STILL LOST IN PANAMAthe book
July 2024 - Two German authors, Christian Hardinghaus and Annette Nenner, have researched the Kris and Lisanne case last year and have now self-published a book about it, called Still Lost in Panama (SLIP). At least one of them spent time in Boquete and interviewed various people there. The authors also declared to have a copy of the case files. Their book appeared on April 1st 2024, on the ten year anniversary of this sad disappearance case. I read it and will try to summarize the main findings and claims of the authors for you. I have no conflict of interest. I bought their book myself, but did get an email later of their PR-assistant with the offer to send me a copy for free, which I didn't accept. For me, Power-Pixie and Dave (who helped me with this massive task), it has been like writing with one arm tied behind our backs. Only a small group of people possess copies of the case files. Some of them have freely posted about parts of it (ImperfectPlan, Jeremy Kryt). Others have written about the files in books. The first author duo who did so is Dutch and I have not written about their work on this blog, mainly because of personal interactions and because they never worked with any source references, making it impossible to distinguish what is fact, personal suspicion or flat out misinformation. There was also quite a bit of effort made to clear Betzaida Pittí of any wrongdoing or even criticism, which didn't go down well here. Worst of all however, were some straight up errors, for instance about a second SD card which the Dutch authors invented. They claimed it was mentioned in the backpack inventory list of police, but later silently removed that information from their subsequent English version of the book (but without a rectification notice, resulting in farcical discussions online between people with Dutch and English copies of the book, calling each other liars about their used quotes). In this blog post I will refer to some of their claims (indicated with 'LITJ'), in order to compare them with claims made this new book 'SLIP'. SLIP is better written in my view and used source links. So Power-Pixie, Dave and I were quite interested in this new German book. Mostly because Annette Nenner went to Boquete to do her research there (unlike the Dutch duo) and also because we noticed on online platforms that she and Christian Hardinghaus went in with stretched legs. They full on attacked the Dutch author duo and did so with fairly fiery arguments. So we purchased their new book to see what the deal was here.
Below I will systematically analyze some of their claims, chapterby chapter. Power-Pixie, Dave and I had a lot of conversations about it all, and I will add some of those below too. I struggled a bit with the format of this post, as it is obviously not the intention to copy-paste too large a chunk of the book. So I will use only book quotes that are of relevance to us and our case discussions, keeping the Fair Use principle in sight. For those who did not read SLIP, this will mean that the text will jump from subject to subject in a much less fluent manner than in the book. So for completeness, you of course have to purchase this book yourself. In this blog post we will highlight contrasting claims of both author duos and share our own views. For this we compared those claims with publicly available case information. We would have liked to be able to fact check everything with the same case files, but as I said, we do not have copies of these case files ourselves. And the people who do, argue that they have agreements in place that prevent them from sharing those files for all to see. It is not clear how Hardinghaus and Nenner received their copies: whether or not their paid for it, or had a donor in high place perhaps. But it is a fact that some people have been trading with these private case files and at the same time withhold them from the general public. As a result, I can praise the German duo's use of footnotes and source links, but I also have to stress that these case file footnotes are rather useless to us all, as there is no way to look the source materials up for ourselves. For me, there is something cynical to that, but soit. So we have to do with the publicly available information and this new book SLIP does help to broaden our knowledge about the investigation and the case files. What Power-Pixie, Dave and myself have done, is going with a fine comb over every little detail in these books. Highlighting inconsistencies, placing question marks and comparing the new info with the already available info. We also found some surprising and inexplicable biases towards certain people in this book. So buckle up once more, as this will be another very long read. And if you aren't yet acquainted with the full and detailed story of the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, it is probably best to first read up on the basics. Then in a second (future) blog post, we will theorize and discuss the new timeline of the first seven days of Kris and Lisanne in Boquete, based on the new information we now gathered from SLIP. - And if you like my work and want to give me a thumbs up, then feel free to leave a comment below or on my youtube channel. Do not directly accuse people of crimes. That is not the reason why we wrote this post. We only believe that everybody who features in this unsolved mystery should be looked at critically. Having theories is one thing, but nobody knows what ultimately happened. Thanks so much for reading.
"New investigation into the cold case of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon. On the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers in the Panamanian rainforest, journalists Christian Hardinghaus and Annette Nenner announce the publication of their investigative true crime book "Still Lost in Panama". On April 1, 2014, the two young Dutch women became involved in one of the most mysterious true crime cases in contemporary history while hiking on the Pianista Trail. Now light is being shed on the dark jungle of theories and speculation. With exclusive insights and a scientific analysis of the 3,000 pages of court files that have been kept secret until now, "Still Lost in Panama" not only uncovers shocking investigative errors, but also presents new evidence and witnesses [..] that points to foul play and the deliberate cover-up of a planned kidnapping. After five months of intensive research in the province of Chiriquí and expeditions into the Panamanian cloud forest, the authors bring clarity to a case full of speculation and mystery." - OK, interesting. But the 3,000 pages of courtfiles haven't been kept entirely secret until now surely? As (aside from the families and the investigators) ImperfectPlan, Jeremy Kryt and the Dutch authors also had access to them, among others. And published about them too.
REDDITBefore the book became available, the authors also made profiles on Reddit to promote their book. Under the name Still_Lost_24, they wrote things like: "We hope that we will soon be able to contribute to the clarification of the case surrounding Kris and Lisanne. At the very least, we will be able to dispel dozens of rumors and legends and answer a lot of questions that have arisen here in recent years." They specified the nature of the case files they possessed, namely "the court files, forensic reports and autopsy reports, NFI reports and files from the CID and Sinaproc". They also warned the predominantly 'Losters' community on Reddit (those believing that Kris and Lisanne had an accident or got lost) that they would disprove the findings of Jeremy Kryt in their book. "Both the podcast "Lost in Panama" and the [Dutch] book do not tell you the truth or full truth. The entire story about the Pandilla is made up. We have spoken to all the members of the Pandilla and of course we know who is in the swimming photo, who took it, etc. West and Snoeren, on the other hand, deliberately ignore all the evidence - and there really is a lot of it - that points in the direction of foul play. [..] And when you see all these mistakes, it's extremely difficult to believe that there was no intent." And Christian added in a comment: "For Annette in particular, as a woman alone in the woods, it really was all very risky. I was only able to write this post now that she has just left Boquete." And: "Update author feelings: That's also a weird feeling. Carrying exclusive knowledge around with you for many months, saying nothing about it, and then giving it all away. We're happy to finally share it, but it's a strange feeling." So before the release of this book, the authors were already craftily building up expectations. Some sleuths were critical of the author's "hype blurb" and voiced criticism about their blunt discrediting of other researchers. Other sleuths started to grill Christian in particular about how many of these new findings were actual 'proof' versus subjective opinion? But aside from admitting that they, as journalists, could not prove that a crime took place, we just had to find the rest out for ourselves and buy the book. And I am super interested to read their findings now. A planned kidnapping? By whom? What "cover up"? Or does the used phrase 'points to' already give away that we're dealing with a disclaimer and that this is just a wild theory of theirs? Let's dive in.
Christian Hardinghaus: "Keep listening to all sides. Don't make the mistake of committing to something until there is a proof. Think in all directions and you will come closest to the truth."
THE BOOK
This will be a short capturing of what we felt the book consists of. If you like to read our more detailed takedown of it, you can continue reading after this subchapter. Overall I feel that the book consists of a first section that has a lot of already known facts and case details. Basically a case summary such as you can also find (more comprehensively) on my blog here. They also add some new and valuable information, extracted from the case files they have access to. We learn interesting details from the autopsy report for instance. Then there are some chapters where the authors try to take down other case investigators, such as the Dutch author duo and especially Jeremy Kryt. Some criticism aimed at the Dutch authors is warranted. But the vengeance with which this happens even made me raise an eyebrow. A third section of the book is dedicated to new Crime theories, which are well worked out and very interesting to read. A fourth section can be distinguished, in which Hardinghaus and Nenner try to 'explain away' the behaviours of the Pandilla members and the tour guide. All logic seems to go out the window then. I will focus on valuable chapters first and then move on to some less well received book chapters.
POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS
This book was well written, well translated and well researched. It had a pleasant tone in most parts. Christian's writing seems more scientific and factual, while Annette adds some lyrical touches with her descriptions of nature and scenic moments. She can go a bit overboard there in my opinion, especially when gloating about certain people and their (presumed) characters. But for the reader, it is nice to have this flow between the two author's styles and the tone of writing is mostly professional. As I said in the intro, these authors work with source links, which is great but at the same time a source of annoyance, given that we can often not look these sources up for ourselves. So it is a select group of people who for unknown reasons managed to get copies of the case files in their possession. Unfortunately, at least one previous author duo has abused this privilege already by selectively reporting on them, we now learn. Hardinghaus and Nenner quite strongly object to this in this book. They sometimes go in very hard, to the point of insulting, but they are of the opinion that the Dutch authors are at times misrepresenting the case files by "consistently omitting references to sources" and by "falsely creating the appearance that their speculations are backed up by official documents". Hardinghaus and Nenner suspect that the Dutch authors at the time had the conviction that they were the only ones who had copies of those case files. At the end of the day, as readers, we have to decide for ourselves if we can or want to believe the representation of those case files in LITJ or in SLIP. I think that the German authors did a good job summarizing the events leading up to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, the basics of the case and its documented aftermath. Yes, a lot of it is already known and published information, but I found so many little trinkets of new case details. It does help to fill in some of the many gaps that still exist in this sad case. In my review here, I will focused on everything new the authors bring to the case. None of this new information proves without a doubt though if Kris and Lisanne met their fate through a crime or an accident. But the picture does appear of a coordinated attempt by some case officials and certain authors to only highlight certain case details, while obscuring others. This must be painful and infuriating for the parents of Kris and Lisanne. In particular the Kremers, who fought the authorities long and hard for more transparency and more efficient investigating. Only to be treated like troublemakers.
