was also released some time after the initial searches. "So clearly they were in trouble at 16:40 in the afternoon, given delays and messing around it seems unlikely that they would have gone much further than the first or second creek which are slightly to the north of El mirador. So if indeed this is where they got to, what occurred there that ultimately proved fatal?"
NATURAL DANGERS
He believes that the girls got lost and died from the elements. He then goes on to list all the natural dangers in this part of the wilderness: "For the most part the rivers of the Panamanian are open and often quite wide, very rocky and the water tumbles down them amongst boulders, but sections of rivers where the gradient is steep enter Formidable canyons. These features require specialized equipment to safely negotiate and a lot of experience, they have many natural traps for the unwary. They are three dimensional zones which are hard to comprehend unless you have had previous experience, and they are not necessarily easy places to safely get through. They also tend to come up quite suddenly, one minute its easy boulder hopping and the next you are confronted with perpendicular walls and high waterfalls. It is easy to descend into a section and not be able to exit it. You can enter a deep pool to swim and not be able to get out due to the very polished nature of the rocks and rock walls. The upper sections of waterfalls bear a slimy coating at times, which is the equivalent of black ice. Flash flooding can raise water levels in seconds. Boulders can shift trapping a person. The extremely uneven nature of the terrain can unbalance you, and falls can easily occur. I treat such places with extreme caution always. Could they have got themselves into such a zone and become trapped? Had they perished and their bodies not been found, then it is perfectly possible that they would have remained there until the rains started. Any place in a river narrow enough to hide two people from a low flying helicopter would very quickly fill with water in the intense rains of the wet season. The width of the river has little to do with this phenomenon, a narrow creek can be way more powerful than a wider river, especially if it has been squeezed down, It has far more to do with water volume and gradient mixed with the width of the hydraulic. Nothing is spared, whole trees are washed miles downstream, on many occasions I have had a steep rapid completely transform on me due to heavy rains which have moved boulders of many tons, making kayak lines I knew obsolete (the path which you aim to use to negotiate a rapid). So it was no leap of imagination to think their bodies and belongings would be swept many kilometres downstream in similar floods. Such is the power of the water, it is enough to power cities."
He believes that the girls got lost and died from the elements. He then goes on to list all the natural dangers in this part of the wilderness: "For the most part the rivers of the Panamanian are open and often quite wide, very rocky and the water tumbles down them amongst boulders, but sections of rivers where the gradient is steep enter Formidable canyons. These features require specialized equipment to safely negotiate and a lot of experience, they have many natural traps for the unwary. They are three dimensional zones which are hard to comprehend unless you have had previous experience, and they are not necessarily easy places to safely get through. They also tend to come up quite suddenly, one minute its easy boulder hopping and the next you are confronted with perpendicular walls and high waterfalls. It is easy to descend into a section and not be able to exit it. You can enter a deep pool to swim and not be able to get out due to the very polished nature of the rocks and rock walls. The upper sections of waterfalls bear a slimy coating at times, which is the equivalent of black ice. Flash flooding can raise water levels in seconds. Boulders can shift trapping a person. The extremely uneven nature of the terrain can unbalance you, and falls can easily occur. I treat such places with extreme caution always. Could they have got themselves into such a zone and become trapped? Had they perished and their bodies not been found, then it is perfectly possible that they would have remained there until the rains started. Any place in a river narrow enough to hide two people from a low flying helicopter would very quickly fill with water in the intense rains of the wet season. The width of the river has little to do with this phenomenon, a narrow creek can be way more powerful than a wider river, especially if it has been squeezed down, It has far more to do with water volume and gradient mixed with the width of the hydraulic. Nothing is spared, whole trees are washed miles downstream, on many occasions I have had a steep rapid completely transform on me due to heavy rains which have moved boulders of many tons, making kayak lines I knew obsolete (the path which you aim to use to negotiate a rapid). So it was no leap of imagination to think their bodies and belongings would be swept many kilometres downstream in similar floods. Such is the power of the water, it is enough to power cities."
NATURAL ANIMAL LIFE
He goes on to describe the animal life up there and names some remaining questions: "The animal life of the jungle is very efficient in its food usage and that little remained of the women was no surprise to me, ants can reduce large animals in short time, carnivores will eat animals that are already dead, also dragging remains for some distance. It is generally rare to find the bones of any animal in the forest everything has been consumed. Was this ultimately their final fate? Of course this is all conjecture, there are many unanswered questions, for example, why was the backpack and belongings found largely intact after having been swept down a river for some distance (the official version of their demise comes also to the conclusion they were carried downriver by the water)? Why were the remains and items found only after a large monetary award had been offered? Why were the photos taken only of what appears to be a rock wall and a stick with plastic attached, and no further photos were taken of themselves beyond the first of April? These questions and more are troubling. I am not sure we will ever really know what occurred on that April day, the first of the month, and the exact events that followed it. From my own perspective I found this a very haunting case that still gives me chills to this day. Many people have become lost in the mountains of Panama, most are rescued by the authorities, some, as this story relates are not so fortunate."
He goes on to describe the animal life up there and names some remaining questions: "The animal life of the jungle is very efficient in its food usage and that little remained of the women was no surprise to me, ants can reduce large animals in short time, carnivores will eat animals that are already dead, also dragging remains for some distance. It is generally rare to find the bones of any animal in the forest everything has been consumed. Was this ultimately their final fate? Of course this is all conjecture, there are many unanswered questions, for example, why was the backpack and belongings found largely intact after having been swept down a river for some distance (the official version of their demise comes also to the conclusion they were carried downriver by the water)? Why were the remains and items found only after a large monetary award had been offered? Why were the photos taken only of what appears to be a rock wall and a stick with plastic attached, and no further photos were taken of themselves beyond the first of April? These questions and more are troubling. I am not sure we will ever really know what occurred on that April day, the first of the month, and the exact events that followed it. From my own perspective I found this a very haunting case that still gives me chills to this day. Many people have become lost in the mountains of Panama, most are rescued by the authorities, some, as this story relates are not so fortunate."
LAST WORDS OF ADVICE
Some last words of advice for hikers: "It is important to carry some essentials with you whenever venturing out into the wilds. A compass, map or air photos, a machete, rain jacket, a small first aid kit, some food and of course a water bottle are amongst them. Wear good boots and try and dress for the terrain. Tell someone where you plan to go. Perhaps the most important, if you are not sure of yourself or have limited experience, then there are guides you can hire to help you out."
In this blog post he confirms that on the trail where Kris and Lisanne were last pictured, you do regularly run into other human beings. And there are farms and empty sheds and finca's in its vicinity. "Starting in the Mountain town of Boquete early in the morning at 1100 metres altitude it was not a difficult walk up to the restaurant La Pianista, and the start of the trail following the mountain stream upward. It took a further hour and a half to reach the dividing ridge through the low cloud base, which was obligingly lifted by the time I made the top. Three local campesinos or farmers arrived at the same time at the ridge top and we talked for a while, they explained that their farm was just over the second quebrada or stream a little lower down, some 30 minutes or so and that they farmed cattle, staying some two weeks at a time to work the land." [So there is habitation around the point on the trail where Kris and Lisanne started to make their first two emergency calls]. "They carried on and I stayed a while to cool down before starting down through the thick temperate forest to the first stream. From this point the cloud came back in and it was like walking through cotton wool land. The pathway ran through deep ditches which at times towered overhead, it was really muddy, sometimes one sank halfway up your calves, notably it stayed that way until the road was finally reached at the small Indigenous town of Nortena, this made me nickname the place ”The land of mud”. I vowed never to wear hiking boots again here, but rubber welly boots that the locals all used (smart people).The second quebrada was just ten minutes beyond the first and is around the same size being really small and generally uninviting. From here the path left the thick forest and passed through cattle pasture in thick mud before plunging once again into densely forested country. There was evidence of animal life everywhere, troops of howler monkeys could be heard and this became common. It was now raining pretty solidly, making the terrain really slippery underfoot. I had run into an Indigenous bloke walking out to Boquete whom told me there was a hut I could sleep in further on, he had only a machete in hand and nothing else, it was by this time late around 6 PM but he felt he would have no problem getting through by seven, I could not see it myself, He did not seemed worried though and pushed on, tough people these guys. I was tired by now and really looking forward to getting to that hut. This finally appeared after crossing the first river encountered and was located about five hundred yards further on in the middle of a cow pasture. It turned out to be an old National park service installation, now collapsed and in disrepair. I had to fight some cattle for possession and got the prize of two wooden platforms to sleep on, it was really welcome.
A map made by the explorer of his route:
EASY
He then describes how easy it is to lose the trail further up north, but also describes human habitation and huts along the trail at times: "The dark night brought the incredible sound of frogs, they were loud, really loud it was pretty amazing to listen to them, they made you know you were in the jungle. It was raining by the morning, I got going early and followed the path down the river valley through the towering trees, it descended steeply from 1000 metres at the hut to some 750 metres where it again crossed the same river. A second triple wire rope bridge crossed this feature, they looked way worse than they really were. The creek was crystal clear and dropping over large boulders and forming deep pools, it looked inviting except for the horse flies that is. They were ever present wherever you were on the trail but were especially bad close to the rivers, making stopping at at times painful. The Sendero was now smaller than it had previously been, I was to find out this was due to it being much less used than further up, where the locals use it to reach cattle farms. Further on the people of the comarca tend to go out to the Atlantic side making the central section much less travelled. After walking some distance more and crossing a marshy pasture with a wooden rough cut board hut, the Rio Culebra was reached and a third wire rope suspension bridge. Here I stripped off and had a swim and wash, fantastic as long as one remained submerged that is. The path continued on mostly NNW, every time it passed from the jungle and crossed a cattle pasture it became really difficult to follow, as the grass tended not to show the line to follow and of course the cattle had made tracks in all directions. Things went well for about three more pastures but then I lost it completely. Tracing the boundary of the jungle did not show up anything. Finally slogging upward to around 800 metres I ran into a small group of Indigenous houses surrounded by gardens of banana, papaya, yuca and other vegetables. I was able to talk to a really surprised young bloke whom was completely nonplussed at giving directions, the gist of it was “it is too difficult to explain, you just go down and in two minutes you will find the path, its easy”. [..] After having slashed through a couple of Quebrada’s, down again through the bush until I came out at the River Culebra [along this river the remains of Kris and Lisanne were found], without intersecting the path and I now found myself at some 600 metres or so. Ok I was not happy about the outcome and felt maybe I had been led astray, but wisely decided to have lunch, this made me feel much better about it all. So after a while It was slogging back up to the overgrown cleared zone above, through the very inclined jungle, I kept slogging back until almost the small community again, where, and I am proud of this, I resisted the temptation to ask for the directions again. I am sure this reduced the perception that gringos are a little soft in the head amongst the local population. To be honest the only reason I finally found the bloody path again is because I had noticed that a local and his dog had been following the trail earlier on, these were the only legible tracks apart from some really nice big cat footprints which were evident in the mud whilst in the jungle (Cow hooves apart). So tracking back to the last place I knew I was not lost, (a golden rule) and picking up his tracks again which were followed religiously right back and across the huge clearing, then downward to 715 metres where it left the cow pasture and plunged again into the forest."
He then describes how easy it is to lose the trail further up north, but also describes human habitation and huts along the trail at times: "The dark night brought the incredible sound of frogs, they were loud, really loud it was pretty amazing to listen to them, they made you know you were in the jungle. It was raining by the morning, I got going early and followed the path down the river valley through the towering trees, it descended steeply from 1000 metres at the hut to some 750 metres where it again crossed the same river. A second triple wire rope bridge crossed this feature, they looked way worse than they really were. The creek was crystal clear and dropping over large boulders and forming deep pools, it looked inviting except for the horse flies that is. They were ever present wherever you were on the trail but were especially bad close to the rivers, making stopping at at times painful. The Sendero was now smaller than it had previously been, I was to find out this was due to it being much less used than further up, where the locals use it to reach cattle farms. Further on the people of the comarca tend to go out to the Atlantic side making the central section much less travelled. After walking some distance more and crossing a marshy pasture with a wooden rough cut board hut, the Rio Culebra was reached and a third wire rope suspension bridge. Here I stripped off and had a swim and wash, fantastic as long as one remained submerged that is. The path continued on mostly NNW, every time it passed from the jungle and crossed a cattle pasture it became really difficult to follow, as the grass tended not to show the line to follow and of course the cattle had made tracks in all directions. Things went well for about three more pastures but then I lost it completely. Tracing the boundary of the jungle did not show up anything. Finally slogging upward to around 800 metres I ran into a small group of Indigenous houses surrounded by gardens of banana, papaya, yuca and other vegetables. I was able to talk to a really surprised young bloke whom was completely nonplussed at giving directions, the gist of it was “it is too difficult to explain, you just go down and in two minutes you will find the path, its easy”. [..] After having slashed through a couple of Quebrada’s, down again through the bush until I came out at the River Culebra [along this river the remains of Kris and Lisanne were found], without intersecting the path and I now found myself at some 600 metres or so. Ok I was not happy about the outcome and felt maybe I had been led astray, but wisely decided to have lunch, this made me feel much better about it all. So after a while It was slogging back up to the overgrown cleared zone above, through the very inclined jungle, I kept slogging back until almost the small community again, where, and I am proud of this, I resisted the temptation to ask for the directions again. I am sure this reduced the perception that gringos are a little soft in the head amongst the local population. To be honest the only reason I finally found the bloody path again is because I had noticed that a local and his dog had been following the trail earlier on, these were the only legible tracks apart from some really nice big cat footprints which were evident in the mud whilst in the jungle (Cow hooves apart). So tracking back to the last place I knew I was not lost, (a golden rule) and picking up his tracks again which were followed religiously right back and across the huge clearing, then downward to 715 metres where it left the cow pasture and plunged again into the forest."
So I was really glad when after following a steep ridge downwards the path came up to a river which was a tributary of the Culebra at 620 metres or so, then after following the bank upriver for about a kilometre another wire rope bridge was encountered (the fourth). This one had an upper wire broken so of course immediately I had to try it out by crossing it, not bad as long as you maintained your weight over the good wire and did not lean back.There was a really worn sign which marked the edge of the national park so from here onward it was in the Comarca. As there was a great soft grass section not too muddy and on a small hill, I decided this was the place to camp, here the tent was set up and the tea brew got going. Just about six PM a local, the only bloke I saw on the path that day arrived having carrying a 50lb sack and having just walked from Boquete. He said he had left from his village the previous day made Boquete and was now returning with supplies, and it was a further two hours to get home."
(First photo: The Sendero crosses the Rio Culebra here). "I slept like a dead man and woke feeling rejuvenated if not a little stiff though, breaking camp early and crossing the broken bridge so as not to get my already wet boots wetter, the path led off steeply upward always from now on in a north westerly direction. The path had been climbing steadily upward and I reached an altitude of some 1000 metres before finally coming on the biggest and practically the only village so far, made mostly of rough wooden boards and dominated by a building with the Panamanian flag flying from a pole.This turned out to be a School, I am sure it is one of the more remote ones in the country. I got to meet the schoolmaster whom told me that he comes for thirty days at a time to teach and that it was six solid hours to get to the road head at Nortena. There were a lot of kids whom were really fascinated to see a Mister (term used all over Latin America by Indigenous people to denote a Gringo or I presume anyone they feel they have to say Mister to). I asked the schoolmaster about Jaguars, if they were seen hereabouts and he told me that they were uncommon and mostly to be found higher up toward Boquete. So there it was, you were safe, when you were higher up they were lower down and when lower down they were higher up – perfect, no chance of being eaten. So pushing on from the village - the name of which I never got - the path continued through pastures and forest before dropping down steeply to the Rio Romero, where the thickening cloud finally let go and rained in an impressive form. [Could this village have been Alto Romero?] It was not cold so I just carried on and was soon completely drenched, the path turned into a small creek, lightning was coming down within half a mile or so, generally it was just letting me know this was a tropical rainforest zone."
(Photo: A very remote School on the Comarca) It is six hours walk for a fit person to reach a road-head from here. The schoolmaster spends a month on location then a week off. "The trail passed through several small Gnobe villages of two to three houses all of sawn boards with thatched rooves, the women were all in traditional dress, everything was immaculately clean and there was no garbage to be seen anywhere, in fact that had been the case for the whole walk. At one point four young girls came up the narrow path all dressed in matching black traditional dress with banded border decoration, we talked for a while, wanting to know why I was there and where I was going. They carried on in single file upwards and I continued trudged down headed towards Cano Sucio the river which led out to the road."
(Photo: Bridge over the Rio Romero). "It seemed almost a perfect picture with the steep surrounding terrain, Apart from the sounds of the mountains, the wind, rain and the distant creek below nothing more was to be heard, it reminded me much, of places I had seen in the remote mountains of Peru. [..] The path dropped steeply from here and divided, I guessed the right hand one which turned out to be the better of the two although they both would have worked, ahead a toucan flitted from one tree to the next. The wide trail followed another smaller ridge before dropping down to a large village of completely traditional houses where most of the men were working thatching the roof of the central roundhouse. I spoke with them and after explaining what I was doing there, asked the way to Nortena, they pointed to the river where the path continued following the watercourse. [..] Finally a large Village was encountered and there was a large suspension bridge and even a couple small tiendas or stores, people seemed pretty friendly and just assumed I had come in from the main road which was by now not too far away. The final walk out was uneventful, civilization was confirmed when I saw the first Coca Cola sign and was glad enough to drink one to be honest."
Interesting research, called Missing 411, where former police detective David Paulides has tracked over 1200 missing people who disappeared seemingly into thin air in national parks or nature I am actually downloading the entire documentary, but this is a good short video on the same material. David Paulides did a lot of research into the unsolved disappearances of Americans in national parks, especially. He noticed some similarities among the majority of these cases and since national archives did not keep track of any of this, he started to gather his own intelligence, based on the scattered missing person's files in the country. Paulides deduced some striking similarities, some of which made me think of the Kris and Lisanne case (and thank you for those who pointed me towards the Missing 411 project). David discovered that when a person disappeared while in close proximity to friends or family members, it's usually when they have either gone off on their own for a moment, or strayed behind when tracking in a line, or gone ahead when fronting a track. The point of separation may only be a few yards, but it seems long enough for them to disappear into thin air. The time the majority of the victims David has investigated vanished is not in the middle of the night as you might expect, but rather mid to late afternoon when it's still daylight. (That is a check for the case of Kris and Lisanne). Many of the found victims of disappearances are discovered near granite or rock fields, often next to or surrounded by boulders.
Victims are also either found or disappeared near water, without any evidence that they've fallen in or drowned. (Check in the case of Kris and Lisanne). At the time a person goes missing, or during the search, it's been noticed that a sudden onset of extreme weather ensues, either in the form of snow, dust or rainstorm, or the sudden emergence of thick mist or fog. (On day 2 of Kris and Lisanne's disappearance it was raining and there was thunder, and there was also a mild earthquake in the area on that same day). Many of the victims have an obvious or not so obvious disability or illness prior to their disappearance (Lisanne had been ill the days prior and the day itself with asthma-like symptoms and a sore throat; they even went to the pharmacy the morning of their disappearance). Canines are unable to trace: one of the first thing search and rescue do when a person is reported missing, is send out a specially trained to dog to track their scent. In 95% of the cases David has studied, dogs have been unable to find a single scent, or if they do they quickly lose the scent. (Check for Kris and Lisanne). In many cases, for whatever reason, the victim has removed their shoes and items of clothing. This is also the case when missing people are found alive. They either have missing clothing, or clothing they do not recognize or have travelled several miles without shoes. (Check: Kris' jeans shorts were found on a branch in the water very early on, going by the long trail where items or remains were found. One of her shoes was also found at some point). Now we know that removing clothing can be a trait of someone suffering from hypothermia or exposure. However, it is unlikely that is the cause, as they would not travel the great distances that they do, so it doesn't really add up. Unknown cause of death: In the cases David has studied, when a missing person is found dead, the cause of death can either not be determined or does not correspond with how the victim is found. (Check for Kris and Lisanne!). David has discovered that people go missing in clusters in certain areas, and there is no reason for these places to be any more dangerous than anywhere else. The clusters range from three in the same vicinity, to up to 80. He also realized this was not just in the USA either; it was the same for areas in Canada, the UK, Australia and seven other countries, all with missing persons following the same profiles as those mentioned. Also, none of the disappearances could be attributed to animal attacks. As when this happens there is almost always clear evidence left behind. (Check for Kris and Lisanne!) David also discovered that there are an inordinate amount of genius level people disappearing, such as doctors, scientists, scholars etc, as well as people with extensive knowledge of the back trail who simply normally wouldn't get lost. He has elsewhere said that the majority of these unexplained missing person's cases involved either people of very high intelligence, or very low intelligence: two ends on the spectrum. (Kris and Lisanne were university schooled and intelligent by all standards). After an initial week or so of intense searches, officials tend to stop trying, leaving relatives to conduct their own searches and left in limbo with no definitive answers and no closure (check)."
Note: I believe that Paulides reserves a fraction of these missing persons cases to supernatural causes, potentially. I do wonder how many of those missing persons cases do have a rational explanation in the end.. Many people love a good mystery, but there are probably all sorts of underlying causes for these disappearances which may not get highlighted sufficiently, such as people suffering from sudden health problems, getting disorientated and dying from the elements. People can also (naturally) behave erratically when lost and in a state of panic. Some missing people may have been intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or medication. Others may have intended to take their own lives. There are also hypothermia, dehydration and lack of food that can eventually kill you when you are out there in the great middle of nowhere. When bodies are never found ultimately, we also cannot exclude animal predation, to name one thing. Or murderers/serial killers, who also tend to not leave the bodies of their victims out in plain sight... Quite a few killers that were caught were roaming around national parks, benefitting from the solitude, the attraction of such places to fit solo hikers, the lack of social control, CCTV cameras and such there. The wilderness is also exactly the type of environment where you expect people to most go missing. Nevertheless, some missing persons cases he has covered are very spooky and mind-boggling. Especially when it involves people who were there one moment, and were gone the next, despite being with others or not being left out of sight by loved ones. Another thing; how peculiar are those shared similarities exactly? Sniffer dogs may regularly not find a trace when searching for missing persons. Parents or relatives may regularly claim that they only lost sight or turned around from the other person 'for a second', which in cases of video footage available often turns out to be a bit more than a second. Same for kids wandering off and drowning in a pool; the 'I took my eyes off him only for a second' often proves to be minutes or longer when there is the option of camera analysis. But which parent will openly admit this? And do we have all the facts and details in these missing persons cases? Probably not.. (same for the Kris and Lisanne case, which I do NOT think is a paranormal mystery. They either met foul play - which they did in my opinion - or they had an accident/got lost, never backtracked and ended up deceased in the wilderness). But, there are some very strange cases out there for sure.
In this video, the well known investigation journalist John van den Heuvel is invited to a Dutch late night TV show (RTL Late Night) when the girls have disappeared for two months, and talk about the investigation and details about the case John van den Heuvel is a renowned crime investigation journalist (I am a fan of his to be honest), and he went personally to Panama to investigate the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon. He tells his views on May 29th, 2014 in a Dutch talk show. This was before the backpack from the girls was found, or later their few remains. He therefore gives his predictions at a time when nothing was yet known about the girls' fate. Due to rights and you will have to watch the footage here in 3 parts.
IF THEY HAD AN ACCIDENT, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND BY NOW
Some interesting quotes from him from this short 10 minute interview: "And initially it was thought that the girls had gotten lost, or had injured themselves in an accident. But as time went by, a Crime scenario became more obvious. And there are definitely places there where you can fall or get an accident. And it's even possible that such a thing doesn't end well eventually. But we are now 2 months further... And those guides have searched there for days on end. The route is still walked and searched daily, not just by tourists but also by local guides. If they had had an accident, they would have been found by now. And when you get lost there.. That's also a possibility, because I could see there that you can miss a route indication or an arrow on that trail. But when you are climbing up a mountain, and you then get lost, then you really only have to do one thing.. And that is to descend; to go back down the mountain again. For too long they considered the case a possible accident... Or a possible case of them getting lost. And all that time they didn't invest in a proper criminal investigation. And therefore very crucial time has been lost. Within hours, at the least days but ideally sooner, you need to interview all witnesses... In a very intensive and thorough manner. You need to do technical research very early on and investigate telephone data.
Some interesting quotes from him from this short 10 minute interview: "And initially it was thought that the girls had gotten lost, or had injured themselves in an accident. But as time went by, a Crime scenario became more obvious. And there are definitely places there where you can fall or get an accident. And it's even possible that such a thing doesn't end well eventually. But we are now 2 months further... And those guides have searched there for days on end. The route is still walked and searched daily, not just by tourists but also by local guides. If they had had an accident, they would have been found by now. And when you get lost there.. That's also a possibility, because I could see there that you can miss a route indication or an arrow on that trail. But when you are climbing up a mountain, and you then get lost, then you really only have to do one thing.. And that is to descend; to go back down the mountain again. For too long they considered the case a possible accident... Or a possible case of them getting lost. And all that time they didn't invest in a proper criminal investigation. And therefore very crucial time has been lost. Within hours, at the least days but ideally sooner, you need to interview all witnesses... In a very intensive and thorough manner. You need to do technical research very early on and investigate telephone data.
Those phones were set to flight mode... Because they wanted to avoid high costs due to roaming. So these girls set their phones to flight mode. But with the use of Wi-Fi they still used whatsapp. So those phones have of course been used those past 2 weeks.
BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE
It's been some sort of bureaucratic obstacle over here too, because ... the Netherlands also didn't definitely consider it a crime case yet. And still it is not officially classed a crime? The right steps that are needed to do a proper investigation into whether or not a crime took place... have still not been made. And those telephone data are still not available. It's unimaginable and unbelievable really. The error lies in the communication. Like you often see when boundaries need to be crossed. Panama hasn't made it clear to the Netherlands which data are needed there... And the Netherlands have been way too slow and lax themselves with giving the Panamanian authorities information. And what I find unbelievable really, is that there are currently 12 search and rescue dogs there and 18 handlers.. There are also Dutch volunteers there and two of the Dutch parents... There is nobody from the Dutch investigation authorities there, nobody is sent there... If only to monitor what's happening there." - *Update: Hans Kremers said in October 1st of 2014 however that the Dutch NFI report stated that the girls had their phones not set to flight mode during that first week of April in Panama. But overall they did use flight mode to avoid unwanted roaming costs.
It's been some sort of bureaucratic obstacle over here too, because ... the Netherlands also didn't definitely consider it a crime case yet. And still it is not officially classed a crime? The right steps that are needed to do a proper investigation into whether or not a crime took place... have still not been made. And those telephone data are still not available. It's unimaginable and unbelievable really. The error lies in the communication. Like you often see when boundaries need to be crossed. Panama hasn't made it clear to the Netherlands which data are needed there... And the Netherlands have been way too slow and lax themselves with giving the Panamanian authorities information. And what I find unbelievable really, is that there are currently 12 search and rescue dogs there and 18 handlers.. There are also Dutch volunteers there and two of the Dutch parents... There is nobody from the Dutch investigation authorities there, nobody is sent there... If only to monitor what's happening there." - *Update: Hans Kremers said in October 1st of 2014 however that the Dutch NFI report stated that the girls had their phones not set to flight mode during that first week of April in Panama. But overall they did use flight mode to avoid unwanted roaming costs.
Dutch newspaper announces the release of the NFI report in October 2014
Saturday 04 October 2014, Bart Olmer, Amersfoort. 'Someone else used the telephone of Kris Kremers. Mobile phones tell a puzzling story'.
Travel friends Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon who died in Panama, have tried to raise the alarm through their mobile phones for up to three days after their disappearance on April 1st 2014. Even a week later - in the night of April 8th - they may have still tried to attract the attention of overflying helicopters by flashing their digital Canon camera into the sky. This can be read in the 160 pages counting investigation report from the Dutch forensic laboratory (NFI), who investigated the phones from Kris (an iPhone 4) and Lisanne (a Samsung Galaxy S3). The memory card from the digital canon camera was also investigated. De Telegraaf has received exclusive insight in this dossier through judicial sources. At the end of the afternoon of the day of their disappearance, April 1st, the girls tried twice in vain to call 112. Their telephones had lost cell phone connection for three hours by then. But the call attempts did get registered on their phones. At 16:39 an emergency call to 112 was made from the iPhone from Kris. Twelve minutes later Lisanne tried to reach 112 with her Samsung phone. On April 2nd and 3rd another five attempts are made to call 112 and 911. Because of a lack of gsm-cell phone network, no connections are made.
After April 3rd no more emergency call attempts are made. Evidently to save the batteries, the phones are switched quickly off after use the NFI research shows. Lisanne's Samsung phone shows no more activity after April 4th, 05:00 AM. The iPhone from Kris does stay active. And mysterious things happen. The iPhone from Kris has to be unlocked every time with a 4-digit security code for the phone itself, which is 0556. And after that a sim-PIN code needs to be entered. Between April 1st and April 5th the iPhone is consistently turned on by entering the correct two codes, according to the NFI researcher in their report. He concludes that the iPhone was in the possession and usage of Kris "until the morning of April 5th, 2014". But from April 5th, 13:37 PM onward, the iPhone is switched on four times without or by pressing in the wrong PIN code. For instance on April 6th at 10:25 AM and at 14:35 PM, the iPhone is switched on without the correct code. But there are in fact conscious actions performed on the phone, such as the swiping of the screen with a finger to control the control panel. The phone from Kris has registered no more activity between April 6th 13:38 PM and April 11th at 10:51 AM. Then suddenly the phone is switched back on without the correct sim-PIN code being entered (or the wrong one, that is left in between here). Investigators conclude from this:
"That a third party is involved." "As more facts become known, we altogether no longer believe that they got lost", according to private detective Dick Steffens, who supports the family in their attempts to force a good investigation.
The NFI scientist has a chilling conclusion about the sudden introduction of faulty PIN codes: "For this change I could not find a technical cause. I think that it cannot be excluded that the change in (login) pattern is the result of the use of the iPhone by another person than the original user or owner of the iPhone. I mean with this a user who had no knowledge of the PIN code." Equally chilling is the discovery of a series of photos on the memory card of the retrieved digital Canon camera. The last 70 photos of the 133 consecutive photo files "seem to be made in a deep, dark location after sunset and with most likely a lot of overhanging vegetation." Those photos are "made in the night of April 8th", according to sources. "Possibly in order to attract attention." Private detective Dick Steffens think so too. "An explanation for those dark photos may be that the women were locked up there and used the camera's flash to attract attention. Perhaps photos were made at a time when a helicopter flew over. But that is speculation." Steffens doesn't think that this is any longer a case of the girls having gotten lost. "All the traces found back by now were spread out, many hours apart."
PROSTITUTION
The Dutch authorities still think about an ill-fated case of the girls getting lost. But the two Panamanian requests for judicial assistance from June 20th 2014, classed it as "a suspected criminal offense of deprivation of freedom" against Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers. It was based on "the UN agreement against trans-national organized crime". The Boquete area is not just idyllic; this year alone more than 51 people have disappeared there. One wonders if the girls intended to make an extensive foot travel that day. In the backpack that was found, investigators saw no food, no drinks, no mosquito repellent spray or sunscreen. In particular Kris would need it with her pale skin tone and would not have left without it for a long trip. She had a significant travel experience and "it is highly unlikely that you do not take food and drinks with you when you plan a significant walking tour", according to Steffens. It would make sense to assume that the young women would also have attempted to send an SMS or whatsapp message. "That seems evident to us too, but the NFI-report states that no SMS or whatsapp were recorded on the phones after March 31st", according to judicial sources. It is however known how much battery capacity the phones had exactly, at the moment of their disappearance. On April 1st, both phones were charged for around 50%. "This indicates most likely that the women didn't plan on making a long hike", concludes detective Steffens. At 11:05 AM the girls started their hike. A photo of Kris is made before the first emergency phone call from 16:39 PM. On that photo you see a cheerful Kris. Nothing points towards the women being in trouble. There must have been at the most two hours between that photo and the emergency call attempts. A very acute emergency situation must have presented itself therefore, thinks Steffens. The parents from Kris made a long list of questions and handed it in to the department of Justice the day before yesterday. And they come down to one request: thorough investigation from the Dutch department of Justice to the true background of the disappearance and death of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon.
The Dutch authorities still think about an ill-fated case of the girls getting lost. But the two Panamanian requests for judicial assistance from June 20th 2014, classed it as "a suspected criminal offense of deprivation of freedom" against Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers. It was based on "the UN agreement against trans-national organized crime". The Boquete area is not just idyllic; this year alone more than 51 people have disappeared there. One wonders if the girls intended to make an extensive foot travel that day. In the backpack that was found, investigators saw no food, no drinks, no mosquito repellent spray or sunscreen. In particular Kris would need it with her pale skin tone and would not have left without it for a long trip. She had a significant travel experience and "it is highly unlikely that you do not take food and drinks with you when you plan a significant walking tour", according to Steffens. It would make sense to assume that the young women would also have attempted to send an SMS or whatsapp message. "That seems evident to us too, but the NFI-report states that no SMS or whatsapp were recorded on the phones after March 31st", according to judicial sources. It is however known how much battery capacity the phones had exactly, at the moment of their disappearance. On April 1st, both phones were charged for around 50%. "This indicates most likely that the women didn't plan on making a long hike", concludes detective Steffens. At 11:05 AM the girls started their hike. A photo of Kris is made before the first emergency phone call from 16:39 PM. On that photo you see a cheerful Kris. Nothing points towards the women being in trouble. There must have been at the most two hours between that photo and the emergency call attempts. A very acute emergency situation must have presented itself therefore, thinks Steffens. The parents from Kris made a long list of questions and handed it in to the department of Justice the day before yesterday. And they come down to one request: thorough investigation from the Dutch department of Justice to the true background of the disappearance and death of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon.
In this video, the parents of both Kris and Lisanne are invited to a Dutch late night TV show (RTL Late Night) when the girls have disappeared for one month, and talk about the investigation and details about the case.
May 1st, 2014. I tried uploading the video with added English subtitles on my (renewed) youtube channel, to add it to some other videos on this case which I already translated in English with subtitles, but unfortunately this is yet again a case of copyright blocking. Bleh. Although in some countries it may be visible. I know that counties like the United States and Brazil are blocked from viewing it however, so I'm forced yet again to upload the show in parts directly on here. (Like with the Break Free TV item on Lisanne, which you can watch within the blog post here, if you scroll down). It's the only way unfortunately for English speakers to follow what has been said in this case. The videos all work, you just need to press the white 'play' triangle in the middle 2 or 3 times.
ALEX HUMPHREY
At some point the presenter asks the parents: "What I am wondering is this: was this case [of missing backpacker Alex Humphrey - see part 1 of this blog post about his case] discussed in Panama? Because 5 years ago his son disappeared under the same circumstances in Boquete... Well... is that a coincidence? Has this scenario been taken into account? That someone else has also gone missing there?" Kris' parents reply: "We didn't hear about it when we were there... No, we haven't heard about it, and that scenario also hasn't been taken into account. What we have heard in fact, and what we also saw with our own eyes, is that Boquete is really a very calm little place really. And we constantly saw young girls and women, alone or in pairs, walking in the streets. Also in the evenings. And there was no one there who said: that's not wise to do. Or; would you really do that?"
Summary on Alex: In August of 2009 a British backpacker, care worker and poet named Alex Humphrey went missing while hiking the same area around Boquete, one week into a three week holiday. Alex vanished, aged 29, after checking into a local hostel. An experienced hiker, his family believes he was a victim of a crime. But he may have also just fallen victim to the jungle elements. Despite several police searches, a Panamanian media campaign and the offer of a $5,000 reward, no clues to his whereabouts emerged. Just like Kris and Lisanne, he just vanished into thin air apparently. Not a single bone of Alex was ever found. Which makes some people think that instead of getting lost, Alex may have run into a criminal gang of sorts, used for his organs perhaps, but most certainly made to disappear for good. No body, no murder case, after all. Dutch Ambassador Wiebe de Boer (a useless diplomat and door mat in our Kris and Lisanne case) made the shocking comment that Alex was autistic most likely, so well... there you go. As if it was therefore his own fault that he disappeared. Alex will always remain that 'missing person' now..
SOME INTERESTING THINGS
There are some interesting things said in the video I thought. Firstly, Lisanne's mother says that before Lisanne went to Panama, she went through a very difficult time. I wonder if this was due to her volleyball injuries, preventing her from doing the sport she loved? Or because her father had endured a stroke? Even though that was quite a few years ago by then.. Or due to other private reasons perhaps? Mum doesn't elaborate however. On public forums, there has been some information shared about some form of intimate abuse by someone, which is really shocking to be honest and unverified. So it may be fake news and someone trying to act importantly perhaps by sending such a message out there. But it made me feel even more for Lisanne and Kris (if that is even possible because I already think about the girls' plight a lot); if one of them went to Panama to recover in some way from a tough period at home and from such an ordeal, and then ended up in the worst hell imaginable...
There are some interesting things said in the video I thought. Firstly, Lisanne's mother says that before Lisanne went to Panama, she went through a very difficult time. I wonder if this was due to her volleyball injuries, preventing her from doing the sport she loved? Or because her father had endured a stroke? Even though that was quite a few years ago by then.. Or due to other private reasons perhaps? Mum doesn't elaborate however. On public forums, there has been some information shared about some form of intimate abuse by someone, which is really shocking to be honest and unverified. So it may be fake news and someone trying to act importantly perhaps by sending such a message out there. But it made me feel even more for Lisanne and Kris (if that is even possible because I already think about the girls' plight a lot); if one of them went to Panama to recover in some way from a tough period at home and from such an ordeal, and then ended up in the worst hell imaginable...
ALEX HUMPHREYAt some point the presenter asks the parents: "What I am wondering is this: was this case [of missing backpacker Alex Humphrey - see part 1 of this blog post about his case] discussed in Panama? Because 5 years ago his son disappeared under the same circumstances in Boquete... Well... is that a coincidence? Has this scenario been taken into account? That someone else has also gone missing there?" Kris' parents reply: "We didn't hear about it when we were there... No, we haven't heard about it, and that scenario also hasn't been taken into account. What we have heard in fact, and what we also saw with our own eyes, is that Boquete is really a very calm little place really. And we constantly saw young girls and women, alone or in pairs, walking in the streets. Also in the evenings. And there was no one there who said: that's not wise to do. Or; would you really do that?"
Summary on Alex: In August of 2009 a British backpacker, care worker and poet named Alex Humphrey went missing while hiking the same area around Boquete, one week into a three week holiday. Alex vanished, aged 29, after checking into a local hostel. An experienced hiker, his family believes he was a victim of a crime. But he may have also just fallen victim to the jungle elements. Despite several police searches, a Panamanian media campaign and the offer of a $5,000 reward, no clues to his whereabouts emerged. Just like Kris and Lisanne, he just vanished into thin air apparently. Not a single bone of Alex was ever found. Which makes some people think that instead of getting lost, Alex may have run into a criminal gang of sorts, used for his organs perhaps, but most certainly made to disappear for good. No body, no murder case, after all. Dutch Ambassador Wiebe de Boer (a useless diplomat and door mat in our Kris and Lisanne case) made the shocking comment that Alex was autistic most likely, so well... there you go. As if it was therefore his own fault that he disappeared. Alex will always remain that 'missing person' now..
Three interesting and important Panamanian news articles from the fall of 2014, published one minute after each other. I translated the full articles in English with google translate so apologies for small errors or robotic English. Highlighted what stood out extra for me..
NATIONAL 20/10/2014 - 12:00 a.m. Monday, October 20, 2014. Forensic examines a piece of skin of one of the lost girls. A soft, elongated piece of tissue that barely shows signs of decomposition was found at the end of August, next to the tibia and femur of Lisanne Froon
Adelita Coriat
The Laboratory of DNA Biomolecular Analysis, located in the City of Saber, came in the first week of September and after an assignment, with new evidence related to the case of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, the missing Dutch girls. The forensic officer in charge of the laboratory prepares to review the contents of the package, taking precautions to avoid contaminating the sample: the gloves, cloth cap, gown, shoe cover, mask and glasses are all correctly placed. Now that he is ready the manila envelope is carefully opened. The curiosity of the researcher mounts as he removes the edges of the envelope to get to the content. It is a particularly interesting case, with conflicting versions of events. The girls were last seen while trying to walk the El Pianista trail, in the district of Boquete, on April 1, 2014. In August, they were declared dead by the Public Prosecutor's Office, without the cause of death being known yet. On the one hand, the superior prosecutor of David, Chiriquí, Betzaida Pitti, who is in charge of the case, has not considered the case to be a crime. She raises the thesis that the girls died due to an accident. On the other hand, Enrique Arrocha, defense lawyer of the Kremers family, and Octavio Calderón, one of the criminologists consulted by La Estrella de Panamá, maintain that they were murdered. Previously, the coroner has analyzed other pieces of bone evidence which were found by inhabitants of Alto Romero, on the banks of the Culubre River, in the province of Bocas del Toro, a site located twelve hours by foot from El Pianista. The scientist takes an earthy mass in the form of a ball from the envelope. Then, removes a long bone - later determined to be a femur - and another shorter, similar to a tibia. The package, which is sent by the Office of the Attorney of David, has arrived accompanied by a brief note, whose instructions are summarized in one line: 'These remains were found on the banks of the Culubre River, and are sent for analysis'. The note has the signature of Betzaida Pitti. The document lacks a detailed description of the chain of custody, information required in cases of controlled processes that seek to preserve the evidence. The data that should be included is where the evidence was located, fixation, collection, packing and transfer at the scene. But this was not the case.
UNCOVERING THE SKIN
The laboratory where the tests are analyzed belongs to the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Panama (IMELCF), the only site in the country that performs this type of analysis. The coroner is surprised by the earthy mass in front of him and begins to rummage through the material to decipher what it is. Little by little, unfolds the elongated body, about thirty centimetres, which looks like a piece of skin. The precaution is taken to make several samples before starting the procedure. The coroner looks for a plastic bucket with water to submerge the material in. When the skin is extended on the work (table) surface, he notices that the tissue is not uniform. Some parts, the widest, measure between eight to fifteen centimetres wide. On the other hand, others only reach three centimetres. It is the first time that the coroner examines a tissue of this nature in the case of the Dutch. Later, it will define which part of the body this skin covered and to whom it belonged. Due to its extension and elongated shape, it could be assumed that it is the portion that covers the femur, but that will be confirmed by the exams, later. Covered by the first agents of decomposition and dust-witness of the dark corner where the rest of the body probably still lies-, the skin wrap that a few months ago was useful to protect the body from cold or heat, from harmful substances, to transmit sensations, is today part of the set of evidence of a possible homicide. The bony remains of the girls and the ball-shaped tissue were found on August 29. This is relevant data for the research process, because it will allow the coroner to establish with certainty the moment of death, or the conditions in which the body remained afterwards. If we start from the assumption that the girls died during the first week of April, today, five months after the event, the larvae should not be present. They have a whitish appearance and measure approximately one and a half centimetres. They do not reach a dozen. They are the first devourers of the corpse. This indicates to the coroner that the body remains, or remained, in a moist space, under shade, at low temperatures. With great care, he observes that at one end of the fabric there appear black circular spots, that occupy approximately one fifth of the surface. They are of different diameters; the largest, seven millimetres. A chemical or histopathological study will conclude, later, what this group of black moles responds to. The same study will determine if there were other tissue injuries. The coroner continues the journey. Now he checks other red spots, product of muscle hemoglobin. In some parts of the fabric there are holes, between eight and ten on the whole surface, surely sign of the presence of other types of insects.
CONSERVED BONES
When examining the tibia, the coroner realizes that this one does not have bony alterations. When he cuts the bone to the marrow, he detects a dry state, well preserved and without traces of putrefaction. Something very similar occurs with the femur, the marrow is almost intact. How could those who collected the bones conclude that the ball covered with dirt was part of the evidence?
IGNORANCE OR DESIGN?
The tests must be handled with extreme care, says criminologist Calderón, who criticizes that on several occasions the prosecutor has requested the handling of the evidence to individuals. This has been the habit of Pitti, from the moment the remains appear on the banks of the Culubre river. She (Betzaida Pitti) has not even called Criminalistics or followed the basic principles of the chain of custody, he says. This is a valid reason to disqualify the prosecutor, concludes the criminologist. Calderón wonders how this person is in charge of investigations in the Public Ministry. All the evidence that could give information about the cause of death was ignored, in clear violation of the investigative protocol. "We do not know if if was out of ignorance or design, but every opportunity to get to the truth was spoiled," says Calderón. And he adds, "if it is out of ignorance, the question is the same: how can a person with zero knowledge in investigations be the authority that MP represents?". The criminologist continues: "And if it is by design, what are the reasons for not doing a professional investigation?". Recently, the prosecutor said that the forensic reports have not been able to determine the causes of death and that the bone remains found do not show evidence of sharp weapons or mutilations. He also indicated that in the places where the girls went astray there are wild animals and vipers. The girls' cell phones were used correctly until April 6. With the camera, 99 photos were taken in just three hours, on April 8, the last day of registration."
NATIONAL 20/10/2014 - 12:01 a.m. Monday, October 20, 2014. Evidence could be manipulated, according to forensic
"When the decomposition process begins, the skin tends to fray, but not embolize with dirt, says a forensic anthropologist. Since August, there has been no new evidence found. When the decomposition process begins, the skin tends to fray, but not embolize itself with dirt, says a forensic anthropologist consulted by La Estrella de Panama, who preferred to not have his name published. At the discretion of the scientist, the state of conservation of the evidence can be a sign that they
"[these bodily remains] were kept in a cold, shady and humid place. According to the anthropologist, the shape taken by the skin tissue does not seem to be part of the natural process of decomposition. The rounded shape, he says, could have been acquired by staying in a bag, hidden deposit or in a kind of container. The piece of skin seems to have been manipulated, he says. 'It seems that it had been stored in a clogged environment. Buried in the earth, the decomposition of soft tissues must have been faster".
"The bone endures, but our tropical climate accelerates decomposition, he adds. With regard to the black spots that are seen in a fifth part of the piece of skin, the scientist explains that it can be the product of colonies of fungi or bacteria that settle on the skin. The holes, he explains, could be made by non-stationary predators or, perhaps, microorganisms, he specifies. The presence of larvae is important because it helps determine the post-mortem interval, from the moment that death occurred until the corpse was found. Since this discovery, on August 29, no new evidence has been collected or collected." -So..... Lisanne's bones were found in quite a different state of decomposition than the few bones from Kris, despite being found in the same areas - insinuating they died more or less in the same place and therefore probably around the same time roughly, that it does raise the question whether or not Lisanne simply lived longer, held in captivity, and a 3rd party just threw a few of her remains out in the same place much later.. A rolled up mass of skin from Lisanne's shin bone was found, on top of it all, five months after the girls went missing. And it was mostly still intact, and determined to be in a rather early stage of decomposition. This does not match with the official story that Lisanne died from the elements or a fall or drowning back in April already, and that her remains lay in the open jungle, through months and months of rain and sun and the elements. These are actual scientific facts. May be of interest perhaps to everyone thinking the girls just got lost and died accidental deaths as a result. Unfortunately, the people who defend this scenario never really seem interested in the forensic evidence.
NATIONAL 30/10/2014 - 12:00 a.m. Thursday, October 30, 2014. Enrique Arrocha, attorney of the family of Kris Kremers, one of the Dutch women who disappeared, will file today several appeals of controversy against Fiscal Bethsaida Pittí
who has denied him various legal proceedings, which according to him, might clarify what happened during the hike on the trail of el Pianista, the last site that Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon visited before every trace of them was lost on April 1. La Estrella reports: "Enrique Arrocha, attorney of the family of Kris Kremers, one of the Dutch women who disappeared, will file today several appeals of controversy against Fiscal Bethsaida Pittí, who has denied him various legal proceedings, which according to him, might clarify what happened during the hike on the trail of el Pianista, the last site that Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon visited before every trace of them was lost on April 1. Among the requests that were denied by the Prosecutor's Office was a 'request for new expert testing the phones and clothes of the girls, which were negative in DNA, blood and biological fluids' Arrocha said. [Later turned out to be positive for DNA and fingerprints]. He also put a request to Pittí that a tour should be made on the path to check the length of time that the girls would need to reach the location where their belongings appeared: backpack, camera, cell, etc. Arrocha hiked from the Mirador of El Pianista, a location that appears on the camera of the girls, to the mountains, towards the river Culebre, and assures that in the time between the call for help and the time that girls took pictures on top of the trail 'they could never have reached the river, because the distance on the dry season is almost 12 hours on foot," the lawyer says. Apparently, the defense attorney added, Prosecutor Bethsaida Pitti does not consider these expertises necessary."
So, strange information, right? More proof of obstruction of a proper investigation by Panama? Froon's bones still had some skin attached to them, but Kremers' bones were squeaky clean of any body tissue remnants and they also appeared to have been bleached... I mean, for a piece of skin to be found intact 5 months after passing, while out in the animal-infested open air jungle is peculiar. And makes such a contrast with finding bare, completely clean bones. First to decompose should normally be the soft tissues, including the skin. This was after around two months of estimated death, while laying in a cool cloud forest... Strange for sure to see the very different rates of decomposition on the bones of Lisanne on the one hand (flesh and skin still on the bones) and Kris (bleached clean bones), as if Kris' bones had been decomposing for 2 years instead of just over 2 months. Her bones looked like they had been baking in the hot sun for a long long time. Not as one would expect from bones having been shielded from the sun in the cloud forest jungle, around 10 weeks after their suspected death. Or is it the other way around perhaps, and are Kris' bones looking like they should, and are Lisanne's the odd one out?
Dutch forensic pathologist Frank van de Goot said about this case back in June 2014: "Forensic determination of a cause of death will be very difficult. It will also be very difficult to estimate how long the bones have been laying in the jungle. In jungles like this one in Panama, not much will be left of a body within a week; nothing more than bones." Not the remains of Lisanne though... And the forensic pathologist who investigated her remains also had it published that he has the impression that the skin had been hidden in a cool, dark and moist place where the bones were laying or kept. He did not think that the pieces of bone and skin were buried in the ground, because if they were, they would have been fully decomposed. He himself hints at human intervention; the skin must have been stored somewhere. And he wonders out loud how the searchers could have recognized the rolled up piece of skin as being human tissue (contaminated with sand). It was not decomposed and therefore wasn't emitting odour. Did someone know where to look, perhaps? So for good order; the piece of skin was found rolled up in a sandy ball, and once in the lab it was carefully folded out and became a more or less regular piece of skin, with some small holes and traces of fungus and/or bacteria. Also, the forensic pathologist revealed that the bones don't show signs of decomposition. The bone marrow in the femur and tibia proved to be dry(!), not decomposed, intact and unaltered. Therefore, these bones had not been lying in water.
This raises some questions. For instance: if the shoe with foot was found mid June (2014), so 10 weeks after the girls disappeared and are thought to have died, could the river water have been so cold as to preserve the skin and marrow to that extent for 10 extra weeks? Can it reach the temperature of at least 6°C? But the mass of skin was found on land, in the jungle. Not in the water. And it was so small, while rolled up, that the pathologist was baffled that anyone could have found it, even if you'd know where to specifically look for. It also showed no signs of having been in the water, when seen under the microscope. The bones also, they were examined and the bone marrow was dry. The dry bone marrow also points towards "a dry and cool storage place", according to the pathologist who did the investigation. Those bones were not laying in the water after the girls died, therefore. The whole water theory can be binned I think, the forensic evidence disproves it. (Besides: the river water would have washed away Lisanne's skin tissue and bone remnants long ago then, as well as helped speed up the decomposition; not slow it down). Same for their bag which was found dry, even the dollar bill inside was dry, even the phones and camera were dry. That bag was from cheap material, it wasn't waterproof. The river is just something which people drag into the story to find a credible possible explanation (and a convenient means of transportation) for the strange locations of the bag and the bones. And according to the pathologist the skin was stored somewhere very specific, he hinted without so many words at a refrigerator or something similar to that, it seemed. In my blog I have translated all the articles written about this, Adelita Coriat (journalist) was present when the skin was rolled out and meticulously inspected. It was in a very early stage of decomposition, virtually intact still. No signs of animal predation.
More on this cow's skin**.
One prominent Dutch websleuth who has vast and detailed knowledge of this case, has also shed doubts about this supposed cow's skin claim. For which prosecutor Pittí (who is no scientist and managed to ruin the camera's SD card as well on June 17th) showed no evidence and which was conveniently used to make her critics look like fools. This sleuth RapaN. recalls that Coriat wás in fact present during the autopsy during the first week of September. The bones and skin were found on September 29th of 2014. She states that the coroner identified the piece of skin to have belonged to the femur leg of Lisanne. Two months later, at the end of November, Adelita Coriat in fact interviewed Betzaida Pittí and asked her about this patch of skin. This is when Pittí dropped the word 'cow'. In that October interview, Coriat - who was present during the autopsy of Lisanne's bones and skin - asked Pittí questions about this patch of skin, to which Pittí answered that she "did not dare to say" that the skin was from Lisanne, but rather that of a cow. That she was "not sure" that the skin belonged to Lisanne. She also did not know if the bones found belonged to a cow or not [no they didn't, according to DNA results they belonged to Lisanne]. What she díd know however, was to tell Coriat that Kris and Lisanne's mobile phones were pinged and located in Bocas del Torro on March 30-31st... (Nonsense). Pittí could also not specify in late November of 2014 who exactly found and transported these bones; that had not been properly registered. Adelita Coriat then asked Pittí if she saw the piece of skin with her own eyes? Pittí did not directly answer that question, but repeated that it was animal skin. But what she also said then, was that it was found on August 15th. Was she talking about another piece of skin altogether? Because the mass of skin linked to and found together with Lisanne's femur and tibia bone were found on August 29th. That is almost two weeks later. I am sorry readers, for banging on about this skin detail, but this is exactly the sort of misinformation and fog the Panamian prosecution has been trying to create. Pittí did not have her facts correct, she did not witness the autopsy (unlike Coriat), she had no idea really if the skin and bones were or weren't from a cow (again she was wrong in thinking the shin and upper leg bone from Lisanne belonged to a cow as well). This all sounds and looks very unprofessional and unscientific. There is no evidence that this was cow's skin. There wás evidence that it belonged to Lisanne; both the coroner (the only professional in this respect) and Coriat say so. Pittí claims otherwise but is mistaken about many details that cán be verified. So her accounts are, as always, looking dubious.
Video with Peter & Diny Froon and Ingrid Lommers; "Please know that we will stay here in Panama until you have been found. We will wait as long as it takes. We will stay here to find you."
Presenter: 'Diny and Peter Froon still have hope that this case will have a good ending. Since their daughter and her friend Kris went missing, they have now traveled to Panama for the first time. Een Vandaag followed them.'Diny Froon: "Please, leave us no longer in uncertainty. And please give us a sign of life."
Presenter: 'Diny and Peter fight against their tears on the press conference with the Panamanian media. They are distraught since their daughter Lisanne vanished without a trace with her friend, about six weeks ago.'
Peter Froon: "Dear Lisanne and Kris. Please know that we will stay here in Panama until you have been found. We will wait as long as it takes, until you are found. And we will not give up! Really, we won't. Have faith in us, we will keep looking for you, for as long as it takes, we will stay here."
[Scarlet: The parents would never give up or leave, until something was found that gave them closure. Hence why I believe that the backpack and bones were planted mid June; to ensure that the parents would finally leave]
Presenter: 'The Panamanian media has come in large numbers. The mysterious disappearance case is still in the news here. In the street everybody knows who we are talking about, when we start about the Dutch girls.'
Local: "It is a worrying situation, because people have disappeared. Even though they are not from Panama, it still touches us that they are missing. We pray to God that they are doing well and that they will be found soon."
Presenter: 'On Wednesday April 2nd the alarm is raised when Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers don't return to their host family in Boquete. A mountain village in the west of Panama. A large forest area is meticulously searched. But to Kris' parents great disappointment, nothing is found.'
Hans Kremers: "But we are convinced that if there would have been a trace of them in these mountains... that these men and women would have found it."
"Please know that we will stay here in Panama until you have been found. We will wait as long as it takes."
Presenter: 'Last weekend, Lisanne's parents Peter and Diny also travelled to Panama. They are supported by two family members. It is the start of a difficult journey, to the place where their daughter was last seen alive. Diny Froon: "You now start to look at everything as through the eyes of Lisanne. And you think: this is really where she has been, and what has she seen here? And of course we have seen the images on TV, but to see it all for yourself here is overwhelming.
Peter Froon: "Of course it is difficult to keep faith. Especially as time goes by. But as long as the opposite hasn't been proven, we keep believing that they will be found. And that is where everybody is working towards, and that keep us going. Even though it is sometimes hard."
Presenter: 'The rain season has started in Panama. There are several theories about what may have happened with the two Dutch women. Did they get lost on the Pianista? A popular hiking trail in the mountains. Did they step in the car of the wrong people? And what happened during the last day? We get in the car with Ingrid Lommers. The two girls followed a language course at her school.
Ingrid Lommer: "This is the most direct route to the Pianista. They wanted to learn Spanish and they really wanted to work with children. They had really good intentions, for themselves and for the local population. And it is so unbelievable that something like this happened to two girls, who came here with such good intentions. Why did this happen to them? Why on this moment and in this place?"
Presenter: 'Ingrid takes us to Casa Pedro. Probably the last place where Kris and Lisanne were seen.'
Ingrid Lommer: "One of the two girls has sat here, the other stood here. And they had the intention to return to Boquete. And they sat here for a little while. The mister from Casa de Pedro has seen them here. And at some point they were gone."
"One of the two girls has sat here, the other stood here. And they had the intention to return to Boquete. And they sat here for a little while. The mister from Casa de Pedro has seen them here. And at some point they were gone."
Manolu Ruiz (mayor of Boquete): "I think they went somewhere else. We searched in the mountains but have found nothing." Presenter: 'Do you think that a crime took place?'
Manolu Ruiz: "I hope not. I only hope that they are still alive."
Presenter: 'By now there are said to be new signals about a possible breakthrough in the case. It is not clear what signals.
Diny Froon: "It is more like a rumour that we heard. And we want to check everything. To find out if we can find a trace in these rumours. If they are true or not."**
Presenter: 'Jan Rigter, Diny's brother, has travelled with them to Panama, together with his wife. For years he worked for the Dutch police but he also knows that in countries such as Panama, you need a private detective to really get to the bottom of things.'
'For years he worked for the Dutch police but he also knows that in countries such as Panama, you need a private detective to really get to the bottom of things.'
Jan Rigter: "First there are the tips that could come in through the offering of a reward. The police doesn't do anything with these tips, so you need someone who will verify them. The private detective can do this. Sometimes you also receive tips from psychics. Which could be correct perhaps. And then you try to link those to the facts that are known. And the police often does not have the time to properly investigate this."
Presenter: 'The reward for the golden tip has by now been increased. And this has to open up the naturally closed-natured Panamanians.
Diny Froon: "But then we need certainty within the next three weeks, about where the girls are and that they return to us alive and healthy."
Diny Froon: "It has to happen here. So we really want this to make it to the national papers here. And the people already talk about it, but the coverage has to get even bigger. Because here is where it has to happen. There must be people here who know something. And this is how we want to encourage people and to convince them to make contact when they know something. To give us tips we can work with."
"And there are plans from us to constantly have one of our families present here from now on. We will stay present here, until this is solved. We don't want to leave them alone."
Peter Froon: "And there are plans from us to constantly have one of our families present here from now on. We will stay present here, until this is solved. We don't want to leave them alone."
**As for the rumour: I think it was this event which the Froon's referred to in this TV interview. A peculiar tip was checked; around this time, and reported on on May 16th 2014: "Two bodies are said to have been seen near the spot where the women disappeared. Police release a map with the spot where the bodies are said to have been found, which coincides with an area called Culebre, near the cable bridges and the river crossing. Representatives of the Panamanian prosecution are sent to the spot, but bad weather prevents the helicopter from landing. They do circle for two days around the area and when the representatives do eventually arrive there, they find nothing. Shortly afterwards they state it was a 'false alarm' from an anonymous telephone tipster, who called the police with this 'information'. No money claim was made. Which is a strange extra detail, considering there was a reward of 40.000 dollars for the person who found the girls, and it kind of excludes the possibility of the tipster being a gold-diggers trying to troll for the reward. But in this article it is reported that the radar of a helicopter did in fact notice two skeletons. Note that this region was already highlighted on May 16th, while the girls' backpack and bones were found much later, respectively on June 11th and 18th.. In the same area as marked on this May card regarding the location of these potential bodies. Unfortunately the hard to reach Culebre region has not been searched by Dutch sniffer dogs (who were trained to find living people), as they will not be allowed to go there in the upcoming week. On a Boquete forum, a person named Allan wrote that "Both Panamanian and Dutch dog teams found no scent, as well as no kind of evidence or trace of the girls on the trail which they were reported seen entering on, which has led local searchers and Government officials, on both sides, to conclude that the women had never been on the mountain."
Peter Froon: "And there are plans from us to constantly have one of our families present here from now on. We will stay present here, until this is solved. We don't want to leave them alone."
Presenter: 'And Tros Vermist has raised the reward for the golden tip with 1000 euro. That program will give attention to this case tonight.'
**As for the rumour: I think it was this event which the Froon's referred to in this TV interview. A peculiar tip was checked; around this time, and reported on on May 16th 2014: "Two bodies are said to have been seen near the spot where the women disappeared. Police release a map with the spot where the bodies are said to have been found, which coincides with an area called Culebre, near the cable bridges and the river crossing. Representatives of the Panamanian prosecution are sent to the spot, but bad weather prevents the helicopter from landing. They do circle for two days around the area and when the representatives do eventually arrive there, they find nothing. Shortly afterwards they state it was a 'false alarm' from an anonymous telephone tipster, who called the police with this 'information'. No money claim was made. Which is a strange extra detail, considering there was a reward of 40.000 dollars for the person who found the girls, and it kind of excludes the possibility of the tipster being a gold-diggers trying to troll for the reward. But in this article it is reported that the radar of a helicopter did in fact notice two skeletons. Note that this region was already highlighted on May 16th, while the girls' backpack and bones were found much later, respectively on June 11th and 18th.. In the same area as marked on this May card regarding the location of these potential bodies. Unfortunately the hard to reach Culebre region has not been searched by Dutch sniffer dogs (who were trained to find living people), as they will not be allowed to go there in the upcoming week. On a Boquete forum, a person named Allan wrote that "Both Panamanian and Dutch dog teams found no scent, as well as no kind of evidence or trace of the girls on the trail which they were reported seen entering on, which has led local searchers and Government officials, on both sides, to conclude that the women had never been on the mountain." 
In this Dutch news article from June 9th, 2014, it is claimed that Kris and Lisanne were killed for their organs:
"The AD reports that Kris Kremers (22) and Lisanne Froon (21) may have been killed to sell their organs. They are claimed to have unknowingly stepped in a fake taxi, which did not take them to their destination - a market in a nearby village - but to a place where they were drugged. The AD: "The driver, reportedly in his thirties, is said to have sedated his Dutch "customers" with a "knockout spray" and tied them up with tape. The organs from the two girlfriends' bodies were then removed from their bodies with the help of two henchmen, in a small building at a small lake near Enrique Malek International Airport. These organs were then flown by helicopter to a place just across the border in Colombia. The bodies of the victims are said to have been dumped by the lake, according to sources. They rely on information from witnesses, tips from third parties and their own investigation." The newspaper soon after wrote a rectification.
"The AD reports that Kris Kremers (22) and Lisanne Froon (21) may have been killed to sell their organs. They are claimed to have unknowingly stepped in a fake taxi, which did not take them to their destination - a market in a nearby village - but to a place where they were drugged. The AD: "The driver, reportedly in his thirties, is said to have sedated his Dutch "customers" with a "knockout spray" and tied them up with tape. The organs from the two girlfriends' bodies were then removed from their bodies with the help of two henchmen, in a small building at a small lake near Enrique Malek International Airport. These organs were then flown by helicopter to a place just across the border in Colombia. The bodies of the victims are said to have been dumped by the lake, according to sources. They rely on information from witnesses, tips from third parties and their own investigation." The newspaper soon after wrote a rectification.
Another trail
Juan mentioned a link to a travel blog. Two tourists who went with the guide on a hike, describe how on that day, the guide discouraged them to walk the Pianista Trail, but instead suggested a 'secret trail' that only he knew about. This may or may not be a trail close to the Pianista Trail. They write: "From Bocas del Toro we went by bus to the mountain town of Boquete. This is known for its beautiful hikes, waterfalls and walks. Unfortunately we were both sick, no fun. We had to skip a few things. But when we recovered a bit, we set off with our Panamanian friend F. This was really fantastic. We asked him if he wanted to walk the Pianista Trail with us. That trail must be very beautiful and is also known for the disappearance of two Dutch girls, Kris and Lisanne ... F. soon asked if we knew for sure that we wanted to do that trail, as if he had doubts about it. You should always take advice from locals, so we immediately said that if he had a better idea, we wanted to do that instead. The mountain of the Pianista Trail was covered in clouds so that, according to him, it would not be so special there today.
Juan mentioned a link to a travel blog. Two tourists who went with the guide on a hike, describe how on that day, the guide discouraged them to walk the Pianista Trail, but instead suggested a 'secret trail' that only he knew about. This may or may not be a trail close to the Pianista Trail. They write: "From Bocas del Toro we went by bus to the mountain town of Boquete. This is known for its beautiful hikes, waterfalls and walks. Unfortunately we were both sick, no fun. We had to skip a few things. But when we recovered a bit, we set off with our Panamanian friend F. This was really fantastic. We asked him if he wanted to walk the Pianista Trail with us. That trail must be very beautiful and is also known for the disappearance of two Dutch girls, Kris and Lisanne ... F. soon asked if we knew for sure that we wanted to do that trail, as if he had doubts about it. You should always take advice from locals, so we immediately said that if he had a better idea, we wanted to do that instead. The mountain of the Pianista Trail was covered in clouds so that, according to him, it would not be so special there today.
He has been walking through the jungle every single day for 19 years and had a "secret track", as he called it. A very nice walk and the weather was good there at the moment. No other guide knew which route he was taking and he was clearly proud of this track, we were looking forward to it! Along the way we spoke about Kris and Lisanne, how that was for the locals. He was very angry with the government, when Kris and Lisanne got lost they sent distress signals, but the government responded much too late. There were also no signs placed along the road. He was very sad about what happened to them. Fortunately the trail has improved in the meantime, but we prefer to go into the jungle with a guide. When we arrived we were given a walking stick which turned out to be very handy on the way. Lots of mud and unpredictable plots of land, it could suddenly be slippery or suddenly collapse. However, the area was beautiful. We soon saw a beautiful rare bird with a kind of mustache. We walked up and down, it was quite a wild track. [..] We also ate a pineapple and bananas that he had brought for us from his own garden. He said that he himself had a small farm with a small coffee plantation." - Perhaps his 'secret route' coincides with the routes which Jeremy S. discovered and sent me:
UPDATE In their new podcast series, which I cover in great detail in this post, Jeremy Kryt and Mariana Atencio went back to Boquete and discovered a secret trail.
PATA DE MACHO TRAILKryt and Atencio go out with Jose to explore the Palo Alto area and drive to The Crow, Cuervo's, house. The place with the mango tree. "Not thirty metres from a hotel". They do multiple drive by's in fact. 'The House' is described as a relatively small, one story building. Painted in a sickly shade of orange-yellow. There is a dog on the porch, the front door is ajar, a television plays inside. It does seem that Jeremy and company are aware there may be someone in the house. While they are stood on the door of the (empty?) house, one of the crew spots a mango tree on the other side of a fence, at the rear of this house. They sneak around. The tree is in or by a small creek, along with other small trees and shrubs. You can actually hear the breeze and water bubbling as Jeremy speaks while evaluating this space. This place is rather concealed, Kryt says, and indeed has no cell reception within a hundred metres, the podcast makers confirm: "Within about a hundred yards of the Property, headed into the jungle, there is no cell reception." Pondering a hidden, secret trail Jeremy speculates that "There may be a trail that connects this house, or the grounds behind the house, with the Pianista trail." - In the Aftershow of episode 6, Kryt describes the house and its surroundings as "A residential neighborhood. The road switches from pavement to gravel, just about 100 metres north of the Palo Alto neighborhood. There are plots of farmland sprinkled about. There áre houses nearby, and those houses were there in 2014. Certainly within earshot. In the vicinity. If they were calling for help, someone would have heard them. We've also been told it is a party house where there were commonly parties, so loud music or people shrieking with laughter.. the neighbours could have become accustomed to that. So they maybe didn't respond or didn't bat an eye. And from Margarita's description, based on what Murgas told her, Kris was killed very quickly, But she does talk about how Lisanne began to scream. So that made me wonder." Mariana adds that this is a rural place, and that she doesn't know really if people live there all year round. Jeremy: "There's a hotel not 30 metres away." And when they are on the Pate de Macho trail, Jeremy states that Cuervo's house is "about two kilometres down the hill". [Scarlet: This seems to roughly align with the area to the north of the Tree Trek Adventure park].
There is also a back road leading from the Pianista trail to this Palo Alto area. It's called Pata de Macho ('hoof of the tapir'). Interesting.. I long assumed there were other, unkempt and small trails leading away from the Pianista trail. Trails which could have been used to kidnap Kris and Lisanne, without them being seen. But this is a very interesting bit of information on at least one such a path, confirmed by Kryt and Martin who saw the trail and its linking to the Pianista with their own eyes. Mariana rightly makes it clear that this discovery is a *huge* deal and it really shouldn't be downplayed. Discovering the (back)trail that connects the Paolo Alto house to the Pianista should probably be a turning point for everyone. This Pata de Macho path is not used a lot, the podcast makers describe. It's flatter, longer, less strenuous and pretty empty. Only park rangers and possibly hunters [and local tour guides of course] still use it. It's also overgrown and hard to spot and it takes almost twice as long to lead to the Mirador than the Pianista does; between three and five hours. [Scarlet: So if Kris, Lisanne and their company had started marching after 14.00 PM, they would have most likely still been walking down this trail by the time the first two emergency calls were made. Given they were approaching civilization by then - going by this theory - is that a logical thing or not?] This route could have certainly been used to move people or remains around unseen. In theory... Jose Donderis, the former head of Sinaproc, confirms that this Pata de Macho route was NOT or barely searched. "Because we were prohibited". "We had problems with the authorities. The director of the operation was not comfortable with my participation on the site, due to political problems." In the Aftershow of episode 6, Kryt and Atencio discuss this further and Kryt corrects Donderis here and says that the police report states that this area of Pata de Macho was in fact searched. The podcast makers also share that they ran into a puma on this trail, but that the animal ran off instantly and was very skittish. "It wanted nothing to do with us, and I think that is typical behaviour for those big cats", Kryt says. Jeremy Kryt also says something else interesting: "Even the bigger reveal is that when we sent our head guide up the Pianista to find the mouth of the Pata de Macho trail, he was told by multiple sources on the mountain that guide F. had ordered that trail to be closed. And he thought that was very suspicious. I think this is very interesting, if we're right and guide F's son Tito and the other members of the Bandida did use this trail. And we already know guide F. is threatening other sources. He's threatened the entire community of Alto Romero. So we know he has a history of trying to cover this case up. He actually threatened the landowner to get him to close that trail down. Of course, according to sources on the mountain." How interesting.. Guide F. said nothing about the existence of this other trail when Roelie and Hans Kremers asked him about side trails on the Pianista. Roelie noticed a third path there. "A temporary path.." says guide F. Hans quickly diverted the conversation elsewhere, but when you look at the body language of guide F.'s assistants, you wonder if there is some fear there, While that particular side trail appears not to be the Pata de Macho trail (but perhaps it is, I don't know for sure), the guide also makes no effort to inform his paying customers about OTHER back trails. Guide F. may have been right about that specific side trail which Roelie points at. But they hired his services in order to scour that Pianista trail and the ongoing trail beyond the Mirador for possible exits. That was their goal. See if Kris and Lisanne could have exited or fell down at any place. So knowing this was their purpose and knowing why they were there, hiring his expertise, I find it very odd that he is caught on camera telling others in Spanish not to talk or tell the parents about .... (muffled) and that he never informed them about this Pata de Macho trail. A trail he clearly was aware of. Doesn't look good. And now we learn that guide F. also prevented people from searching this trail back in 2014... While single-handedly steering everyone to the wrong side of the Mirador. Why would that be? Peculiar. Not to say damning information, if those witnesses tell the truth.
And something else: in my main blog post on this case, I refer to a short article in a Dutch newspaper, dated May 15th 2014, in which tour guide F. is interviewed. Somehow I only really highlighted what he stated in that interview about the need to search through abandoned houses and sheds, in the search for Kris and Lisanne. But now some other people have re-read the interview and they focused on some other details. The tour guide also stated in this short interview with the Dutch newspaper Algemeen dagblad (I translated it in English): "Because he had walked the trails as a guide countless times, and during the first track he had brought a lot of fruit in his backpack. 'The girls will be hungry, I thought.' But in subsequent searches he no longer did that. Now his searches for them are not as coordinated anymore as in the beginning. He doesn't know where to look and does not believe that the girls are in the jungle. because it has already been searched." "They can be everywhere, also here in Boquete. I think there is a chance of that." There are many new built houses that are empty in Boquete. "None of those empty houses have been searched by police. Nobody knows who lives there. You can easily hide two girls there", he said to reporters. So, what did I overlook? The following statement: "When the language school manager told me that the girls were missing, I was convinced they were lost. All their belongings were still with the host family where they were staying. I saw it myself, I went with them when they looked in their room. I saw the bags, their identity cards, the cell phone. And they were last spotted on the Pianista Trail, where you can go for a walk."