New information
Hardinghaus and Nenner share for instance which people were interviewed by investigators and which investigational opportunities were missed. Sinaproc went through the girls' bedroom without sticking to forensic rules and regulations; local banks failed or refused to provide CCTV footage when asked for it and Prosecutor Pittí seems to have made no issue of this. Same for the vitally important Telecom info. We also learn in this book that taxi driver Leonardo went back to investigators for a second interview on April 24th, in which he confessed not to have told them the full truth and that there were two men in his cab at the time he picked up Kris and Lisanne. Leonardo also declared that he saw an older man on the trail when he left Kris and Lisanne out of his taxi. We also get a much more detailed insight into the initial criminal investigation and just how vital and impactful the 'discovery' of the backpack really was: enough to radically stop a planned criminal raid by Pittí on a suspects house the next day. Enough to entirely stop the criminal investigation, in fact. We also learn more about the errors made by Pittí, including the many forensic opportunities she squandered. No analysis was ordered by her of the discovered blue shoe for instance. There is the now confirmed disappearance of the plastic bag and blond hair, which were found by Carlos V. We also learn that public prosecutor Betzaida Pittí waited until April 29 (!) to finally decide to have the computers at the language school examined and to create a digital image of the hard disks and server. So almost a month after Kris and Lisanne went missing... We also learnt from the SLIP book that the two mattresses found in the same vicinity of the plastic bag, were neither forensically investigated nor checked for DNA. As the authors call it: "evidence of serious omissions or inadequate investigative methods. On all of these finds, the likelihood of finding DNA, body fluids, or fingerprints would have been the highest". This is all damning for Betzaida Pittí, who was already under scrutiny for quite some time.
We also learn from SLIP what destinations Kris and Lisanne last googled on the SbtR school computers, namely the Pianista Trail and the Pipeline Trail (at the end of which there is a waterfall). We are told that the girls told their Dutch friends Bas and Edwin on March 31 that "they were going to the cascades". But the authors provide no link for this statement, despite it being information not previously known to the public. The authors also break down exactly what sort of money was found in the backpack, quoting the June 13 Inspection report, namely "87 dollars and 55 cents (3 x 20-dollar bills, 2 x 10-dollar bills, 1 x 5-dollar bill, 2 x 1-dollar bills, 5 x 25-cent coins, 1 x 5-cent coin)." The authors make an error here by the way and do the math wrong: the girls carried in fact 88 dollars and 30 cents on them. I was also glad that the authors revealed a lot of new details from the NFI report. We know now exactly what the NFI received on June 20th from Pittí and the Public prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Panama: "Lisanne's cell phone, her digital camera, and her backpack, as well as Kris's cell phone and the bras of the two women." Enclosed was a request for mutual legal assistance from the Panamanian government for the "preliminary investigation into an alleged offense of deprivation of liberty against Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers," which was drawn up based on a UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. So on June 20th, a week after the backpack had been found, Betzaida Pittí was seemingly still considering the disappearance a crime... The NFI was officially asked for technical support to read the contents of the electronic devices and to secure DNA profiles or traces of blood on the underwear and backpack. Very important confirmation of what I have said all along was also given in SLIP: "The NFI is not informed that Pittí's team has already examined, at minimum, the data from the electronic devices. Therefore the NFI themselves note that some of the photos on the SD card were edited on June 17, 2014. The originals are therefore not available for the NFI's investigation. The NFI investigators are also unaware that text messages and contacts from Lisanne's phone have already been backed up. The Panamanian authorities also "refuse to comment on the data recorded by R." - To see this confirmed officially is a small bombshell in my opinion. Juan had this correct all along then, without relying on any case files. He discovered this June 17th alteration in the EXIF data early on. This also raises questions about the authenticity of the photo card as we know it today (and even about the state in which the NFI received it). It also casts more doubt on the fate of the deleted photo* (or perhaps video..) #509. None of this was highlighted in LITJ. Notice also that at the time, nobody brought this missing file 509 up in public. The first time this was done publicly, was in this December 2014 Dutch TV program, where the NFI first brought the missing file 509 to the public's attention. But the Panamanian authorities kept silent on this topic altogether. The missing photo #509 was part of the sequence, so any layperson would have noticed the missing photo and number. Why did the NFI wait until December 3rd 2014 to make a big deal out of it? And in that interview why didn’t the NFI question the Panamanian authorities about it? We still don't know.
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The Red Truck
The red truck which witnesses claimed to have seen driving down the Pianista trail on Tuesday afternoon, around the time when Kris and Lisanne are assumed to have disappeared, has always been an interesting topic. We have been told that it was rare for locals to see cars drive up or down the Pianista: a trail not really made for cars with its many rocks and very narrow walking trail passing the river. It is also not possible for trucks to pass the Mirador. So it was so unusual to see one up there, that various witnesses remembered this event and some even made notes about its numberplate. Police took their time interviewing the inhabitants of the Pianista trail, but finally did so on April 16th 2014. These witnesses had seen the girls heading up the trail around 14:30 PM, but never saw them come down again. Instead, they saw this red pick-up come down the mountain at the end of the afternoon. I wrote more about the red truck in this blog post of mine. Betzaida Pittí communicated with the world through 'her book' LITJ that there really was nothing to this story. That the red truck belonged to a local man who rented the red Toyota pickup truck to dispatch flowers and plants that day along the Pianista trail for the Boquete Coffee & Flower Fair. Thanks to authors Hardinghaus and Nenner we now know in more detail what is written in the case files about this red truck. On pages 342-344 of the notes of the Personería Municipal, 66-year old Oliva de Kam and her 74-year old husband Dario are interviewed. They live at the start of the Pianista trail and you can hear them talk in this witness video I made. The couple declared that on April 1, 2014 they saw a burgundy red pickup truck come down the Pianista trail, around 15:00 PM. The couple paid extra attention because it was an abnormality. Olivia noticed that the tipper part of the car was dirty and covered in leaves and foil and that two passengers were constantly guarding it. Dario felt suspicion and wrote down the number plate. The statements of inhabitant Aristedes M. and his mother Eneida are also written down in the case files. They said they were surprised to see a red pickup truck with tinted windows come down the Pianista trail between 16:00 and 16:20 PM on April 1st. Two days prior (on Sunday March 30th), Eneida had already seen a cream coloured van with several strange, tattooed men drive up the Pianista trail, causing her irritation. The owners of the Il Pianista restaurant, Giovanni S. and Doris, were also interviewed and witnessed the red truck with blacked out windows driving up behind their restaurant between 16:00 and 16:15 PM. They saw it come down again roughly 25 minutes later, they declared. Rumour has it that various witnesses saw Edwin "Sabroson" A. drive the red pickup truck, but this cannot be confirmed by the two German authors, as Edwin refuses to talk with them and witnesses don't want to say anything about it. But they emphasize that Edwin's parents have restaurant chains in local points in Boquete. One is situated in the Caldera, one across from the (Revilla) pharmacy where Kris and Lisanne have been seen purchasing some items on Tuesday morning (this was on the main road and close to Aura daycare). Another Sabroson restaurant is located nearby cafe Nelvis, where some people have declared to have seen Kris and Lisanne with two other men, prior to their disappearance.
We now learn from SLIP that police used the license plate information they received from Dario de Kam, which led them to a 1993 Toyota Hilux pickup with a single cab. This car does not match with the witness testimony of Aristedes M, who stressed during his police interview on April 16th that he had seen a new car on the Pianista trail, not an old car model (like Oliva and Dario de Kam declared to have seen). And what's more, Aristedes emphasized that he had not seen a Toyota Hilux. But this did not deter officers. They identified the owner to be a woman with the initials A. A. She lives only about 500 meters from Spanish by the River. This may be a discovery from Nenner and Hardinghaus, as they write that "neither the report nor the subsequent search makes any reference to this fact". When she was questioned by police on April 22nd, A. A. stated that she doesn't drive the pickup, but that her husband, E. G. does. And that "he probably rented the vehicle to the Feria de las Flores de Boquete flower fair on April 1st". A. A. was strangely enough not questioned about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. Her husband was brought in the same day, and confirmed what his wife said an hour prior: that the car was indeed rented out to that flower show. And that he had no written record of this. It was a verbal agreement. They borrowed that car and the couple could in exchange dump their household waste in the flower fair's container... For Betzaida Pittí and her biographers, this was enough convincing explanation that there is nothing to see here with this red truck. Never mind that collecting plants at the Pianista is prohibited. But the story of E. G. is that the administrator of the flower fair, Sidney Taylor Jimenez (since passed away), had some employees (including driver E. P.) pick up mosses, ferns, bromeliads and foliage at Mister M.'s place, who owns two cabins up the Pianista mountain. Sidney could show a gas receipt plus a note detailing Mr. M's address, with the task to collect plant materials and orchids there. Driver E.P. declared to have driven the truck up there around 11:45 AM and back down again by 16:00 PM. He saw no tourists on the trail that day, he says to police. He did drive back up to Mr. M's properties again two days later on Thursday, to pick up some more orchids. (Sidney contradicts this). Hardinghaus and Nenner believe this April 3 date may be linked, by their calculations of the phone data, to the most likely time for the phone to have left the Pianista areas without a signal.