This is what Juan wrote about this: "I saw the bags, identity cards [plural, meaning passports]... THE MOBILE PHONE. ----> Yet both the (two) mobile phones were found inside the backpack, found outside Alto Romero. Also, Lisanne's passport was missing, and now he claims he saw two (or both their) identity cards in the room. So, is this a case of, a slip of the tongue? The backpack was found on June 13th or 14th of 2014, one month after this interview.. In other interviews in Spanish, this tour guide talks about seeing mobile phone chargers when he speaks about what he saw when he entered their rooms.." Great detective work Juan. So if the tour guide literally saw a mobile phone in the girls' room at April 2nd of 2014, when we know that both the girls carried their phones with them when they went missing (and they didn't carry extra mobile phones), then doesn't this mean that they did make it back from the Pianista Trail hike? Or that a 3rd person was involved in their disappearance and got hold of these phones, placing one back in the room? Or that they brought a 3rd mobile phone with them theoretically? (No word about this from the families or the investigators, however..). A strange statement, for sure.
A lying, insensitive machine
Poor police work can not only be seen in places like Panama, but also in the Netherlands. (Thanks to Juan for finding this article). Master of law Sébas Diekstra concentrates on cold cases. "In one of my headache dossiers at the time, a group of individuals was completely mangled by the machinery that is the Public Prosecution."
April 16th, 2016 - Lawyer Sébas Diekstra dedicates himself with heart and soul to the relatives of people who died under suspicious circumstances. Cases which the police have insufficiently investigated and parked as an 'accident' or 'suicide' and which the ministry of justice prefers to sweep under the carpet. “It is abominable how the government leaves next of kin with important questions. As if someone is drowning while everyone is looking the other way. Then I will help." Lying to the media. Blatantly lying with a straight face that you threw away a dead girl's fingernails which you needed for forensics research. While in reality, the Public Prosecutor's Office has no idea where they left those nails. Then you really no longer understand as a government organization, with what task you are on this earth." Talking to us is lawyer Sébas Diekstra from Leiden. Together with Job Knoester en Richard Koner, he is one of the very few lawyers who stand by the relatives of people who died under suspicious circumstances. Cases which were directly labeled a 'suicide' or an 'accident' or a 'voluntary disappearance' and which as a result have hardly been investigated by the police and the Public Prosecution Service. For the next of kin I am the last straw and I pull out all the stops for them. Why I have this dedication? That goes back to the time when I ended up as a professional soldier in the military police service. I started out on the street as an investigating officer and I also studied law. Later I became an integrity officer and was responsible for investigations into my own personnel. There I saw how individuals can be crushed by a government agency.
I noticed how short-sighted the police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can be. Shouting from the rooftops that people are of central importance to them, while those organizations are too often concerned with egos and public opinion.
That is partly my drive to defend people. I noticed how short-sighted the police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can be. Shouting from the rooftops that people are of central importance to them, while those organizations are too often concerned with egos and public opinion. In one of my headache files at the time, a group of individuals was totally mangled in the machine that is the OM. I want to save people from this, if I have to. By fighting that big insensitive machine.
Your first cold case case was Talitha the 25-year-old Amsterdam girl who was found dead on the trail three years ago. Suicide? Or not?
Talitha was found lying between the train tracks. By police officers who had rushed to the scene, it was instantly ruled a suicide. But much in this case is atypical. The train driver stated to the officers that he had seen her lying motionless before the collision, between and parallel to the railway tracks. Her injuries also did not fit with a run-over. Yet Talitha's mother was immediately told by the police that her daughter committed suicide by jumping. Later she was allowed to pick up a bag of bloody clothes from Talitha. At the station, of all places. When the mother knocked on my door for help, I started a huge complaints procedure. Eventually, Chief Public Prosecutor Steensma apologized and said that the case officer should never have come to that conclusion."
What do you know about this scandal by now?
It is unbelievable how many mistakes have been made. The police did not investigate anything, the train tracks were immediately cleared. Forensic investigation was not started, any perpetrator DNA and trailing or footprints were not secured. A medical examiner could not say whether it was suicide or murder. There was some correspondence between the prosecutor and the deputy officer, but we still don't know what that involved. What I do know is that Talitha's body has been taken care of [washed and prepared for a wake site]. Later the officer started having doubts and ordered for a section after all. But any traces there may have been, were almost certainly destroyed by the previous care of the body. We called in an external pathologist. He concluded that the injuries could have emerged earlier. There is a real possibility that someone else is involved in her death.
It is unbelievable how many mistakes have been made. The police did not investigate anything, the train tracks were immediately cleared. Forensic investigation was not started, any perpetrator DNA and trailing or footprints were not secured. A medical examiner could not say whether it was suicide or murder.
What do you know about this scandal by now?
It is unbelievable how many mistakes have been made. The police did not investigate anything, the train tracks were immediately cleared. Forensic investigation was not started, any perpetrator DNA and trailing or footprints were not secured. A medical examiner could not say whether it was suicide or murder. There was some correspondence between the prosecutor and the deputy officer, but we still don't know what that involved. What I do know is that Talitha's body has been taken care of [washed and prepared for a wake site]. Later the officer started having doubts and ordered for a section after all. But any traces there may have been, were almost certainly destroyed by the previous care of the body. We called in an external pathologist. He concluded that the injuries could have emerged earlier. There is a real possibility that someone else is involved in her death.
Like in so many other cases, justice seems to do a flip here too. What was the story about those fingernails?Talitha's nails were clipped during the post-mortem. Those fingernails are important though, because they can contain culprit DNA. The OM then casually says to the ANP to have thrown away the nails. If I later confront the justice department with this, I am told: 'The nails are missing. We don't really know about it.' In other words, 'We had to say something to the media. The fact that we don't know doesn't make us look very smart. So we just say we threw them away.' I find that bizarre, this lying. Meanwhile, we still don't know what happened to Talitha and the family still has questions. I then think: make up for that and do that last bit of research. But they refuse to, because there is no detection indication; no suspicion of a crime."
Meanwhile, we still don't know what happened to Talitha and the family still has questions. I then think: make up for that and do that last bit of research. But they refuse to, because there is no detection indication; no suspicion of a crime. Because they didn't do anything to find one."
This is often argued by OM and investigators.
It would almost be funny if it wasn't so sad. The police and the judiciary usually reason in a circle in these cases. They claim to have done nothing in those cases, because there is no detection indication. Then I say: there is no detection indication, because you didn't do anything to find one. Then the answer is: that is because we have no detection indication. You could write metres of text about it, in the end it comes down to that idiotic little circle."
Is that different in other countries?
In some countries, the premise is that with any unnatural death, a crime should be rule out first. That means a forensic section to the cause of death. That is pure. The Dutch system leaves too much room for errors: the public prosecutor decides what he or she does. With this, you accept errors of judgment."
The big problem is that the police and the judiciary system are far too concerned with public opinion. Improper interests play a role in this. Moreover, they are hierarchical organizations with too many officials who are busy keeping their own street clean.
You now have seventeen such cases under your care, including the case of the Polish boy Tornasz Kosmala. There must be a pattern in this error festivals.The big problem is that the police and the judiciary system are far too concerned with public opinion. Improper interests play a role in this. Moreover, they are hierarchical organizations with too many officials who are busy keeping their own street clean. The essence in these cases is that the emergency aides who arrive first - often insufficiently trained surveillants - are directly focused on one scenario and are blind to other possibilities. When a body is found on the train tracks, it must be suicide. When a body is found in the water: suicide or an accidental drunkard. If things go wrong there and the forensic investigation does not arrive on the scene immediately - you see that in all those cases - then it's over. Then it is finished. The police and the judiciary sometimes admit that they wrongly assumed one leading scenario and delved into it incorrectly. But they don't learn from those mistakes. How long has this misery been going on now?"
There is contradiction these days. Highly educated employees that are brought into the police force to combat tunnel vision.
"That only looks nice on paper. The results turned out to be downright poor. What do you think? Those contradictors are crammed somewhere within the hierarchy and do not have the position they should be given. They are part of the clique. They become infected by the clique-thinking and go along with it. Contradiction is supposed to be independent. You should not stuff them within your own ranks and give them a rank or scale that makes the opponent subordinate. Hierarchy and criticism do not mix well.
The essence in these cases is that the often insufficiently trained surveillants are directly focused on one scenario and are blind to other possibilities. When a body is found on the train tracks, it must be suicide. When a body is found in the water: suicide or an accidental drunkard. If things go wrong there and the forensic investigation does not arrive on the scene immediately - you see that in all those cases - then it's over. Then it is finished.
As a surviving relative, you are therefore at the mercy of the gods?
You are without rights. It is difficult to initiate proceedings because there is insufficient research to substantiate a crime scenario. You are left with all your questions and can actually only start a crusade. You are then seen as a nuisance or someone who gets stuck in his grief [Scarlet; this seems to be exactly what happened to Hans Kremers; deemed a pest and a troublemaker by the OM, in Hans' own words]. In the meantime, justice will do everything in its power to prevent you from getting the police files. The bullshit argument that is always put forward, is that the privacy of the deceased should not be violated. But that doesn't matter to you, as a surviving relative. After all, you want to know what happened to your loved one and what has or has not been investigated. There is only one reason why these files are not provided: the police and the judicial authorities do not want errors to be discovered."
Lawyer Job Knoester previously argued for an independent committee that can have an investigation instituted after all.
I don't see much in a blunder committee. In my opinion there should be a civil court that can order Public Prosecution Services, police or other authorities to investigate. As an outgrowth of the right to life, there is also the right to know what killed someone. I am working on a letter to the House of Representatives with that proposal. I have already have the approval of [political parties] D66 and VVD."
It is difficult to initiate proceedings because there is insufficient research to substantiate a crime scenario. There is only one reason why these files are not provided: the police and the judicial authorities do not want errors to be discovered."
You must have made many new police friends by now?
Not exactly, but that's not what I'm here for. Of course some people are scornful towards me. Whatever. All this work does not benefit me. I usually assist relatives free of charge. Name recognition is nice. But for me it is all about that text message I receive from a surviving relative, with the message 'we are glad that you are here'. That is enough."
La Prensa also criticizes the investigationMay 30th, 2014
Article. "The officials of the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) who initially attended the case of the two Dutch tourists lost in Boquete, did not follow the proper procedures of a judicial investigation.
Sinaproc overstepped the line in the Dutch investigation. This was announced by Rafael Guerrero, head of the Complex Cases Unit of the Public Ministry (MP), who since last Monday has been in the Chirican mountains along with the multinational search teams, trying to find the whereabouts of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, lost since last April 2. "Sinaproc carried out proceedings that were not for them to do, without the endorsement of the MP," Guerrero explained to this newspaper, indicating that Civil Protection officials entered the room where the Dutch women were staying, without the company of criminalistics technicians. This action, he affirmed, prevented the scientific collection of clues that would have allowed for a better orientation of the investigation.
Guerrero also believes that if Sinaproc had initially entered the bedroom in the company of technicians from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, it would have been clear [now] if it was a case of disappearance, kidnapping, homicide or if "they simply left Boquete".
“The alert for the disappearance was already being investigated by the MP. However, Sinaproc unilaterally began a process of interviews and judicial investigations. They even entered the residence where the young women had been staying. It would have been preferable if (they asked for the help of) the criminalistics technicians. (Thus) more scientific information would be obtained ... more evidence”, he added. Guerrero also believes that if Sinaproc had initially entered the bedroom in the company of technicians from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, it would have been clear [now] if it was a case of disappearance, kidnapping, homicide or if "they simply left Boquete". “If Sinaproc had entered with the technicians, we would have a fingerprint survey. We could have seen in the garbage cans if there were written notes, cigarette butts or any other evidence that would allow us to have clearer theories," added a source from the Judicial Investigation Directorate. “Obviously what happened was a mistake. I don't know why Sinaproc did that, considering they only have to deal with emergencies and disasters. The investigation processes do not correspond to them. I think they rushed and got carried away with urgency," the source added.
When asked about the statements of the representative of the MP, the director in charge of Sinaproc in the Chiriquí region, Francisco Santamaría, denied the information. “I don't know who collected the belongings. We didn't go. We are not empowered for that,” he replied. Despite this information, the head of the Complex Cases Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office ratified his statement, and pointed out that Sinaproc's detailed actions appear in the case file, which already reaches a thousand pages. "Sinaproc even asked the police not to participate at the beginning of the search operation and when they inspected the Dutch girls' room," added Guerrero. On this matter, the director of Sinaproc, Arturo Alvarado, confirmed that officials from the Boquete delegation entered the room and took photographs and even questioned some witnesses before beginning the search. He explained that, in his opinion, his officials did not do anything inappropriate “because at that time there were no yellow tapes on the house. (When we entered) a criminal process (sic) had not started, ”he continued. Alvarado stated that to start a search "Sinaproc must carry out a preliminary investigation."
“If Sinaproc had entered with the technicians, we would have a fingerprint survey. We could have seen in the garbage cans if there were written notes, cigarette butts or any other evidence that would allow us to have clearer theories," added a source from the Judicial Investigation Directorate.
Through the photographs that the officials took, "we saw that their passports, toothbrushes and cream were there." That allowed them to "deduce" that the Dutch had not gone a long distance, since their backpacks were still in the room, he asserted. “Sinaproc was notified 44 hours after they were lost. We talked with the owner of the house and started the search. We delivered the photos to the MP two days later. We did not go in with the criminalistics technicians, because there was no crime. Still, one imagined that they could be in a restaurant... we did not touch anything, "added Alvarado, indicating that the officials of his institution walked 944 kilometres in search of the girls.
The guide speaks
During the night of last Wednesday, this newspaper managed to interview Feliciano González, the guide who had been contacted by the school where Kris and Lisanne were going to study Spanish, to guide them on the El Pianista trail. “The two girls who work at the Spanish by the River school contacted me. A German named Eileen and a Dutch named Mariolane. I speak English well, I am 58 years old and I have been a guide on the Boquete trails for 14 years,” said González, specifying that he charges 25 dollars for each tourist. “Eileen told me to come to Spanish by The River on Wednesday, April 2 at 8:00 a.m. to look for them. At that time I arrived there and together with her I waited half an hour for the Dutch. Time passed and they did not arrive. We decided to go together to the house where they were staying. Upon arrival they did not answer and we thought they were asleep. For this reason, we telephoned the owner of the house”. Being 10:00 a.m. [Scarlet: so they waited for two hours already for Kris and Lisanne?] the owner of the property authorized them to look for a key in the garden of the house so that they could enter the room. Upon entering, Feliciano says that together with Eileen he saw the unmade beds, some backpacks and cables to charge cell phones. "The owner of the house told me that she even made them breakfast, thinking they had come home late," he continued. “So as not to alarm anyone”, Eileen and Feliciano separated and did not resume contact until 5:00 p.m., thinking that perhaps the Dutch were walking around town. [Scarlet: in other interviews, both agreed and admitted that they spent that day together at F's coffee farm, before going to the police. How come there is a different version of events told here? And why shouldn't people be alarmed, nearly 24 hours after these young women were last seen alive? Why keep it a secret?]. “Since they didn't show up, at 7:30 p.m. We decided to go to the Police and they told us that at that time they had no officers available. Not having the exact data of the girls, we went back to the room where we found a card," said the guide. Then, together with Eileen, who had only lived in Boquete for three days and [soon] already left Panama, they went to Spanish By The River where they found the complete data on the company's computer. Shortly before 9:30 p.m., both returned to the Police and filed the complaint. On Thursday, April 3, Feliciano reported the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne at the Sinaproc headquarters in Boquete, at 7:30 a.m. An hour later he did the same in the municipal personería of this community. In the afternoon, the guide went to the DIJ to repeat the procedure. "Except at the Police, I filed all the complaints, only because the German does not speak Spanish," he said.“She told me that she thought the Dutch were going to go for a walk on the El Pianista trail. At school he heard them talk and saw a map of this trail. Even though she is German, she told me that she understood them because she studied tourism in Amsterdam”, continued Feliciano, clarifying that days after her disappearance, Eileen left Panama.
During the night of last Wednesday, this newspaper managed to interview Feliciano González, the guide who had been contacted by the school where Kris and Lisanne were going to study Spanish, to guide them on the El Pianista trail. “The two girls who work at the Spanish by the River school contacted me. A German named Eileen and a Dutch named Mariolane. I speak English well, I am 58 years old and I have been a guide on the Boquete trails for 14 years,” said González, specifying that he charges 25 dollars for each tourist. “Eileen told me to come to Spanish by The River on Wednesday, April 2 at 8:00 a.m. to look for them. At that time I arrived there and together with her I waited half an hour for the Dutch. Time passed and they did not arrive. We decided to go together to the house where they were staying. Upon arrival they did not answer and we thought they were asleep. For this reason, we telephoned the owner of the house”. Being 10:00 a.m. [Scarlet: so they waited for two hours already for Kris and Lisanne?] the owner of the property authorized them to look for a key in the garden of the house so that they could enter the room. Upon entering, Feliciano says that together with Eileen he saw the unmade beds, some backpacks and cables to charge cell phones. "The owner of the house told me that she even made them breakfast, thinking they had come home late," he continued. “So as not to alarm anyone”, Eileen and Feliciano separated and did not resume contact until 5:00 p.m., thinking that perhaps the Dutch were walking around town. [Scarlet: in other interviews, both agreed and admitted that they spent that day together at F's coffee farm, before going to the police. How come there is a different version of events told here? And why shouldn't people be alarmed, nearly 24 hours after these young women were last seen alive? Why keep it a secret?]. “Since they didn't show up, at 7:30 p.m. We decided to go to the Police and they told us that at that time they had no officers available. Not having the exact data of the girls, we went back to the room where we found a card," said the guide. Then, together with Eileen, who had only lived in Boquete for three days and [soon] already left Panama, they went to Spanish By The River where they found the complete data on the company's computer. Shortly before 9:30 p.m., both returned to the Police and filed the complaint. On Thursday, April 3, Feliciano reported the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne at the Sinaproc headquarters in Boquete, at 7:30 a.m. An hour later he did the same in the municipal personería of this community. In the afternoon, the guide went to the DIJ to repeat the procedure. "Except at the Police, I filed all the complaints, only because the German does not speak Spanish," he said.“She told me that she thought the Dutch were going to go for a walk on the El Pianista trail. At school he heard them talk and saw a map of this trail. Even though she is German, she told me that she understood them because she studied tourism in Amsterdam”, continued Feliciano, clarifying that days after her disappearance, Eileen left Panama.
More inconsistencies
Accompanying Kris's parents at a vigil held last Wednesday night in Boquete, Feliciano indicated that on Saturday, April 5, he accompanied a DIJ commission to walk this path. “Unfortunately we found nothing. [In the Answers for Kris video, guide F. says that he walked the Pianista trail alone to look for Kris and Lisanne on Thursday April 3rd in fact]. Two days later I accompanied Sinaproc and we didn't find them either. In fact, during the two tours we saw many roosters in an area where they do not normally fly. When we went to those places we did not find anything”, confirming that “it is at the order of the authorities and the relatives of the disappeared for anything they need”.
Accompanying Kris's parents at a vigil held last Wednesday night in Boquete, Feliciano indicated that on Saturday, April 5, he accompanied a DIJ commission to walk this path. “Unfortunately we found nothing. [In the Answers for Kris video, guide F. says that he walked the Pianista trail alone to look for Kris and Lisanne on Thursday April 3rd in fact]. Two days later I accompanied Sinaproc and we didn't find them either. In fact, during the two tours we saw many roosters in an area where they do not normally fly. When we went to those places we did not find anything”, confirming that “it is at the order of the authorities and the relatives of the disappeared for anything they need”.
Search extends to the streets of Boquete
For the first time since the tourist tracking process began in Boquete, yesterday the team of volunteers brought from Holland inspected the streets of the upper part of this community. With the help of dogs and accompanied by local authorities, the teams inspected the entrance of private homes and farms looking for signs of Lisanne, who is a psychologist, and Kris, who studied fine arts. On behalf of the relatives of the two young women, Hans Kramers, father of Kris, recalled that the reward offered for information that leads to the whereabouts of his daughter and her friend is 30 thousand dollars. A Dutch television program also promised to pay another 10 thousand dollars to the reward in case the girls are found. Lisanne Froon's parents are currently in the Netherlands. During the second week of May, Peter and Diny Froon were in Boquete participating in the search for both their daughter and her friend Kris. The search is expected to continue today, again in the upper part of Boquete.
More reports on local crimeFebruary 2nd, 2021
I find it important to emphasize, again, that nobody has been found guilty in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. And that everybody is innocent until proven otherwise. I realize that people following this case all have different ideas and suspicions about what happened and who may or may not have been involved, but in a free democracy you just have to live with that and hope that the actual law enforcers do their job properly and give any possible suspects a fair trial (and a fair grilling.. without corrupt protection systems being put in place). I personally found it impossible to write about the details of this case without mentioning some local people who have been on the forefront. But the fact they have caught high winds does not make them prime suspects. I personally think that the people who are most visible here are actually not the most likely to be directly involved. Sure, there are some criminals in this world who love to play cat and mouse games with authorities and who show up at the funerals of their victims and who revel in meeting the relatives, or in interfering with the investigation. But they are a statistical minority. In most cases, perpetrators are protected from higher up or by their own protectors, and actually stay out of the limelight. So instead of only focusing on those who had their faces appear most in TV reports and articles about this case, nobody should forget about the silent unknown people who have kept mostly out of the aftermath of this disappearance. They may have helped with the searches, together with other volunteers. They may have put up posters. Or maybe not even that. I try to also look at general public reports about crime and violence in the area of Boquete. It does not mean that Kris and Lisanne couldn't have simply gotten lost and died by accident. Many people who follow this case believe so. We hardly know anything for certain in this case, neither how they died. But as you know, I think that Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon met foul play. Highlighting general crime in the area, for me, serves as a reminder that the local tourism agencies and the diplomats may tout Boquete as a quaint, sleepy expat village, but people actually living there sometimes tell a different story. And so do the statistics. Below some more info about all this.
A forensic anthropologist with Panama’s Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science (IMELCF), a high-ranking examiner, told Jeremy Kryt: “The lesson, unfortunately, is that women still can’t walk safely alone in the campo in Latin America.” He agrees to be interviewed only under the condition of anonymity, saying he has received death threats after discussing sensitive investigations in the past. “That [Bocas] area is swarming with sicarios,” the IMELCF source says, referring to the cartel smuggling routes that link Panama’s porous eastern coastline with Colombia and Venezuela to the south, and Mexico to the north. “There ought to be a national red alert for foreigners, and especially women,” he says. “But of course that would be bad for tourism.” “Panama is a commercial port for the Sinaloa cartel and others,” he says, and goes on to mention both forced prostitution and organ trafficking as other threats posed by organized crime operating on the isthmus. Part of the problem is that publicizing such dangers could weaken the crucial influx of tourist money, which makes up almost 20 percent of Panama’s GDP. But the problem goes beyond a lack of will, the forensic scientist says. It’s also a lack of skill. “Without competent [law enforcement] officials,” he asks rhetorically, “how can you hope to control crime?” - There have been many dozens unsolved murders and disappearances in this remote, rural stretch of Panama since 2009—with more than two thirds of those in the years around 2014. In the majority of these cases, no bodies have been recovered, no rigorous investigations launched by authorities.
Boquete's forum members discussed also a warning safety leaflet, issued locally in town
By Linch K., April 16th 2014
Source
"Despite what people in Boquete think, Human Trafficking is here and has been for a long time. Panama is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution. Although some Panamanian women and girls are found in forced prostitution in other countries in Latin America and in Europe, most Panamanian trafficking victims are exploited within the country. Although statistics were lacking, both NGOs and government officials anecdotally reported that commercial sexual exploitation of children was greater in rural areas and in the city of Colon than in Panama City. NGOs report that some Panamanian children, mostly young girls, are subjected to involuntary domestic servitude. Most foreign sex trafficking victims are adult women from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and neighboring Central American countries; some victims migrate voluntarily to Panama to work but are subsequently forced into prostitution. Weak controls along Panama’s borders make the nation an easy transit point for irregular migrants, from Latin America, East Africa, and Asia, some of who may fall victim to human trafficking.
The Government of Panama does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period authorities increased public awareness about the prostitution of children through seminars in schools and an outreach campaign with the tourism sector. Despite such efforts, the government showed little evidence of progress in combating human trafficking. Law enforcement efforts remained weak, the Panamanian penal code did not prohibit trafficking for forced labor, and the government failed to provide adequate assistance to victims and to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations; therefore, Panama is placed on Tier 2 Watch List. Recommendations for Panama: Amend anti-trafficking laws to prohibit forced labor, including involuntary domestic servitude; intensify law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses and convict and sentence trafficking offenders, including any public officials complicit with trafficking activity; train government officials in anti-trafficking laws and victim identification and care; dedicate more resources for victim services; and develop a formal system for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, particularly women in prostitution.
Prosecution
The Government of Panama maintained its law enforcement efforts against trafficking crimes during the reporting period. Article 178 of the Panamanian penal code, which was updated in 2008, prohibits the internal and transnational movement of persons for the purpose of sexual servitude or forced commercial sexual activity. The prescribed sentence is four to six years imprisonment, which is increased to six to nine years if trafficking offenders use deceit, coercion, or retain identity documents, and is further increased to 10 to 15 years if the victim is under 14 years of age. Article 177 prohibits sexually exploiting another person for profit. Under aggravated circumstances of threat, force, or fraud, this constitutes human trafficking as defined by international protocol, and carries a sentence of eight to 10 years. Article 180 prohibits the internal and transnational trafficking of minors for sexual servitude, prescribing prison terms of eight to 10 years imprisonment, and Article 179 prohibits subjecting an individual to sexual servitude using threats or violence. Prosecutors may also use other statutes, such as anti-pimping laws, to prosecute trafficking crimes. The above punishments are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for rape. Panamanian law, however, does not specifically prohibit human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor, including domestic servitude. During the reporting period, the government investigated eight human trafficking cases and seven cases of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, which is comparable with last year’s efforts. During the year, however, authorities achieved only one conviction, compared with two achieved during the previous reporting period. The trafficking offender was sentenced to 72 months for pimping a child, which was reduced to 48 months incarceration for unreported reasons. This sentence does not appear to meet the standards established in the Panamanian penal code for this crime. Authorities maintained a small law enforcement unit to investigate sex trafficking and related offenses, and Panamanian law required that one prosecutor in each of Panama’s 13 provinces be trained to prosecute trafficking crimes. One prosecutor based in Panama City was dedicated exclusively to prosecuting trafficking crimes. There were no reports of partnerships with foreign governments in joint investigations of trafficking crimes during the reporting period, although Panamanian authorities met with Colombian officials to exchange information. The government opened no formal trafficking-related corruption investigations during the reporting period. Some judges received training on sex trafficking. There were no reports of training for the members of the diplomatic corps abroad.
Protection
The Panamanian government sustained limited efforts to assist trafficking victims during the reporting period, though overall victim services remained inadequate, particularly for adult victims. Authorities did not employ systematic procedures for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as women in prostitution or detained irregular migrants. Panamanian law requires the National Immigration Office’s trafficking victims unit to provide assistance to foreign trafficking victims. During the reporting period, however, authorities did not report extending victim services to repatriated Panamanian victims or foreign victims of trafficking, and the Immigration Office indicated that there were no foreign victims of trafficking over the past year. The government continued to provide partial funding to an NGO-operated shelter with dedicated housing and social services for child trafficking victims. This shelter, in addition to another NGO shelter working with at-risk youth, and the government’s network of shelters for victims of abuse and violence could provide services to child victims of trafficking, although the government did not report assisting any child victims last year. A shelter for child trafficking victims, funded by a foreign government, was in the process of being constructed. There was no shelter care available exclusively for adult victims of trafficking. The government could house adult victims in hotels on an ad hoc basis but did not report doing so or providing any legal, medical, or psychological services or long-term care to adult trafficking victims during this reporting period. In past years, Panamanian authorities encouraged victims to assist with the investigation and prosecution of trafficking offenders, although few victims chose to do so. The government did not provide foreign victims with legal alternatives to their return to countries where they may face hardship or retribution, although in past years foreign victims were allowed to remain in country during investigations. Trafficking victims were not penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked; however, due to the lack of victim identification strategies, not all foreign victims may have been identified before deportation.
Prevention
The government maintained efforts to prevent human trafficking during the reporting period. To raise awareness about commercial sexual exploitation of children, the government conducted seminars in 84 schools, reaching 6,900 students, 230 teachers, and 140 parents. In collaboration with the ILO, the National Commission for the Prevention of Crimes of Sexual Exploitation, a multi-agency task force, sent 300 letters to the tourism sector to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Child sex tourism is prohibited by law, though there were no reported prosecutions of sex tourists during the reporting period. During the reporting period, the government implemented its National Plan for Prevention and Elimination of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents by publishing a comprehensive guide on health care of children and adolescent victims of commercial sexual exploitation and through supporting a study of sex trafficking in Panama. The government undertook no initiatives to reduce demand for forced labor.
This was taken from a Department of State Report on Human Trafficking. I thought I would put this out there since I read a post by BEC that made mention of preventing future issues. From what I hear around Boquete, most people are naïve or simply in denial. It is common around the world even in quiet Boquete. I love to point out statistics and facts, and this would be a primary reason this particular popular tourist destination was most likely selected. Keep in mind that this is the 4th case in the last 10 years, which is extremely low by most agency or country standards. However it does lend credence to the fact that it's here. There are many steps that can be taken to prevent or slow the rate of Human Trafficking, I would suggest that training be attained from Qualified Professionals in the field. And the neighborhood watch does not count, well... unless it involves the responsible use of a boat horn. If Ning users want to be proactive, and personally contribute to the search for these young ladies I would suggest going to a website named Backpage.com and breaking it up by country and compare the pictures of the escorts to those of the missing girls. I have personally worked 4 recovery missions that were given actionable intel from this site. Start with the middle east, UAE being my first choice.
Replies (some of them)
Lee Zeltzer wrote on April 21st, 2014: "I have thought a lot before taking the action of closing this thread. It was of interest although the information cited was years out of date. Panama is a tier 2 country as are most non "first world" countries that do not fall into tier 3. Panama is not great on protection of victims of human trafficking in fact they offer Colombians a special sex trade Visa. None of this except the claim of four possible abductions in all of Panama is relevant. Since the one I know about, and the only other case in Boquete was a 29 year old British male. I doubt he was abducted for sex trade so that tragedy is probably not related to the content of this thread. I do not want to discount the problem nor the risk of abduction or being lost in the wilderness surrounding Boquete. I realize closing the barn door after the horses have escaped is important as a precaution for others still inside. There are people trying to do that now, Fran, Lori and the Spanish Language Schools are all trying to prevent this from occurring again. We are all hoping for a positive event and positive ending of this horror for Lisanne and Kris but this thread has become shopworn and is now closed."
C. B. L. wrote on April 20th, 2014: "Don't believe me then! Keep skipping around town pretending everything is la di la. Go check yourself. It's public record. Go to the DIJ and the sala judicial and ask them for files about the child porn case in Boquete. I don't need to give you specifics, do the work yourself if you want verification. I was there. I saw the kids and the perps. I don't need verification that Boquete is about to go the way of Costa Rica. [..] Isn't the sex traffic theory speculating as well? Give me a break. This is reality. I can't sugar coat this nor it shouldn't be. My heart goes out to the family, but this is the real world, the 3rd world. This idea, you call it speculating, should have been investigated on day one. Many investigations and crimes are solved in the first 48 hours, after that, the odds of solving drop exponentially. You can read about the 2007-8 case, I don't know the exact date in the Prensa archives. there is also a youtube video about child porn that mentions Boquete and that case. The DIJ has info as well. You won't read about it in any Boquete welcome center."
Linch K. replied on April 19th, 2014: "Susan, I gave credit where it was due, the call center is a good thing even though I personally disagree with it. I feel if you chose to live in a Spanish speaking country then you should be able to communicate in said language. I have no axe to grind other than AAC has no business involved in a case such as this. They should know their place and stay in it. As far as being a true professional, brutal honesty just comes with the territory, sorry my chosen profession does not afford me the privilege to hug a tree every time my feelings are hurt. I tell you what, when everyone involved with AAC produces some credentials that validate their existence, I will close my ning account and leave the neighbor hood watch alone."
Henrietta V S wrote on April 19th, 2014: "WOW! Your post - your novella - is so wrong on so many different levels it's actually quite sad. I mean WOW. Good luck with that."
C. B. L. wrote on April 19th, 2014: "Why argue with these people? They're nothing but hero complexed expats with no achievements. Ask for credentials, you get silence. Ask them for schools, nothing. All they do is brag, and brag about what they know is good for other people just to reprimand them later. You can't praise and scold in the same paragraph. Just leave them alone. Let them waste their energy.
Safe Home Security of Panama wrote on April 18th, 2014: "No one did a damn thing to research human trafficking/kidnapping or think about "what if there is one ounce of merit to the stories and the mayors warning". Hey "we have many young people that visit here maybe we should have the hostels, and other venues have some basic warnings and guide lines for our young visitors". Thankfully my kids school did up the security and protocol for pick up at the time of the reports. We are all aware of the evil in the world, especially to young women but most made the choice to dismiss the mayors warning and media coverage in Oct 2013. Instead of being pro-active, the warnings I posted were considered rumors and made fun of. I just feel bad, if our community would have used common sense maybe two young women would be home with their families. Hopefully in the future, young visitors that vacation in Chiriquí will be given some safety advise on their arrival." [..] "I posted several stories from local tv and newspapers in Oct 2013 about alleged kidnappings in Chiriqui on Ning. Many of the usual negative people chastised me for writing and called it a rumor. Many did not take me or any of the kidnappings seriously. I was overreacting and all the media outlets were lying, even the mayor.. A statement from the mayor Nov, 2013: the Mayor of San Lorenzo district, eastern Chiriqui, issued a statement alerting parents to pending departure of students in the college, and also monitor small when they are at home. Mireya Rodriguez Moreno, Deputy Mayor of San Lorenzo district, said the statement is a warning to parents, mainly because information was received from the National Police over an alleged kidnapping in the village of Mount Boca, San Lorenzo. "Yesterday the police told us of an alleged kidnapping in Boca del Monte community. Well if the community would have taken any of it more seriously, maybe tourists would have been warned about traveling alone, recommendations about not taking rides with strangers, not hiking alone or informing foster homes where they were going and when they were scheduled to return. Pathetic... Linch..good job, tag your it!"
Mark Heyer wrote on April 18, 2014: "Linch, Your comments are right on the money, thanks. Although we don't know for sure, this event fits the profile: Attractive young women traveling UNACCOMPANIED are spotted at airports (San Jose) and turned over to catchers who befriend them and get them into a car under some pretext and convey them to the "business." Boquete itself is not being targeted, it was just the place where they let their guard down and took a ride, if indeed that is what happened. Human trafficking is an international problem, but it is also preventable if we took it as seriously as, say AIDS. Much more to be said going forward."
C. B. L. replied on April 20th, 2014: "When I started to come back to Panama to visit my parents and contracting with the U.S. embassy, in 2008, the child sex ring was recently busted in Caldera. It surprised me because I grew up here and that was unheard of. Among those found were many missing children that were kidnapped from around Panama, Costa Rica and Columbia and used as sex slaves. I did many details with the embassy and no one paid much attention because none were American. It was found that some kids were sent to other countries or even murdered. Some of those bodies were found without organs. No one can tell me crime is not a happening here. I am here because of crime, a personal one. There are murders, kidnappings, rapes, burglaries and simple attacks on people here that did not happen before. The Pianista trail is famous for those attacks. No one knows if the girls were kidnapped and used for sex slavery. It is just a theory. Another is that it was foul play, and the girls are... you know what. The thing to know is that if that's the case, the person or persons are still on the loose and will strike again. I've done too much and been though hell training to not know that. All of you should too. Take your hands from your eyes and ears and wake up."
Jim T. wrote on April 17th, 2014: "Don't forget the owners of Montañas de Caldera. Maybe this explains their disappearance.:)" [..] "When I first came to Panama I was standing in Line at the airport talking to a man from Miami. I asked why since he lived in Miami would he be going to Panama. He looked me up and down for a moment, got a small smile on his face and said "Because señor, You can get anything you want in Panama".