The authors wrote: "From this day onwards, it is only switched on for a few seconds and could not have revealed that it was back in an area with a signal". "We can't help but feel that the whole story about the red truck, as presented in the police files, is inconsistent. The fact that an ominous pickup truck happens to be borrowed at the same time, firstly where Kris and Lisanne were last seen for sure, and secondly at the exact place where they are said to have disappeared, is extremely striking. In addition, the comments of all the eye-witnesses to the truck, according to which they claim never to have seen the vehicle before or after at the places sighted, are highly suspicious. The contradictory statements of those who claim to have lent or rented the truck speak the same language: A. owns the car but does not drive it herself. Her husband E. lends the vehicle to Sidney, who does not use it himself but passes it on to an employee, E. P. He, in turn, claims to have been at the trail with three other men, who are not interviewed, to collect flowers, although this is forbidden there, and cars do not normally go there. It is possible that the vehicle was lent to someone else that day. Any perpetrators who wanted to abduct the girls in a red pickup truck would have known that the car would have been seen at Miriam's house and on the trail. [..] Perhaps the perpetrators used a camouflaged vehicle to shield the area at the top of the trail and let Kris and Lisanne fall into the trap. An abduction from the Pianista Trail would have been possible between April 1 and April 3 due to the search not yet having begun. Even if Kris and Lisanne had already fallen into the clutches of their kidnappers on the day of their disappearance, they could have been hidden behind or in front of the Mirador for a while longer - for example, in a lonely hut on the hillside." - Investigators were satisfied with the statements given however, and did not question the drivers colleagues who were with him in the car, nor was Mister M. questioned. Driver E. P. also remarked to the officer that he saw another vehicle on the Pianista trail that day, near the river. Nothing was further done with this information by investigators and neither with the fact that witnesses also claimed to have seen another car that April 1st on the Pianista trail. It is also not known if driver E. P. told the truth or if he was messing up when he assumed a Sinaproc car was already up there, looking for Kris and Lisanne (which was not the case on the day of their disappearance). It is also not investigated if it was truly driver E. P. who was in that truck on the Pianista that day, or if he borrowed the truck in fact to someone else again, who wants to remain anonymous. A lot of details, but this chapter was containing brand new (to the reader) information.
Mister M. on the Pianista
Pitti concluded that there was no link between this red truck and the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. Power-Pixie, Dave and I think there could be something of interest to this red truck, and we linked one of Jeremy Kryt's persons of interest, Cuervo (more about him here) to this same flower business. But Hardinghaus and Nenner link the red truck to the flower growing resident Mister M. (Mercedes Miranda perhaps?). He used to run a trendy nightclub in Boquete and is said to have been involved with drugs and women. His place used to be the scene of wild parties we are told, and he is friends with guide Plinio, who sometimes posts pictures of himself on M's property. The authors mention about Mister M. that he lives high up the Pianista trail. They try to pinpoint his house location roughly: "After another 350 meters uphill, they come upon a small iron bridge that crosses the narrow river in front of the Arco Iris dairy farm. Behind it, the indigenous M. family lives in the last house on the lower, unwooded part of the trail. [..] After about a mile of walking, they reach the entrance to the forest, where the path forks. If you stray to the right, you come to the property of a man who has been given a nickname in Boquete because hardly anyone knows his real name. We call him "M." Although there are two sturdy, boarded-up huts on his 500 meters of land on the slope, M. himself does not live up there and only appears on certain occasions."
According to Hardinghaus and Nenner, Mister M. may have seen Kris and Lisanne after they went up the Pianista. Neighbour Lazaro has declared to police (the Personería) on April 7 and on April 15 that on April 2, one day after the disappearance, his neighbor Keni G. observed two girls in a paddock on the slope in front of the summit. "They had been followed by a man with a tattooed shoulder and a cell phone to his ear". This Keni G. also declared this to police. "On April 2, between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m., on his way home via the Pianista Trail in the direction of Mirador, accompanied by his mother and brother, he saw two girls in shorts on a hill near the mountain range. [..] He also says that he has never seen a person there before. Astonished, the family assumes that the girls would come to meet them to walk back to Boquete, as there are usually no hikers on the trail at this time of day. But no one comes to meet them, and the girls disappear". "They did not see a man with the girls, they declare, but the girls could only have gone one of three ways. Either towards them, in the opposite direction up to the summit, or eastwards to M.'s estate." Hardinghaus and Nenner then describe how police show barely any interest in this Mister M., who is suspiciously also the same person who had the red truck visit him on April 1st to collect his flowers. Police visit him once and ask him no official questions. "This makes M. not only the only resident of the Pianista Trail, but also the only person who does not have to give a sworn statement in connection with the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne." According to the one-page protocol, the inspection takes place as follows: "Mr. M. [changed] arrives, opens the two houses and we find no detail that helps to clarify the facts. No evidence is found that points to an irregularity. We don't learn more in the files about the search of the approximately 500 square meter area, which is hidden in the forest on the mountainside and only one kilometer from the summit." The authors believe that Mister M. may be at the very least a potentially important witness who, judging by the files, has not been questioned about matters relevant to the case. "Since his property is located exactly where Kris and Lisanne were last seen alive by Lazaro, this is an inexplicable mistake." Mind you, LITJ mentions none of this, despite having had access to these same case files.
Police also received a third tip that points in the direction of M.'s property, we are told in SLIP. An anonymous caller contacts the Personería and states that she knows that the girls were murdered by a foreigner and that the bodies are buried in a field behind the Arco Iris farm. This farm and most of the pastures on the Boquete side of the Pianistas, belong to former President Mireya Moscoso (accused of massive corruption after her term of office ended in 2014). It is her company, DONAGA, S.A., which runs the Arco Iris dairy. The files show that on the same day, the CID and patrol officers searched the described area bordering M.'s property with 15 men. They inspected a 500-square-meter sugar cane field and noticed nothing unusual. There were also no birds of prey circling in the sky and that was that. Even more interestingly, we know that Kris and Lisanne expressed interest in visiting waterfalls in the area, and Hardinghaus and Nenner write that a secret waterfall on the Pianista (the Cascada el Pianista) is located roughly at the same height as M.'s and the other huts, although it is extremely difficult to find. "It can be reached after a long hike along the Rio Pianista if you walk through the "dangerous triangle" between M.'s hut, the ex-president's dairy farm, and the sugar cane field where the bodies might have been buried." "Theoretically, locals familiar with the waterfall could have lured Kris and Lisanne into a trap under the pretext of taking them to the waterfall. In such a scenario, they might have been led off the trail on the Boquete side of Pianistas, near M.'s cabin or even in front of it, and led in an easterly direction - exactly where the brothers and their mother saw two girls, possibly accompanied by a man, disappear across the paddock on April 2." Hardinghaus and Nenner believe that Mister M. may have had the opportunity to hide Kris and Lisanne up there and then whisk them off in the red truck. Not only was his property barely searched, many other huts up there were not searched at all, they say. They even believe that Sinaproc were heading towards Mister M's property by the time they were contacted to say the searches were called off for that day. - True or not, they certainly unearthed some interesting things from these files and this is a reasonable theory. This chapter has the sort of information that should have been out in the public domain ten years ago really. Why wasn't it? Perhaps because there is nothing to the story? But how do we know when this man was not properly questioned and investigated? To me, the Red Truck and Mister M. chapters were among the best of the book. [This may be the Hidden Waterfall, also described here].
The Lost Blonde Hair and the destroyed Shoe Sole
A last good subtopic from this book I want to zoom into is the confirmation of Hardinghaus and Nenner that Pittí's team indeed messed up the handling of the fuchsia shoe sole and blonde hair, which were found in the search for Kris and Lisanne. Journalist Albin Garcia had already correctly reported in Panamanian media on the sudden 'disappearance' of the found hair and the strange treatment (or lack therefore) of the plastic bag and the shoe sole. This newspaper article/interview with the Froon family has been removed from the internet since, but I luckily made screen saves of it before they removed it (you can read much more on this topic and see the screen saves in this blogpost of mine). But unlike the poor coverage of this topic in LITJ, we now learn that Pittí and her team indeed 'lost' the long blond hair and destroyed the Romero plastic bag and the shoe sole without even DNA testing done on them... I think this is a very important bit of info. Because it once again shows that Betzaida Pittí was either (in my eyes) incompetent, or corrupt. Pittí effectively did the same to the blue shoe of Kris and the water bottles. She refused to have them investigated by the lab, then pretended there was nothing to see there. It also goes to show that even those with the case files cannot necessarily be fully trusted with them, and can falsify the narrative. Not just by flat out lying about something, but also by omission of case details. - So, after confirming on April 12th in an RTL 4 Dutch news report that together with a plastic Romero bag with food packages, he found a long blonde hair (approximately 60 centimeters in length) on the pink sole of a shoe, Elvis Gonzalez said that the items were being examined in a laboratory. The fuchsia coloured shoe sole seemed to match perfectly with the colour of Lisanne's Wildebeast shoe, so this was interesting. But a day later already, Sinaproc General Director Alvarado said on national television that the discovery of the hair was just a rumour. (Even though you can clearly see the hair in Elvis' video, when he shows it to the camera). Alvarado denied that the plastic Romero bag has anything to do with the missing Kris and Lisanne. And authorities never again mentioned the plastic bag. Then journalist Albin Garcia wrote about the topic in El Siglo, on May 16, 2014. He described the parents' distress after finding out that the bag disappeared under mysterious circumstances. LITJ and Pittí in turn insinuated that this was an incompetent journalist.