This writer from a local Boquete forum said about the Kris and Lisanne disappearance on April 23rd of 2014:
"Youth has nothing to do with it. You only have to be fearless and trusting to become a victim. Maybe only trusting. It has been over three weeks since their disappearance, and while I would like to think they might still turn up alive, the odds are not high for that happening. There was a university student that was killed a year or so ago and it was said that it was to harvest organs. While older people may be mugged for money, young people may be mugged for more sinister reasons. [..] I believe the population of Boquete is doing all that can be done in the search, however, crime investigation is not one of Panama’s strong suits. I hope there is some finality to this case by the time I return from my trip, but I wouldn’t count on it." - Nevertheless the official Panamanian reading is that Kris and Lisanne got lost and fell off a cliff.Then follow a host of safety advises for those living in the Boquete region, underlining that even back in 2014 it was not the peaceful sleepy expat-retirement village that the Panamanian media wanted to portray it like: "While I am gone, I want you all to be cautious. Be aware of your surrounding and who is close by. When you get out of your car, lock it as you stand by it. Do not walk away and lock it as you walk. When you get money from an ATM, do it is a secure location and be aware of anyone watching you. There are many areas even in David that it aren’t wise to be walking at night. If you do so, don’t do it alone. Don’t make a practice of wearing a lot of jewelry. Leave gold watches and large diamond rings at home. In fact, it is better not to bring them to Panama. Panama is a poor country. It is easy to be a target if you appear to have money. It also doesn’t have to be that much money. Don’t allow anyone to enter your house that you don’t know. There have been recent cases of people dressed in high profile company uniforms that appear to do repairs that don’t work for the companies. All doors should be locked at all times. Unlock to leave and lock once outside. In this house, every bedroom is locked when we retire for bed. That is right, All rooms have doors with locks and all of them are used at night. Iron gates are double locked. Once with a lock and chained and locked. Our neighborhood is vigilant for strange people and cars in the neighborhood. Most houses have dogs inside and or outside. Our neighborhood also has a paid security that patrols at night. Some houses have alarms and cameras. There is so much beauty in Panama and it is such a tranquil place that it is easy to lull yourself into thinking that nothing can happen in paradise. If you live correctly, you will most likely enjoy Panama. If you live thinking that nothing will happen to you in your neighborhood, them you may have a rude awakening. It might be to a man standing over your bed with a gun. The current case of the two Dutch girls is another wake-up call that everyone needs to be careful. My heart breaks for the parents who are wondering what is happening and can do nothing but wait. Be safe."
Ross Blankert replied on April 24, 2014: "[..] My advice is the same. Don’t be a target. Don’t do stupid things. I don’t go out at night. I don’t drink and I try to make friends of my neighbors. For the girls, I believe these two spent time on the internet in the Bibliotecha each morning."
Boquete's forum members discuss a Jeremy Kryt article and a removed news item that said Lisanne's entire foot was found in June and that it was intact
By GP91, July 31rd 2016
Source and source
There were two interesting discussions on Boquete's own forum community, called Boquete Ning. I highlight a couple of things that were discussed mid 2016 about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. These are people commenting on this forum who mostly all live in Boquete.
"The title of this second article ['The last man to see the lost girls of Panama alive', by Jeremy Kryt] in the series is misleading, as the writer did not even get an interview with the unnamed guide thought to be “the last man to see the lost girls of Panama alive.” And then the writer says in the article that this local rancher/part-time guide was “one of” the last people to see the women alive. Other questions/inconsistencies that have surfaced in this latest installment from The Daily Beast:
- “The pulverized remains weren’t sufficient to determine the cause of death”
- “Witnesses say this same guide met with Kris and Lisanne less than 24 hours before they disappeared, on the campus of an all-inclusive language school called Spanish by the River, where the women were staying in Boquete.” - What witnesses? When were the girls last seen by the school/hostel? Why is there no interview of the staff of this small school/hostel?
- “Early the next morning, Kris and Lisanne set out to climb up to the Continental Divide on their own.” - How is it known they were on their own?
- “Contradictory testimony from eyewitnesses also hampered rescue attempts. It would be months before investigators confirmed Kris and Lisanne had in fact set out on April 1, instead of the day before.” - Again, what eyewitnesses? When were they last seen?
- “The pack was wedged into a mess of flotsam on the bank, the Ngobe woman said, and she was sure it hadn’t been there the day before.” - So the backpack had just recently washed up, after over two months in the elements, but in good condition, with cash, phone, and cheap sunglasses intact?
- “By the end of August, a total of 33 skeletal fragments had been linked to the missing women using DNA tests. Twenty-eight of the recovered bones were the small metatarsals of Lisanne’s left foot, still in its boot and sock, and reportedly found behind a tree near the river.”- We are not anatomists, but according to Wikipedia, the human foot has 5 metatarsals, and a total of 26 bones.
Further, we remember seeing photos and reading at the time of a complete foot, undecayed in the boot, which was a shock to the examiner conducting the autopsy.
There was reported at the time a part of a pelvis found and identified, why no mention of that? And finally this journalist does not bring up the fact as stated by La Estrella de Panama at the time that Kris was wearing brown boots as was apparently Lisanne, yet the empty blue boot that came forward as evidence was assigned to Kris, without DNA testing.
- “If it was really an accident why couldn’t they find more remains?’ says guide Tornblom. ‘Where are all the big bones? Where are the skulls? There are no animals up there that would eat a skull.’”- Good questions. If you were finding “pulverized” bone “fragments,” why wouldn’t you also be finding large bones?
- “At some later point, the same guide who first invited the women up to the Divide became involved in the search for the girls. ‘He’s the last guy to see them alive—and then he’s the one who finds their bones,’ says fellow guide Tornblom. ‘Something about that just feels wrong to me.’”- So is this unnamed guide in question thought to have led the Ngobe search workers to the bone fragments they then collected and submitted?? And how exactly does anyone find bone fragments washed up on a riverbank? And if they were submitted by the Ngobe in a bag to authorities, how does anyone know they came from the riverbank?
This writer has a lot of questions to answer, and in a short amount of time/space… If this journalist is going to focus on a guide, who according to “witnesses” met with the girls concerning a hike to his ranch, as the “last man” to see them and a possible suspect (really these theories are not explained clearly at all in the article), then why did he completely ignore at least two others in national/international news reports from the time who saw them after that?
- One, taxi driver Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez, who died under strange circumstances in a river in Gualaca in March, 2015, and was headlined by the Panamanian news as having been investigated for having transported Lisanne and Kris to the Pianista trail. (Fallece taxista investigado en caso de las holandesas, tvn-2.com , 03/03/2015 - 7:54 AM, also in elsiglo.com, critica.com, and laestrella.com)
- Two, “an inn keeper” who saw them on April 1, “when the women asked him for directions for their hike. Tired, they later returned to the man and asked for help getting back to town. Police said the man advised them to take a taxi, but he said he didn't see whether the women returned to town or went back to the mountain.” (Dutch Police Hint at Criminal Activity in Women's Disappearance, NBCNews.com, Apr 22 2014, 11:47 PM ET
Also we did a quick search for the whole foot and boot online as it was all over the internet when it was first found. Can't find it anywhere, just the empty blue boot. Changed dates, changed evidence- is this rewriting history?"
Concerned replied on August 1, 2016: "In this article Jeremy has accepted wrong information about the date (April 6th) Sinaproc started searching the Pianista and surroundings. The date of April 6th serves as a basis for the following proposition present in his article: If Sinaproc would have started their searches earlier than April 6th, the two young ladies could have been found alive. Well, Sinaproc did start searching earlier than April 6th. At least TWO days earlier. Why didn't Jeremy verify this properly? Numerous postings in BoqueteGuide/ning at the time show when and where the searches were taking place and there are numerous other records, here is one of them. Sinaproc was physically involved in the searches as from April 4th. So, to go back to the proposition: If Sinaproc would have started their searches earlier than April 6th, the two young ladies could have been found alive. Sinaproc started on April 4th. Were they found alive? No. Were they found at all? No.
GP91 replied on August 1, 2016: "Yes, proposition is unfounded based on inaccurate dates given, not to mention other factors. Also we did a quick search for the whole foot and boot online as it was all over the internet when it was first found. Can't find it anywhere, just the empty blue boot. Changed dates, changed evidence- is this rewriting history?"
Concerned replied on August 1, 2016: "In all accounts about hikes on the Pianista trail, there are encounters with others on the trail. Regardless the weather conditions, rainy or not, muddy or not, there is always someone else on the trail. The trail serves as a pedestrian highway between Bocas and Chiriquí. So why should two beautiful young ladies be the only ones not to have encountered anybody on this trail? On a warm, sunny and dry day without any mud on the way? Here are some recorded encounters. You can find more recorded encounters along the Pianista trail in internet. For instance the most recent one, the Colombian lady who went missing. She supposedly bumped into her saviour Aristides."
Paul Jones wrote on August 1, 2016: "Personally, I would not consider it accurate to say that someone is always on the trail. In the half a dozen times we've hiked Pianista, I've only come across one other person, and that was a farmer working off the trail in the land before reaching the actual trailhead (there is a significant hike from parking to the actual trailhead).
Concerned replied on August 2, 2016: "That's good to know. How far on the trail did you get? Did you cross the CD? One of the links I posted, shows an encounter with 1 person behind the Mirador so at the bocas side."
Paul Jones wrote on August 2, 2016: "We would only go to the CD [summit] and turn back. However, since the search on Pianista, we no longer hike this trail."
Concerned replied on August 7, 2016: "3rd part: The Lost Girls of Panama: The Camera, the Jungle, and the Bones. If the two young women were at the river crossings, than that alone is proof for them not being lost. The crossings in question are found on the main path. Why would the two women want to cross at night? How sneaky. Why not in daytime?"According to the official necropsy reports, those fractures could only have been caused by a “fall from a high place,” likely while Lisanne was still alive." The same forensic expert who examined the bones and who worked on that report, Van der Goot, says that those fractures don't have to be caused by such a fall: The fractures can easily be caused by long distance hiking. "every year we see such injuries in hikers".
Regardless the weather conditions, rainy or not, muddy or not, there is always someone else on the trail. The trail serves as a pedestrian highway between Bocas and Chiriquí. So why should two beautiful young ladies be the only ones not to have encountered anybody on this trail?"
Concerned replied on August 8, 2016: "I understand what you mean. But sadly enough, the parents were compelled to accept the lost and accident scenario because they did not get any support by the Dutch authorities. There are many discrepancies in this case that could still be tackled."
And GP91 wrote another great post on August 7th 2016
"There is no evidence that the pictures were even taken by the girls.
1. There is no picture of the girls, lost and in the dark.
2. The time/date stamp on this camera can be changed. According to Wikipedia entry for this model, “the timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.” Therefore, someone who got their camera could have stood in the same spot and clicked the camera repeatedly, and even changed the date and time while doing so.
3. None of the pictures are clear, so the writer had to draw in and explain in great detail what we are supposed to think about them.
4. Pictures taken over and over in the same spot in the dark were stated to perhaps be (Lisanne) “trying to use the camera to tell us something she thinks is important,” but it is anyone’s guess what that might be.
5. The picture “possibly” showing a wounded Kris is not shown or verified by anyone as Kris, nor where she is. Yet it is used as the sole evidence for another far-reaching theory of how Lisanne may have left her there.
6. Articles placed around the rocks and identified as “possibly” signals for rescuers could also be entirely consistent with a cover-up of a crime. Anyone could have put them there. Then the article presents the thoughts by email of Dr. Reichs, “world-famous forensic anthropologist and best-selling author,” who offers these theories: A “flap of Lisanne’s skin that survived intact” can be explained by rainforest “micro-environments.” Concerning the fragmentation of the remains, she says, “Further damage from animal scavenging can be very diverse due to multiple transport modes: avian, fish, turtle, crab, small and large carnivores, etcetera.” (Though there is no noted damage to the remains from animal scavenging_. And her most 'powerful point': “Why would any criminal or criminals ‘leave cash, a passport, and electronics in the back pack?’”(That is a no-brainer, because again, it would be consistent with the cover-up to a crime).
Other Ning posters have spoken very well to questions about the conditions of the trail and how the girls could have ended up at the cable bridge, which was still part of the trail. And further, no one saw them there over the span of several days? None of this is in keeping with them getting lost, or that they even would have attempted to go this far. It is a stretch to think they did. Yet this entire article engages in wild and far-flung speculation, to arrive back at the official conclusion. Major unanswered questions remain, that fit a “crime and cover-up” more than “lost in the jungle”:
- The backpack and bag of bones brought in by the Ngobe, and no one even knows they were ever at the river.
- The condition of the backpack and the contents (they sure don’t appear they were ever at the river).
- The condition of the remains, and lack thereof.
- The forensic reports, and lack thereof.
- The lack of interviews as evidence from multiple eyewitnesses, including: guides (the one named in part 2 and Walter’s), hostel/school staff, people who sighted them near the trail (and don’t forget Blue), the Ngobe man and woman who reportedly found and brought in the bag of bones, and others.
- The reason for this whole article which leads us in spite of all these unanswered questions to believe, “this is a story with no real villain.” Therefore, we do not even know that Kris and Lisanne died on the Serpent River. Boquete, the authorities of Panama, local resident expats, the school/hostel who received them are all responsible to take care of guests who come as tourists, or to do volunteer work. If there was a failure, then it is the responsibility of those in the community to submit the facts of what is known for the safety and decency of the community. Further, if this is a crime, the perpetrator went too far this time, and the international community will find out what happened. He/they left too many clues.
Paul Jones replied on August 7, 2016: "I, for one, do hope that answers are found. No, Lisanne's father had not accepted the "lost in the forest" theory the last I heard, but this was around the time I attended the candlelight vigil in the square. I'm sure there's no harm in any new information coming to light. I hope someday it does. I've always leaned towards the foul play theory, due to several factors, but I'm definitely not sure of anything at this point. I do think that a particular guide and his son should have been investigated, and seemingly was ignored, as they own a place near the Pianista and he was one that was in the middle of it all (down to actually finding remains). That being said, I'm sure we don't know all the info obtained in the investigation. The government does have the motive to lean towards a lost girls theory, as tourism is good money in this country."
GP91 wrote on August 8, 2016: "Walter, I didn’t know the investigation was closed. Concerning “Mission Director,” if you were here, you would know he’s still cruising the streets. So again, why did you take your replies off the first part post about the missing girls?"
Concerned replied on August 8, 2016: "I still have to read the 3rd part properly, but I can say this: the forensics expert said that the girls "intelligently" left signs. How intelligent were they then?
- intelligent to knowingly cross the CD? Knowingly, because apparently they knew that the trail took to Bocas province, they were told the day before. They knew that they had to turn around to get back to Boquete.
- intelligent to supposedly follow the trail up to the official river crossings and not to take any side path? Many a time Boquetenos warned about the Path: "El sendero se bifurca..."
- intelligent to stay hidden for a full week and not to make photos in daylight?
- intelligent to make strange photos of their signs in night time?
- intelligent for not leaving a message to their loved ones, in plain Dutch instead of in gibberish (their signs)? I understand that hikers in distress leave such signs, but they also had the opportunity to leave some kind of message in their phones.
- etc"
GP91 wrote on August 9, 2016: "Thank you Walter for clarifying some important information. You are forgetting, however, that “Dutch police said an inn keeper saw them on April 1, when the women asked him for directions for their hike. Tired, they later returned to the man and asked for help getting back to town. Police said the man advised them to take a taxi, but he said he didn't see whether the women returned to town or went back to the mountain. Dutch police spokesman Bernhard Jens said Tuesday on Dutch media that "it was unlikely the women would have returned to their hike." NBCNews.com, Apr 22 2014. There were other reports of them at the time that they were seen on their way back to town. So if anyone reading this has a sighting to report, it would be helpful to post that to establish again if the girls returned from their hike or not. And Walter, are you saying that the guide you talked to and know is the same guide Jeremy Kryt is referencing in the second part of his article as “the last man to see the lost girls of Panama alive”? If not, please clarify. Because again, if Jeremy is zeroing in on your guide, seems like he didn’t do his homework if this guide was already thoroughly investigated, and wasn't the last one to see them."
Concerned replied on August 9, 2016: "A Panamanian criminologist studied this case too. I don't have the details at hand, but you can find some in the internet, published by La Estrella. Her conclusion was clear: manipulation. I wonder whether the Canadian criminologist mentioned in Jeremy's account, has studied the whole picture or whether she only looked at the photos and concluded that the girls were very intelligent to use their toilet paper. It's the pattern that counts. The selfies and demeanour of the girls before they reached the Mirador, and records of whatever happened after are a huge contrast."
GP91 wrote on August 9, 2016: "The job of an expert who’s analyzing photographs is to determine the time of day they were taken by the shadows from the sun which is fairly easy to do, the dates and times on each picture’s original jpeg file, the number sequence, camera name, person’s name, to first establish if the files have been altered. Instead of that to attempt to figure out what is going on in someone’s head by looking at unclear and dark pictures, is strange fiction. No, nothing too intelligent here."
Concerned replied on August 10, 2016: "I agree. The authenticity of the nightly photos remains uncertified."
GP91 wrote on August 10, 2016: "Why wasn't it certified? Does anyone know who has the disk from Lisanne's camera?"
GP91 wrote on August 10, 2016: "To say that we shouldn’t look at what may have happened to the lost girls because it is too hard for the families or just too sad and uncomfortable is one thing. But to say after all the questions raised by professionals who have looked at the case and now again this investigative reporter that the possibility it was a crime is near “zero” is demonstrating extreme defensiveness of the “official” conclusion, to say the least. These girls’ smiles are etched in our minds. To think a possible perpetrator(s) may still be running free in the area should drive us all to find answers in this case. In addition to many unanswered questions and discrepancies, there’s the witness of absolutes. In spite of our instructors telling us from the 60s on that there are no absolutes, now that we are old we realize indeed there are. There are absolutes in chemistry, biology, physics, that can’t be changed. One of those absolutes is that when we step out of our body, it starts a process that returns us to the earth. This process is consistent, you can google it yourself.
To simplify, the body will be nothing but skeletal remains within as little as a month in hot climates and two months in cold climates. The only “micro-environment” that would slow this process would be refrigeration (temperatures between 2 °C (36 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F).
The environment of these trails and the Culebra River with its temperature, moisture, and diverse and abundant scavengers, insects, and microorganisms would in fact speed up the process. Delivering the remains to the authorities in a plastic bag, with no crime scene to examine, eliminated the evidence that this environment would have provided. What were the examiners supposed to do with that?
Concerned replied on August 10, 2016: "Thanks for sharing. However, many discrepancies remain. Firstly, the girls had dry sunny weather and could tell the difference between the Bocas and Boquete side. It is new for me to know that they were offered an excursion to the finca behind the CD, just the day before (or perhaps 2 days before?) I assume that the cable bridges were described as well. In other words, at some point they should have understood that they were descending on the wrong side. But no, the supposedly went on, kept low, kept quite for a full week, making no photos or selfies at all and then decided to make pictures of their signs AT NIGHT. Why not in daytime? There are other ways to make signs without offering the only pair of pants you are wearing. And place them at an official crossing near a cable bridge?"
Concerned replied on August 11, 2016: "I think the family has or the Dutch / Panamanian forensics. But it's my guess that the disc will not be released. The data should have been analyzed."
Concerned replied on August 11, 2016: "I appreciate your standpoint. Yes, I have hiked in the jungle, many times. And I know that you can get lost and unlost. I agree that it is hard to find the way in the dark, but why oh why would the girls have attempted to cross a dangerous cable bridge AFTER MIDNIGHT? Why not wait till sunrise? After a full week in the jungle?
GP91 replied on August 11, 2016: "The Panamanian examiners did the best they could with what they were given, and reported accordingly. Does anyone remember what was actually submitted of Kris and Lisanne’s remains, as reported at the time? The story from The Daily Beast seems to be altering and leaving out details of what is known of the evidence, in its quest to settle the “no villain” conclusion.
- Lime was found on the femur and left foot of Lisanne, and the pelvis and rib of Kris. “This would explain the state of the bones; without traces of blood, appearance almost intact, off-white, and without trauma”
- “The bones found do not have marks from the current or from blows by rocks...” Further “at the beginning of April the Culebre River did not have the force sufficient to sweep a person away.”
- “The evidence showed the first signs of decomposition and was covered in dust. The remains were found on 29 August.”
- “If we suppose that the girls died during the first week of April, right now, after 5 months of death, larvae shouldn't be seen. This points out that the body is or was kept in a humid place, under shadow and in low temperatures, according to the reports.” (i.e. refrigeration?)
- “During an examination to the tibia, the medical examiner stated that it didn't have any alterations. When he cut the bone to the bone marrow, he detected a dry, well-kept bone without any signs of putrefaction. The same happens with the femur, where the bone marrow is almost intact. How could the persons who picked the bones conclude that the mass covered with earth was part of the evidence?”
- According to the criminologist Calderon, “We don't know if it was plain ignorance or a plan, but all the information that could have helped us find out the truth behind this case was destroyed”. Los huesos presentan rastros de fósforo, Laestrella.com, 24 Sept 14
Concerned replied on August 12, 2016: "This is about it, I think. The journalist who wrote this report in La Estrella took the trouble to visit the IMELCF where she was shown around and where she interviewed the examiners. If I recall correctly, the examiners were struck by the piece of skin. How could it have been spotted and recognized as such by the finders?"
GP91 wrote on August 12, 2016: "Yes, they were surprised. That is a huge red flag on this evidence. Use of lime by a perpetrator on the bodies would have explained the condition of the bones and why a piece of skin could have escaped decomposition as the spreading of the lime was uneven. Another quote from the first article above regarding this: “Humberto Mas, director of IMELF, is analyzing the possibility that the dismemberment of the bodies is a product of treatment with lime. Mas explains that the effect of lime is corrosive and previously he has had the experience that by covering the body with calcium oxide it is possible that the extremities are detached. If we continue this line of hypothesis, this would explain why the left foot does not present traces of cutting.”
GP91 replied on August 12, 2016: "True. The zigzagging conclusions of The Daily Beast on this story and the final angle of “lost in the jungle” is yet another huge mystery in all this. For any police investigator, this is in your face, a crime. One thing we can say for Walter’s posts about the guide in question, he might have saved him from getting thrown under the bus, as that seems to be where Part 2 of the article was heading. Clearly a crime of this nature would have had to involve more than one person, and someone who could/would plan out psychopathic twisted trails of evidence, much like a crime novel.
Concerned replied on August 12, 2016: "Tnx. It doesn't make sense to spend a full week in the jungle, not making any photos nor selfies (even if you are in distress) and then decide to cross a dangerous cable bridge AFTER MIDNIGHT. Unless you are fleeing from somewhere. That criminologist from Montréal failed to point this out."
Concerned replied on August 13, 2016: "The photo of the cable bridge in Jeremy's article, where the young lady wearing the green shirt is crossing the bridge: she is walking in the direction of Boquete. Westbank = boqueteside, eastbank is Bocas side. Kris' pants were supposedly found on the eastbank. She therefore supposedly had crossed the river already (from Boquete to Bocas). Or: Lisanne managed to cross the bridge in the direction of Boquete, coming from Bocas. So presumably on their way back from where?"
GP91 wrote on August 13, 2016: "Very interesting points. Either scenario is illogical and unbelievable, to take your shorts off and leave them “zipped and folded and set on a rock high above the water line” perhaps “placed at the crossing as a marker” as per The Daily Beast. These are apparently the same shorts that were later found to have “no evidence of blood or DNA” per the lawyer quoted in the La Estrella article “Los Huesos Presentan Rastros de Fósforo.” Even top Boquete Ninger Walter blogging from Montreal concluded in what was to be his “final post” that the shorts could have been “placed to draw attention to the fact that there was an accident.” It is not a fact that there was an accident. What is a fact is that this article from The Daily Beast is the latest chapter in the continual manipulation of the evidence and story of the missing girls."
Concerned replied on August 14, 2016: "IF the girls are the authors of the night photos and the timestamps are authentic, then what do we see? The night photos (taken AFTER midnight) are close-up images. One (or more?) shows a close-up of what is supposed to be Kris' hair. That would indicate that Kris and Lisanne were next to each other at that moment on one side of the river. Presumably the side where the items were placed? The items and the paper seem to be DRY, indicating that they had just been placed. In other words: Kris removes her pants and places them on a rock and then crosses the bridge. Remains the crucial question: why in the middle of the night instead of waiting till dawn? And why try to attract the attention by placing items if you are sneaking around in the dark? Because of the fall? And seeing the place where the items were placed (if correct), then couldn't they have just climbed out of there? And, being an official crossing, wouldn't anyone show up eventually? I don't believe that these 2 young women would have created so many questions for their loved ones without leaving behind some kind of concrete message in their mother language."
GP91 replied on August 14, 2016: "These are all key questions. So, this series of images all taken at night; none are clear; supposed markers placed in odd unintelligent way; though the girls were likely weak and possibly injured, one or both had the strength to cross the bridge and place the shorts high on a rock; no one saw them over a week span on a main trail at an official crossing; and…no note/message/picture left to loved ones in their native language. That this could have actually happened as presented by the articles defies the imagination. It appears to be a total and complete illogical, botched attempted cover up of foul play, no matter what levels of status were solicited for help."
Concerned replied on August 15, 2016: "And TWO governments go along with it, shaking hands."
Concerned replied on August 26, 2016: "There is something else: one of the phones (Samsung) connected to GSM on April 2nd."
Guy Craig replied on August 28, 2016: "Money and expensive electronics left in a knapsack? .... not very ominous."
And GP91 wrote another great post on July 25th 2016
"Sure, everyone for a time was led to believe that the girls had likely gotten lost and perished in the jungle, which is entirely plausible. But if the investigative journalist at the Daily Beast and others he interviews and provides documentation from were nearly sure of that, then he would not be providing this investigative report with so many question marks, including:
- “Why had so few remains been found?”
- “Why were there no marks on the bones?”
- “What did the presence of other human remains mean?”
- Why “after the discovery of the identified remains, [did] Panama’s attorney general [call] the case ‘a crime against personal integrity,’ but when forensic examiners reached an impasse, the Panamanian government simply declared the case closed”?
- Why does the lawyer for one of the families believe “the evidence seems to have been manipulated in order to hide something”?
- Why though there were “more than 30 unidentified fingerprints” on the backpack did Panama fail “to record prints from any of the Indigenous people involved in the case”?
- How can “the intact conditions of the clothes and wallet,” backpack, and electronics be explained? (and we heard reported that the pack was found hanging on a branch, not “washed up on the riverbank”; which was it?)
- Why is it that “no forensics examination was ever done at the crime scene”?
- Why as Concerned already posted did “none of the dog teams ever [get] near the scene either—including the Dutch dog teams”?
- Why were the local resident Ngobe the acting ‘forensics’ team, with the bag of bones they brought in not even verified?
Though we can’t imagine the pain of the parents of these girls, a full investigation of whether or not it was in fact a crime would serve to PREVENT other victims and other grief-stricken parents. So we look forward to follow these reports and anything else that comes out to see if any light will be shed on these unanswered questions."
And GP91 wrote on July 24, 2016: "I also find it interesting that I saw the Volcancito Mission Director (who we've posted about before) visited by the local police for advice about the missing Dutch girls (so he told me after they left) the day before the backpack was found. He also announced at Sunday night church early in April that he had gone with his head groundskeeper to help with a search on the Pianista Trail, as a good Christian should do. So glad this case is being investigated.
Disappearance of Dutch women affects tourism in western PanamaMay 30th, 2014
Source
"The disappearance at the beginning of last month in the sector of Boquete, western Panama, of the young Dutch Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, aged 22 and 21, respectively, has affected the economic activity of this area based mainly on tourism. According to a report by the Boquete Chamber of Tourism, published today by the local press, the impact on tourism has basically been due to inaccurate information on social networks and electronic media. The morning paper "El Panamá América" highlighted that these versions confuse people abroad and "mistakenly sell Boquete as an unsafe district." The president of the regional Chamber, Jorge Tovar, estimated the damages that have occurred in the area at 10 percent, although he indicated that the economic losses could not be quantified now due to what has happened. Tovar added that the effect of "the bad image" created by the news among tourists can be clearly seen with the reduction of the so-called "backpackers", which are the travelers who are more exposed because they do not make reservations and arrive in the district. for recommendations.
"75 percent of Boquete's economy is generated from tourist activities"
He recalled that 75 percent of Boquete's economy is generated from tourist activities and, he ventured that there will therefore be damages if the other side of the district is not sold, which includes the security and diversity of activities that people can carry out. He calculated, as it was added, that each backpacker spends an average of $150 a day in the community, paying for lodging, buying food in supermarkets, transportation and expenses for activities such as hiking and canopy, among others. He added that the problem goes much further, because in the district (of Boquete) there are 46 businesses dedicated to hosting tourists, including hotels, hostels and cabins, and that they are already receiving calls from tour operators to cancel reservations, specifically to cause of the news about the disappearance of the Dutch. The Chamber acknowledged that tourist activity is low at the moment in the area, but that generally people prepare for the months of July and August, when the summer holidays are given and the increase in flights from Europe is expected. It was added that there is therefore concern about the repercussions that may have due to the disappearance of the two young women.
He recalled that 75 percent of Boquete's economy is generated from tourist activities and, he ventured that there will therefore be damages if the other side of the district is not sold, which includes the security and diversity of activities that people can carry out. He calculated, as it was added, that each backpacker spends an average of $150 a day in the community, paying for lodging, buying food in supermarkets, transportation and expenses for activities such as hiking and canopy, among others. He added that the problem goes much further, because in the district (of Boquete) there are 46 businesses dedicated to hosting tourists, including hotels, hostels and cabins, and that they are already receiving calls from tour operators to cancel reservations, specifically to cause of the news about the disappearance of the Dutch. The Chamber acknowledged that tourist activity is low at the moment in the area, but that generally people prepare for the months of July and August, when the summer holidays are given and the increase in flights from Europe is expected. It was added that there is therefore concern about the repercussions that may have due to the disappearance of the two young women.
Ramón Hernández considered what is happening worrisome, and assured that it is urgent to ask the media to handle the information about the Dutch with much more restraint.
The vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Chiriquí -province border with Costa Rica-, Ramón Hernández, considered what is happening worrisome, and assured that it is urgent to ask the media to handle the information about the Dutch with much more restraint. Tovar immediately explained that strategies are being considered to try to counter the negative image that the case is giving Boquete. This week a team of rescue experts arrived in Panama from the Netherlands, accompanied by 13 dogs to help search for the young women. According to some known versions, the young women disappeared in the mountainous area of Boquete, and when they were apparently preparing to start an excursion along an ecological trail with a guide, F." - Here the article is discussed on a local Boquete forum.
And now for something entirely different. This Panamanian psychic woman claimed on April 15th or so in 2014 to a Dutch newspaper that she saw the girls sometimes in her dreams The Panamanian Marcia Smith Del Rio (45) is a psychic and has given useful tips in the past to police that led them find her lost sister and a murdered local Indigenous person. Now the woman claims that she saw the missing girls from Amersfoort twice in her dreams. "The family doesn't want to hear anything about this, but I will keep looking as long as I feel the pain of the girls," the Panamanian tells a reporter from [Dutch newspaper] AD by telephone. Today she travels on her own from her hometown of David, the capital of the province of Chiriquí, to coffee plantations near Boquete, the village where Kremers and Froon disappeared on the 1st of April.
Coffee plantations
The coffee plantations are on a mountainside near the Pianista trail, the walking route which the Dutch girls wanted to walk. "I went there early this week with a private investigator who is investigating the disappearance case. We then searched a few houses and huts but found no traces of the girls. I didn't get a special feeling there either. I hope to get that at the plantations." Smith Del Rio, who has no children of her own and holds a high position with the Panamanian timber exporter Teak Land, visits the place in question because, according to her, the vegetation and color of the earth correspond to those in her dreams about missing Dutch girls.
"Dragged by the hair"
The first dream dates from last Monday, Smith Del Rio says, looking back [This was April 7th, 2014]. "I saw a girl with light-colored hair that was grabbed by a man in a forest setting. He was wearing jeans and work shoes. His hand had the color of a latino. The girl screamed and was dragged roughly by her hair behind a house or cabin. So rough that she was bleeding. I saw dark, chocolate-colored earth moving and I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach. This pain was so intense that I woke up crying." The Panamanian woman claimed the second dream last Monday [April 14th, 2014]. In it she saw a mountainside and plants that she thought looked like coffee bushes. "I saw one of the girls through her own eyes. They looked up at the sky. She lay on her back among the bushes and was very calm. I think she's dead", says the clairvoyant who gets overwhelmed by emotions at this point. Smith Del Rio says she has no idea which of the two girls she saw in her dreams. "I don't see faces but only light-colored hair." She said she spoke to friends about her dreams but did not go to the police. "I don't trust him. People regularly disappear in Panama but things are seldom resolved. That's why I do my own thing."
Brother Lisanne
The Panamanian claimed to have met Lisanne Froon's brother after the families' emotional press conference in Panama, but he was not interested in her story. "We are going back to the Netherlands", he said. I told him this seemed unwise to me, and that they had to put more pressure on the authorities to find the girls. After all, a human life is less important here, let alone that of tourists." One of the people with whom Smith Del Rio spoke about her dreams about the Dutch girls is Erik Westra (62). The retired former detective has been living near Boquete for eight years. He calls the woman "anything but a charlatan." According to him, her dreams repeatedly provided useful tips in the past in investigation cases. "She doesn't solve things, but she helps," the former policeman says. The spokesperson for the Froon family says that both in Panama and in the Netherlands they have received information from 'these kind of people', referring to psychics. According to him, messages that seemed interesting were shared with Lisanne's brother, uncle and friend during their stay in Panama. "All signals have been looked at seriously," says Wil Ellenbroek. He spoke extensively to Lisanne's brother last night after his return from Panama. "I have heard nothing about this Panamanian clairvoyant and her information."
Plane crash of her sister
One of the cases in which Smith Del Rio has given useful tips based on her psychic dreams, was about her own sister's disappearance. She was one of the 156 passengers of American Airlines flight AAL965 that crashed in Colombia at the end of 1995. The plane, en route from Miami to Cali, hit a mountain and crashed into an inaccessible area. "That night I had a dream in which I saw my sister. She was laying among crushed trees and constantly said the same thing: 'they search on the wrong side of the mountain'. I then contacted the Colombian authorities with whom I shared my information. They moved the search area and then found the victims." Another case in which Smith Del Rio allegedly helped, was the death of a member of the Ngäbe Indian tribe in the Chiriquí province. He and another tribal member were attacked in March 2013 by masked men. Presumably civilian agents. This happened during a demonstration against the construction of a dam for the controversial hydroelectric power station in the Tabasara River. Smith Del Rio: "I saw one of the victims floating in my dream in a nearby stream. He was severely beaten and strangled." Tribe members found the man's body the next day in the specific mentioned river. That happened based on the instructions of the clairvoyant.
Someone from this Dutch forum contacted Miss Marcia Smith Del Rio later through email and heard this from her: "Sorry but I didn't hear anything recently. It's not unusual to find taxi drivers dead in Panama; normally it is related to drugs. I just don't believe that the two young ladies were eaten by animals. There are no animals in Panama that can do all that. The ladies are dead.. nothing will change that. Panama police didn't do their job correct. The people who did this to the girls are free. I have no names from those who did this, because I don't know their names. I had my dreams and I can guess based on them and based on what was found back what happened to them, but I will keep that for me." By the way: regarding those coffee bushes the clairvoyant keeps mentioning: in this travel blog from 2018, two Dutch travelers blogged about tour guide F (who's jungle farm they visited): "He said that he himself had a small farm with a small coffee plantation."
Three readings by psychics on the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne
And info from another psychic November 15th 2020
Laura L. wrote Juan directly with the following information: "This information cannot be included in a serious research because it is based on a paranormal experience, and this is not considered a science, and many think it is stuff, but I only use it as a reference. I asked a visionary friend I have about this case. He´s a doctor and never talks about his gift. He didn´t know anything about this. Anyway, he could see several things that disturbed him, and me too. Part of his gift consists in that he´s able to feel what the victim felt. The 1st thing he saw, 2 white girls dressed in light clothes and carrying a few things in a backpack. They were in a warm forest. He sees that these girls made contact on social media with a man, approximately 30, 35 years old. He´s very manipulative and cunning. He suggested to the girls places they could visit in Panama. His main target was Lisanne and he used Kris to psychologically torture Lisanne. He abducted the girls and kept them locked up for about a week. He took their backpack and camera from them and did what he wanted with their things and with the girls. He is a psychopath who likes to see people suffer. He killed Kris first and Lisanne later. Kris´ body was cut up and some parts were burned in a handmade bonfire, in a forest, near a river. He could even hear some of what her executioners were saying. They were 2 or 3 guys, very tough and rude. They were insulting her, as if she had done something bad, and they called her "gringa", as if they didn´t know her. This man, or his people, set up all the false evidence to confuse the police and had fun with it. Everything was planned so that no one ever knows what happened. I don´t know if this story could be true, but if somebody wants to write a book, you Juan, would be the perfect person in doing this work. I can hardly believe that 6 years later from Kris´ and Lisanne´s tragedy, Betzaida Pitty and others are still trying to manipulate us. I wish for a miracle in which they are telling the truth. Take care. [..] I had already seen information about Sebastiaan Z.. in the google album. He´s my main suspect and the most important person I was looking for."
Very detailed information, although psychic info is rarely considered a reliable source to work with. But I find them interesting nonetheless. Juan and I wonder who a 30-35 year old male person of interest could be. Perhaps one of the younger tour guides.. Perhaps this Dutchman Seb Z., who was seen selling his red truck on April 5th of 2014 in the area.
And here is another local newspaper article about a paranormal psychic who had visions about Kris and Lisanne around the time they disappearedMonday, May 19, 2014 - This is a literal translation in English from the original newspaper article. "Verísimo Fuentes (left on the photo), connoisseur of the Boquete area, with more than 38 years of experience, studies the sketches drawn by Horacio, and is surprised by the accuracy with which this man drew these places.