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Now Hardinghaus and Nenner reveal in SLIP that Carlos V, the maker of the Youtube video, was summoned to talk to police on the evening of April 12. Quote: "The investigators are surprised that the man was already been called in by Sinaproc 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 authors confirm that this spot is near La Pandura de Los Naranjos, at the end of the Piedra de Lino Trail. Which is the trail which Pedro claims Kris and Lisanne had walked on the day of their disappearance. In Carlos' interrogation transcript it reads that Carlos put on a glove after the find of the long blonde hair, and that he then carefully stowed away the bag and its content in a rucksack. He then took everything straight to Sinaproc in Alto Boquete. But when Carlos was contacted by Sinaproc again "a brief time later", he was informed that "the hair had been misplaced or lost". Carlos was told that they could not find the hair anymore. In the media (and in LITJ) this blunder was spun out to involve just the temporary disappearance of the plastic bag. The lost hair was ignored. But we now learn from SLIP that the Personaría officials also found the matter strange. Carlos was asked by them to come along to the Sinaproc office, where an inspection was ordered. Francisco S., head of the office, was questioned. Under oath he declared that Sinaproc members did not touch the bag at the instructions of a direct superior. Instead they were 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 landed 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. (This is ignored by the Dutch authors and Pittí in their book: but they do write that a couple of drink packages from the plastic bag were in fact DNA tested, and those results did not match Kris and Lisanne. Something we do not read in SLIP). But as for the rest of the bag and the shoe sole: they were merely photographed in the box and then destroyed, according to Hardinghaus and Nenner. No forensic investigation was done on the shoe sole nor the hair, which was never heard from again in the files.
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, 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 the shoe sole as being from the brand 'Jaguar', and this is also used by Pitti to explain away the lack of investigation of it, as Lisanne's shoe was of the brand "Wildebeast". There was in fact no more mention anymore of the blond hair found by Carlos and we do not know if it belonged to Kris or not. But in the Dutch book, this missing blonde hair is completely concealed and ignored. - So this is damning information. And the article was correct in fact about the parents of Lisanne complaining that the bag, shoe sole and hair had gone missing. Pitti and the Dutch authors pretended that this was a misunderstanding, and that it had merely been the temporary 'disappearance' of those items, while they had been stored in the empty box from a US military catering company. They use that argument to conceal that the blonde hair was never seen or heard from again (untested) and that the plastic bag was also not properly tested and neither was the fuchsia shoe sole (cast aside as being from the 'wrong brand'). Just like LITJ forgot to report on the angry note from Lisis C. So the German authors accuse the Dutch author duo of very selective and dishonest reported in their book. It is also damning because case officials managed to take its content away from Sinaproc, managed to lose the long hair entirely without ever forensically investigating it, and because they managed to destroy the shoe sole and bag without proper forensic inspection. Incompetence or malicious intent again from Pittí and her team? That is up to you to decide. Hardinghaus and Nenner are straightforward in their judgement: "The [LITJ] authors put so many untruths into these statements that we can hardly assume that it's due to just a lack of research."
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, 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 the shoe sole as being from the brand 'Jaguar', and this is also used by Pitti to explain away the lack of investigation of it, as Lisanne's shoe was of the brand "Wildebeast". There was in fact no more mention anymore of the blond hair found by Carlos and we do not know if it belonged to Kris or not. But in the Dutch book, this missing blonde hair is completely concealed and ignored. - So this is damning information. And the article was correct in fact about the parents of Lisanne complaining that the bag, shoe sole and hair had gone missing. Pitti and the Dutch authors pretended that this was a misunderstanding, and that it had merely been the temporary 'disappearance' of those items, while they had been stored in the empty box from a US military catering company. They use that argument to conceal that the blonde hair was never seen or heard from again (untested) and that the plastic bag was also not properly tested and neither was the fuchsia shoe sole (cast aside as being from the 'wrong brand'). Just like LITJ forgot to report on the angry note from Lisis C. So the German authors accuse the Dutch author duo of very selective and dishonest reported in their book. It is also damning because case officials managed to take its content away from Sinaproc, managed to lose the long hair entirely without ever forensically investigating it, and because they managed to destroy the shoe sole and bag without proper forensic inspection. Incompetence or malicious intent again from Pittí and her team? That is up to you to decide. Hardinghaus and Nenner are straightforward in their judgement: "The [LITJ] authors put so many untruths into these statements that we can hardly assume that it's due to just a lack of research."
NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONSNow onto the less praiseworthy chapters. Despite praise for (roughly) the first part of their book, the second part of the book surprised me. Hardinghaus and Nenner had until then shown themselves to be critical analysts with a necessary dose of overall skepticism. But now the authors switch to topics revolving tour guide Feliciano, his stepson and friends from the so-called Pandilla and the infamous swimming photo, and suddenly all their healthy skepticism goes out the window. What is happening here? Why is every word uttered by the guide and the Pandilla taken for a fact, despite there being as good as no supportive facts presented? Feliciano is defended throughout the book, and we will get into that in a much more detailed book analysis below. For now I will zoom in on what the Pandilla group told Annette. Firstly, I know that barely anyone gets the shivers from that swimming photo like I do. And that its quality leaves a lot to be desired. That many do not believe the relatives or the NFI when they said that the photo is real and not a photoshopped version, but that it shows two other girls. I don't believe this to be the case. I believe we are seeing Kris and Lisanne having some carefree social time with guys their own age, just like they did in Bocas. Juan and I researched the swimming photo (Juan published it) and believe that it shows from left to right Kris, Lisanne, Osman and Murgas. But Annette Nenner spoke with most of the 'Pandilla' group, and with Feliciano's stepson Henry, after first befriending Feliciano. Henry is known to be associated with this group, and along with Edwin A. was rumored to have been involved in not the just the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, but also the murder of Osman Valenzuela, who claimed to have witnessed the group with Kris and Lisanne hanging out in the red truck prior to their disappearance. Annette headed out for this book to these Pandilla members who are now in their late 20's or early 30's. Most of them (reluctantly) agreed to chat a bit with her. Only Edwin A. refused to meet and speak.
Quote from SLIP: "I ask Milagros if she even knows about the photo and, of course, she remembers to my astonishment - the exact date it was taken: "It was on April 4, 2014, when we were swimming in the Chiriquicito River." "You remember that exactly?" "Something bad happened that day. [..] A friend of mine died that day: Osman Valenzuela. He drowned that afternoon, in the Chiriquicito River, where the photo was taken." "Is Osman in the photo?" Milagros looks at the picture. "No, he's not," she says. Then she points her finger at all the people in the photo in turn. "This one is Murdog. Next to him is Jorge." She points to the dark-haired girl that so many people think is Lisanne. "That's me. And next to it, that's my friend Sandra." I'm surprised at how quickly, easily, and precisely you can get information." Annette then continues: "Only later do I realize that tens of thousands of people think something else, namely the wrong thing, about this very photo and how much damage it has caused. At the same time, I am happy and relieved that Lisanne and Kris are not supposed to be in the picture. I feel a bit silly now, but I ask anyway if the missing Dutch girls were there that day - just to be sure." "Nonsense," says Milagros, who is already looking after her children again, as if this is a minor matter. Immediately afterward, she hurries back into the house."
Well I feel silly too.. On Annette's behalf. For believing this nonsense without any reservation. But Annette knows enough: "The swimming photo was not taken on April 1, 2014, so it has nothing to do with Lisanne and Kris. And most importantly: they are not in the photo at all. [..] I'm entirely convinced I'm on the right track." - I wonder if she inspected that swimming photo and a picture of what Sandra "XiXi" C. and Milagros looked like at the time? Because I have and I can't believe that the authors just accepted that statement. The below photo of the two ladies was taken on August 14th of 2014. 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. Same for Sandra C. and Kris. In my opinion, these are 99% certain not the same women. Different skin colour, different hair colour, different body types, very different facial features. In fact, when Annette talks to Sandra C., she herself also initially cannot believe it is her who is pictured. Notice how it is ANNETTE who has to inform and “remind” Sandra C. when she interviews her that she is looking at herself in that photo :D Quote: "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." - Well, neither can anybody else. The only similarity I can find, is the V-sign made by both women. And did Sandra also not remember dyeing her hair orange at the time? Probably not.
Well I feel silly too.. On Annette's behalf. For believing this nonsense without any reservation. But Annette knows enough: "The swimming photo was not taken on April 1, 2014, so it has nothing to do with Lisanne and Kris. And most importantly: they are not in the photo at all. [..] I'm entirely convinced I'm on the right track." - I wonder if she inspected that swimming photo and a picture of what Sandra "XiXi" C. and Milagros looked like at the time? Because I have and I can't believe that the authors just accepted that statement. The below photo of the two ladies was taken on August 14th of 2014. 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. Same for Sandra C. and Kris. In my opinion, these are 99% certain not the same women. Different skin colour, different hair colour, different body types, very different facial features. In fact, when Annette talks to Sandra C., she herself also initially cannot believe it is her who is pictured. Notice how it is ANNETTE who has to inform and “remind” Sandra C. when she interviews her that she is looking at herself in that photo :D Quote: "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." - Well, neither can anybody else. The only similarity I can find, is the V-sign made by both women. And did Sandra also not remember dyeing her hair orange at the time? Probably not.
And the rest of what Sandra says does not necessarily ring trustworthy either. Quote: "At first, she answers me in monosyllables: "No sé nada." I don't know anything. But I don't give up and try again. But then she agrees to meet up suddenly. "Sandra approaches me as if we were friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. I am pleasantly surprised, as I was expecting something suspicious after her brief Facebook message. [..] When, after a while, I start talking about April 4, 2014, she talks in fragments. Back then, at 16, she was the youngest in the group. But she remembers the most important thing: The photo was taken on a carefree afternoon at Chiriquicito, where the friends went swimming. Children were also there. Osman went behind a rock because he needed to relieve himself there and did not return. When darkness falled (sic), they gave up the search for him and called the police. Sandra knows nothing about a quarrel within the clique that is said to have cost Osman his life. And Lisanne and Kris? She looks at me blankly - the idea that the two Dutch girls could have been involved is so far-fetched. "None of us have ever met them," she says, "or even seen them." So, of course, they are not in the photo either. She recognizes the others, the same as Milagros and Henry." "Unfortunately, she can't remember who took the photo either."