You see them trapped in a cave that is not distinguishable from the main path
Few believe that clairvoyance is possible. Furthermore, it is very delicate to use these extreme resources in public when you have a case like the disappearance of the Dutch tourists Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers. But when the helicopters, the mountaineers and even the hound dogs did not work, some believed that perhaps the talents of a seer would not hurt. That happened last week, when a group of concerned people went into the mountain, equipped with only their faith. In front were two men: a guide who knows the place like the palm of his hand, and a seer, who, although he had never been in these places, managed to draw them with a likeliness that left many with their mouths open. The day after the disappearance of the young Dutch girls, on one of the trails in Boquete, a man, almost 42 kilometres away, in a town in the western part of the province of Chiriqui, had a vision of what was happening with those girls. This man, whom we will call Horacio to hide his identity according to his request, did not know the news of the Dutch when he had the vision. He only saw two girls, he felt their fear, and in his mind appeared the images of them both fleeing. He was participating in a prayer group when, suddenly, he entered into what is known as 'channeling', which is nothing more than receiving extrasensory information. He saw two girls, a blonde and another with darker hair. One tall and one shorter. You see them 'breaking through', that is, not going over the official path. They ran, scared. Something or someone had filled them with terror. During the flight, the youngest, with dark hair, falls down a cliff, and when the blonde tries to help her, she also rushes down the hill. According to the information received by the seer, the one with dark hair is wounded, stained with blood, and due to the injury she can not move. He sees both of them horizontally.
But where are they? Horacio 'received' this information (which for him comes from God), and put everything that he 'received' and that came in through him down in writing. He made sketches, described landscapes and situations. Everything is in a file of about 12 pages, all handmade. The information that 'went down' is that they fall into some kind of cliff of slabs, between two mountainous parts that come together. Below, at the apex of that ravine, there is a kind of cave. If you look out from above you can not see it, but if you look up from below you will see it very well. Horacio points out that, in his visions, he sees two search groups passing by very close, but they could not see them because of the conditions of the terrain. It was when the news broke that two Dutch women had disappeared, that Horacio understood that his visions were about them. He travelled from his town to Boquete and tried to contact the Police, the Public Ministry, and even the ambassador of Holland. Everyone ignored him. He says that for two days they had him in an office, from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, but nobody noticed his papers. Only one corporal of the police was interested in the story and, according to Horacio, that uniformed climbed the mountain and, following the sketch drawings of the vision, found a pattern with traces of 'snacks', the tongue of a shoe and a blond blond, as the seer had predicted. (None of these items turned out to be from Kris and Lisanne).
Mysteriously, the corporal was transferred to another town after he followed the 'clues' and found these items, possibly after he said how he had found them.
When all his attempts fell on deaf ears, a sister of Horacio called a Panamanian friend who is a private investigator. The researcher heard the unlikely story and agreed to travel to Chiriqui. But he did not do it alone. He contacted a computer expert who has special equipment to pick up on low frequency sounds, and another to detect heat in extreme cold conditions. So it was that the cutting-edge technology was mixed with the gift of clairvoyance, something that some interpret as desperation to get the reward offered. In the search team, there was also a photographer, a skeptic, who claims to have climbed the mountain without much conviction, but up there he found something that he could not capture with his camera: Horacio's paranormal talent. According to photojournalist Albín García, Horacio talked little. He only opened his mouth when he had something to say about the case: a new vision that came to him, a correction of the way they took, a prediction about what they would find beyond that slope ahead (and just like that, they found 'things'). Horacio knew of trails that he had never stepped on before, but his visions in the end did not reach to where the girls were, he says. The low frequency monitor was useless in that mountain where the wind roars with rebellion and extinguishes all the voices. But yes, everyone heard shouts and sounds that are not from animals, they felt that fruity aroma that made them all think that something supernatural was announcing a certain presence. He tells them that 'something' or 'someone' is there. The photographer Albín García was contacted by people who know the visionary Horacio. to join the search group, and who could keep a photographic record of what happened. He says he went up incredulous. But it went down differently. [..] That man (Horacio) does not boast of anything, almost always he was silent, and sometimes he stopped to kneel on a small blue rug that he brought, and in that position it seems to connect, and got something that surprised us. I was surprised because even the guide, who knows that place very well, was impressed with the descriptions that Horacio made. How he got ahead of the facts and knew what we would find later. I witnessed his meditations, moments from which he came out enlightened and with new information. It was always something accurate. Yesterday I asked him what was the last thing he saw, and he answered me with a mysterious phrase: 'I wish those girls are drinking a lot of water.' I do not know what he meant. But they did not find the girls. It's true, we could not get to them."
Update: info from another psychic October 21st 2021
Mike M. has written me over time, informing me about information he received from a psychic medium from the UK [her name is known but withheld from this blog post] who has successfully worked with local police in murder cases, and whose services he asked for in this case. She did so free of charge he says, and he made sure not to tell her anything about the case. He just sent her two photographs of the girls, and apparently she was able to initially connect to Kris. "That's when she discovered that they were not English and that this didn't happen in England, and that it was foul play." I will add her findings below, with the permission of Mike.
She said that they were in a bar. There were 3 guys and one worked in the bar, together with one girl. One of the guys was laughing. He was wearing very tight jeans. She said the barman's name sounded like Joels or Jules, but she's not sure. She mentioned a ring which was of sentimental value. Next Kris told her of their trip to "the beach" (there is a sandy area described together with water). She said there were some boys there who were using nicknames, and that they had a good time. When I pressed her for some real names, she came up with 'Harry and Edward'. [In England, Harry is an alternative name for Henry and Edward sounds a bit like Edwin]. She said that after "the beach" they went in a car somewhere. The next morning she sees Kris in a hotel or a house and she is wearing shorts and a top. She is picked up and taken in a 4 X 4 vehicle (not a car, this time) by one of the boys and taken for a long drive - much longer than she expected. There is at least one another guy present. It is in the vehicle that things turn nasty. One of them is shouting at her. They get out and go on a long walk. She is taken to a cave and is held there. Kris does not know where it is, but describes that there is running water below. There she is held captive for several days with her hands tied and poked with something sharp. She is tortured and beaten and has many injuries including on the bottom of her feet. Here she says something cryptic: she said "my Mum was right". She also said that it was all planned in advance. Then she says she can hear two boys arguing outside the cave and one of them saying "I'm going: I don't want anything to do with this!" She said it was the nice guy, the smaller one who had been swimming with them. And he left. After that they moved her and "she fell down" - they didn't mean to kill her! She then said: "cover-up"!
One big discrepancy is the timeline: the medium says that on the Monday they went out and about. That night they went to the bar and met the boys. Then on Tuesday they went to the "beach" and on Wednesday on the drive/walk. And from Thursday she was a prisoner in the cave. Mike wondered if the medium could (or Kris) have been confused here. Seven years passed by now and maybe Tuesday and Wednesday were confused, if someone had drugged her. The interesting thing was that the medium said the boys were all using nicknames. She also said that she could only connect with Kris, not Lisanne. In a second session, the medium tried to connect to Kris and Lisanne again, and said that she now also connected to Lisanne. She now identified Lisanne as the timid, scared one of the two and Kris as the 'feisty, cheeky one'. The medium gave Mike a series of images that Kris was showing her and he asked the girls directly (through the medium) if they went on the Pianista trail. The answer was yes and no: they said they were taken by vehicle to the trail by a gentleman who looks about 35-40 and who is married, with kids; who has not much money and is nice. He took them up the first part of the Pianista, but they ran into one of the bad guys and decided to go back. She said the driver was not part of the kidnap plot and she is not sure if he is dead or alive, but she suddenly felt sick when I asked her about him and could see the driver being threatened. She said that the kidnappers were only interested in Kris. They killed Lisanne - on purpose - with a blow to the head with what looks like a black stone. The medium sensed cold and shivering. In the cave Kris fought with the men. Lisanne showed the medium a cut on her upper left arm. She mentioned a green Jeep-like vehicle with the letter J (possibly in the registration plate). One of the girls said the name Mart or Marcus and a market of food and clothes. They also said they spoke to a man with a stick (before being captured). They said there is a bag missing still, which contained towels, some food and water and that there is also still a purse missing. They said more money was taken than was found. They said that some of the photos were deleted and that these photos need to be seen. They said again that the photos need to be seen! Kris showed the medium a ring (she did the last time, too, so this may be important). One of them (I think Kris) described the attackers. The first one was cocky, not trustworthy, protected by a powerful relative. The second one was also cocky, he likes mistreating young women, has lots of money but does not work, smiles a lot and owns a boat. She said that he is on the move, in South America, possibly Brazil. [Henry and Edwin?]. She also mentioned cocaine. Then there were random images of lots of flowers and the girls having fun and messing about. Next there were images of them drinking cocktails. The medium felt that Kris was cold and shivering while she was held against her will, and that she had suffered torture including injuries to her feet. She said that Lisanne was simply terrified the whole time. She said that Lisanne was struck over the head to shut her up, but it wasn't the intention to kill her. Unfortunately she died and that really sealed the fate of Kris. One more interesting thing she said, was that the kidnapper or kidnappers is/are being protected by someone and that the police are bought off.
Update: T. the medium said that one of the kidnappers eats sweets constantly and one should follow the trail of the sweet wrappers.
Update: T. the medium said that one of the kidnappers eats sweets constantly and one should follow the trail of the sweet wrappers.
Please check out my entire and comprehensive oversight of all the photos taken by Kris and Lisanne, put in chronological order and with the known photo numbers and times attached here.
All the photos taken by Kris Kremers & Lisanne Froon during their Panama stay. Chronologic from Scarlet R on Vimeo.
As an aside, I just found this reenactment video from two local girls who live around 40 km from the Il Pianista trail and who made a college project about this case. They say they use the local folklore information about this disappearanceFirst video is the whole thing on youtube, the 4 others videos are the same movie, but cut in parts and uploaded here, as youtubers are renowned for suddenly removing their videos and then this blog is stuck with non functioning video links suddenly. The movies under-title is: "Short film inspired by real events, the characters are fictitious, the story is adapted according to legends of the community of Boquete, province of Chiriqui, Panama. Students of social communication of the UNACHI". It's quite scary, their video. Best watch it in the daytime.. I saw this on the day that it is exactly 5 years ago that Kris and Lisanne got lost in Panama, April 1st 2019. The girls tried to reenact their version of what could have happened to Kris and Lisanne. They also explain why they think the nighttime photos were taken on the night of day 8. What does not seem to match, is the fact that both Kris and Lisanne's smartphones were used to try to make contact with emergency services for several days and that only by day five, wrong pin codes are entered in Kris' phone; indicating that Kris was still alive up until that time and somehow was incapacitated by day five and unable to give the correct pin code.
Interview with guide F. - "When the parents went back the first time, to Holland, the government stopped looking. Nothing. But when they came back again, they sent a helicopter up"
June 21st, 2014
Britta Sanders
"Authorities in Panama are saying that they did everything they could in the search for missing Kris and Lisanne. But local volunteers, who went out looking for the two Dutch women, are disappointed in the way the officials handled things. The man who found the backpack of Kris and Lisanne is also disappointed in the officials. He is a tour guide and knows the area well. Reporter Britta Sanders spoke with him.
"Authorities in Panama are saying that they did everything they could in the search for missing Kris and Lisanne. But local volunteers, who went out looking for the two Dutch women, are disappointed in the way the officials handled things. The man who found the backpack of Kris and Lisanne is also disappointed in the officials. He is a tour guide and knows the area well. Reporter Britta Sanders spoke with him.Britta Sanders: "The inhabitants of Boquete have really sympathized with the families of Kris and Lisanne. And the people here are also waiting anxiously for the results of the investigation. But local inhabitants are not content with the manner in which the authorities have organized the searches. Because all the findings and discoveries were done by local ordinary people, and not by the professional search teams. First the backpack, last Wednesday... Then the shoes and bone remains. They were all found near the river Culebra, by ordinary people. Such as F. G.. He is disappointed in the course of events."
Guide: "We found the remains. And they didn't even say thank you for your help. (He literally seems to say: we found that path). No, nothing. They only came and picked it up by helicopter in two minutes."
Britta Sanders: "F. is a guide in the area and has a farm there. Since the two young women disappeared in the area, two months ago, he has been thinking about them every single day. They disappeared in his region."
Guide: [Sobbing] "Today it has been two months and 20 days. And when the people [parents] went back the first time, to Holland, the government stopped looking. Nothing. But when they came back again, they sent a helicopter up. For one month they did nothing. Only when the parents stayed here, was something done."
Britta Sanders: "Together with three Indians and a team of six people from Boquete, he went out looking, because they felt the authorities did far too little."
Guide: "This is about people. They needed to move like this, quick."
Britta Sanders: "And they didn't, you think?"
Guide: "No. Waiting for the chief... waiting for this, waiting for that. Then they need to discuss this.."
"I asked the chief public prosecutor [Betzaida Pittí] for a reaction to the discontentment of these people. But she does not want to react in front of the camera."
Britta Sanders: "I asked the chief public prosecutor [which was Betzaida Pittí at the time] for a reaction to the discontentment of these people who were the ones who made sure with their findings that there will finally be some more clarity in this case. But she does NOT want to react in front of the camera. No matter how sad the ending, F. and his men are content that they could do some good work for the families, in these uncertain times.
'Prosecutor Pittí does not dare to say it was homicide'
La Estrella de Panama
December 26, 2014
Adelita Coriat
[Source. Translated from Spanish] Betzaida Pittí affirms that the evidence in the case of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon does not allow her to assert that the girls were killed. Prosecutor Betzaida Pittí outlines several hypotheses about what could have happened to the Dutch girls.
"The death of the Dutch Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon remains a mystery. According to the criteria of some experts, the evidence suggests that it was a homicide. But Betzaida Pittí, First Superior prosecutor of the province of Chiriquí, in charge of the investigation, still does not dare to affirm it with force. She does not rule it out, but with the scientific evidence available to date, and the testimonies that have reached her office, asserting that it was a murder, it is for her like jumping into the void. The last time Kris and Lisanne were seen was on April 1 of this year. The girls disappeared when they ventured on the El Pianista trail, located in Boquete, Chiriquí. Their remains were found at a distance of more than 12 hours on foot from the trail. That day they carried their cell phones, a backpack, a bottle of water and a camera with them. They wore shorts and a T-shirt, both wore also dark ankle boots. Prosecutor Pittí is almost certain that the girls died eight days after their disappearance. She reaches this conclusion based on forensic analysis of Kris and Lisanne's cell phones. The devices showed activity - among which there are eight unsuccessful calls to the emergency numbers in Holland and Panama. At this time, cell phones were turned on correctly. But, April 6 was the last day the iPhone of one of them was properly turned on and off. The forensic report carried out in the Netherlands revealed that on April 11 the telephone pin was not entered, unlike the rest of the previous attempts. [Scarlet; the wrong or no PIN code was entered from the afternoon of April 5th onward] For this reason, Pittí relies on the fact that the girls lived for several days after having vanished among the vegetation and the rivers of the path.
But from then on, she is very cautious when asked what could have happened to the girls. "So many things could have happened, I don't know, the swollen river," says Pittí, trying to find an explanation to the enigma of Kris and Lisanne.
Six months after the disappearance, the prosecution does not have a clear hypothesis about how young women Kris, 21, and Lisanne, 22, died. The prosecutor begins to sketch some probabilities based on the evidence: 'Let's see ... they dismembered them, let's suppose that happened. How lucky that rib that turned up is featureless. We found the middle of the hip, tell me if there is a feature of that, 'asks Pittí. 'It would be irresponsible to say that the girls were murdered without foundation. I have nothing to say that they were killed. A rumor reached me that there was a witness who said they had been murdered. I sent for that witness and he spoke of other people outside the case. The evidence tells me, so far, that there is no dismemberment. Who knows if tomorrow I will find a skull with other signs, 'explains Pittí. According to the prosecutor, so far, "with the evidence available, the interference of a third person at the scene is not appreciated." But nothing is set in stone, and Pittí does not rule out changing his hypothesis.
"Do you think they were attacked by some wild animal?" asks the newspaper.
Pittí: "Who can know? So far not, because the experts tell me they weren't."
"Were they victims of sexual harassment?"
'No', Pittí answers, 'because the DNA of the bra has nothing. There was also the water bottle, the cell phones. They could have removed their bra when walking because it rubbed against their skin. The bras found in the girls' backpack showed no signs of violence, no saliva, or fingerprints'. Pittí plays the devil's advocate in the event of a rape. 'Are you going to let a bra take off without straining? Let's suppose it happened to both of them, did they both give in? Would you both take off your bra? And the rest of your clothes? ', Asks the prosecutor. [Scarlet: the prosecutor clearly has not imagined the possibility here that Kris and Lisanne went swimming first, as shown in the swimming photo]. 'The shirts that the young women were wearing have not been found, only Kris's shorts, in which forensic analyzes found no evidence of this [sexual harassment].
What do you do if tomorrow they find the bodies of the girls on the farm of some local? Asked La Estrella de Panama. Pitti pauses and responds: 'We are going to kill them; the criminologists of the Public Ministry or of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences do not give me grounds to think that it is a homicide. '
Planted bones?
In mid-June, the locals of Alto Romero, Changuinola, Bocas del Toro province, found the backpack of the Dutch women on the banks of the Culubre River. A week later, they came across a boot with one foot in it near the river, they also found a femur, which laboratories matched through DNA tests with Lisanne. On August 2, the residents of Altos de Romero found the hip bone and rib belonging to Kris. Criminologist Octavio Calderón finds the way in which parts of the girls' skeletons 'appeared' extremely suspicious. He is convinced that they were intentionally planted. Pittí reacts to the assumption: 'suppose I say that our hypothesis is that the bones were planted. And when I have to explain it, how do I do that?' Pittí wonders: 'Why are they going to plant it there, with so much land [available]? That is immense. Let's suppose they were killed, why are you going to place the backpack here, for what?' 'I would tell you that I found the evidence, but I cannot say that it was planted. We did not find the rest of the skeleton. If a person planted the bones there, with what intention did they do it?' the Prosecutor ask*. Despite the fact that only less than 20% of the girls' skeletons were found, and forensic examinations revealed that there are no signs of dismemberment or violence, Pittí does not see it logical that the evidence has been planted. Forensic examinations also do not allow her to legally determine that someone killed them. "With what I have so far, nothing indicates that there was a homicide," says the prosecutor. [*Scarlet; I don't understand why the prosecutor cannot come up with possible answers to her own questions here; the few bones could in theory have been planted there on purpose to be found, because it would give the parents the clear sign that the girls were dead and for the searches to stop. And perhaps the people who found the few bones hoped to get the 35.000 dollar reward in exchange].
So far the prosecution has no one under investigation, there are no detainees, and some proceedings are pending. For example, determining the site where the 90 photos were captured with the camera of the young women, of which only three of them show any content. [Scarlet; the night photo location has never been identified in the past 6,5 years and there were more than three photos with content after all]. The prosecution has taken a statement from the sister-in-law and the wife of 'Atencio', the link between Pittí and the native population when they report findings. He also took a statement from a local who found the remains. "Now in January I'm going to take a statement from the rest[of the native population]." - Why hasn't she done this yet, until now? "That is difficult. Every time I send for someone, I have to pay them out of my pocket. The Public Ministry staff would have to go and walk for more than 16 hours, and it has been raining.'
[Scarlet; so nine months after he girls went missing, Pittí still did not manage to send someone to Alto Romero to have the people there interviewed? Because it would cost money to send someone there, and it was a long walk. And it had been raining...].
Former prosecutor Edwin Álvarez questions the way in which the Public Ministry and Pittí have handled the case
Telemetro, June 29th, 2014 - The death of the two young Dutch women at the beginning of April in Boquete continues to generate reactions. There are even those, like the former prosecutor Edwin Álvarez, who questions the way in which the Public Ministry has handled the case.Edwin Álvarez: "Once the first evidence was found, a group of researchers in the area should have been set to do a meticulous search in a very wide range of action. This should have been done over the entire sector to increase the possibility of finding any evidence that had the capacity to lead to clarification of the event." 'The lawyer also says he has some apprehensions about the discovery of both some belongings and skeletal remains.'
Edwin Álvarez: "In my opinion, it allows us to rule out at the outset that it can be considered that the death was due to an accidental death or due to starvation. It is the fact so that no elements of the fabrics, of the dresses that the victims were wearing, have been found." 'While Álvarez indicates that the existence of a criminal hand should not be ruled out. The families of the young women are willing to continue searching for new elements. However, the task will not be easy'.
Search team professional: "We should do a study of the place because we should remember that we are in the rainy season and there is a lot of risk that we are going to take. And if they are not specialized units in fast water rescue, the search maneuver will be somewhat difficult." 'In this puzzle there are many pieces that do not fit. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the focus is on when the Panamanian authorities will deliver the few skeletal remains found to the relatives of the young Dutch women.'
Effects of the body falling in a running river. On websleuths reference was made to an interesting article from La EstrellaThe coroner who handled the examination of the bones that were found from Kris and Lisanne, made a statement through La Estrella, "The argument of Arrocha has validity because it coincides with the analysis performed by the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMELCF) which determined that no bone analyzed showed signs of trauma. Microscopic studies were made and no actual bony structures had finding of trauma," said Diomedes Trejos, coroner IMELCF.
FORENSIC TAPHONOMY-- By José Manuel Reverte, médico, antropólogo, investigador y escritor español. "If the body fell, was thrown or the individual jumped by himself into a river with a strong current, the body would have suffered a number of different taphonomic alterations that will guide us towards what might have happened. Sometimes the body is dragged by the current, and is found far from the place where it fell. If the current is very strong, decay, crashes against the rocks, the influence of humidity, etc. will all cause parts of the body to get loose. This produces the breakdown and in such a case any limb can become trapped between the leaves or branches on the riverbank and the rest of the body, shaken by the current, can travel dozens of kilometres. - However, in rivers, limbs severed from the body tend to be turned away towards the edges, if there are no floods that put them on the move again and that push them toward the center of the stream, towards the mother of the river, where water has the highest speed. Sometimes they are stopped in a curve or bend and often after their journey in the river, the limbs end up in the sea.Often only the torso turns up, without the head. This does not mean that the individual has been decapitated, but the head and jaw are the first parts that fall off the decaying corpse. The only thing that usually remains attached to the torso are the thighs. The part that suffers most of the abrasion by the current, the friction with stones and branches, is the skull. Because of its shape it will easily roll, losing the bones of the face, jaw and neck vertebrae that could have stayed attached. Fractures of the base of the skull by collisions with rocks are also frequent. Sometimes the skull may be dragged to the bottom, but it also may float on the surface."
Skidawayme wrote on websleuths about this article: "A body could be stuck between rocks and a foot wrenched off. But... the bones showed no abrasion, according to the forensics. And the foot was found not in the river but behind a tree some distance away. (Do we know how far?) My husband has nothing to do with this except for telling me that the only methods he, a surgeon, knows to remove a foot from a body are cutting of some sort (probably including gnawing by a wild animal :(, and an explosion." - She also shared an interesting article: "This is a statement from the coroner via La Estrella, I believe, and probably quoted here by another Sleuth earlier on. I copied it but neglected to note the post #. :( I'm also not sure how I came about the fascinating article that follows on how skeletons disarticulate. Definitely worth a read.
And lets not forget that Panama has not only its own industry to protect, but that The Netherlands and Panama also have - and had at the time - a budding trade connection
Wiebe de Boer, diplomat and Dutch ambassador in Panama, had already showed his good diplomatic qualities when he defended Panama and Boquete in particular as a quaint and safe mountain abode, skirting past Panama's serious crime numbers. As Ken Lee commented below one of my YouTube videos: "In 2017, there were a total of 396 murders in that nation [Panama], out of a small population of just 4 million. This places it at #184 of 230 countries globally in terms of murder rate, i.e 10 murdered out of every 100,000 people (where #1 rank=lowest murder rate). Those comments about safety of the place are simply off." Nevertheless Wiebe de Boer was unwilling to utter even a single negative word about his host country. On his twitter, you can scroll back to 2014 and read his tweets about trade and cooperation, even posted on April 1st 2014, but not a word about the missing Kris and Lisanne.. Despite De Boers role in the transition of the belongings from the girls from Panama to their Dutch families. He did refer later to the MH17 victims on twitter, which was an absolute national tragedy. But Kris and Lisanne, missing in his host country of Panama, were entirely ignored on his social media feed. He seems primarily interested in keeping the trade- and diplomatic relations with Panama good.
In this article, De Boer is quoted as pushing for an increase of financial and trade relations with Panama. And by 2010, the Netherlands were already one of the top 5 trading partners for Panama and after the USA, Panama is in fact their second biggest export destination, with the Dutch responsible for taking over 10% of their goods. In addition, the Dutch government (incl. their banks, FDI's, NGO's) is responsible for investing around 2 billion dollars so far in Panama. In February 2014, companies from the Netherlands have shown an interest in developing a new container port in Corozal in the 46 hectares belonging to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), as confirmed by the Dutch ambassador to Panama, Jakob Wiebe de Boer, who adds "The Netherlands can transfer to Panama the operational experience of the Port of Rotterdam". During the summer of 2014, The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) was in discussions to build this new port in Corozal, with work set to commence in January 2015. On 22nd October 2014, the same Dutch ambassador to Panama, Wiebe de Boer announced that "the regional office in Panama will increase its staff numbers from 200 to 400, so that from there activities for the entire Central American region will be established. Dutch banks are involved as partners in the controversial hydro dam on the Changuinola River." And let's not even start about the Panama Papers and the large amount of banks in Panama. Doing Business in Panama
Let's not be naïve here, money matters. And the Dutch are prime tradespeople. I'm not trying to imply that business interests would have had any direct influence on (good) investigational research here, but there is always the small and hypothetical possibility that external interests could play a role. So much is weird in this case. Here is a good link provided by Ben H. Information issued by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a glossy brochure. "Grab your opportunities in the fastest growing economy of Latin America. Because of the Panama Canal, Tocumen Airport and the geographical position of the country, Panama has been termed the ‘Hub of the Americas’. Thanks to the excellent connections and the favorable business climate, the Dutch presence in Panama has grown considerably in recent years. The biggest opportunities for Dutch companies lie in the fields of agro-logistics, maritime, retail, and water sector. Natural Partners / Socios Evidentes. Since Panama and the Netherlands are immediate neighbors in the Caribbean, logistical maritime hubs and gateways to larger regions, both countries are natural partners. Dutch companies are involved in major projects around the Panama Canal and several companies have a regional head office in Panama."
Another colleague of Eileen..This is one of the other people who worked in the language school Spanish by the River in April 2014; Marjolein. Marjolein is said to be a manager at the language school and she is pictured in a blog from a traveller called Nickie. In the picture, Marjolein is seated in the middle. Left for us viewers sits local guide F. and on the right sits Christina. Marjolein (shown in the center in the photo) helped Kris and Lisanne look for other volunteer school work in the day before they went missing. Interestingly, Nickie visited Boquete in the same time that Kris and Lisanne were in Panama; in fact she was in Boquete about a week before Kris and Lisanne arrived there; between March 20th - 28th 2014. And funny enough she was in Bocas del Toro in the exact same period that Kris and Lisanne were there, only Nickie stayed there shorter. She may even have passed the girls, unknowingly. Here you can read her impressions on Bocas. But on March 22nd 2014 Nickie was in Boquete, and she booked F. for a guided tour. She wrote about it: "It was an early start today for yet another quetzal hunt. F., our guide for the day, was ready to leave at 7.30am. He had arrived with the inevitable machete and his left hand in a big bandage, a result of a prior incident with this implement, whilst tending his coffee plantation. It didn’t seem to handicap him though!" She continues: "We, being Marjolein, the Dutch hostel manager, and Christina, the Swiss cyclist and I, were driven by F’s son about 13 km out of Boquete to the start of the Quetzal trail. It was a blue sky day with little wind, which was a lovely change after the last couple of days. We started off doing a little detour into the forest, where there was some beautiful bird song but no quetzals." - They continue their search for this specific bird and find a couple soon after. "We continued along the trail, somewhat reluctantly, meeting a few other hikers along the way, one or two of whom were not very suitably attired for a hike in the forest" [..] "We stopped for lunch at a clearing (and a very welcome break it was) at 2,200m and afterwards, continued on up what seemed like a vertical track with some very steep steps.
About the tour guide and his son she further wrote: "We stopped for lunch at a clearing (and a very welcome break it was) at 2,200m and afterwards, continued on up what seemed like a vertical track with some very steep steps. Guide F. expressed his disgust on more than one occasion at the workmanship that had gone into the construction of the fences and picnic tables along the way and considered there was a lot of money being wasted by the Government. The whole day had turned into not only a hike, but also a language and political lesson. We arrived at the top near Cerro Punto, where F’s son was waiting and extremely disgruntled at having had to wait for an hour for us because we were late. The views here were superb and reminded be very much of the Kaimais at home."
And about passers-by: "There were some soldiers staying at the Ranger’s hut, who apparently came from Darien and were all dressed up in balaclavas etc because they thought it was so cold here!" [..] "On the way back to Boquete, which was about an hour and a half’s drive, we stopped at a strawberry place for, not surprisingly, strawberries, which were very tasty. We arrived back at the hostel [this was the hostel of Spanish by the River] about 6 PM and I then got a taxi to my next abode on the other side of the town [this is Casa Pedro!]. This is owned by an American and his very quiet Panamanian wife. It turned out to be not at all what I had expected from their website. The room (or ‘suite’, as it is called) is actually part of their house. I could use their kitchen but was not comfortable doing so, although that was what I had originally intended to do." [..] "As far as I know, I am the only person staying here tonight [=28 March], but there are apparently 28 people arriving tomorrow and I have difficulty visualizing where they are all going to sleep."About Boquete itself she wrote:
"I eventually decided that I ought to do something a bit more active, so walked the 4km into town, which was actually a much more pleasant walk than I anticipated as there was a pavement the whole way, the scenery was very attractive and I didn’t encounter any snakes. I had also thought it was going to be cold and had taken a jacket but, in fact, it was a beautiful day, with blue sky. (I obviously hadn’t looked out of my bedroom window properly!)" [..] "The town was reasonably busy, given that it was a Sunday. There were quite a few tourists, as well as local people, including the Chiriqui indians in their brightly coloured dresses. Some people were in the plaza just chatting whilst others were obviously out shopping. The Indians apparently come to Boquete to work on the coffee plantations, primarily for the picking season, and then go back to their villages when the season is finished."
And she also describes a simple track behind Pedro's hostel; probably the same one which he suggested to Kris and Lisanne the next week"I bit of a rest in my room before tackling the track up the hill behind the house. I had some difficulty finding the start of the path as they were obviously clearing land to build more houses and had managed to clear the path in the process. I therefore trekked back down the hill to ask my hostess and then back up again to do the walk, so I got even more than I had bargained for. I had been warned that the path was steep. It was vertical and very dry and dusty, with absolutely no flat bits. It wasn’t long before I had acquired a little Indian boy as a guide. I had passed their house on the way up and a couple of minutes later, I was joined by Abisima (at least, I think that was his name!). He looked about 7 but told me he was 10. He scampered ahead of me like a mountain goat and then sat and waited for me to catch up. This was quite a slow process on my behalf, so he did a fair bit of waiting. The best view was about three quarters of the way up, so I didn’t even need to go to the top but I did, of course. On the way down, he slid down the dust, as if he was skiing and swung on branches, whilst I picked my way slowly, trying to find terra firma. Even so, I managed to get very dusty and dirty[..]. Once back at the house, I felt I had done enough for one day, so read for a while before having a very tasty chicken dinner cooked by Marilin. Whilst I was eating, a party of 7 Dutch people arrived, who all decided they wanted a meal, so at 8pm, Marilin started cooking again and the new arrivals seemed quite surprised when they were told it would not be ready for an hour!"
I also learned that despite reports about the excessive dry period Boquete was enduring when Kris and Lisanne were there, it had actually rained a few days earlier "27 March - The day started badly. It had been pouring with rain overnight and I had left my boots under the veranda, thinking they would be safe and dry. They weren’t and I do not like wet feet when I am hiking! Plastic bags on the feet solved the problem temporarily." And when she visits the Three Waterfalls: "The path was extremely muddy and slippery after all the rain, particularly between waterfalls 2 and 3, where there were also ropes you could use to swing yourself up and down the track. I was very, very tired by the time I got back to the road!"
So, summarizing:
-This Nikie was in Boquete about a week before K+L arrived. between 20 and 28 March 2014. But she was also in Bocas del Toro before, and around the same time as the girls: at the end of March of 2014.
-During hikes, she meets others along the way. Nothing about remote places where you don't encounter a soul for days: "We continued along the trail, somewhat reluctantly, meeting a few other hikers along the way, one or two of whom were not very suitably attired for a hike in the forest"
-It can be cold at the end of March/early April in the Boquete cloud forest: "There were some soldiers staying at the Ranger’s hut, who apparently came from Darien and were all dressed up in balaclavas etc because they thought it was so cold here!" Makes me wonder how Kris and Lisanne stayed warm overnight, in their very short pants and singlets/tank tops. And no bras at some point..
-It can be cold at the end of March/early April in the Boquete cloud forest: "There were some soldiers staying at the Ranger’s hut, who apparently came from Darien and were all dressed up in balaclavas etc because they thought it was so cold here!" Makes me wonder how Kris and Lisanne stayed warm overnight, in their very short pants and singlets/tank tops. And no bras at some point..
-It also rained on 27 March; I thought it was dry and warm again for a long time before the girls arrived in Boquete, but that's not quite true. "27 March - The day started badly. It had been pouring with rain overnight and I had left my boots under the veranda, thinking they would be safe and dry. [..] The path was extremely muddy and slippery after all the rain, particularly between waterfalls 2 and 3, where there were also ropes you could use to swing yourself up and down the track. I was very, very tired by the time I got back to the road!" - Nickie mentions two episodes of rainfall during the night; on March 20th and 27th. But like one of my Dutch forum members stated it: "If those were the only times of rainfall that week, then it rained very little. Normally it is raining daily there during the rainy season. And we know that it had been in fact dry for a very long time when Kris and Lisanne arrived in Boquete. Something that is captured in their photos, which show very dry roads."
-The tour guide's son has a bit of a temper: "F’s son was waiting and extremely disgruntled at having had to wait for an hour for us because we were late."
-Nickie also describes the simple walk behind Don Pedro's hostel. The same path probably he advised Kris and Lisanne to take: "I had a bit of a rest in my room before tackling the track up the hill behind the house. I had some difficulty finding the start of the path [..] I had been warned that the path was steep. It was vertical and very dry and dusty, with absolutely no flat bits. [..] The best view was about three quarters of the way up, so I didn’t even need to go to the top but I did, of course. On the way down, he slid down the dust, as if he was skiing and swung on branches, whilst I picked my way slowly, trying to find terra firma. Even so, I managed to get very dusty and dirty[..]."
Important TV reportage from December 2014, about the search for Kris and Lisanne: Dutch police investigator reveals caseI added English subtitles to this important TV airing, from Dutch program EenVandaag (see my version of the video with English subtitles attached here). It was one of the first programs in 2014 where some actual new info was provided. These tv makers had insight into the case file and spoke with a chief investigator and a prosecutor about the evidence as they were gathered by then, and the remaining questions. Here we heard about the girls continuing to use their phones after they disappeared, about the missing photo 509 which could not be retrieved and about the nighttime photos. It was also in this TV program that we saw for the first time some of the nighttime photos, especially the picture of Kris' red hair. Some things that stood out for me about this short (almost 10 minute) tv item are that the Dutch investigator details just how little influence the Dutch had in the investigation: "It is difficult no matter what, that you have to sit on your hands because it is someone else's investigation. That is difficult because if you want to do something, it is easier when you are in the lead. But in this case Panama is in the lead, and that happens more often.. It is also their investigation. And we investigate at their request. So when they ask for our help, we do that in all possible ways. And that is the way in which we work together internationally. The Dutch police assists mostly with technical investigation."
"Fairly quickly after they went missing we made contact with the Panamanian authorities...We have offered them our help, and one of the things that was done very quickly is that we requested the call history. We looked at the internet history, their email contacts. Did they send emails? Did they use a computer after their disappearance on April 1st?" The interviewer then asks: "And were goodbye notes found inside the phones?" "No. No that is quite peculiar because that is what you would also expect. We heard from the people who were close to them that they both used their smartphones a lot. But that didn't happen. So that is particular. Perhaps because they wanted to save the battery of their phones, and thus didn't want to use them for anything other than calling. So also not to save messages, or to make more photos or movies of each other. That suggestion was also made before. But I think this was because they wanted to save the battery." - What struck me there is that the police chief investigator then does not comment further about why no video or photos were made with the digital camera: he only mentions the mobile phones which is odd considering most of the photos came from the digital camera which didn't have a similar battery problem.
Some more facts from the program: "Between 01:00 and 04:00 in the morning, hundred photos are made." 100! Not 90? Everywhere you read there were 90 nighttime photos. Jeremy Kryt mentioned that he had insight in "all the 90" nighttime photos... Then another striking thing: I have always understood that the TV makers implied that they did not show the full picture of Kris' red hair, and shielded off the temple of her face, because there was supposedly blood visible on it. However, now that I found the original airing back, there is actually no mentioning at all of this. All that is said about the picture of the red hair, is that "reddish hair is visible; It looks like a wild or tangled mess of hair. And the hair has a light, strawberry blonde colour. And it could be the hair of Kris." Nothing about blood, or covering up a head wound with the strategically placed photo overlap. Strange. Nevertheless wikipedia has the blood part included in their little page on the case ("another shows the back of Kremer's head with what looks like blood by her temple"), and they refer to a Panamanian news article for their source, that in fact does not mention blood or the entire picture at all. Sloppy. Jeremy Kryt writes about it in one of his Daily Beast articles on the case: "a well-lit image (the clearest of the whole series) seems to show red-haired Kris with what looks like a head wound—a possible indication that she was badly hurt or even already deceased when that picture was taken." A Dutch crime journalist writes in this online piece (in Dutch so I translated it in English now): "If anyone was injured, it was Kris: a wound is visible on the right side of her head." And the Strange Outdoors mystery blog writer states: "A single close-up seems to show a wound to the right side of Kris' head in the temple area and blood on her hair." So who is to say... The photo shown in this TV program, the whole photo, shows no blood or head wound though. That much is clear by now due to witnesses who possess the actual photo. Perhaps Kryt has another photo where you do see a head wound? Update: the full photo has been leaked in November of 2019 and there is no head wound visible in it. It also turned out there were 99 night photos taken.
Last thing about the Dutch investigators; the Dutch chief investigator Henk Bril acknowledges that in the research into the death of Kris and Lisanne, many questions remain unanswered. So, we now know from the head of Dutch investigations himself, that the Dutch sat on their hands more or less, unless and until the Panamanian colleagues explicitly asked for their help. Which resulted in... very little, other than the coordination of communication with the parents and the Dutch press. A couple of sniffer dogs were allowed to be flown in also, but weeks and weeks after the girls went missing and they were also only allowed by the officials on the first part of the Pianista Trail (so in other words; it was fairly useless as they didn't go near the river or into any finca's or suspicious buildings further down the bush). One has to wonder why this investigation was so very poorly.. You can make one mistake, perhaps two, but these officials did a lot more wrong it now seems.. Unless they kept all the facts and details about some parallel universe part of the investigation away from the press and the public, which sounds absurd and would also not have resulted in conflicting views among the parents as to what happened, nor into the Kremers getting a lawyer to battle the local authorities, complaining about the incompetent authorities. If you don't take fingerprints from the people handing these bones and personal items in, don't search peoples properties or mountain houses to look for blood or DNA, don't take soil samples from the places where the bones are found, do not investigate the many fingerprints on the camera and phones... By the way, this last investigation search operation took place between 12 and 16 January of 2015. Betzaida Pittí joined the Dutch team of searchers, their sniffer dogs and three forensic experts. During these 5 or less days, Betzaida Pittí declared to the media that "nothing has been found." And because it was raining and muddy "the search team didn't make it to the river where the few remains of Kris and Lisanne had been previously found". She further underlined just how horrible the circumstances were, by declaring that she herself had "injured her knee and ankle". So, this last, large scale search attempt, announced with so much aplomb during the TV item I uploaded above, stranded within less than a week, and didn't get near the river either. What a waste of time, money and manpower, considering the many search operations in April, May and June of 2014 had already combed through that Pianista area sufficiently. That river and the finca's there was the place they had to go. And they didn't. Poor, poor parents..
Another thing; on October 14th 2014, newspaper Panamá América published a story, in which they claimed that sources close to the family of Kris Kremers had leaked that her family was contemplating bringing charges against the Panamanian state for negligence and violation of human rights. These charges could be brought to the Inter-American commission for Human Rights in New York. The family contemplated this due to the poor police work and the shoddy communication with them during the investigation. They may never have gone so far, because they would then have had to prove with documentation that the Panamanian state was negligent with guaranteeing the two tourists' fundamental right to live. Arrocha later did press charges. For anyone thinking that both families went ahead right away with the Lost conclusion; keep this in mind. Women who also got stranded in the wilderness and who did leave messages and videos for home
This young woman from New Zealand for instance, Claire Nelson, fell in the desert of the US and broke her hip. Her phone had no cell phone coverage and she thought for days that she would die there. She said: "I was filming little videos from the moment I fell just in case anyone found me, to explain what happened. I haven't watched them yet [after she was found and saved]. I'm unsure whether I want to." Here you can see some of her made videos, while lying isolated, thinking she would die there. Also the case of 25-year old Amber Kohnhorst, who fell down into a deep cliff and had already started to write goodbye letters when she was found. Kohnhurst fractured her back in three places, crushed her pelvis and broke her nose. Part of her ear was also torn off. Only her BnB host knew of her hiking plans, and she lay in such a remote part without cell phone reception, that she feared she would die there. "I wrote letters to my parents. I'm sorry. I'm trying to blow my whistle. I've fallen. That was going to be my goodbye." However, her host noticed her bed was unslept and called the police, who finally flew over with a helicopter some days later and she managed to blow her whistle, which she brought along and got their attention. She was smart in bringing a whistle with her. Alert staff and her sense of taking a whistle was what probably saved her in this case. Looking at not just these two cases, but many similar cases in fact, I keep finding is very very strange that neither Kris NOR Lisanne seemingly wrote anything, during all those 11 days and made not a single video recording of their ordeal. Very out of character for young women, especially considering how frequent they would normally contact their families and record everything they experienced (photos, diary etc). I think that the fact that they didn't, despite having a digital camera just like Claire Nelson did, with enough battery and memory card in the case of Kris and Lisanne, could perhaps mean that they couldn't. Not that they wouldn't. Perhaps they were too preoccupied with surviving and finding their way out of the jungle. Or perhaps they were taken hostage somewhere and couldn't make such videos. Or perhaps they were no longer alive even...
Conclusions for now
Dick Steffens does not think that the girls got lost And he even keeps the option open that Kris is still alive, considering the (in some respects) piss poor investigation and the lack of proper DNA testing. I wouldn't be surprised if it ever turns out that the parents have been put under pressure by Panamanian authorities from the start: do not share things with the media, or you will endanger the search operations; do not cooperate with private search initiatives, or we will not send Sinaproc out to find Kris and Lisanne. In hindsight the parents should probably have considered being brutally honest with the worldwide media at the time, to highlight ALL the prosecutions flaws and the limitations of the investigation as it was taking place right there and then, as a means to put pressure on authorities. Now they seem to have complied and with what result? The Kremers were mistreated in the end and brushed off as 'difficult'. It makes me angry to be honest. The way this panned out and the ways in which a proper investigation was not taking place. And now it can never be redone. And people like Pitti can play good weather and pretend that they did an awesome job investigating this case. For me personally, there also seem too many loose ends with a Lost scenario. I receive messages and emails sometimes from blog readers (thank you for sharing all your thoughts and theories!) and sometimes people have different opinions and also make a very good case for a scenario wherein the girls did get lost and perished due to the elements and hunger. The girls kept walking into the bush for some mysterious reason and never found their way back. The search operations started too late, or they didn't search in the right area for too long. Kris and Lisanne became too weak. I myself also thought for a long time that this is what happened. But as time went by and more information emerged about the creepy night photos, the telephone call attempts, the strange findings of the backpack and just a few bones and the state of those bones... well I now feel that there is much more indirect, forensic evidence for foul play. It is hard to fill the whole timeframe with your own imagination, but the scenario that seems most logical to me now (and knowing that many do not find this a logical scenario at all), is that a 3rd party has faked all the night photos and also some of the telephone calls. Then spread a few clean bones around in a game of cat and mouse. The guide F. in the video said he went to look for Kris and Lisanne on April 3rd, so two days after the girls took off, and that he walked the same route as they did and that he didn't find them. 'Not a trace of them'. He even mentioned that he didn't see any footprints of them, which was very specific information considering the day they went missing was exceptionally sunny, warm and very dry. Footprints may have been easier to see in the mud? - Other volunteer searchers also started to look for the girls around day 3 of their disappearance. I keep wondering why so many people in the end couldn't find anything; not the girls, not any of their belongings. And that with the knowledge that there was sufficient running water and some natural food sources in the area where they got lost, these young and fit girls could have survived a long time. And they did, by all accounts, because on the night of day 8 there were night photos made and on day 11 the iPhone from Kris was still switched on. Despite Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries saying that one cold night in the jungle will severely weaken you very fast..
Another thing that bugs me is the question why they never left any clear traces if they were walking in circles behind the Pianista trail? If they got lost and apparently had (toilet) paper in their possession, then why didn't they make a trace with it earlier on? To track for themselves where they went and to leave a trace for searchers? After all, they started making emergency calls as early as 16:39 PM on day one. So they knew from then on that they were in some sort of trouble. No broken branches along the way, no markers, nothing. I mean, forget purposely made tracks; there would also have been accidentally made trails of broken branches, torn pieces of clothing or other signs of their passing, if we truly are dealing with a wild uninhabitable ' killer jungle', such as Betzaida Pitti paints the place. These girls did not carry a machette or even a knife. But of course no torn pieces of their clothing were ever found by the small army of professional searchers.. Also no more normal photos taken for a whole week. Why make the effort of putting 'cryptic' plastic on branches in the middle of the night, when they could have just recorded a video in English or Dutch, or even some Spanish which they spoke a little, simply explaining what had happened? And if they did get stranded at those cable bridges; why would they have kept walking onward on that one way track going down the Pianista Trail, if the way back to Boquete was simply through the same trail? They only had to turn around. The fact that they didn't, makes me think that something or someone was preventing them to do so. Or that they never were on the Pianista trail or behind the summit in the late afternoon of April 1st. I do not believe that naturally cautious and level-headed girls, out in a strange country, would decide to keep walking further into the bush and away from their host family while sunset was approaching. Or worse; leave the trail. The loop idea is also a theory, invented by Lost believers. There is no evidence at all that Kris or Lisanne believed that just walking up north would allow them to somehow loop back to Boquete. Not only had language school staff member Marjolein told them explicitly on Sunday March 30th that they had to turn around on the Mirador and had to walk back down again if they ever chose to walk the Pianista trail, but Lisanne or Kris also took an actual photo of Boquete lying down there behind them; photo #504. And there were more photos taken by them on the summit, showing Boquete down there, which weren't made public but which have been seen by people who have copies of the case files and case documents in their possession. The loop theory is therefore as good as debunked. They more likely walked on beyond the Mirador because it was a glorious day and not that late yet and because there was more to be seen ahead. They probably did so because they had time to explore a bit further, not because they mistakenly assumed they could get home that way. The loop theory was totally fabricated I think, by people who try to push the Lost narrative. And as Kris' parents have demonstrated in their video; you cannot easily get lost on that trail. Locals I read messages from confirm this; PJ who is from the Boquete region wrote: "There are no side trails along this trail. Unless you mean the leaf cutter ant trails." And even once you would arrive at the cable bridge where the night photos are supposedly made; that spot lies still along same track that leads back to the Pianista summit and Boquete.
I went past all the scenarios at length,also the scenario where they just got lost; perished in the jungle or had an accident of sorts. But looking at all the facts as they are publicly known now, to me personally it seems near impossible for them to have died from a fall or from drowning or from an animal attack, or even simply from hunger. Because these girls' bones showed signs of some serious injuries. A pelvic bone broken in half, a foot shattered in many places. If all that happened near the monkey bridges or from a fall, then how did these girls move what is estimated to be over 14 walking hours north, to the place where these bones were found? With such serious injuries, they would never have been able to pass all that distance... Their bodies would then have been found in situ; at the bottom of the ravine where they could have fallen; or in the river or right next to the river where they supposedly drowned. And we'd have found the skulls and the rest of their bodies too then. The river also did not drop those bodies off: pathologists found no indentations on the bones from river rocks and they also discovered that the bone marrow was dry, which indicates that these bones were not laying in water for any amount of time. And even more impossible to match with an accident (to me) is the fact that Kris' bones were found bleached looking (others simply call them 'bare') and with amounts of phosphorus on them, while Lisanne's leg and foot bones still had skin on them. So they had some wildly different decomposition rates, despite being found in the same area. And that local soil did not have natural phosphates according to the lawyer Arrocha, so how did they end up (only) on Kris' very few remains? I never ever hear a solid explanation for any of this from the people defending an accident scenario. They usually just skirt past it.
I think there are so many unexplained strange elements to this case that I cannot believe myself that they simply got lost....Especially in the second week that whole area was combed through with army personnel, dogs, special Sinaproc professionals, helicopters and volunteers and the cable bridges were also visited. Also by two tourist who wrote about this in their blog in May, which was before any of the items from Kris and Lisanne were found yet. And they wrote that there was nothing there near those monkey bridges: no girls, no backpack, no jeans shorts placed on a rock or anything like that. These two tourists were actively looking out for signs of Kris and Lisanne and assured us that there was nothing there near those river passings or on the riverbanks.
The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and Kris and Lisanne broke with all their natural behaviour and habits, as soon as they went missing. A sudden stop of taking photos, a sudden stop of calling their parents, a sudden stop of documenting their days in writing. Sleuths arguing from the comforts of their homes are often quick to tell you what is 'logical' and what isn't. But aside from Latin American countries having often their own set of issues with crime and quality of policework and lower crime solving rates, nobody can convince me that during a first night out in the jungle, in a panic, two young girls from the other side of the world, the 'safe' side, would not call their parents. Or that they would immediately think of saving battery life. Because batteries die without using them anyway, and they needed help right away. But when Lisanne díd leave her phone powered on during the evening and night of April 2nd to April 3rd.... nobody was tried to call. While the phone's battery was being drained. I find it hard to understand. She must have been aware of the phone being powered on, because between roughly 02:00 and 03:00 in the morning, a weather app was looked up. And the phone remained powered on after that as well, until 07:36 in the morning. So why not try to call your parents? And then suddenly on day 8 they would have decided to take such vague, meaningless 99 photos in the dark of night? Not one picture explaining where they were and not one photo explaining how they were. Or who even took those photos? It makes no sense. I believe that it was most likely a 3rd party who took those photos and who set out to make it look like the girls had gone lost, alone, in the jungle. The 3rd party couldn't write draft messages because they didn't speak Dutch. They couldn't take selfies because the girls were probably dead or injured, so they made some vague meaningless photo of the back of Kris' head and the side of the face from Lisanne. It was all done on purpose I think, to stop these families from coming back, again and again, turning the place upside down to find their poor daughters. That's why these remains were found so late, so many months into the searches. This area has drug trails, they are not happy with international news crews. Authorities may have been all too willing to cooperate with the lies and the scam as they want no bad publicity for their tourist economy. Just as crime and human- and organ trafficking in Panama had to be kept underreported. I also think there were bits and pieces of the girls kept by this 3rd party, then strategically spread around (planted) to mess up the narrative even more and voila, nothing makes sense anymore now. I think it was a crime of opportunity, that these girls were sexually abused and when the searches became too widespread and the media covered the case too much, the girls became a risk to keep around and were killed :( It's such a shame that not more and new facts have surfaced by now. Nobody has yet without a doubt identified the location of the night photos, for instance. We also do not know what photos were taken between #508 and #550.
Some people also question the official information. They think for instance that the Dutch investigators and the families of Kris and Lisanne have kept information for themselves, such as goodbye messages, graphic photos and such. I disagree with this. I think the families and investigators have indeed kept personal details private, but not the sort that would have impacted the course of the investigation. At the same time the families have been very open about what they know and especially about the things they do not know. They have appealed to the public more than once for information and help. The Dutch police told in this news video what they found on the phones and camera. There was no goodbye messages. The official police files confirm this. There were no attempts found either of the girls to call their parents or Kris' boyfriend, or anyone other than 112 and 119. A Dutch criminal investigator said the same thing; how strange it seemed to him that no goodbye messages were left behind. He had insight in all the files. If there was any clarity about anything, the parents probably wouldn't have been as divided about this as they were, until this day. Jeremy Kryt wrote in his 2017 articles on this disappearance that he communicated with spokespeople of the families and that he could tell us that they were still looking for answers and for more information, as they simply still didn't know what happened to their girls. At this point, with the amount of media coverage this case received and the level of openness of the parents, who showed up in many tv shows telling what they knew (see all of them here), I think there sincerely has been no consensus among the parents for a long time. Considering all this, saying that we the public and respected journalists or someone like lawyer Arrocha know jack shit, because all the vital info was kept from us, that actually does sound like a conspiracy theory.
Police files were leaked and shared, autopsy reports were leaked and shared. Witness statements have come out. Did we the public see and hear everything that is known in this case? Absolutely not. But does this mean that all the information that wás unearthed and that was shared by people like Adelita Coriat, Jeremy Kryt, by forensic scientists and criminologists and the likes, as well as certain case enthusiasts, was all incorrect? Like Betzaida Pitti's new colleague has tried to imply? ('Why would someone believe everything that's written in the newspaper, or shown on television? Main stream journalism, by far, proved they go for the scoops, not for the info', 'Somehow a lot of people seem to think mean stream [sic] news tells the truth, while most of you must no [sic] that's not the case at all.') Sure, classy move. Dissing journalists who have given so much of their time to report on this case to the best of their abilities and honour, no doubt. Risking their own safety in some ways. If anything, these sweeping generalizations are what sounds like a conspiracy theory
So of course there will have been things left private. But aside from various people having had access to all these case files, verifying that no important photos or details have been kept out of the public space, one also has to wonder if such info really could have been important enough to potentially change the state of this case; being stuck. If so, why did the parents of Kris oppose the Accident scenario for as long as they did? Explicitly stating they believed their daughter was kidnapped, and hiring a lawyer to force Panamanian officials to do more? The parents will have known about all the info in this case. Or so we have to trust. So there is most likely no photo of Kris and Lisanne in a terrible state, as one single blogger once wrote without a source link or any evidence. If such a photo really existed, I think it would probably have been leaked one way or another a long time ago already. The lawyer Arrocha also had insight in all the case information and he has also battled for a long time to get more answers (he believes the girls met foul play). And what did the Lost in the Wild presenter say again? “What this pathologist showed us off-camera was very convincing. He was really afraid for his safety, which meant we were not allowed to broadcast everything. Believe me: something much bigger is going on here than is suspected in the Netherlands and I certainly do not exclude the involvement of high-level people." But they are just gullible, scoop-making simpleton journalists, right? Coming from some people who are not even journalists themselves, nor went to Panama.
So of course there will have been things left private. But aside from various people having had access to all these case files, verifying that no important photos or details have been kept out of the public space, one also has to wonder if such info really could have been important enough to potentially change the state of this case; being stuck. If so, why did the parents of Kris oppose the Accident scenario for as long as they did? Explicitly stating they believed their daughter was kidnapped, and hiring a lawyer to force Panamanian officials to do more? The parents will have known about all the info in this case. Or so we have to trust. So there is most likely no photo of Kris and Lisanne in a terrible state, as one single blogger once wrote without a source link or any evidence. If such a photo really existed, I think it would probably have been leaked one way or another a long time ago already. The lawyer Arrocha also had insight in all the case information and he has also battled for a long time to get more answers (he believes the girls met foul play). And what did the Lost in the Wild presenter say again? “What this pathologist showed us off-camera was very convincing. He was really afraid for his safety, which meant we were not allowed to broadcast everything. Believe me: something much bigger is going on here than is suspected in the Netherlands and I certainly do not exclude the involvement of high-level people." But they are just gullible, scoop-making simpleton journalists, right? Coming from some people who are not even journalists themselves, nor went to Panama.
“What this pathologist showed us off-camera was very convincing. He was really afraid for his safety, which meant we were not allowed to broadcast everything. Believe me: something much bigger is going on here than is suspected in the Netherlands and I certainly do not exclude the involvement of high-level people."
What if's and why not's - If Kris and Lisanne were together and "simply" got lost, wouldn't they have been triggered at some point to sit down, reflect and turn around, instead of continuing to plod on, up north, for days and days in an unknown jungle, just based on pure hope they'd find anything?
- If they were together at one point, wouldn't they have taken pictures? Even just a few helpful ones, documenting their own plight and also their surroundings and landmarks to make it easier to find the way back?
- If they were together, wouldn't they have sat down at some moment and (try to) send messages to their loved ones? Or record a message on the camera if they desperately wanted to spare their mobile phones? Or even marked trails with branches, scratched things in or with rocks or in the sand, anything really to leave traces behind?
- If they were together, especially with two different but complementary characters, wouldn't there have been discussions where one would have convinced the other eventually to turn around?
- If they were together, they probably did not die together, and if Kris died first, the loyal and serious Lisanne would certainly have taken a photo of the location where she left her friend behind. A photo a bit more clear than photo #542.
- If they were together and realized their phones had limited battery reserve, with Lisanne's phone in the most dire state of the two; why wouldn't Lisanne have asked and memorized the PIN code of Kris' iPhone? It's no mathematical formula you need to remember, they're just 4 digits.
-Why would they drop their bag with all their belongings in a rice paddy next to the river, and not stay with it themselves? The most logical explanation is that they didn't drop that backpack along the river themselves. But that it was discarded by a third party. Just like the handful of non-incriminating bone fragments were seemingly scattered around areas further up north from the backpack. A third party who wanted to make it look like a lost scenario/misadventure..
-There are those who say there are no facts to support any crime, but this is not true. The forensic pathologist and other specialists in the forensic field stated that they suspect the girls met foul play. The state of the bones, their different and abnormal rate of decomposition, the phosphates on Kris' bones, the mass of skin found 5 months later, all of that points towards foul play. There is, in fact, no evidence to support any kind of accident. No evidence on the shoes that were found, none on the backpack of a fall, of an animal attack or of drowning. The bag was not long enough in the river to sink or get internal water damage.
Going by the new discovered swimming photo, and the proposed theory of Osman and Jose Manuel being involved, this is what may have specifically happened[Since there is no hard proof, this is just a subjective theory, mind you, and it has weaknesses as well, such as the rushed timeline involved and the phone log data not matching 100%. This is just one of several 'foul play' scenarios possible. I keep other options open just the same, although I do believe firmly that Kris and Lisanne were murdered. But by whom is a big question mark still. In general I believe that Kris and Lisanne had felt they did enough exploring by the time and at the point where photo 508 was taken. And that they may have turned around then and moved back to the summit. There is no GSM cell reception for another 2 hours from there on, walking back. Only on one small spot on the summit and the lowest half of the Pianista trail on the Boquete side of the mountain did Kris' iPhone have reception during the ascent. So a lot could have happened for a long time while they had no cell reception, if they did turn around and returned. The Pianista is a One way up-same way Back trail, so anyone following Kris and Lisanne would have been in a prime position to intercept them. Either something went wrong by the time they had taken photo 508 I believe, or the girls made it back to the summit and ran into the wrong people there. A third option in my book is that they made it all the way down and went for a swim. Hence the swimming photo. This swimming theory is not 100% fitting either, however. But here we go]
I think that either way, local men are involved. Possibly linked to a local youth gang of sorts, but not necessarily so. There must be more potential people of interest in Boquete and surroundings who simply managed to stay out of the spotlight, and therefore remained anonymous for now. Gangs are said to have been an actual problem in Panama, and probably still are. This article from early 2015 states that six of the nine murders (66%) that were registered in the Province of Chiriquí in the month of January of 2015 alone, were murders committed by gang members. At that time there were 17 known gangs active in the Province of Chiriquí, and even more unknown gangs that stayed under the radar. "At present, there are two groups of these gangs that are in a frank dispute, for which the National Police are directing the necessary efforts to dismantle them," said the Chief of the police zone. Officials were worried about this high number of homicides and especially about the fact that gangs committed such a large percentage of murders in this province of Panama, which caused "mourning in many families and generates insecurity". The gangs are said to not just consist of local people but also include internationally operating gangs (who sometimes use the services of local gang youth). So despite the fact that Boquete has the international (cultivated) reputation of being a sleepy pensioners and expat village, reality is that the region also has gang related violence and murders. Many people die by drowning also, even when they don't have water in their lungs (in other words: 'drowning' is a popular way of getting rid of opponents). The resurfaced photo shows in my belief Kris and Lisanne bathing with some local youth. They all died under suspicious circumstances soon after. Then there is the lad pictured, Osman Valenzuela, who's drowning was detailed near the top of this blog post and who was also a member of this gang of sorts. Police seized his phone and reportedly did not give it back to the family. There are many claims that the swimming photo came from his phone. Rumours went round in Boquete from that time onwards about the suspicious and incriminating photos of the missing girls on his phone. Only recently were they leaked by a source in Boquete, together with mostly all the night photos as well as the photos of the girls' diaries. I think the swimming photo now finally proves that those rumours were true.
I believe that this swimming photo is legit. Although other people think it is a photoshop, and without proper originals to look at, that may be true also. But the Dutch inspectors of the State Prosecution (NFI) have looked into it and have come to the verdict (behind closed doors, but they communicated this with Juan and a journalist he worked with) that the photo is real and not photoshopped, but that the women are in their opinion not Kris and Lisanne. But some other tourists. They could not provide any more details about said tourists however. No nationalities, nothing. We most definitely do not believe their conclusion. The photo is vague because it was supposedly taken with a cheap phone from the other side of the river. But in my opinion it clearly shows Kris and Lisanne and their very specific features. Either real or photoshopped (which would imply some real cunning work, from whom exactly?) Kris' stand out red hair and light skin colour, as well as her very unique face shape and face profile with a slightly protruding mouth area. Lisanne's features also match; her hair colour, skin colour and her being taller than the other girl. Also her specific smile and cheekbones match. They may have been topless while they were pictured, because the bikinis they wore in Bocas can be seen folded up in the closet in their bedroom by police/whoever took them photos of the scene. In the swimming photo we cannot see the straps of bra straps. They folded the bras up neatly themselves and stored them in their backpack. Nobody else did, they did, I believe. Another possibility is that they did wear their bikinis, but that guide F. or Eileen placed them back on the shelves of their bedroom on the morning of April 3rd, without police present to see it (no evidence for this though, keep in mind that nobody was found guilty of anything in this story). A third option may be that the girls brought a 2nd set of bikinis. There is no evidence for this however; they were never pictured in another set of bikinis and the parents also never shared such a detail in the media. 
No lookalikes Osman's phone was seized by police on April 4th; the next day he was found drowned after having gone for a quick toilet stop, while his family packed up the picnic items. His mother said that Osman had been acting unusual, weird, anxious and stressed out for several days by then. This matches the timeline of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, 4 days prior. READ MY BLOG UPDATE ABOUT A NEW PODCAST SERIES, FOR CONFIRMATION THAT OSMAN WAS MURDERED. What are the chances of two similar looking tourists having been pictured on his phone? Or being in Boquete at all those same days, and never having come forward during all those international investigation requests in the media? If I was a Kris lookalike and I had visited that same place, on the same date, with a friend who looked just like Lisanne (and what are the odds of that), then I would have informed the police about this. So that they can take this into account when going through CCTV footage and witness statements. Of course, nobody ever came publicly forward or searched the publicity about this. Juan found one Scandinavian girl with red hair who was in the Bocas del Toro area at that time, but when he asked her about this he found out that she wasn't in Boquete or on the Pianista trail, nor had anything to do with the suspects mentioned here. (Ingrid Lommers' own photos actually show that she was only in Bocas del Toro at the end of April 2014, and in Costa Rica in early May of 2014). Two German female tourists with roughly the same hair colour as Kris and Lisanne were in Boquete, but they left the region already on March 31st, so before Kris and Lisanne went missing. And with these women excluded, what are the odds of having your exact doppelgangers walking around in the same small Latin American town region at the same time window, with the exact same hair colour and profile features? Without actual evidence of the contrary, I believe my own eyes for now. (Below photo evidence of the Scandinavian 'Kris-lookalike', showing that she was much later in the region, and was not in Boquete on April 1st of 2014).
The location in my belief could very well be the Caldera area. There are hot springs nearby in the Caldera, and local media reported early on that Kris and Lisanne had been seen there by witnesses at some point during their stay. Witnesses have said to have seen them at Caldera around March 29 or March 30, for instance. This was also written on a local Boquete online forum. They may have been mistaken about the exact date, or perhaps the swimming photo does show Kris and Lisanne but it was taken before April 1st. Or perhaps these witnesses were mistaken full stop about seeing Kris and Lisanne there. A source close to the Kremers family with insight in the case file, made a detailed theory. He also claims that the girls went for a swim with some local men and this is where they never came back from. I also contacted local tourism agencies who do tours in the Boquete area, and everyone identified the place pictured on the swimming photo as the same spot; the Caldera area. When I contacted one tour operator about it, he wrote me back: "This place is at Chiriquí river, near the hot spring in caldera, actually at the hot spring up river."
See how the type of stones on the shore are comparable and how the colour pattern of the water, including the deeper more blue-green parts and the shallower browner parts of the water overlap. And Panamanian search teams and dogs actually searched in that area for the girls on May 30th of 2014. There is no 100% proof that the swimming photo was indeed taken at the Caldera hot springs, but it looks like it. It is also conveniently closely located to the place Alto Boquete, where the girls were staying with a host family. I believe this leaked photo to be one of those missing and widely talked about photos from Osman's phone. Osman who was with 100% certainty pictured himself in this photo. The youth perhaps had to die according to the others, after he started behaving anxiously and erratically. Update: More photo evidence that this swimming photo was taken near the Caldera hot springs; Andries found this match online and shared it with Juan. It is a photo taken along the Rio Chiriquí, near Alto Boquete. It seems the exact place where the swimming photo was taken has been identified for sure now as the spot Juan and I suspected all along; near the Caldera hot springs. (Note; I blurred some random swimming people out of the 1st photo on the top left).
So, what could be a realistic possible scenario around this swimming photo in my opinion?
This is only a theory! AS I SAID: There must be more potential people of interest in Boquete and surroundings who simply managed to stay out of the spotlight, and therefore remained anonymous for now. - I personally do think that Kris and Lisanne started the Pianista Trail. Or perhaps instead a shorter nearby trail, which starts next to Casa Pedro, Alto Lino. They were seen by multiple witnesses along the trail. But I think that they could have perhaps met tour guide P. along the way. He admitted as much, before later retracting that statement, but I still think that he could have spent more time with them on the trail than simply seeing them in passing. However I don't really suspect him to be necessarily further involved. I think the girls were either followed behind the summit by a 3rd party and forced to go elsewhere, or taken for a swim [swimming photo location] with local youth soon after reaching the summit. Two of these group could perhaps have even been the never identified young male duo who were already seated in the taxi from Leonardo, when Kris and Lisanne stepped in. The taxi driver may also have told his friends about the good looking young tourists in his taxi and where they were going, by themselves, as he stated himself in an interview that he was on the phone most of the time while they were in his cab. On the phone with who? We don't know. And the girls were reported to have been seen with multiple local young men in the days prior, with some witnesses mentioning that they had an appointment with two local guys to see waterfalls or meet at the Pianista Trail. Perhaps there is some truth to these statements, although witnesses have proven to be particularly challenging and dubious in this case, unfortunately, with may contradicting one another.
But anyway, this youth group is also said by locals to consist of someone linked to the restaurant at the start of the trail, who may have seen the girls start their hike from the window of the restaurant. The same restaurant where the owners talked to Kris and Lisanne and offered them their dog Blue, by their own account. Perhaps he called his mates, informing them that two pretty gringa tourists had started their ascent of the trail. And on that beautiful sunny day, the girls were unlikely to be all alone out there. Even on rainy days tourists pass many locals when going up and down that hill. So going by this new photo, the girls went for a swim with their newly made friends at some point during their stay. I wonder if this may have perhaps taken place after hiking the Pianista summit. Maybe they were driven there in the red truck that was coming down the trail that afternoon, as mentioned by several witnesses. Perhaps the tour guide drove them to the swimming location. It was probably all friendly and spontaneous still at this point. A spontaneous swim after their hike, with young men around their own age. One day after their very disappointing experience with the children's school. The Caldera area at the Rio Chiriquí was not far from their host family. There was some warmth and daylight left and they may have accepted the invite to go for a swim.
So at the swimming location, the girls may have known these male youths already. The swimming photo shows them to be (seemingly) comfortable enough in any case to go along and to pose for a cheerful photo. Lisanne even makes peace signs with her fingers. As mentioned before, they may have been topless in the water. They seem to crouch or sit on their knees. The girls had had a rough day on Monday, being sent away from the children's school they planned to start doing volunteer work for. This had angered and demoralized them and they were probably eager to get back into a happy zone. Lisanne had been feeling homesick and out of place also in the days prior, as can be read in her diary. In Bocas they had two lovely weeks, swimming and partying with some young men they met there. All of them were fellow tourists, two were also Dutch, one Australian. They felt safe in their company, but Kris and Lisanne did perhaps not realize that the youth in Boquete were not equally protective of them. That there may have been something as a culture difference at play now. After this swim, something went wrong I believe.. The boys may have tried to get close to the girls physically and have received a rejection, which angered them. Perhaps they had bought them drinks and expected something in return. Maybe the girls seemed eager for some fun, but then refused them in front of their friends, which set off anger. Maybe something else took place. In any case: I believe that they were not driven back to their host family. Within this new theory, they were taken somewhere else. Kidnapped, abused, kept alive for a week or so, maybe more. Eventually they were killed. The first 112 calls made between 16:30 - 17:00 PM on the day they went missing, may have been made while they were at the swimming location. Made because they felt unsafe and worried about the behaviour of their swimming companions. The night photos were in my opinion either taken by the perpetrators, or by the girls themselves if they shortly managed to escape. Before being captured again soon after. I lean towards these night photos all being fake and staged though. Not one photo shows us with any certainty who took them; not one photo explains what ordeal the girls would have gone through by then. They are useless empty photos, staged to make it look like Kris and Lisanne had been lost and out there for 8 days by then. Picturing some make-shift SOS signal, supposedly, but never documenting the slightest information with their videocamera of where exactly they were, who took these photos or what had happened. Fake, I believe. 
One of the big problems with this swimming theory is however, that unless the phone log data was falsified somehow, it does seem like both the Samsung Galaxy phone of Lisanne and the iPhone of Kris moved further away from the nearest cell tower as the afternoon of April 1st progressed. These phones never regained connection with a cell network tower again, according to the official phone analysis. See this graphic (and part 4 for more details about these phone logs). And on day two and three of their disappearance, the distance between these phones and the GSM tower increased even more (although no connection = o connection in the end). This technical data does not indicate that Kris and Lisanne returned to civilization in the afternoon of April 1st. Unless they took another route through the mountains to the Caldera hot springs area, which does exist according to private detective Martín Ferrara, who privately investigated the case for a long time and believes that the girls fell victims to foul play after a party with local youngsters in one of the wooden sheds behind the Mirador and towards the Caldera area. This isolated terrain has no fully reliable cell reception either. Or maybe there is another possible explanation? Maybe SIM cards were removed from the girls' phones, or different ones inserted? I know frankly very little about mobile phone technology, but the one I had in the past (and even my current tablet), would regularly just stop (re)connecting automatically when re-entering a service area. I'd have to power the thing off and then on again. Perhaps some silly simple explanation like that may be a possibility here too? Small chance probably. - I am honestly not sold myself on the theory that this swimming event was after, instead of before their Pianista hike, but I do keep that option open. But overall I believe that Kris and Lisanne did not primarily get lost behind the Pianista, but that they met local people who one way or another - either through socializing somewhere remote, or taking them swimming, or even straight out kidnapping them on the spot - were the start of this whole disappearance mystery. If the swimming event did not take place on Tuesday afternoon, then I am convinced it took place on the day(s) before and that it made Kris and Lisanne acquainted with some local people at the very least. And then they may have met foul play elsewhere in the wilderness around Boquete. Monday afternoon had a three hour hiatus in the afternoon, for which the phones of both girls provided no phone log info. They may have gone swimming on Monday afternoon as well therefore, between 14:00-16:42, theoretically. Even though their diaries and later conversations did not account for this. But these diaries were not always that detailed, and they do not reflect a lot of other activities we see in their photos either. But they also may have wanted to keep such a thing private, perhaps. In that case, these local lads that were pictured may have known about the girls' plans to walk the Pianista trail the next day. 