PARANORMAL ACTIVITYBut it gets more wild. Quote: "But," says Sandra, 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 other pictures from the afternoon. "Similar to ghosts, something paranormal," she says. "Our people with blurred faces and unrecognizable." In my mind, I dismiss the 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. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find the other photos from April 4, 2014 (Scarlet: how convenient...). What is behind these claims? It's a specific peculiarity in the Lisanne and Kris case. No sooner has one secret been revealed than another pops up." - So that is also a scientifically acceptable way for Hardinghaus and Nenner seemingly to explain away this swimming photo identity dilemma. Even if the women look absolutely nothing alike, we can always resort to paranormal events that very afternoon to make it all fit together. I can't with this.. And also not unimportant: all the other swimming photos are gone, we are told. The Pandilla members all say the same thing: there was a series of photos taken that day with Osman. Alle came out 'spooky' and strange, sure thing. But despite their dear friend Osman DYING that exact day, somehow everybody deleted or 'lost' all of the other photos. None saved anywhere? No. Only this one swimming photo survived. And was leaked by someone. Made it to the two Canadians for mysterious reasons, then to Juan. All evidence of this supposed haunted photo series is... just not there. Annette seems not alarmed or surprised by this however. Shit happens, right?
And 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 🤣 Quote: "Alba looks at the swimming photo, repeating the names I've already heard. Only one is different, so I can hardly believe my ears: "And to the bottom left of Milagros is Osman," she says." - So this is another bombshell 'breakthrough' apparently. Milagros and Osman are arm in arm standing deeper in the water. To her credit, Annette also scratches her head initially. But then she quickly comes to the Pandilla's defence again by stating that "the photo is so distorted and blurred that you can interpret anything and everything in it." - Right.... Annette Nenner: "The reddish glow that is supposed to show Kris's hair could well be a reflection of the rocks in the background. And Alba is convinced: "That's Osman for sure. I know that because we all talked about his distorted face later." - The Pandilla seem to have discussed this visit of Annette beforehand, because group friend Xinia P. (Milagros' cousin, we found out) also says that the figure with seemingly red hair is in fact Osman Valenzuela. Quote: "There were these strange phenomena on all of them, Osman's face was always altered, strangely twisted or even completely unrecognizable. That's why they talked about it for a long time among friends." - And then Jorge G. (who just happens to walk past when Annette is interviewing Xinia) is also confirming that he is the one with the black cap on, and that in the water are Milagros and Osman: "Murdog is standing next to me, and Milagros and Osman are arm in arm deeper in the water." How anyone can see Osman in the figure of Kris is beyond me. But Annette is already sold on it: "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... And the dude on the left is now suddenly supposedly pictured on the right of the photo, with a red glow, but not from red hair, but from the colours of the rocks reflecting... And if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you..
SO
I believe that the comparison I made of the two female faces in the swimming photo with the known pictures of Kris and Lisanne, shows that these are the same women. The features look very similar and in any case FAR more similar to Kris and Lisanne than to Osman, Milagros or Sandra. Perhaps the swimming photo is a red herring in the end. There is no evidence that Kris and Lisanne ever were at that swimming location, after all. They made no photos there and did not mention it in either of their diaries or to other people. There is also no indication in the phone logs that they went to this location. But several witnesses did claim to police to have seen Kris and Lisanne at the Caldera on Monday. Which was reported in the media and police did go there to look for them subsequently. And when people claim this photo to be fake, they seem to skirt past the necessary follow-up questions, such as:
I believe that the comparison I made of the two female faces in the swimming photo with the known pictures of Kris and Lisanne, shows that these are the same women. The features look very similar and in any case FAR more similar to Kris and Lisanne than to Osman, Milagros or Sandra. Perhaps the swimming photo is a red herring in the end. There is no evidence that Kris and Lisanne ever were at that swimming location, after all. They made no photos there and did not mention it in either of their diaries or to other people. There is also no indication in the phone logs that they went to this location. But several witnesses did claim to police to have seen Kris and Lisanne at the Caldera on Monday. Which was reported in the media and police did go there to look for them subsequently. And when people claim this photo to be fake, they seem to skirt past the necessary follow-up questions, such as:
*Who created that fake photo then?
*Why?
*When?
*Why was it leaked?
*Why was it the only one which survives reportedly from this 'series' of photos taken that day by the Pandilla?
For some reason nobody seems interested in these questions either. But there is no easy dismissal of the swimming photo in my book. I don't mind how many people tell me it aren't Kris and Lisanne, or how someone (who?) made a photoshop. Now the Pandilla deny it is a photoshop and say it is a real photo. I may only ever change my mind when a reliable photo of those doppelgangers of them (active in and around Boquete in early April of 2014) are presented. But so far, nobody has come up with them. Least of all Annette. And as Dave M put it: "This author has 'identified' this photo and its people thanks to one of those gang members she apparently interviews... That is hardly the sort of evidence I would trust enough to close the matter altogether. After all, if that image did show Kris and Lisanne, these men are not going to admit to that in case it further drags them into public interest. All they want out of this, is to paint themselves out of this altogether - something I can't believe this author wouldn't be aware of. Surely?"
For some reason nobody seems interested in these questions either. But there is no easy dismissal of the swimming photo in my book. I don't mind how many people tell me it aren't Kris and Lisanne, or how someone (who?) made a photoshop. Now the Pandilla deny it is a photoshop and say it is a real photo. I may only ever change my mind when a reliable photo of those doppelgangers of them (active in and around Boquete in early April of 2014) are presented. But so far, nobody has come up with them. Least of all Annette. And as Dave M put it: "This author has 'identified' this photo and its people thanks to one of those gang members she apparently interviews... That is hardly the sort of evidence I would trust enough to close the matter altogether. After all, if that image did show Kris and Lisanne, these men are not going to admit to that in case it further drags them into public interest. All they want out of this, is to paint themselves out of this altogether - something I can't believe this author wouldn't be aware of. Surely?"
It seems to never come up as a notion to Annette that the group, after 10 years of international attention over this case, could have agreed upon the same lame story? And then we haven't even covered the statements from a reluctant Henry G., aka 'Tito' yet. SLIP states: "Feliciano took a long time to persuade him because first he didn't want to talk to me." Unfortunately, we don't hear what exactly persuaded Henry to talk after all. Wouldn't it have been nice to eavesdrop on that conversation between dad and son. But he does and Annette portrays him as a victim. Like with his stepdad, the SLIP authors seem to glide entirely past whatever reasons there may actually be for some suspicion. Not least because of their own actions and statements. But for unexplained reasons, these people are left completely off the hook. Annette gives Henry the same glossy, flowery treatment as his dad: "Henry makes direct eye contact, not like other people, where you get the feeling that they never really look at you. His gaze shows curiosity without radiating suspicion. He seems attentive and friendly, but also slightly nervous. This is exactly what makes him likable and approachable to me because his tall, strong stature alone can be quite intimidating. On the way into the house, we make small talk, but pleasantly. It's easy to make a connection with him because of his open nature, just like his father." Pass me a bucket. Feliciano is Henry's stepfather also. (In LITJ for instance, on page 43, Henry is described as "Feliciano's stepson" and Nina von Rönne got to know the family and wrote that Henry is his adopted son through his marriage to Henry's mother, Angelica). More on point, Henry denies everything. "He hasn't been to any parties or on any hikes with Lisanne and Kris. He hasn't even met them." He has never seen or talked to the Dutch girls, and Osman was not murdered (as police believe) but simply "retreated behind a rock that day to do his business and never came back. They had all looked for him in vain." Nothing to see here people, Annette tells us so. Next!
LOW BLOW
Alba also recalled to Annette meeting Jeremy Kryt's colleague Mariana Atencio, at the time when they were there recording their podcast. And Annette writes down what Alba said about Mariana: "Alba pantomimes how Mariana adjusts certain parts of her body before calling Henry. At the time, she pursed her lips, wiggled her upper body, and stuck her cell phone in front of her for a selfie - this is how she tried to entice Henry to come to the bar." - This segment is poor form I think. This 'anecdote' is added to ridicule Mariana based on the way she looks and behaves. It is one thing for the authors to aim arrows at Mariana and Kryt's professional work. But to mock her appearance and mannerisms and to write it down through the convenient words of this Alba, just does not come across as fair. Annette is a woman herself and for all we know, locals were mimicking her and the way she smooched up to Feliciano after she left. So that was not a nice segment from the authors.
Alba also recalled to Annette meeting Jeremy Kryt's colleague Mariana Atencio, at the time when they were there recording their podcast. And Annette writes down what Alba said about Mariana: "Alba pantomimes how Mariana adjusts certain parts of her body before calling Henry. At the time, she pursed her lips, wiggled her upper body, and stuck her cell phone in front of her for a selfie - this is how she tried to entice Henry to come to the bar." - This segment is poor form I think. This 'anecdote' is added to ridicule Mariana based on the way she looks and behaves. It is one thing for the authors to aim arrows at Mariana and Kryt's professional work. But to mock her appearance and mannerisms and to write it down through the convenient words of this Alba, just does not come across as fair. Annette is a woman herself and for all we know, locals were mimicking her and the way she smooched up to Feliciano after she left. So that was not a nice segment from the authors.
So anyway, needless to say these type of chapters got Power-Pixie, Dave and myself scratching our heads. The book authors seem completely content with the Pandilla explanations, no matter how illogical and sketchy they sound. They don't ask critical questions, despite going hard on other authors. Instead they write about how everybody else out there simply 'thinks 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). This chapter really was quite weak I thought. Making you question if the authors truly believe this coordinated talk of the group, with a dosh of supernatural explanation. Or if they simply WANT to believe them? Given they have been the only ones so far who could arrange a talk with them about this case. I'm not saying that this part of the investigation is entirely sub-par, but it provides certainly not enough facts to "debunk" the swimming photo theory in our view. I do think the authors did a good job otherwise. Just, their handling of the Pandilla, the swimming photo and the tour guide leaves something to be desired. This was done after the shockwave causing podcast series of Jeremy Kryt, after all. So the thought that the German authors are used here by the group to strike back, for lack of a better word, does creep up. The authors express a lot of criticism when it comes to Jeremy Kryt and his podcast made with Mariana Atencio. But what's the difference between Kryt talking to people from Boquete and publishing the information they gathered about the Pandilla, and the German authors now talking with the Pandilla members and sharing their potentially biased version of events with the world, claiming it to be the Truth? Why does one set of subjective witness statements trump another set?