Anyway, back to the Tuesday Swimming theory. While the poor girls were held against their will, Osman got shaky about it all after a day or two. Something his own mother stated explicitly to the press; he got nervous, anxious, started to behave paranoid. He may have had a crisis of conscience perhaps and this disturbed the other people involved. He proved to be unreliable with photos of 'a red haired and a blond haired young women' on his phone, of which word had already been spreading. Maybe someone made him a scapegoat by taking the photo and putting it on Osman's phone, maybe Osman was involved in the girls' disappearance. Either way; within this theory the other guys saw him as a weak link, someone who could start to talk eventually, and he was disposed of. Locals know the craic but don't dare to speak out, despite some personally hearing the restaurant's relative telling dodgy stories during a drunken slur in bars; about having met the young women, about being the last person to have seen them alive (I received a couple of messages about this from witnesses). Police were informed about these drunk statements at the time, but they did nothing with it in the end. Perhaps they discredited the info, perhaps they investigated it properly and found no merit in the accusation. Another bit of mere gossip in town was also said to have been that Osman said something to local gang members about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne and their involvement in it, and that they shouted at him, in this public place, that they would kill him for his remarks. Could be malicious nonsense though. Osman helped with the searches of Kris and Lisanne on April 4th, right before he mysteriously died himself later that day. At least one of his family members is said to have lived on the Pianista trail at the time. The restaurant owners on that same trail have a son who is consistently named by locals who contacted me over this as being a member of this youth group. Did they really give their dog to the girls and did Blue the dog really come back alone in the late afternoon? Or was this a way to distract from something else that took place perhaps. See? Girls never came back from their hike. They are over on the other side of the mountain. Who knows. - Some photos could also have been manipulated to make it look like they were all alone on the summit. Perhaps missing photo 509 showed Kris and Lisanne with this local group and was therefore deleted afterwards. Or perhaps the photos taken on April 1st were rearranged, to obscure that the girls had returned to the Mirador and the trailhead after taking photo 508. Especially as we now know for a fact that Pittí and her team meddled with these photos on June 17th, before the officials in the NL started their investigation of the camera. There was an opportunity there to do this photo order manipulation, as they also brightened and photoshopped night photos unasked (and criminally so in my opinion). We know that halfway up the Boquete side of the mountain, they already hit the (cellphone) dead zone. This was confirmed by IP and Tharindu (more about this in part 4). It could therefore also mean that a crime occurred above that halfway line, up to an hour under the Mirador. And that the phones were disabled then. I also do not believe those phone logs themselves blindly, as they were handled also first by Pitti and her team. If they are capable of manipulating photo sequences, they can also easily change some phone log data. Night photos and phone calls could also technically have been staged/faked to reinforce the false narrative.
The backpack was planted within this crime theory, and some bone remnants too. This was done after 10 weeks, when the remains were decomposed far enough to erase any signs of foul play or human involvement, as well as their DNA. The skulls and upper torso's would have perhaps shown a (violent) cause of death, hence why those body parts were never found. This closure was needed however; these breadcrumbs, in order to finally send the heartbroken parents home. They would not leave until they found their daughters' remains, they swore in the Dutch media. Is it even possible that in order to 'get' their daughters' bones, the parents had to sign some sort of special clause from Panamanian authorities? What is certain, is that accepting their daughters' (very few) bones meant also the end of the investigation in Panama. The Kremers family said on camera at the time that they did not accept their daughters' bones yet, as that would mark the end of the investigation, and they wanted their whole daughter back first. Hans Kremers also wasn't allowed by authorities to talk about the phone use of the girls for a while, which I believe visibly pained him to stick to at that point. Some say that you can see the doubt in his eyes already there. I do not believe he had full trust anymore by then, that the Panamanian authorities truly did everything physically and technically possible to find their daughters.
So let me summarize the death count once more: Henry's group of friends at the time included Osman, Jose Manuel, Edwin A., Heriberto G., Jorge Rivera Miranda, 'Adonis' and the son of Il Pianista restaurant, among others. How did they fare?
*Kris (21) and Lisanne (22) died under unknown circumstances.
*Osman Valenzuela (22) drowned under suspicious circumstances, only a few days after Kris and Lisanne disappeared. He had even helped 'search' for Kris and Lisanne on the day he went missing. Very suspicious circumstances. He was threatened also and very afraid and nervous in the days leading up to his untimely death, his mother declared to the local papers. He was pictured in the swimming photo
*Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez Mastinu (34), the taxi driver: another unfortunate drowning in shallow water. He was investigated at the time for the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne.
*Efrain Manuel Rios Gonzalez “Adonis” (23 by now) got locked up in 2018 for the brutal rape and murder of a 50 year old woman in Boquete.
*Then there is Heriberto who is still alive as far as I know.
*Osman Valenzuela (22) drowned under suspicious circumstances, only a few days after Kris and Lisanne disappeared. He had even helped 'search' for Kris and Lisanne on the day he went missing. Very suspicious circumstances. He was threatened also and very afraid and nervous in the days leading up to his untimely death, his mother declared to the local papers. He was pictured in the swimming photo
*Jose Manuel Murgas (21) was also in the swimming photo and he died in a hit and run, within a year after Kris and Lisanne went missing.
*Jorge Rivera Miranda (20), who was ALSO found drowned in a shallow puddle of water.. It has been claimed that his parents run a pharmacy in Boquete. Thé pharmacy apparently where Kris and Lisanne went to in the early morning of April 1st. Unfortunately, like with Romero supermarket, no CCTV footage was captured (or saved). *Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez Mastinu (34), the taxi driver: another unfortunate drowning in shallow water. He was investigated at the time for the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne.
*Efrain Manuel Rios Gonzalez “Adonis” (23 by now) got locked up in 2018 for the brutal rape and murder of a 50 year old woman in Boquete.
*Then there is Heriberto who is still alive as far as I know.
Notice also just how many of these friends died in or around March of 2015...
*Leonardo Arturo González (taxi driver) drowned on March 2nd 2015.
*Jose Manuel was killed on March 27, 2015.
*Jorge Rivera Miranda's drowned body was discovered on April 4th of 2015.
--Osman was found dead earlier, on April 4th 2014. Kris and lisanne may have died on April 1st of 2014.
SO.. all in all a staggering death count within one year within this very young group of Boquete friends. Two young tourists dead, 'accidentally' the public prosecutor claims; two young local men dead, one drowned, one killed in a hit and run; the taxi driver dead - again drowned under odd circumstances -. The other friend dead, also drowned in shallow water. The OTHER friend presumed missing. Adonis in jail for brutally anally raping a woman to death with a tree branch at the Caldera. You basically have Henry left and Heriberto. And there is the son of the Il Pianista restaurant, he is still alive too as far as I know. 3 alive, 6 dead, all in their 20's with the exception of Leonardo aged 34. 'But there's nothing to see here people!', as Pitti would say. And maybe it IS just a coincidence and unrelated. But since Pitti nor anybody else ever researched this, we just don't know.. But what a list of 'casualties'.. How can this not raise at least sóme suspicions and sóme form of investigation and ruling out of involvement in the Kris and Lisanne case? Please read also part 5 of my blog series, in particular the comments from 'Ingles35', who has some more inside information about the Boquete situation.
Photos and phonesI believe that the girls *may* perhaps have returned after photo 508 was taken. There was no need to take more photos of the same route, as they already took them on the way up. But I am inclined to say that it is possible that some of the summit photos were shuffled later, and in fact taken both after they made it up the Mirador, as well as roughly two hours later, on their way back. Showing the view suddenly against a cloudy backdrop. Lisanne wears her hair differently also there. Photos taken mere seconds apart now show her with different hair styles against different cloud/blue sky backdrops. Their phones supposedly didn't make contact again with a cell tower after approximately 13:38 pm, even though there is reception down the Pianista Trail. But on the top half of the Pianista trail (so still on the Boquete side), the iPhone of Kris also failed to make GSM cell connection according to the official phone logs. This means that there was at least an hour's worth of trail behind the Mirador and an hour's worth of trail before the Mirador where the phones had no GSM network reception. Matching the lack of reception with the time the first emergency calls were made, between roughly 16:30-17:00. It is theoretically possible as well therefore, based on the currently available information, that they ran into foul play in this summit area, after trying to return to Boquete. It could also explain why no more photos were seemingly taken after photo 508. - But the fact that Panama's investigators bungled things and that the telephone companies there failed to provide the relevant cell tower data and locations, I wouldn't necessarily blindly trust even those phone data... And what about that 14:00 contact Kris had with her boyfriend? That was confirmed on camera by the relatives on day 2 or 3, when they had just gone missing, so their memories were very fresh about these types of critical details. Kris' parents discussed it in detail, making sure they talked about local Panamanian time when they discussed when Stephan had last contact with Kris. This could tell us that either the information about where exactly on the Pianista trail there is and isn't cell network reception is dodgy, ór that the girls were on the trail at a different time than is now believed, ór that they had already returned to the summit by then and found a spot with cell reception, ór that the parents were incorrect about this 14:00 time after all. It sometimes bugs me tbh why journalists or investigators never picked up on this detail later. Nobody asked about it ever again. Investigators said the connection was lost at 13:38 PM for Kris and Lisanne, so it makes little sense that Kris would have communicated by phone at 14:00 again. Unless they walked back after taking photo 508, perhaps. Or unless the parents were an hour off with their time and it took place around 13:00 instead... But how easy is it to verify the exact time of contact with Kris' boyfriend, before the journalists arrive at your house for an interview which the entire country will see on the news? I trust that they did their homework in advance and that the 14:00 PM time must therefore be correct.
There are multiple witnesses who said to have seen and spoken to Kris and Lisanne that day around 15:30-16:00 pm; there was word about a supposed swimming photo even before the picture was leaked last year by a Boquete source, who at the same time leaked all the night photos, which were pretty much all verified real, and the photos of the diaries. If people don't believe that swimming photo is real, and I would say there are many indications that it is a real photo indeed (despite the low quality), then the chance of it picturing girls looking just like Kris and Lisanne, in a place like Boquete, at or around the date when Kris and Lisanne were also there, seems fairly slim.The swimming photo is named after Sabroson, but the person who leaked this photo and the additional night photos didn't explain or prove the link between Sabroson and the photo. Nevertheless, it seems possible that the Sabrosan relative took the photo, as he was friends with the lads in the photo, Jose Manuel and Osman. And with some other local youth, rumoured by sources in Boquete to be all in this local 'gang' of sorts, including the stepson of the tour guide, a troubled local character. Osman was eventually found under strange circumstances, in a curled up rigor mortis, seemingly drowned despite being a strong swimmer. It was not given much media attention, aside from one or two articles. I am not sure Osman and Jose Manuel were directly involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. They could be. It is also possible that they were there when the girls met their friends and that they first just all had a good time together, as shown in the swimming photo. But that something happened afterwards. For instance, one may have gotten jealous that the girls had more interest in Osman than in him. Or, the boys may have wanted to go further with them sexually, but Kris and Lisanne suddenly backed off. And it turned out they only wanted to have a good time swimming, but no physical contact. The boys may perhaps have felt they had been led on, or insulted. And then took the girls elsewhere to teach them a little lesson. Maybe Osman and Jose Manuel knew about all this, but didn't condone it. Osman was restless, anxious and unlike himself in the days before his death, his mother stated to journalists. It worried her, he seemed petrified and stressed out about something, but he didn't tell her what. I can imagine that his conscience played up. Or that he was threatened by one of the group (the erratic one, according to sources) to keep his mouth shut and not let anything show. But that he cracked under the stress and became a liability for the others. Taxi driver Leonardo and Jose Manuel may have known what happened too but were no direct threat, yet. But they both died in March of 2015 under strange circumstances. Perhaps they were deemed a risk also, later on. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence that these young men died within weeks from one another. To me Osman Valenzuela's death is by far the most suspicious and strange one of the three. But of course it is all speculation; vital information is missing. We just try to put a puzzle together with a blindfold on, at this point.
Some people have suggested that the death of Osman may coincide with the sudden stopping of entering the right PIN codes into Kris' iPhone. But the times do not overlap entirely. Because Kris' phone kept receiving the correct two sets of PIN codes up until the morning of April 5th. So this does not match with the date of Osman's reported disappearance, in the late afternoon of April 4th. Of course, he was only found dead by Saturday afternoon April 5th, so in theory he could have still been alive that Saturday morning. Osman was reported missing on April 4th by his family, around 18:00 PM. That same afternoon - so on the day he went missing - he had already helped with the searches for Kris and Lisanne. He himself was searched for until Saturday April 5th, when he was found around 12:50 PM. And the iPhone from Kris received its correct pin code for the last time on April 5th, 10:50 AM. That leaves two hours for him to die and develop rigor mortis, if he was the one typing that correct code for the last time at 10:50, going by this theory. That will be very tight. But perhaps it is possible under the right circumstances (he was found in the water and apparently being murdered can freeze people in odd positions). I am really not sure though if two hours would be enough for rigor mortis to set in the way it did with his body. But it certainly is an interesting theory. - And there is also the theory that the reported April 5th screams at Cerro Punta at the Quetzal Trail can be linked to this last correct PIN code entrance. Then the girls would have died by then, or Kris at the very least (perhaps thrown in a ravine, as the Marcus M. witness believed, who saw three young men hiding from him in the bushes afterwards). And that is why there were no more correct PIN codes entered after April 5th, 10:50 AM. But I personally believe that there must be another explanation for the PIN codes suddenly never being entered again. I suspect it was all a set up tbh. ('See? See world and investigators? This is when Kris perished out alone in the jungle, and Lisanne plodded on a bit longer until the 11th').
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Another theory, linked to the Boquete Tree trek eco Park
Update February 2022. Dominica wrote me with a very good theory. In her words: "So my scenario is that girls really were pictured in the swimming photo with the boys, but I can't clearly say when it was taken exactly. As we know, the guys (Henry, Osman, maybe more of their friends) worked at Boquete's Tree Trek ZipLine and adventures, for tourists. The girl could have met them through the guide F. Or maybe they just saw an add on one of the touristic boards, where usually we can see offers for those activities. I can't tell how they actually met them. But once Kris and Lisanne met up with these boys, they told them they wanted to go for a hike on the Il Pianista trail. The boys offered that they could meet them at some point in the jungle, and invited them for a zipline experience. Maybe that is the reason why the girls had that amount of money on them that day. Because they planned to do the zipline also. When I looked at their website, they offered some ziplines for 60 dollars - maybe they gave discounts to the girls for prices like 30 or 40 dollars. But I think that's the reason why the girls didn't come back after they finished the Il Pianista hike, and why they went further into the jungle. Because they were going to a meeting point. And when they met the boys, they were taken to some place where the zipline starts or where there is a part of the zipline. And that's where everything starts. I think that one of the girls accidentally fell down from the zipline and was injured. Of course there could be many versions of what happened on the zipline, but when you think about the phone records, then I see this as the most common scenario. Because if the boys captured them or attacked them, then I don't think that the girls would be able to use their phone right away. (Because we have just a 2,5 hour gap between the last photo and the first emergency call). If some attack really happened, I don't think that the boys would let them use their phones. The girls would be fighting back and there would be no space for calling I guess, and definitely not in the days after. And I don't think that some guys from Panama knew that the European emergency number is 112. That's the reason why I'm sure that it were the girls who were at first calling.
I think the boys were scared of what would happen. They imagined losing their job or some other punishment, because of a fatal mistake. Maybe that's why Osman was anxious, acting strange and his mother recognized it. I think that Henry suggested killing the girls and hiding them. Osman was against it and therefore had to die. It matches with that he was killed on April 4th and was found on April 5th, because he disagreed with killing the girls. Maybe he wanted to tell someone. I'm sure the girls were dead on the 8th of April and did not make that session of night photos. I think that the killers created them and accidentally convicted themselves by one detail on a photo. Why do I think they're dead? Because in the photo where Kris' hair is pictured, we can see the face under the hair. (Nostrils, mouth, teeth). It's Lisanne's face and the girls lie on top of each other. The face looks more like Lisanne's and the gravitation and position of the hair don't make sense if this were Kris' face. I think the boys suffocated Lisanne with that red plastic bag. That's why her mouth was wide open. Photo #550 was used by the Panamanian authorities to make a statement that the girls fell down from the Monkey bridge. It's the only photo where there is a straight line visible in the background. And this makes people think that it is a monkey bridge. But when I put it all together, I realized it's not a bridge at all. It's a part of a zipline. And now the photo where I found major evidence for this whole theory, photo #576, with the "SOS marker". If you look closely, you can see something that looks like a SOS marker made from toilet paper and a map, a little mirror or part of a Pringles chips can. And a STRAP. I think that no one paid too much attention to it, believing that it was a strap from her backpack, But if you look closely again and compare it with the backpack, it's definitely not their backpack. So what is it? When I looked on the website where the boys worked, I found something interesting. Which makes things fit together. You can look at those websites. There are many photos from the zipline. It is an absolute match with the strap on the night photo! There is no possibility that the girls could have carried something like that with them. At this moment everything in the puzzle fits and everything starts to make sense. I think it would be great to discover that exact place of zipline where the girls went with the boys. And I'm sure we will then also find the place where the night photos were taken
Some people argue those photos could not be made by a third party. Because the photo session is too long and why would a killer be out there for such a long time and take some nonsense photos? Here I think that the boys listened to the media reports about what people thought had happened to the girls. Then they decided to make the 'evidence' of what others already thought had happened. Namely that the girls got lost in the jungle. That's why they made these night photos to look like they were lost and scared in the night somewhere, like a piece of proof. And why was the session too long? Because the boys really spent that amount of time. Because that night they wanted to get rid of their bodies. That's why they were out there for so long. If you wanna get rid of someone's body you definitely do this in the middle of the night, when you're sure there will be no witnesses. And maybe it took like 3 - 4 hours to get rid of the bodies. Only the boys know. After this day, they made decisions by the day and according to the situation in the media. For some reason they decided to put pieces of bodies through the whole jungle and put the backpack with the camera with the night photos out there, which made everything look like an accidental death in the middle of the jungle. One year later, maybe Jose Manuel Murgas couldn't live with all this, or just starting to become some danger as he could start talking. That's why they killed him too. Maybe the Panamanian authorities discovered that it were the boys from the zipline, and they imagined that young western tourists having been killed by those who operate a touristic adventure park, would be a disaster for tourism in Panama. That's why they closed the case with such nonsense conclusions, like 'the girls fell down a monkey bridge and died'. So that's my scenario, which makes sense to me. And fits like a puzzle for me.".jpg)
I replied: "Thanks so much for sharing your theory. I think you make a very good case for this scenario. Juan and I discussed this case with some Dutch sleuths in the past, and one woman there who has followed this case from the start and who is extremely knowledgeable about all the case details, is also convinced that Kris and Lisanne carried that much money with them because they planned to go to the Tree Trek zipline that day, indeed. It makes sense. The Pianista trailhead lies close to the Boquete Tree Trek resort. Miriam's house is also very close by one of the the Sabroson (multiple) restaurants; a place where Edwin A. (the son) worked at the time. Another Sabroson restaurant is located near the Caldera hot springs; where the swimming photo was taken and after which this photo was named by the people who leaked this evidence. Edwin A. was close with Henry and Osman and several others, and all are linked to the Tree Trek, where both Henry and Osman worked at the time and are pictured in facebook photos of the crew back in 2014. They also sometimes placed ziplines over the river at Caldera and Rio Encantado. This adds a new dimension to the Caldera swimming picture of Kris and Lisanne with Osman and Jose Manuel Murgas. They could all be working there. Jose Manuel was found dead at 4 AM at the roadside of Caldera on March 28 of 2015. I don't exclude the possibility that Kris and Lisanne met Henry, Osman, Edwin and their friends before April 1st and that the boys suggested things like the Pianista trail, the Tree Trek and the Caldera swimming spot to them. Perhaps the girls had a drink or a meal at the Sabroson restaurant at some point during their stay (the restaurant is only a block away from Miriam's house), or perhaps they met them somewhere else. It is even possible that they were the young men of whom several locals testified that they had an appointment with Kris and Lisanne that day. Some say they were bound to visit a waterfall together on April 1st, and police never were able to verify this information. But the high amount of money found in the girls' backpack (roughly the equivalent of 88 American dollars) could indeed point towards the Tree trek zipline experience. It is located rather close to the Pianista trailhead. So that is a very good connecting of the dots by you. The zipline accident is also something we have wondered about ourselves. Maybe they first went for a swim after the Pianista hike and then the boys felt strong and confident and told Kris and Lisanne that they worked at the Tree Trek zipline and that they could do an evening zip, secretly. [Although this deviation from your main theory does pose issues with the two emergency calls already having been made between 16:30 and 17:00PM]. And things went wrong from there. Perhaps the boys took Kris and Lisanne to the zipline after official working hours, and abused their responsibility as such. And when one of the girls had an accident, the boys freaked out. They wouldn't have been insured for the damages, and it may - in theory - also explain Kris' seriously broken pelvis. Broken so badly that it matches with a fall of great height. And this scenario can in theory also explain why the guys wanted to cover up the event and therefore had to make Kris and Lisanne disappear and make it seem like they went missing on the Pianista trail earlier that day. It certainly makes sense in terms of geographic locations of all these places, as well as provides a more detailed motive. I believe the daytime photos could have been manipulated, in the sense that the order may have been rearranged (making it look like there are only photos of the outward journey, up and beyond the Mirador, removing photos that may show that the girls actually also returned on the track OR met with Henry and Osman and friends for instance and were taken to the nearby zipline, or perhaps even that they got a ride back by the witnessed red truck).
An ongoing weakness within this theory, is that both Kris and Lisanne's mobile phones 'appear' to not have reconnected to the mobile cell tower in the course of April 1st. Would the Tree trek area not have mobile phone reception? I don't know, but I assume that it would in fact have reception, considering its proximity to Boquete. But on the other hand, we know for a fact that Panamanian prosecutor Betzaida Pittí looked at and permanently altered the original night photos, before handing the camera and its memory card to the Dutch investigators. As she changed some brightness settings, at the very least, in photoshop. This little event alone raises serious doubt in my eyes about her trustworthiness and transparency. Because this was found out later by sleuth Juan, who really specialized in the exif data of these photos, and discovered anomalies. By now Pittí has confirmed that indeed, she meddled with these photos to some extent. To which extent we do not know, but we do know that she was not clear and honest about this beforehand. And I am not convinced that she did not also meddle in some way with more data. Perhaps even with the mobile phones and their phone logs. Who will say.. - But as Dave Mullen has also written so poignantly to me and Power-Pixie over time: the strategic position of missing photo/video #509 does point towards something sinister and unnatural. "While photograph #508 still suggests that Kris and Lisanne were relaxed and still walking onwards, this is around the time the two either decided to return to the summit, or something or someone intervened in their progress. It comes down to the simple unavoidable reality that just after this last photograph (#508) a file is missing on the camera, and the two have [seemingly] completely vanished. They are never seen or heard from again after this photograph was taken. And [within a foul play scenario] if #509 was an image or file taken at a point just after the stream, there would be no need to target this one image, and erase it. But I have to think that someone came along later who wanted that camera and the backpack found, and after reviewing the contents before they did so, #509 had to go. And if you had to leave a last photograph for that afternoon, you could not ask for a better image to leave than that haunting image of Kris, standing in the distance, glancing at the camera, looking like she is walking on.... it's perfect. But this event is no small thing - photography stops suddenly, two friends completely vanish without a trace, and a key file is then found to be missing on the camera that may well have shown a different narrative than the one we received after June. All three of these events, to my mind, are linked. They cannot be coincidence, and I feel it is ludicrous to think they could be. If it wasn't for that one missing file, coming at that critical place in the running order, then I don't believe this disappearance story would have attracted quite the suspicion it has. We possibly wouldn't be so fascinated with it if it wasn't for that (enormous) red flag. Somebody made one mistake here, and if it wasn't for that mistake no one would suspect a thing.... as they do now."READ MY BLOG UPDATE ABOUT A NEW PODCAST SERIES, FOR A NEW FOUL PLAY THEORY PROPOSED BY THE MOTHER OF SLAIN OSMAN VALENZUELA.
*****
Well it's all speculation. Not one theory - accident OR foul play - makes total sense, but I believe that the forensic evidence in this case does point towards foul play and not an accident. I also don't think that foul play would have been more scary or sensationalistic necessarily than for Kris and Lisanne to have gotten lost and perishing in the wild. Getting lost in the woods and dying there seems also a dramatic and frightening ordeal. I also read up on the phenomenon of getting lost in nature, especially in the woods, and realize that "wood fear" can overtake you; that it drives the majority of people into illogical erratic behaviour. I base my own theory not on the assumption that Kris and Lisanne could not realistically have ventured off so deep into the woods, away from Boquete. I realize that is very well possible. Unwantedly. - But it does not really show in the evidence we do have that they were prone to doing such a thing. Of course, there is no evidence at all that Kris and Lisanne had a habit of going off trail. Far from it in fact. Just like there is no indication that they would normally go an entire week without taking photos. Even if they were 'lost', they would have more likely documented their environment than not; simply based on their previous behaviour being a more reliable predictor of their future behaviour. And the same goes for their patterns of contacting their parents: they were in daily contact. That suddenly stopped as well and they subsequently never even tried once to call their parents or Kris' boyfriend or even the host family, according to case officials and their files. Kris and Lisanne both wrote in their diaries mostly every day, but they suddenly broke with that habit as well. No draft messages, no documentation of anything, suddenly. That is what stands out. Of course, people online will come up with suggestions in an attempt to explain this themselves ('they didn't want to worry anyone', 'they didn't want to think of the worst', 'they pretended all was fine'). But none of that makes total sense. It is true that a lot of facts and intel have been wasted and lost by the investigators. But some things áre known. The bones were investigated by a pathologist who seems reliable. We know more or less where the bones were found, where the bag was found. We know about the state of the skin, about the dates when all these things were discovered, officially at least. We know what the weather was like, more or less, what the geography of the place is like and who mingled into it all with statements to the media. We have photos which seem legit, the daytime and nighttime photos. The diaries. We have the call logs. Of course those may have been messed with theoretically or be incomplete, but I like to think they are correct. But be critical, by all means. Because those are not a lot of facts. But the challenge is (for many people at least), to come up with a scenario proposition which does justice to all these elements, while trying to convincingly fill in the blanks. And what is 'convincing' is subjective of course in the end. 
But the thing that makes me discard the Lost theory until now, is the hard forensic evidence found. I just don't see it rationally possible for a slap of skin from Lisanne to have survived on its own for 5 months, out in that jungle, and to be found at the end of August in a very good state. Hardly decomposed, still showing maggots, cut in an unnatural shape. Found as a small ball, or let's call it mass, in the jungle? Who can find such a thing, and at a time also when there were no more large scale searches for these girls. Coroner himself was adamant: that piece of skin must have been stored somewhere cool and dark for all that time. Yet, it was found in the jungle in the open air. It hadn't been in the water, which the pathologist would have detected under the microscope. Just like the bones hadn't been submerged in water. It's just impossible. Especially when you consider the pelvic and rib bone from Kris were found completely bare from any tissues or skin and in a late stage of decomposition by June already. Coroners' own suspicion: human intervention was involved. How do you explain this if it was all a case of girls getting lost and perishing? You cannot nitpick like that, when all those remains were found in the same vicinity. Kris' bones degraded quickly, Lisanne's slowly, but the skin from Lisanne hardly at all...? And if they just got lost, panicked etc, then they or their bodies would have been found. Kris' bones were looking bleached and containing phosphates while the local soil didn't. Supposedly 'sunbleached', but they look nothing like sunbleached bones. While Lisanne's bones were found in the same area, but were much less decomposed. Perhaps Kris' bones were treated to make them decompose faster. It makes no sense. There are people living in that area, herding their cattle. There was half an army out there looking for these girls, who wanted to be found. In a relatively small area, inhabited, with open fields and habitation and cattle. Add to that the unbelievable data that Kris nor Lisanne left any known message behind for their parents, never trying to call them. While 2 days before their disappearance, Lisanne wrote with tears in her eyes in her diary how much she missed her parents and how she couldn't cope in Boquete and just wanted her parents to hug her. I find it unbelievable that Lisanne would not leave one single message behind for these dearly beloved parents, or tried to call them even once while being stuck in this horror jungle scenario. Not once, in eleven days. While having a functioning phone and digital camera in her possession. And when you also take into account that they stopped with all their usual behaviour, including photo taking, this case looks nothing like a normal 'Lost' case, to me.. For all the talk about people being 'conspiracy theorists' for thinking it was a crime that took place, to me the Lost scenario only seems rational on the surface. Not when you dig a little deeper. 
About Lost believers and their tacticsI do really understand where people are coming from when they find a foul play scenario too far-fetched. I believed for years that the girls just got lost and perished. This is not aimed at leisure readers, but when I read on some online forums where seemingly die-hard followers of this case go on and on about how insane any foul play scenario is, but never come up with a convincing and detailed Accident scenario that respects the hard forensic facts of this case, then it makes me frown. There also often are a lot of assumptions with regards to what Kris and Lisanne would and wouldn't have found logical, or what they would or wouldn't have done, or, what is 'logical' in this situation anyway. But we all need to remember that not many of us are actually 21 or 22 years old Dutch young women, stuck somewhere near Boquete. Most of us have never even been to Panama. So we just try to imagine these situations. Many people are looking for the facts. But there are not that many solid facts in this case. We're all simply trying to find the most likely scenario of what happened and this is ultimately a subjective approach.
Occam's razorYou may have heard this theory being used in this case, as it has been thrown around a lot in order to try to steer the narrative towards a simple accident.. But this is literally a Medieval theory. A simple theory in its own right also: "When everything else seems equal, a simple theory is better than a more complicated one." And no more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary. There are some pivotal words in there, such as 'all things being equal', being the basic condition for the use of this theory. But that has been skipped for the most part by online sleuths, who want to simplify even the simplifying theory, ending up somewhere with 'the simplest explanation is often the most likely'. Which is not what the theory says and in this Kris and Lisanne case the theory is misused and overused in my opinion, as we are not in fact dealing with an equal Lost-case as a Crime-case. No, in fact there are different pieces of evidence used and nitpicked to support one or the other theory. And so we aren't dealing with an even comparison. Does this always lead to the truth? Nope.. We're all semi-intelligent people who are reading on here, I bet everyone can think of examples where this theory does not apply. And it may work better in, say, physics than in human psychology (and it neither applies well to biology). Britannica says about it: "When used incorrectly, Occam’s razor can have more serious consequences. In medicine, the maxim “When you hear hooves, think horses, not zebras” is taught to practitioners to remind them that a simpler diagnosis that can explain multiple symptoms is more probable than a series of unconnected and rare conditions. However, misdiagnoses can happen if practitioners apply only the criterion of simplicity when analyzing symptoms. Even though William of Ockham might have used his own principle so sharply that it became known as a razor, modern academics and professionals are more hesitant to apply the criterion of simplicity liberally to all reasoning. Because it can lack firmness and consistency when applied to complex ideas or phenomena, Occam’s razor is more commonly seen as a guiding heuristic than as a principle of absolute truth." - Just because someone cán get lost in that area does not mean they did get lost, or stayed lost there. Statistical chance is also not a solid measuring stick for predictions of what really happened, just look at all the actual outlandish murders and out of the ordinary kidnappings and crime that actually does take place, notwithstanding the statistics of safety. But I love the fact that there are different opinions regarding this case. That people think in different directions, are sparring with each other.
The belongings had to be foundPeople have disappeared in that region before, but usually the attention for their cases quickly died down. I think that it stressed the perpetrators out that months into Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, their families and search troops were still coming back to look for these girls. The whole jungle was turned upside down to find them. The media circus was huge and it all impacted the tourism industry negatively. It may have unnerved some people as well.. So what was needed? Something had to be found to give closure to the families/media and stop those ongoing searches of the jungle, 'their turf'. The only thing that factually and actually stopped these mass searches, funded from the Netherlands, was the discovery of the girls' belongings and a handful of their bones. The camera was important I think because the photos on it showed seemingly that Kris and Lisanne had walked on from the Pianista summit and got lost. The phones showed the same thing; emergency calls for days on end. Without the camera and phones, there would be no closure for the families and everyone would have assumed that the girls met foul play and were made to disappear, cartel style. That is what you expect from cartel criminals, and that would have been potentially disastrous for the local tourism industry, after Alex Humphrey's never solved disappearance there in 2009. Nobody wanted Boquete to become such an ongoing place of pilgrimage for crime fans. So they had to do the opposite: plant items and - perhaps with the help of some corrupt local politicians and officials - ensure that belongings were in fact found and somehow prove that those girls did walk too far after the Pianista Mirador, and that they were in fact alive 8 and 11 days into their disappearance and that there were in fact no other people visible in their photos. It was all their own fault. This case would not go away on its own, and neither would the parents and their search operations of the area, unless things were found and a credible story-line would appear about what happened to Kris and Lisanne. So there you have a possible answer to the ever returning critics question of: "Why didn't they just dispose of the bodies and the camera and the phones then, if someone was involved??" Planting these personal belongings of Kris and Lisanne redirected public opinion towards an accident. That is why I personally think the phones show this call pattern and why the night photos were taken and why the bag and some bones were planted in a spot where they simply had to be found. In this video, Lisanne's father Peter Froon literally says: "Dear Lisanne and Kris. Please know that we will stay here in Panama until you have been found. We will wait as long as it takes, until you are found. And we will not give up! Really, we won't. Have faith in us, we will keep looking for you, for as long as it takes, we will stay here." And: "There are plans from us to constantly have one of our families present here from now on. We will stay present here, until this is solved. We don't want to leave them alone." I believe that it is proven that the parents of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon were not going anywhere, as long as the fate of their daughters wasn't discovered. They would never give up or leave until something was found that gave them closure. Hence why I believe that the backpack and bones were planted mid June; to ensure that the parents would finally leave.
Unfortunately for them, the complete deleting of photo/video file 509 started the suspicions of some people. Then at closer inspection the day photos on the Pianista also show some - disputable - abnormalities. The extreme difference in background skies, the different looks these girls had on the summit, suspicions of photoshop use on them. Juan discovered indications of manipulation of the photos in their EXIF data and reported on it. The parents from Kris walked the same route as was depicted on the camera and then gave rise to more doubt, when ensuring their viewers that there was absolutely no way that the girls could have gotten lost on that post-summit trail. Not unless they would have walked on for hours. State of the bag made no sense, the good condition of the contents neither and the bone remnants baffled even the pathologist. And now the swimming photo has surfaced. In my view one of the most important pieces of evidence to date, together with the forensic info on the bones and a piece of skin. Because this could show that the girls did meet up with local youth. And it may explain why for months, no sign of the girls was found behind the Pianista: they simply weren't there. Just like Sinaproc's director said on camera. They are pictured with these local youth, swimming in the Caldera hot springs area, not far from their host family in Alto Boquete. In the late afternoon, going by the angle and colour of the sunlight in the photo. We identified the two youth with certainty as Osman and Jose Manuel. The girls both died; their cab driver died, the two lads in the photo both died soon after (all under suspicious circumstances). But nevertheless the Case remains Closed.Someone asked me recently if a criminal case would really hurt the Boquete tourism industry? - I think that the mystery around this case does not hurt the local tourism industry so much, but an end conclusion of foul play with gory murderous details would.. It would make the disappearance of Alex Humphrey by association also look very suspicious and young western tourists would probably pick out another country then to holiday in and to make their instagram photos. But now that a lot of people believe places like wikipedia, they think that Kris and Lisanne 'just' got lost and thát does not deter, and for some it even attracts I think. That mystery. People love to shiver, hearing scary stories in which they themselves are not at risk. So they believe that they will never have that same scary fate because they do not enter the jungle alone, without a guide.. So then you can 'enjoy' the mystery and walk the girls' route and just have a nice shudder. But if it turns out that the actual guides could abuse you and chop you up, that takes away the pull of the place. Local forest rangers in Boquete noticed that before 2014 hardly any tourists walked beyond the Mirador, but ever since Kris and Lisanne went missing, many tourists now ask for guided tours beyond the Mirador. So there you go, tourism does not get hurt by mysterious, but it does by proven killers and criminals in the area. - Someone else messaged me with info and personal views about how crime works in small rural communities in his experience: "When you are poor without options and a guy wants something sexual you do it, often without a fight. Also the girl is pushed to not say anything by her society. How this relates, assuming something bad happened to the girls and assuming this was sexual. Two foreign women could be too intimidating for a first step. If these guys have done this before they are used to victims who don't try to get them in trouble. The girls were murdered because they were not going to stay silent. Maybe they were caught calling 911 that afternoon and that prompted the murders. These girls would be a huge liability: if they make it to an embassy or the right authorities, they can be identified and believed. A poor girl from a poor background doesn't pose the same risk."
GodsWarrior89 found a review for the Caldera hot springs: two female
tourists who wrote that they felt sexually harassed by the owner
I never rejected the possibility of them having gotten lost fully, initially. I also wrote in my part 1 on this disappearance about what getting lost does to a human psyche. Even weathered and trained military men who got lost in that jungle got the creeps so bad, that they were running and screaming in different directions at some point. I don't even know what would be more haunting in the end; being actually alone out there in a jungle for 11 days, or being killed. Both are different types of horror.
Like Graham R. wrote on youtube: "Maybe the girls' only mistake was befriending the 4 young men at Caldera when swimming and accepting a lift back to their accommodation. And then events took their course and they were trapped. Of course these local men had gathered that no one knew where the girls were that day and they had no guide and their families were far away. Just gringas. A phone call could soon arrange a remote finca. [..] Honestly nobody is going to sit about in that forest at night with no camp set up, not even the locals. The girls must have been taken to a finca where they were separated from their belongings and events escalated. The kidnappers realized they had not been traced and had time to plan how to process the bodies and move evidence to the river. It took a lot to kill those girls, 3 men at least and a lot of lust hate and bad intentions. Many men have killed before in Panama. And manipulating evidence to create a story is a common behaviour of kidnappers and murderers. These girls were just gringas, not from local families so it’s easier for locals to keep secrets."
There is now a possible motive, an opportunity and there are the means for a crime having taken place. But what we don't have is physical evidence, because no cause of death could ever be determined due to these very limited bone remnants. The coroner believed that the bodies of Kris and Lisanne were cut up and disposed of for the most part by perpetrators. Bones which were partially bleached and worked with phosphates. There is so little found of the girls: only a piece of skin and one incomplete leg of Lisanne was found (no knee, no calve bone) and one broken half of a hip bone and a rib bone from Kris. All the other 360+ bones have not been found. So it's hard to conclude anything, let alone discard a crime scenario. As Adelita Coriat put it: “Whoever did this is very smart. He didn't leave much evidence. And he won't be easy to catch.” And so we are left with too many questions and omissions still to be really certain of anything. An ever continuing carroussel of suspicions. Over and over again, the same topics are dug up and rehashed and discussed. New people who just discovered the case will continue to bring up the basics, as if they are a brand new discovery. It will look like groundhog day over and over. This will be the fate of this case, unless someone stands up who has completely new evidence.
This is part 2 - See follow up part 3 -
And here you can read [restored] reader comments
See part 4 of this blog for updates, for instance about a witness claiming Kris ended up hitchhiking in Brazil. Here you can read interviews with the parents and family of Kris and Lisanne. Here you can read additional information about Lee Zeltzer from Boquete
Lee Zeltzer was an American expat living in Boquete at the time. He has since died. Lee was one of the first to go out looking for Kris and Lisanne. He also interviewed important witnesses early on and kept a blog. A Dutch source told Juan that in April of 2014 a photo has been circulating from Kris in the underground sex circuit. He says that Lee Zeltzer saw the photo at the time and mentioned it on his blog. But since the photo has been deleted and the whole blog went off air later. More on that in the main article. Juan also came with interesting although absurd sounding information: he heard online about a Brazilian truck driver who claimed he had Kris in his truck shortly. And who gave his contact data. Juan then contacted him and spoke with this Leondro Ferreira on whatsapp. More on that in part 4.
https://youtu.be/jQM-TqIO33E?list=WL
https://imperfectplan.com/category/crime-abroad/kris-kremers-lisanne-froon/
https://imperfectplan.com/category/crime-abroad/kris-kremers-lisanne-froon/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BlWmxr5dFQ
https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/eenvandaag-03-12-2014/
https://pauw.bnnvara.nl/media/327077
https://www.tvn-2.com/tag/holandesas_desaparecidas/
https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Investigaciones-holandesas-pueden-tomar-rumbo_0_3949105126.html
https://nos.nl/video/667443-kris-en-lisanne-hadden-hier-de-weg-terug-moeten-nemen.html
https://www.npostart.nl/eenvandaag/04-08-2014/AT_2015455
http://www.highonadventure.com/Hoa08apr/Panama/Panama.htm
https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Investigaciones-holandesas-pueden-tomar-rumbo_0_3949105126.html
https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/tema-del-dia/tras-las-huellas-de-lisanne-y-kris-su-paso-por-boquete
http://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/reportajes/ruta-holandesas-ultima-caminata_3_712158835.html#.VEDQWvmsV8F
http://historiesofthingstocome.blogspot.com/2018/11/death-in-panama.html
https://latinamericacurrentevents.com/panama-the-mysterious-death-of-two-young-tourists/37248/
https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/eenvandaag-03-12-2014/
https://pauw.bnnvara.nl/media/327077
https://www.tvn-2.com/tag/holandesas_desaparecidas/
https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Investigaciones-holandesas-pueden-tomar-rumbo_0_3949105126.html
https://nos.nl/video/667443-kris-en-lisanne-hadden-hier-de-weg-terug-moeten-nemen.html
https://www.npostart.nl/eenvandaag/04-08-2014/AT_2015455
http://www.highonadventure.com/Hoa08apr/Panama/Panama.htm
https://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Investigaciones-holandesas-pueden-tomar-rumbo_0_3949105126.html
https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/tema-del-dia/tras-las-huellas-de-lisanne-y-kris-su-paso-por-boquete
http://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/reportajes/ruta-holandesas-ultima-caminata_3_712158835.html#.VEDQWvmsV8F
http://historiesofthingstocome.blogspot.com/2018/11/death-in-panama.html
https://latinamericacurrentevents.com/panama-the-mysterious-death-of-two-young-tourists/37248/
Daily Beast articles on this case
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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the lay-out of this blog series seems to be off on iPhones. For normal view, consider reading this blog on another type of device/ tablet/ computer. Blogger is not great with this and particularly seems to 'hate' iPhones. Make sure to read the proper page,so https://koudekaas.blogspot.com/2021/07/part-2-with-new-leads-new-swimming.html, without ?m=1 at the end (for certain smartphones). This is how it looks then.
to uknown (april 4): in my opinion, it is not reasonable to quess what they have done according to content of their packpack. I am convinced it was change for two purpose only: save identification and confusing. The content of backpack is strange. Where are such things nearly every woman has with her (lip balm, handkerchiefs, comb, tampons, personal medical...). If they put their bras in backpack why they did not do the same with other things: shorts, bracelets....???
ReplyDeleteOn the Henri G hypothesis, the timeline seems a bit rushed, similar to other variants of the Caldera swim hypothesis. The swim hypothesis puts the them at foot of trail as late as 15:30, which means only a short period of time to travel from Pianista to Caldera to Macanito Rocks. if Henri G only appeared on 1 Apr, then it would quite hard to quickly arrange the trip. No witness puts Henri G with Tour Guide F with the girls on 31 Mar. The girls might have met lots of people on Sunday 30 Mar and said to have been seen at Caldera on that day. But this could also mean the swimming took place on Sunday and not Tuesday. For the moment, Henri is a person of interest but not much else. Unless someone leaks a higher resolution original of the swimming photo (if it exists). Furthermore even if a hypothetical higher resolution original appears, if it can be shown it is not taken on 1 Apr, then it is only useful as a background reference. Regrettably, as one comment I have come across sort of goes something like this: "Only the leaving of the house and the 16:39 phone call are certain events. The rest are all re-constructed"
ReplyDeleteHi Sian, yeh the timeline is cramped for a Tuesday swim. It would have to involve some form of phone log interference probably, unless the Caldera swimming spot can be reached bypassing an area with GSM cell reception (the phones of Kris and lisanne did not regain phone reception after roughly 2pm on Tuesday). It is also possible that the swimming took place on Monday afternoon. There is a nearly three hour timeframe in the afternoon of Monday March 31st when they were 'unaccounted for' and their phones did not show them where they were either. But I do believe this photo to be legit because it was leaked together with the diaries and the night photos, by the same source. And the diaries and night photos are all proven legit. Also, the existence of this photo was already known for years before it was leaked. Osman Valenzuela had this photo on his phone and police confiscated the phone after he was found drowned on April 4th of 2014. The photo quality is shit, this was a mobile phone photo (from a local Panamanian who may not have been rich and able to purchase the best mobile phone) and not one of the best quality, but still I as good as certain myself that it are them pictured. Although opinions can of course differ on this. The issue is constantly that you have rarely 100% certainty. But there was consistent gossip about this photo already in April of 2014, some coming from reliable sources in Boquete. Of course, people like Pitti and lost believers will do everything they can to sow doubt about it and of course there are some arguments to be made against it (grainy photo, it could have been someone else etc etc). I guess in the end it is down to everyone individually to determine if they believe it to be real evidence or not. But the fact that police did not give back this phone to Osman's parents may explain why this photo and information about it have not been spread by case officials. If legit, then Kris and lisanne may have gotten to know local youth and either something went wrong afterwards (if this all happened on Tuesday late afternoon) or they may have shared their hiking plans for the next day if it took place on Monday.
DeleteThis is just supposition. What if Henri G had invited them to go swimming? 'Hey my dad's a guide' - then they would have felt safe. Or perhaps they already knew who he was?
ReplyDeleteGood day here is a part of my comments on 3 Apr 2021 on pg 3. I shall repost them here since this is a better page to refer to the swimming picture. "If Kris & Lisanne allegedly went to the extent of taking off their bras and swam topless because presumably they did not want their sleeveless vests and bras to be wet, this might ( I repeat "might") have also meant they did not want their shorts to be wet. It might have also explained meant why there were no available photos taken by the camera (alleged tampering of the photos was a separate issue). The way they posed in the swimming photo with only their shoulders above the waterline more or less proved the ladies would probably not have taken photos of themselves in their existing state. The absence of other clothing in the backpack suggested the ladies did manage to put their clothes back on after the swim but probably did not put on their bras back because they felt more comfortable that way." To add to my earlier points, although their bodies are almost completely submerged, I can see their bent legs under water and Kris' right arm on the river bed. Her left arm may be supporting Lisanne's back who in turn is leaning on Kris' left shoulder. Kris is trying to hold her legs and knees together straight up in front. Lisanne, due to her slanting posture appears to have her right leg bent in front while her left leg seems stretched out, possibly to balance her slanting posture. I have tried these poses myself and I can safely say they can become physically uncomfortable after a few minutes. Before the photo-taking, they must have been sitting in more relaxed positions. Due to a more relaxed atmosphere, their legs are likely to be flat straight out vertically with arms behind their back for support, similar to people sitting on the beach. Since we can be reasonably certain that they do not want their clothes wet whenever possible, we can infer that not only the vests and bras have come off, so have the shorts. If they are wearing black-based bras, the panties are almost likely to be black or some other dark color. Therefore Kris & Lisanne are likely to feel comfortable to treat them like bikini bottoms in this case. There are no personal belongings visible in the swimming picture. So I am asking myself how (not why) did they manage to strip down to only their panties with their belongings some distance away while maintaining genuine confidence? Right now I am trying to compile a pictorial analysis of the swimming picture and other pictures of the same place. I will try to email you the details as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your analysis and upcoming research, it is appreciated. The photos of this swimming location show a flat large slap of stone right across from this swimming location where they were pictured. That seems the place where people gather and leave their belognings, before getting in the water. Maybe that is where their bag was placed? It is guessing work. I am convinced they went swimming with these local young men pictured, and some more including the one who took this photo. Indeed, it looks most like the girls were crouching under water partially with their bodies; the guys show by standing upright near them that the water was not too deep yet there. No bra straps visible on their shoulders and this does increase the chance that they swam topless. Hence why the bra's may have been found folded up int he backpack eventually. Of course, usually swimming topless is causing some self-conscious feelings especially when someone else pulls out a phone or camera to document it. Although I do believe that if true (if these are Kris and Lisanne and if they truly swam topless), then they took a risk here.They had nobody there to protect them, they were with strange locals in a strange country where they hardly spoke the language and in the eyes of some men swimming topless with them can spark the wrong expectations, unfortunately. We know from the diaries already that these were fairly adventurous young women who chose on more than one occasion to jump into an unlicensed taxi or a vehicle without knowing if it was really safe. Therefore, they may have been also capable to accept a lift from strangers off the Pianista trail - in theory - or an invitation to go swimming nearby. Maybe they felt confident like young people often feel invincible. They may have taken risks in Boquete as well. We have to be realistic even though it is unfair because why can't women have fun in the same careless manner in which most guys can? But it is the reality unfortunately that there are always certain risks involved for young women.
DeleteHats off to you, Juan and Imperfect Plan. Great body of work and it looks like it was a hard and perhaps at times a thankless job. Know that some of us out there appreciate how you have archived this case and came up with so much information and valid questions and theories. Without access to source or help from officials. Thanks J.
ReplyDeleteThank you J. Always happy to hear someone enjoyed reading it. Best wishes Scarlet
DeleteAt one time you had pictures from one of the guides from Juan with other girls that appeared to have on a shirt like Lisanne. Also there was a picture some thought was a face of one of the girls. What happened to those photos?
ReplyDeleteHi, yes that photo is still up, you can find it in part 4 of my blog series: https://koudekaas.blogspot.com/2019/02/part-4-with-latest-updates-on.html Here is the direct link to the photo I think you are referring to: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBsO7FXpXR8/Xx2tKAJ57DI/AAAAAAAADDk/09PYysMnv4gT0DnswfYEQVGP8k6Gwaz9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plinio%2Ben%2BLisanne%2B499.jpg As for the photo some people thought was a face of one of the girls, I am not sure which photo you mean specifically? The night/hair photo of Kris perhaps with what some believe to be a face showing underneath the hair?
DeleteBest wishes Scarlet
Hey scarlet first I want to say thank for your time and effort. One thing I noticed and I don't think I have seen or heard anyone mention this, but even if the phone is protected by a pin lock you are still able to make emergency calls. Since the language on the phones was more than likely set to Dutch whoever took these girls might not have known they were dialing an emergency number. In my opinion the mystery isn't what happened to kris and lisanne but more so who killed the 4 locals that were connected to the girls and why.(I think we can all agree they were raped and murdered) Was it the killer covering his tracks and getting rid of accomplices? My theory is that a vigilante cop knew who did it and just couldn't prove it. So he took matters into his own hands. I know it's far fetched but it could be the same person on the inside that was leaking info and pics up until 2019.
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for taking the time to write a comment here. It is true, and I did cover that detail on my blog (somewhere in part 1). Indeed, most phones even then allow the user to call emergency services without the need to log in successfully into the phone first. Same for having phone credit or not; you can still call emergency services then. But you do need GSM reception for this. Yes indeed, the phones were Dutch and set up in the Dutch language. The only contacts a perpetrator may have recognized in that of Myriam Guerra. And yes, her name was in fact viewed in whatsapp. But not called... yeh the locals killed in the wake of this tragedy do add extra weight to it all. Of course, they are waved away as just random drownings (they do drown often there it seems...) or accidents. But when you believe that the swimming photo is legit and shows them, and realize that all 4 youth in that photo are dead now and the maker of that photo has not been heard of for years online, it does make this case even more eerie. Good point about the vigilante cop. I heard theories already that indeed such a cop ensured justice took place and that this is why the families stopped kicking against the prosecutor. Justice behind the scenes. I am not really convinced that this is what happened though. Would personally more likely suspect that key players from within this local gang of sorts got rid of weak links with conscientious objections or qualms, becoming a liability. And that cops know all these people but turned a blind eye. Best wishes Scarlet
DeleteI am convinced that the contents of the backpack found was set for purpose of identification adn for confuse. There are many things that girls usually have in their backpacks: paper handkerchiefs, lip balm, comb, pen ... especially if you only have one piece of luggage that you carry with you everywhere and everyday, not several handbacks to alternate.If the girls put their bras in backpack, they would probably store other their things there - clothes, bracelets, etc. I dont think it is good way to deduce from the content of backpack what they could have done that time...
ReplyDeleteThe 2 girls were only carrying 1 backpack. From their clothing and known items, they seemed to be only going for a short trek.
ReplyDeleteSo why did they go so further in? We do not know.
I tend to think they took off their bras to rinse their bodies at a stream.
Hi Scarlet, I've followed this now for several months and have sat on the fence as to whether it was accident/lost or foul play. Recently however, I have begun to wonder if the biggest clue has been right in front of us the whole time- the swimming photo. Let's assume for a moment that on Mar 30th/31st the girls make some kind of affiliation with Osman and his friends (these are socially active twenty something women doing what twenty something women do naturally- they are not nuns. They may omit mention of such things from their diaries- "Massage with Sigrid" may have been code for that event). Now lets hypothetically assume that they ARE the two women pictured with two men at Caldera Hot springs.
ReplyDeleteWe now have a photo with 4 people in it who died, in separate instances, in quick succession. That is suspicious!
I believe there is a case to argue that these girls could have inadvertently been caught in the crossfire of a gang war or an act of retribution by a rival gang for fraternizing with said gang.
I believe Osman could have been nervous prior to his death because his new 'friends' have disappeared perhaps even he was being goaded and taunted by rivals over it- "you're next" messages etc
When contemplating any foul play theory I ask myself would it have been an opportunist or pre-meditated crime. If there was a foul play scenario I believe it could only have been pre-meditated, the perps would not be prepared to simply sit there in the wilderness waiting for the 'right' victims to come along. Pre-meditated crime requires a motive. Any good detective show will state there are rarely more than three motive reasons for a crime- money, sex and revenge.
Money- they still had the $83 in the backpack so unlikely
Sex- these were two moderately attractive young women dressed lightly in a location where help was not nearby so as horrible as it sounds, probably.
Revenge- If as I believe rival gangs had seen these women affiliating with Osmans group, quite possibly
I think locally there are people "in the know" as what really happened to these women but such is the culture in Central America they shall forever remain silent.
Just looking at the pictures you posted of the blueish boots and the brown ones from the girls' photos.
ReplyDeleteIs it me, or do the blue ones only have 4 lace holes and the brown have 5? Also, they appear be laced differently. The brown have ine straight lace and then all crossed. The blue has 2 straight, then 1 crossed.
I thought of something this week. We have a fresh case in the Netherlands currently, where a group of relatively posh boys were looking for some fun (=fights) and kicked a less posh but equally Dutch lad so hard and frequently against the head in holiday island Mallorca, that he died. The lads have parents with money and at least one mummy who is a lawyer. When Spanish police knocked on the door of their holiday home, the birds had already flown. Mummy had advised them to take the first flight out of there. Now the Spanish unfortunately cannot manage to extradite them to Spain, and they left it to the Dutch OM to try to find some justice. Meanwhile the kiddo's are lawyered up, not speaking, armed to the teeth with class justice, money and behind the scenes influence, and the OM is doubtful if they will ever be able to determine who gave the one fateful kick that actually killed Carlo. You can already sense where this is going. They are still free and out on the street and I'll be surprised if these well-connected affluent boys, 'first time offenders', will see life behind bars at all. Coming back to this case of Kris and Lisanne: it can pay off to ask the help of mummy and daddy, when you're in trouble. And NOT all parents are of the opinion that justice should do it's course and for their young to solve their own sordid problems. Makes me think about H. and whether or not it is a likely scenario that he called in his (step)father to help solve the mess, if he theoretically was somehow involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. I think it is not unthinkable. Apparently the family ties are even closer in Latin-America than in the posh parts of the Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteGood day
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/orctrs/a_third_possibility_from_the_top_of_the_mirador/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
A reader on Reddit mentioned the possibility of the girls taking the wrong path and continued northwards when they thought they were returning southwards to Boquete.
Hello, I'm Brazilian, sorry if there is any writing error.
ReplyDeleteI have a question about the swimming photo.
If another boy in the photo next to Osman, José Manuel Murgas was only killed after a year in 2015. Why didn't they interrogate him about that photo while he was still alive?
The disappearance was first publicized and given priority on Wed 2 Apr 2014 in the evening.
DeleteAt that time, no one around them really knew where they went. Going to El Pianista was just considered most likely based on the Spanish by the River info.
The search started largely because Tour Guide F made plenty of noise.
Among those who might have known about the photo, no one really connected the swim photo with the girls. The priority was to get them out of El Pianista alive.
Even if it could be proven the girls were Kris and Lisanne, it was taken at a different place and not directly linked to El Pianista. It might also be taken on an earlier day which would also mean no direct relevance.
No one saw the girls with Osman and Jose on the day of the disappearance.
Google "Macanito, Gualaca District, Panama" for the location
Legal ver outro brasileiro interessado nesse caso.
DeleteI see in some Youtube videos on the case that the times of the girls' photographs are disputed as the Canon camera log may be inaccurate or not reflect local time. I notice that on one of the earlier Bocas del Toro photos where the girls are playing cards at a table with a man (the photo where Lisanne's bare feet are visible showing discoloration), this man is wearing a watch that's facing the camera and the time on it is almost visible. On a higher resolution photo I imagine it would be visible. As this must be the correct time of the photo, can the camera's exposure time be compared to this watch time to show the accuracy of this and all the other camera photo times?
ReplyDeleteHi Spaceport
Deleteyes apparently the Dutch forensic investigators used such a ploy indeed, to come up with the correct time. Someone in one of their photos sported a wrist watch and this way the photo/camera time could be compared to the 'actual time'. But there were also photos taken on the Mirador by Kris and Lisanne with their smartphones, so perhaps that worked as a double checkpoint.
Hello. Thank you for this interesting material. Have you tried to compare the murder of 2 Danish tourist girls in Morocco in 2018, who also went alone with unknown locals to the mountains and the murder in Panama? In my opinion, these are absolutely similar cases, with the difference that in Panama, politics and big money obviously intervened in the case, and in Morocco it wasn't possible a write-off for an accident, given that the bastards who killed the girls themselves posted a video with the murder. Unfortunately, the Dutch police are biased against the deaths of their fellow citizens outside their country. As for example, it was with the downed Boeing in Ukraine in 2014. This case was politicized and used to impose sanctions against Russia and no one was interested in the real facts and events, and important witnesses(pilots and dispatchers) also disappeared or were killed,as happened in Panama...
ReplyDeleteHi Sergey, thanks. I followed that horrible case a bit at the time, but since it was indeed clear as they that they were murdered in the most brutal of ways (never watch that video those animals made and published..), the story passed at some point. As I understand it, those two Scandinavian girls were into hikes and sport and wanted to climb the Toubkal mountain I believe it was. They were into loving all of humanity and against prejudice and all that stuff that is very easy to live by in some western countries. So they went to Morocco alone, without male friends or parents. It appears that they were spotted and followed even before they made it into that mountainous terrain, as the killers also took a tent op and prowled them for some time. Had these barbarians not videotaped the attacks and had they not thrown it online right away, it remains to be seen if they could have been captured. But there was no denying really as the decapitated girls were found the next morning already by other international hikers. It could have been sold as an accident if the bodies and all the forensic evidence (blood, body parts) would have been made to disappear, but the killers seemed mostly interested in making it all public asap and becoming martyrs.
DeleteThe Kris and Lisanne case is fairly different therefore, I'd say. Overlap is in the details; young, good looking, European girls going up a mountain in foreign wild terrain alone. But that is probably where the similarities stop. It is still unknown how they died and if there was a 3rd party involved. I think that there was, and that the local government have covered up the real story. But this cannot be proven at this point in time.
The problem with MH17 is that there ARE satellite images, which prove absolutely who shot that rocket and who was ultimately responsible. It seems clear as day that the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine or a Russian brigade fired that Buk 9M38-series surface-to-air missile, as it was fired from rebel-controlled terrain. Accidentally mistaking the large passenger plane for a military plane. But this has not been proven yet. Like I said, satellite images should provide the evidence for this, but the Americans refuse to release the footage. Maybe Russia will resort to tit for tat if they do? Everyone wants the real facts and the evidence, but when those possessing such evidence refuse to release it, you are stuck, just like we are all stuck with this Kris and Lisanne case, since Panama refused to do the normal and necessary forensic investigation. No info = the possibility to play dumb and call everyone who is right 'conspiracy theorists'. And indeed, anyone who can burst the bubble risks his or her safety...
Good day, I would not say the disappearance could be compared to MH17. The incident could be compared to MH370.
ReplyDeleteWhat was thought as the initial chronology was overturned after examination of further information.
Furthermore, while the initial path of MH370 was not in dispute, the Pianista trek was initially considered speculative. But Tour Guide F made enough noise for the authorities to get into action.
After a possible chronology was constructed, it was put aside upon discovery of the phones and camera with a newer chronology.
Just as only bits and pieces were discovered for MH370, a similar situation was for the disappearance, which added to the mystery.
Hi, thanks for your comment. I think (?) that Sergey compared the case to the MH17 case, because of the way the Dutch officials handled both cases. Coming to unfounded conclusions, while not possessing all the information. I agree with you that if we were going to compare the Kris and Lisanne case to an aviation tragedy, then the MH370 disaster would come close.
DeleteSimilarities:
-Where did the girls exactly go after passing the Mirador / What flight path did the MH370 flight ultimately take, once it went off route?
-Why were there no goodbye messages or any messages really, explaining what happened / Why did the pilot in command of the Boeing 777-200ER power off all communication and radar, after going off track and flying over his town of birth?
-Where are the bodies of Kris and Lisanne / Where did the plane and its passengers crash and where are they now?
https://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/poh9bs/imperfect_plan_expedition_update/
ReplyDeleteImperfect Plan has apparently announced they have completed their expedition. It is likely to help in a better understanding, similar to the various research on both MH17 & MH370 but it probably will not provide the final answer.
As a sidenote on MH17, I do not think John Kerry has the pics that will prove Russian or pro-Russian responsibility. The known location is a contested zone and is very hard to pinpoint. Kerry probably got too excited initially and thought he had the evidence.
Meanwhile the Malaysians have complained they have been sidelined during the investigation.
Thanks, I have read their updates, excellent. The location of the swimming photo spot was already identified by Juan and myself and more recently by Andries, who came with the exact GPS coordinates as well some time ago already, matching the one IP have now provided. Their photos are excellent and I think they match the photos which Juan, Andries and myself have provided. Only with a few years in between the photo taking.
DeleteI am not sure that you can say that these findings are similar to MH17 research tbh, but valuable details about the environment there and the Pianista area as it is today, are very welcome for sure.
America has the satellite images for sure, no doubt about it. But whether or not they contain the hard evidence of who shot that rocket remains to be seen. And we will never see the evidence anyway. Russia will have some info of their own then about America, that will be released in that case.
It is a shame that Malaysia has been side-lined, or at least feel they are. I believe that the current MH17 trials are mostly theatre for the relatives; something to provide the assumption of justice. Nothing will come out of it though and the key players involved will not be extradited I'm afraid, regardless of the outcome...
Good Day, Imperfect Plan has, in my opinion, almost certainly confirmed the swimming location at Macanito.
ReplyDeletehttps://imperfectplan.com/2021/11/21/panama-expedition-2021-complete-overview/
Based on location and chronology on 1 Apr 2014, we could safely say for sure that if Kris and Lisanne were in the photo, it had no direct immediate link to their disapperance.
Thanks, I have read their updates, excellent. The location of the swimming photo spot was already identified by Juan and myself and more recently by Andries, who came with the exact GPS coordinates as well some time ago already, matching the one IP have now provided. Their photos are excellent and I think they match the photos which Juan, Andries and myself have provided. Only with a few years in between the photo taking.
DeleteNah, we can't say any of that safely. If they got a lift then it is still possible within a realistic timeframe, that they were pictured there in the late afternoon of April 1st. Another option is that they went there the day prior, Monday March 31st, and simply never told Myriam, Sigrid, their parents and their diaries about it. Or even Sunday March 30th would technically be possible then. Given that everyone in that photo is dead today and all the other information regarding Osman and his mates, I think you really cannot say that there is no direct link to their disappearance. That's just your personal opinion.
best wishes Scarlet
My point on the immediate direct link was that unless the official chronology was wrong, they could not be there on the afternoon of 1 Apr 2014.
ReplyDeleteOn previous days I am still inclined to think the answer may be Yes. Sunday 30 Mar 2014 was a good possibility as they were still in the mood and they had the available time.
Unless photos showed up to prove they really spent the whole afternoon at various parts of Boquete and nowhere else.
Many photos had been "leaked" or publicized, but not a wider range of Boquete tour photos.
Why not? Perhaps the answer was the other tour photos probably did not exist. In addition, no Spanish school photos on that day which suggested they were there only for a short time.
Therefore my position at the moment was that they were likely to have gone somewhere else which they did not photograph.
Some people noted they were very casually dressed for a forest hike and wondered why. It would not seem too casual to the ladies if they had been swimming in a river by the forest 1-2 days earlier.
Other than the hiking shoes, they really looked they were going for a swim on 1 Apr 2014.
Hi, thanks for further elaborating on that.
Delete"unless the official chronology was wrong, they could not be there on the afternoon of 1 Apr 2014."
-That depends on your timeline. They were on the Mirador at 13:00 that Tuesday. At the stream where photos 507 and 508 were taken just before 14:00. It had taken them 45 minutes to get there, after leaving the summit around 13:15. Going back to the summit would require about the same time, so let's say they could theoretically have returned to the summit at 14:45. The hike back down to the trailhead can be done within an hour, walking down. Fit people and the local guides hike up the trail, so uphill, in a similar time.
Meaning they could (timewise) have been back at the trailhead between 15:30 and 16:00. If given a lift, they could have been at that river before 17:00 and going by the light and angle of the sun in that swimming photo, that would still be possible.
Of course, as I discussed quite a bit in this blog, there are other objections here, primarily that the phone logs do not show a return to the trailhead that afternoon, where they would have cell reception. But I do not bin this possible theory solely because of these government-provided phone data, as I do not trust Pitti and her team or anyone else who could have potentially handled those phones before the OM finally got them after June 17th.
For a Monday afternoon swim, yes there is an afternoon, after lunch and before the early evening massage with Sigrid, where the girls are unaccounted for. We have to be willing to accept that these girls kept it a secret altogether to the people around them and their diaries. And we have no phone log data confirming their location there, east of Alto Boquete near the river either. Yet, when comparing the swimming photo and the known photos of Kris and Lisanne, it is clear to see that it are them pictured. No doubt about it (for me).
And the same applies for Sunday. They would have decided then to not mention the event in either of their diaries and Myriam also did not notice anything; no wet bathing clothes drying outside, no mentioning of the swim to her, that evening.
But nevertheless it is very well possible that it took place on Sunday or Monday. The most important thing about it, is that the local lads are acquainted with the tour guide's son H. and his cronies, and that both Osman and Jose Manuel died under suspicious circumstances, not long after. It may very well be that the girls got to know these local lads and had agreed to meet up with them again that Tuesday on the Mirador.
But ultimately it's all speculation. I am just still surprised that there are people who see that swimming photo and see the comparison photos, and can keep it up that these are entirely different women.
I agree, their attire of April 1st wouldn't look out of place for a swim. I also believe that Kris and Lisanne wanted to feel as uplifted again as in Bocas, and the way to do so was to go swimming again, with people their own age. Like they did in Bocas.
ReplyDelete
Dear Scarlet,
ReplyDeleteIf the girls had gone swimming on the evening of the fateful day they got lost, who made the emergency call at 4.40 PM (or so)? Why did it not connect? Cellphone reception would have been good on the location of the swimming photo...
A S
Hi A S,
DeleteThat is what i wondered as well. Unless there are not kidnapped and Taken to the swimlocation, the 112 call does not make sense at that time.
Good day AS,
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/user/Bubbly-Past7788/
According to Reddit user Bubbly Past, he lived in the area and that the traffic bridge next to the swim photo location was already in place as of 2014. So the swim photo was in the zone of civilization.
There would have been some kind of cellphone connection had they been there on that day.
Were they really there? I did not think so. But it was possible the girls were there on an earlier day.
Hello Scarlet
ReplyDeleteRomain of Imperfect Plan has uploaded a video of the trail.
https://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/s2nw7i/complete_el_pianista_video_4k/
If they had kept fingers prints from the bag they found.....and could of seen if it matched any of those related to the yound men that died from the waterhole not long after.
ReplyDeleteRomain C has uploaded a video of a stream, presumably the one at photo 508.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWy1cVoBz8k
ReplyDelete@scarlet check this https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077670784247 his friend ;D
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi6IasG99yg look that...
ReplyDeleteGood day Scarlett
ReplyDeleteReddit r/kremers froon has uploaded a pic of Kris supposedly based on a video that first appeared on 29 Apr 2013.
Does not directly help in the case but one interesting point: If the person is Kris, it shows how she look with more of her hair covering the side of her face.
The known Boquete and El Pianista photos usually showed with hair either tied at the back or combed backwards, thus giving the appearance of a broader face.
When comparing the alleged 2013 photo with the swim photo, the probability it was Kris inside the swim photo significantly increased.
https://www.reddit.com/r/KremersFroon/comments/z91suu/who_knows_if_this_picture_is_real_and_when_it_was/
Good day Scarlet
ReplyDeleteRomain C has uploaded more videos of the stream that appeared to be at photo 508 as well as the paddock area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUFw22HD74I&t=619s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O7fPwRwQRM&t=893s
Unless proven otherwise, I am inclined, at the moment, to think that something has gone wrong for K & L at this area. The stream is suitable for the girls doing mundane stuff such as relieving themselves after a 3h trek but not exactly a nice place to trek.
Hi everyone. I put a link here, Sloan Bella psychic medium made a video about Kris and Lisanne. That could explain the phone calls, the school being involved etc. That school is way beyond suspicious.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HE_ykx51sU
Very interesting, even thoght you dont belive in psychics.
I think it's most likely foul play was involved as you do, there's just too many things that don't add up with the getting lost theory. Like why would they have not used their camera at all for the 7 days between their hike and the nighttime photos? Whether they were using it for a flash to navigate, or to document their situation, you'd think they would've been taking photos consistently through all that time. To me the timeline that makes the most sense is that they were taken on April 1, maybe on the Pianista hike or maybe after returning and going for a swim. During the first four days they were held captive and regularly attempted to make emergency calls only in the same general time frame, probably the time frame when their captors weren't around. Maybe during this time they were also searching for the boy(s) who were swimming for them and that's why they didn't kill the two right away. Then on the fourth/fifth day Osman was finally found and killed, and this prompted them to kill the girls as well (which explains both the screams heard in the jungle and why the incorrect PIN started to be entered on the fifth day; the girls were dead at that point and the killers had taken their phones and were trying to erase any evidence). They held onto and dismembered the bodies in the following days probably waiting for a good opportunity to dispose of them with all of the heightened search efforts (and maybe harvested their organs as some have suggested, which is why only their bones have ever been found). Then on the night of the nighttime photos they went out either to get rid of the remains or more likely to take more photos in order to make it seem like the girls were still alive at that point, perhaps after finally getting into the phones/camera and realizing the girls were the type to take a lot of pictures. However they did this extremely amateurishly, only hurriedly taking a lot of shots of the same backgrounds and then throwing in one shot of Kris's head after realizing the girls weren't in any of them, but also making sure only hair and no features was in the photo so it was impossible to tell she/they were dead already at that point. Maybe they got rid of Kris's body parts at that point but preserved Lisanne's which would explain the discrepancies between decomposition status. Then a few months passed and they decided they wanted to take advantage of the $30,000 reward by giving up just a few unimportant remains and the neatly packaged backpack, but they didn't get the reward and became bitter about it. I think many parties were probably involved--F, the taxi driver, the two who found the backpack, probably some of the younger gang members. Being from a small town they probably all knew each other and had a mutual understanding to protect their own over these foreign gringas.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wonder that's probably far-fetched is if, rather than the gang being responsible for the taxi driver's death a year later, maybe the families found out through their own private investigating that he was involved and took matters into their own hands knowing the police wouldn't do anything. I don't think that's likely but it could explain why the family's demeanor has changed a bit over time from asking for anyone's help to being more closed off and uncooperative. That could also just be regular grief and them wanting to move on though.
@Swimming photo: I am pretty sure the girls wore tops while swimming with Osman & Co. I clearly see dark lines indicating bra straps. I guess they probably wore their normal bras as swimming tops. The same bras the girls wore on the Pianista trail that show in the Mirador pictures. Those are the bras later found in Lisanne's backback. They put them there as they were wet from swimming.... Another indicator the Caldera swimming event was after the trail.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of innocence .... as a solo female traveler, someone who has experienced crime and learned depravity of humans . . . everyone is a liar in this story; listen only to Lisanne and Kris, what they tell you; their diaries, their photos [not the night ones], their communications. They were inside a culture that is very very very ... different. It is not catholic. Having spent time with and around those from this region it -the culture - is built from another base - something that those from the more northern hemispheres do not conceptualize until it is in their personal sphere and threatening them ; leave the 'I don't knows', focus on the 'knows'.
ReplyDeleteTwo beautiful young woman in a region they never should have been - I have traveled alone as a solo female and been in the middle of the ocean on a 50' sailing vessel and I would NEVER GO TO PANAMA - even with a fellow traveler. It is not safe as a whole. This was the first tragedy, that they ever went there without knowing the dangers.
They went hiking and went off trail. Then harm struck. They were preyed on.
The local 'government' will not figure out what happened, nor the national. Perceiving other nations to be equal in how they operate to one's own is very naive and the Dutch government should have been stronger in this tragedy. It is up to the parents to demand action, use their voice and yell from the top of the highest building until the needed help and actions are done; and not stop yelling until the answers are found. Maybe they have them and are not sharing.
Hi Scarlet, i checked all photos and i could not find anyone where one of the girls wear the sunglasses pictured on the bed. The ones you See in quite a view Photos are the ones found in the backpack. Did i miss something? Otherwise i can only Conclude that These sunglasses are really Osmanes one. Maybe from an earlier encouter or he was in the Room and forgot them (bevor or after the girls gone missing?), or someone placed them on purpose there. Very odd... what Do you think? Are there more Information to the sunglasses?
ReplyDeleteI cant help but notice not one but two curls at the hair photo on the right side. Those curls look like curls from a hair curl iron. How Could can the two hair strands of hair Naturally turn out like this?
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