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One of the major differences between the German authors, the Dutch duo versus Jeremy Kryt, is that in all of Kryt's coverage since he began investigating the Kris and Lisanne disappearance case, Jeremy has never criticized or ridiculed his peers. No matter how foolish or idiotic their theories or poorly researched their material may have seemed to be, Jeremy remained professional throughout and focused on details of the case. He obtained the case files and decided to test these theories and various assumptions and rumors that also filled the case files. And Kryt showed often that he is critical of his own work, and tries to come up with counter arguments for his own theories. Underlining that he ultimately also isn't certain what exactly happened. He even did a public 180 in his Daily Beast articles, which to me signals sincerity, if anything. I do want to think that the German authors have simply a strong conviction about the guide and the Pandilla, and that's all that's behind this. But the sort of subjective emotional intuition that Annette showcases does not necessarily reflect well on paper just because. Hard evidence and logic would have, but unfortunate we are not presented with either here. The authors in the end attack almost everyone in this book.. except the Pandilla and the tour guide. As the book progresses, you get the sense that they are pissed off with literally everybody else. Annette writes a most scathing section about Martin Ferrara. They are negative about Mark Heyer. They go full guns blazing when it comes to Betzaida Pittí, West/Snoeren and Plinio and Mister M on the Pianista trail. And Jeremy Kryt seems the devil incarnated at times, when reading SLIP. And the thing is: we for the life of us cannot explain why Feliciano and the Pandilla are getting the extreme preferential treatment here. The chapters in which the authors work out their own foul play theories (the red truck, Mister M. on the Pianista) are the most valuable of the book in our opinion. Bonus points go to the way in which Annette made an effort to write lyrically about the sounds and the smells and the people in Boquete. She really wants to show us readers that she has BEEN there and is a traveller and an observant and fair person.
I have now summarized the main chapters that stand out in this new book Still Lost in Panama. Below I will add a much longer review, sharing some of the discussions Power-Pixie, Dave and I had while going through the book chapters (for those who are interested in that sort of thing). We also compare some statements made in SLIP with those made in LITJ and by some other people who published about this case. It may sound at some point as if all we do is grump at things. So I like to stress here once more that aside from our bewilderment about the treatment of people like Feliciano and Eileen, this book has truly helped this case move forward a bit. And it is fantastic to have been allowed a further peek into the details of these infamous case files that are doing the rounds in back quarters. And to find out even more about how underwhelming Pittí's investigation truly was, all things considered. It is just that our specific interest lies in the wobbly timeline and getting that one straightened out. Which is one thing in which SLIP is lacking.
Thanks for reading, Scarlet 😊
MY VIDEO COVERAGE OF THIS BOOK AND SUMMARIZED BOOK REVIEW
DETAILED COMMENTARY PER CHAPTER
"SUNDAY: Equipped with a map of Boquete and the surrounding area, the friends spend the rest of the Sunday exploring the town. Their route takes them to the Bistro Boquete for lunch, then to the Feria de las Flores y del Café flower fair, and the banks of the Rio Caldera. They arrive back at their accommodation at around 4:00 p.m. While Kris goes to her room and Miriam prepares dinner, Lisanne sits down with her host mother's children in the living room, watches TV with them, and tries to teach them some Dutch."
--POWER-PIXIE: What happened to Lisanne's diary entry here: "In the afternoon we also went to the school to check out some excursions, that's going to be fine." Yet in the paragraph above the authors mention that all of the tours were presented to them in the morning during the orientation talk. So what did they do just after their Bistro Lunch and before 4 PM when they returned to Miriam's? Did Eileen at least see them at the school then?
--SCARLET: Yeh this already does not seem complete (or correct). The diaries are the one piece of information which we can be 100% certain about. And given the very shaky and uncertain timelines for these last days of their lives, we need to have certainty about new details when they are presented to us, such as in this book and by these authors here. What makes them claim that Kris and Lisanne returned to Miriam around 4 PM already? And preparing dinner at 4 PM? In a Latin American country?
"At 5:30 p.m., neighbor Verónica S. watches the new guests leave the house. They probably go shopping at the supermarket to stock up on drinks and snacks. Lisanne also gets some medicine and throat lozenges for her cold."
--SCARLET: 'Probably'. Those timelines are incredibly important (at least they are for people like us). Guesses do not really help here.
"What the friends do after the rejection is not clearly documented."
--SCARLET: I had high hopes that the authors could further fill this Monday timeline in. But clearly nobody has any idea what they did on Monday afternoon. How bizarre. With all that available technology, this pivotal afternoon before the storm is still a mystery. As you know I lean towards that being a moment they may have gone for a Caldera swim and got acquainted with Henry, Edwin, Osman etc. Or perhaps they used Monday afternoon for a hike on Piedra de Lino. But we basically still are none the wiser about this mystery Monday afternoon after reading SLIP..
"What is clear is that they return to the language school in the late afternoon in search of answers. But assistant Eileen doesn't speak Spanish and doesn't know her way around"--POWER-PIXIE: From the LITJ book: "However, intern Eileen writes us in 2019 that the last time she saw Kris and Lisanne wasn't on April 1, but on March 31 at one o'clock." So we can at least confirm that Eileen did see them at 1 PM. However, LITJ contradicts itself doesn't it when it states: "After the disappointment at Aura, Kris and Lisanne, as expected, return to the language school, to find it closed. The two wait for a while, and finally they shove a note under the door of Marjolein's office and go to lunch." "At 6:30 pm, Marjolein, who just returned from David, finds the note from Kris and Lisanne under the door. She reads that around 1.00 pm nobody was at the language school. Marjolein doesn't understand any of this, because Eileen was supposed to be there until 5:00 pm." Who's making this stuff up? 🤷🏽♂️
--SCARLET: LITJ is full of contradictions and is non-transparent when it comes to their sources. Maybe they are correct, maybe not. SLIP now makes it clear that Eileen gave a police statement on April 7, 2014. And in that police statement, she declared to have last seen Kris and Lisanne on Tuesday afternoon, leaving the school at 1 PM? So was she lying then? Was she lying to Marja? Or to the Canadians? Is she lying now? Why is everybody lying ffs?
--DAVE: I can't keep track of Eileen's various statements anymore. I think we have to take Kris and Lisanne's word as accurate yes, but it is saying so much when about all we CAN trust is their word - as seen in their diaries etc.... Which is very telling when I think on it. While nearly every other witness and participant has had their statements and words undermined or walked back over the years, no one has ever tried to similarly discredit Lisanne or Kris' word and statements of that time. It makes you think these people are indeed trying to cover up and hide truths they don't want to become known.
--SCARLET: But in the same paragraph above they wrote: "But assistant Eileen doesn't speak Spanish and doesn't know her way around." So how could she effectively call Casa Esperanza? After all, we know from Lisanne's diary entries that someone like Maria Elena from Aura spoke Spanish (to them): "The only thing we hear is "no proxima semana". Good chance that the Casa Esperanza staff did not speak English either. So this leaves the question open why Marjolein left Eileen to her own device from Tuesday morning onward, and more importantly, why she delegated the important task of finding local replacement work for Kris and Lisanne to Eileen as well? Kris and Lisanne came especially to Boquete for this volunteer work. Hans Kremers has emphasized this in interviews. That was the goal of their Panama trip and the reason why they only chose to wind down for two weeks in Bocas. The remaining four weeks were dedicated to this volunteer work. Power-Pixie found out from the old websites of both 'Het Andere Reizen' and 'Spanish by the River', that Kris and Lisanne would have researched, booked and paid for a package deal. This was, more specifically, a six week package that included two weeks of Spanish language lessons with room and board at a hostel, and four weeks of volunteer work with a Homestay requirement. Hans told that Kris and Lisanne had booked and confirmed four weeks of volunteer work in Boquete. He did so in a Dutch TV interview back in May 1, 2014. Here (around minute 06:56) Hans confirmed that Kris and Lisanne had received an email confirmation from SbtR on Friday March 28th already. Most likely by Marjolein. So why did this volunteer work suddenly fall through? It does sound like Guarderia Aura let everyone down to be honest and that Marjolein and Eileen tried their best to get replacement work sorted. But was that really what happened? Or has Marjolein been making easy promises to Kris and Lisanne, when in fact she did not properly cement the volunteer work with Maria Elena from Aura...? And failed to communicate the uncertainty of her promises to Kris and Lisanne? Basically, bluffing? And it fell through in this case.
--DAVE: If anything was still uncertain at any point, Marjolein should have told Kris and Lisanne of this. She didn't. Not before they set out for Aura, and not before the strong rejection the two got from Aura when they turned up there. How come nobody communicated in time? Kris and Lisanne had been at Miriam's all Monday morning? No contact whatsoever made between them and Marjolein in that time? Phones not working? Why did Marjolein not call Aura on Monday to explain that the two were on their way and explain Maria Elena at least that Kris and Lisanne don't know they aren't wanted...? You have to ask whether Marjolein really has done her job at all here... the whole thing was an absolute disaster. For all concerned.
"In the evening, Kris and Lisanne sit in the living room with Miriam and her daughter Astrid. They don't talk much. Lisanne complains of breathing problems due to her cold and watches TV, while Kris reads a book."
--SCARLET: Love to know if this is rehashed info from newspaper articles? Or if Annette spoke with Miriam and had this reconfirmed? And if so, was Lisanne struggling from asthma? Or from a cold? Or from something even more minor? It is important to know, given that these girls did go up the Pianista the next day.
-"On the day of her disappearance, Miriam notices the girls at breakfast when she leaves the house at 6:45 a.m. At around 7:45 the same morning, Yaileth leaves for work – Kris and Lisanne are no longer at the table. However, she hears a rumbling from her room and therefore assumes that they are at home. It is not clear exactly when the two of them leave for language school that morning, but above all it is not clear when they will leave the school."
--POWER-PIXIE: Perhaps not a big deal here, but I thought I'd mention this. From a news report originally written sometime in mid May, updated in June of 2014: "On Tuesday, April 1, Mrs. Miriam, as she usually did, left her residence very early. However, like every day, she left them breakfast. When she returned she asked about them and her daughter told her that she had seen them leaving with very light clothing and
one of them was carrying a small bag, from there she did not realize if the girls returned or not." - No mention of Miriam seeing the two of them at breakfast here. It would have been a big deal if Miriam had seen them last, as she would have stated it for sure. So perhaps the news reporter misunderstood, misquoted, or Miriam never saw the two before she left.
--DAVE: It goes further than that Power-Pixie - this book states that the daughter then saw they weren't in the kitchen when she sets off, but that she heard sounds in their room and assumed they were in there. No mention of her seeing them leave, and dressed for a walk. Is this some miscommunication, are both versions correct perhaps? The thing is, this is a typical element to this book - a trend of presenting versions of past statements and sightings in a different way.
--SCARLET: "No mention of her seeing them leave, and dressed for a walk." That was said to have been around 13:15 PM. Not in the morning. Of course, with the New Timeline etc, it is ALL rather unlikely.
Part 1, The search at the Pianista (pages 24 - 34)
"Feliciano's green off-road vehicle turns the corner and stops with a jerk at the wooden fence of the language school. The punctual tour guide wants to pick up three young women this morning for a booked excursion to the Finca las Princesas strawberry farm."
--SCARLET: Here they start with the compliments and positive descriptions of Feliciano. Which will continue throughout the book. Missing from the book however are the many police-, media and newspaper testimonies and (contradicting) statements which Feliciano himself made over time. (I wrote out a lot of it in this blogpost of mine). For instance: why are there various different location claims for this Wednesday tour? SLIP states that a strawberry farm tour was booked. But LITJ states: "Together with Eileen, they agree on going on an excursion the next day: the coffee tour." Eileen has also said that she booked a coffee tour for Wednesday. But Feliciano himself has declared in a Dutch interview that he was supposed to take Kris and Lisanne on a volcano tour on Wednesday morning... This same Baru is mentioned in the Dutch Break Free documentary, in which Feliciano featured: "For the climbing of the volcano Baru, which is known to be a serious climb, local guide Feliciano is recommended to the girls. They make an appointment with him to climb the volcano, two days later. But because the girls don't show up on their appointment two days later, the guide decides to look for them at their host families address." Meanwhile Ingrid Lommers told police right at the time of the disappearance that the girls' scheduled trip with this guide on Wednesday was to "a ranch in Alto Quiel". And Jeremy Kryt declared that after having access to the police reports of this case, he could confirm that guide Feliciano offered the girls a tour with an overnight stay in his finca near Alto Romero. - I understand that there was confusion at the time about a lot of things, but it is a little bit disappointing that the SLIP authors don't even mention these inconsistencies. Let alone try to explain them.
"While Eileen is there on time, Kris and Lisanne are late. The guide looks at his watch in amazement - 15 minutes late. Where are the girls? Increasing concern turns into worry as more minutes pass with no sign of his customers. Feliciano and Eileen set off at short notice, hurrying down the gravel road to Miriam's house to see if the girls might have overslept."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why the concern and worry? Tourists have often been non-punctual and late or no-shows for various reasons - like being too tired from the previous day/night, change of plans in the morning etc. Not one story I've heard of a guide getting worried and hurrying to look for the tourists in their bedroom. Yet the guide's concern turns into worry, "hurrying down the gravel to Miriam's house to see if they have overslept"? Is he worried he won't get paid? Or worried for some other reason?
--DAVE: In principle he would be expecting $25 a head from this booking, easy money too, so... yeah!! Which is another reason why I have trouble believing it. That sort of money to hire a guide to take you to go pick strawberries? Whereon you pay the farmer a further fee for his time and strawberries? Madness. But in the meantime I'm off to this Pianista walk out in the unknown wild-lands beyond Boquete without a guide...
"The following events are described in countless confused retellings, which see the tourist guide as the murderer of Kris and Lisanne: Feliciano gains unauthorized access to the girls' room and stays there for at least half an hour to quietly eliminate clues that could reveal that he had taken them behind the Mirador and murdered them the day before. He then walks the Pianista Trail alone to cover his tracks here too."--SCARLET: This reads like exaggeration and dramatization in order to instantly catapult Feliciano into the victim (hero) role. "Feliciano gains unauthorized access to the girls' room and stays there for at least half an hour." Very interesting that the authors do not challenge or correct that half an hour timeframe... It has never been challenged, in fact. It must be true therefore, which is an awful long time to stay in there, if it is only to 'see if they are there or not'. Despite him being sure of that already before entering the room, as they did not respond to knocks and did not seem to be in. Surely a quick peek behind the door would have been enough to confirm this, and then it is up to the police to forensically go through that room. You'd think.
"In reality, however, the guide is never in Kris and Lisanne's room unaccompanied. [..] Accompanied by Eileen, he is soon able to enter the pink building and the girls' room. "
--POWER-PIXIE: Whose reality? Feliciano's or Eileen's?
--POWER-PIXIE: Whose reality? Feliciano's or Eileen's?
--SCARLET: But he IS there unaccompanied in a way. Because Eileen was there with him, but she was a young, unsure, German intern who had barely arrived in Boquete at that point, and who never spoke about anything they did in the room for those 30 minutes. But it is important to mention here - and this is not mentioned in SLIP - that the police flagged this “room searching” event by Feliciano as suspicious and potentially criminal. He should have left it to police or Sinaproc to enter that room, if he was so worried. Without even the owner of the house present, a peek around the bedroom door to ensure they weren't in their beds sleeping would have been more logical (although still a bit much for two tourists who didn't show up for a morning hike). To do so for two tourists who are half an hour late and who the guide never even met in his life (or who he just said Hola! to in another version of events, told by himself) is noteworthy, and the fact he did not leave it to police to go through that room IS strange. He and Eileen may have messed up a potential crime scene.
"After ringing the doorbell in vain for several minutes, he walks back to the school with the trainee and makes a few phone calls, as Eileen tells us, until he finds out Miriam's number through acquaintances. [..] Accompanied by Eileen, he is soon able to enter the pink building and the girls' room. They find it empty and are immediately struck by a queasy feeling at the sight of the made-up beds. Feliciano informs the owner of the house and tells her that it doesn't look like Kris and Lisanne spent last night in their room."
--POWER-PIXIE: They just rung the doorbell and waited in "vain" for several minutes, yet the guide cannot take a hint that the tourists may have gone elsewhere or stayed the night with friends? 'Ringing the doorbell in vain for several minutes': But from the LITJ book: "At the host family, there is no response to their knocks on the door. After half an hour they call Myriam who explains which window belongs to Kris and Lisanne's room. Eileen and Gonzalez walk around the house and knock at that window, but again there is no response. They call Myriam a second time, who tells them where the key is so that Eileen and Gonzalez can go inside." - Interesting details given by West and Snoeren, which the German authors seem to have ignored here. Door ringing versus knocks on doors; Feliciano calling Miriam directly, versus 'finding out her number through acquaintances'. 'Until he finds Miriam's number through acquaintances'? How come a school that advertises Miriam as a homestay host on their website, does not have Miriam's contact number? LITJ book: "Marjolein asks Eileen if she wants to call Aura that morning to confirm Kris and Lisanne's start that day at 1 pm. She tells Kris and Lisanne they will be contacted on Monday morning via their host parent to let them know if Aura agrees with the day and time set." According to West and Snoeren, how was Eileen going to contact Miriam to let them know about Aura if she did not have her number?
--SCARLET: So we have package deal partner Maria Elena who suddenly never heard of Spanish by the River or Ingrid. We have Feliciano who is the go-to guide for SbtR students and who is actively suggested to them by the school staff, but who needs to ask acquaintances for school-employed Miriam's number. And indeed, LITJ comes with a different detail: a few knocks on the door versus several whole minutes of ringing the doorbell. Is that a fact? Or just flowery literary liberty from Hardinghaus and Nenner?
--DAVE: Add to that that Kris and Lisanne note in their diaries that they arrive at the school from Bocas, and the school rings Miriam to come and collect them... Kris wrote in her diary on March 30th 2014: "We had to get out earlier than the other people on the bus, so that was a bit strange because we got off almost in the middle of nowhere. The school called the family where we would stay." It seems very likely Eileen would have been there when this happens, in theory at least. The snag is: this SLIP book also says that Miriam had changed her phone the day before. Apparently she gave the school her new number the day before (Monday).
--POWER-PIXIE: Whether Miriam gave the new number on Sunday does not matter, as much as the fact that somebody called her on Saturday to have them pick the girls up. With the new number, Eileen still has to look in the school's directory and make the call to Miriam about Aura on Monday.
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"Feliciano who only knows Miriam casually from the school's neighborhood and is not friends with her, as is wrongly portrayed in some podcasts, where she is accused of complicity - senses her concern on the phone."
--DAVE: He doesn't live in this neighbourhood, he visits the school semi-regularly yes, but this vague language implying that he has perhaps seen Miriam around the area doesn't make much sense. So if he has no idea who Kris and Lisanne are staying with, he has no idea where this house is really either. He is headed off to a strangers house, and then seeks entry into that house? This simply doesn't make sense. People do not behave like this.
--POWER-PIXIE: The authors are brandishing words that seem to justify Feliciano's presence at Miriam's home. So Feliciano does not know Miriam, doesn't live in the neighborhood, doesn't know who Kris and Lisanne are or what they look like, is ready to burst into the house and into their room to look for them. And what does "casually" mean here?
--DAVE: It means to say that he knows her by face. The wording the authors use is chosen to put across the impression that he just floats through, and doesn't have anything to do with the situation being covered... But as I say, how can he know her on this basis when she lives way down the block, behind the school, in an area he has no reason to go? It's rubbish. And I think at least one of them would know it's rubbish."With confidence in his responsibility, Miriam shows Feliciano the way to a hidden spare key in her garden. Accompanied by Eileen, he is soon able to enter the pink building and the girls' room. They find it empty and are immediately struck by a queasy feeling at the sight of the made-up beds. Feliciano informs the owner of the house and tells her that it doesn't look like Kris and Lisanne spent last night in their room."
--DAVE: Again, think on this - they are saying she (Miriam) doesn't know who this man is, and he gets ahold of her number, explains he is here for two guests who are either late or have declined to turn up, and with this other unknown (to Miriam) woman, he wants entry into her house so he can... what? Did these two authors not see how bizarre this scenario they describe is? 'They find it empty and are immediately struck by a queasy feeling at the sight of the made-up beds.' Why?! All this would tell them is that the two aren't here, they have presumably left and are either on their way to the school, or have an appointment elsewhere.
--SCARLET: Agreed. We know that SbtR worked with Feliciano as their preferred tour guide for their students. They worked with Miriam for (one of the) the homestays they offered in package deals. They promoted Aura as one of the volunteer school options they offered if students also followed English language courses with Spanish at Locations. Another package deal. Boquete is apparently small enough for people to just tell mere "acquaintances" where they hide their spare key and to go into the house unaccompanied. Then I think Boquete is also small enough for Feliciano to have known Miriam (also part of the SbtR package deal like he himself was, in a way) more personally. Hence, her being comfortable with letting him enter her locked house unaccompanied. The way SLIP portrays things feels slightly off here. But OK, he sees the room and the beds the way we have seen them in the police photos, we assume. I never understood this quote of his. If that is how Kris and Lisanne left their room behind when they went for their Pianista hike on Tuesday, then what makes Feliciano think that bedroom looks worrying or suspicious? Had they left their room in a similar way on Wednesday morning in order to simply get some shopping done, it would not have indicated anything worrying whatsoever. I found this a strange comment of his and it does make me wonder if he was foreshadowing something he knew about perhaps.
"According to Feliciano, Eileen had initially casually told him that she could imagine that Kris and Lisanne had walked the Pianista Trail. As she had lived in Holland for a while and studied tourism there, she could understand Dutch. So the previous morning she had heard the girls talking about the trail and searching for information about it on the school computer."--POWER-PIXIE: Also "according to Feliciano" in May 2014: "I still remember very well, I saw the girls for the last time. One was lying in a hammock, the other was standing by a map of the Spanish school, looking where they could go. HOLA, I yelled at them. This was right before they disappeared". But this is not mentioned in this book. One of the only persons with the case files who actually quoted this statement, was Jeremy Kryt. He showed everyone that it were Feliciano’s words, not his, that were in the first police report on April 2. The Dutch authors dodged this police report, as did ImperfectPlan, claiming to protect their source for the files. And now there are the SLIP authors who completely dodged this report. It was not Eileen, but Feliciano who gave this information, in a lengthy deposition - the same deposition that the media probably also got a hold off, or that Feliciano continued to inform the press whenever he was interviewed. The SLIP authors, along with IP, ignoring this lengthy deposition and the omission by the Dutch authors, either by design or poor research/investigation, is at best a feeble attempt to erase/ignore history in this disappearance case.
--POWER-PIXIE: Irrespective of what this book or future books try to disguise the April 1 morning as, I believe all of the guide’s statements to the police should be made public, since everything he has said about the April 1 morning should be carefully scrutinized as he is giving the police a formal statement, placing himself in those “morning hours” at the Spanish School with Kris and Lisanne. If he claims (or if those defending him claim) he wasn’t there and did not meet them and say hello to Lisanne and Kris that morning, then he lied to the police and to the media since April 2. This would make me wonder what else he has lied about to the parents, to Lisanne’s brother and to the authorities since the disappearance? The only person now is Jeremy Kryt who can quote the statement Feliciano gave in the police report on April 2. If this does not exist or if Jeremy made this up, then the authors will only continue to repeat Feliciano's absence. We have the media reports and what Feliciano stated early on. This cannot be erased from history and should be constantly held up as the link to this guide for April 1, irrespective of what the book or the authors try to disguise this morning as.
--POWER-PIXIE: Irrespective of what this book or future books try to disguise the April 1 morning as, I believe all of the guide’s statements to the police should be made public, since everything he has said about the April 1 morning should be carefully scrutinized as he is giving the police a formal statement, placing himself in those “morning hours” at the Spanish School with Kris and Lisanne. If he claims (or if those defending him claim) he wasn’t there and did not meet them and say hello to Lisanne and Kris that morning, then he lied to the police and to the media since April 2. This would make me wonder what else he has lied about to the parents, to Lisanne’s brother and to the authorities since the disappearance? The only person now is Jeremy Kryt who can quote the statement Feliciano gave in the police report on April 2. If this does not exist or if Jeremy made this up, then the authors will only continue to repeat Feliciano's absence. We have the media reports and what Feliciano stated early on. This cannot be erased from history and should be constantly held up as the link to this guide for April 1, irrespective of what the book or the authors try to disguise this morning as.
"As they have no choice but to wait and see, Feliciano and Eileen decide to make the trip to the strawberry farm in pairs. Once there, they ask around to see if Kris and Lisanne might have gone there on their own, but neither the farm owner nor the park rangers have seen or heard anything.[7] While Feliciano goes to other appointments later, Eileen waits alone at the school."
--SCARLET: According to Feliciano himself there are at least two other versions of events though. It is disappointing that the authors completely ignore this, because the reality of all these changing statements of Feliciano is that it only adds to the confusion. In a local interview with La Prensa for instance, Feliciano said: “So as not to alarm anyone” Eileen and he "separated" and did not get back in touch until 17:00 PM, thinking that perhaps the Dutch were walking around town. For the Volkskrant article 'A Fatal Hike', Feliciano was also questioned about this, and to them he said that during the afternoon, Eileen in fact went with guide Feliciano to his private coffee ranch. So that adds up to already three different versions of events. Why don't Hardinghaus and Nenner highlight this issue? Instead of insinuating that everyone is just baselessly mean to this man for asking these things aloud?
--SCARLET: Also interesting to add is that among all the 49 reviews for his Feliciano tours over the years, there is not a single one about visiting a strawberry farm with Feliciano.. All reviews are about the guide taking his clients to the Pianista trial, a coffee tour at his house, Baru, Quetzal trail and the Caldera hot springs. One person mentioned a trip to a waterfall (Sander030, 26 augustus 2015). And Ilse N. wrote On 15 June 2014: "He was the first guide in Boquete, even before all the tour operations were there, so he knows the area very well. He does a wide variety of tours (hiking, vulcano, birdwatching, horseback riding, hot springs, coffee tour, etc.)" No mention of a strawberry tour. Feliciano's go to day tour is a a few hours of hiking, followed by a visit to his house, where he shows his clients the coffee making process, has them make their own coffee and gives it to them afterwards with homegrown fruit. It remains a bit of a mystery to us why Kris and Lisanne would not have been willing to pay the guide for a Pianista hike or a coffee tour, but instead must have specifically asked for a local strawberry tour? Something he was not in the habit of offering.
-DAVE: Eileen told the Canadians on whatsapp: "I met with Feliciano and we were supposed to go for a hike with the girls." A Hike. Am I being too picky? A hike is very different to a Strawberry farm, or any 'Farm'. A farm tour to me is a field somewhere, looking at its produce, so when she says 'a hike' it's as if she doesn't remember even booking it with Feliciano...
--SCARLET: Well spotted. 'A hike' does not really translate well to a visit to a strawberry farm.
"Around 5:00 p.m., she decides to call Lisanne's parents. She finds the Dutch numbers in the girls' files. At midnight Central European Time, she reaches mother Dinie, and informs her that her daughter and her friend hadn't come home the previous night."
--POWER-PIXIE: If they had a list of telephone numbers, how come Eileen did not have Lisanne's or Kris's telephone number? Why didn't Eileen take down the phone number from Miriam since the two were staying with her? Peter Froon said: “From Wednesday to Thursday at night. We had just gone to bed. And we received a telephone call from Panama. From a certain Eileen. But she had the intention to call Lisanne. But she accidentally called to us. And then she said the girls did not return to their host family. We found it to be strange. Perhaps they had gone out for a night out or something.” “Because that Eileen… How come she called your number?” (Host; very good questions this guy asks) “Well we never really found that out, because…” (Peter, looks at Diny) “I think she had a list with telephone numbers.. And ours was on it too.. Home number.” (Diny)
"After the witness interviews at the school, SINAPROC puts together a search party of ten men to search the Pianista Trail under Feliciano's leadership as a local expert. [..] All five of the residents Feliciano interviews tell him that they had seen two girls walking up the trail past their houses two days earlier, but they hadn't seen them return."--POWER-PIXIE: How does Feliciano know on April 3 what Kris and Lisanne even look like in person? Wasn’t one of their passports missing? Did he receive the photos of them from parents or the Spanish school on April 3? And with regards to those witnesses: we’ve heard the Losters claim that none of the witnesses could be reliable and even Pitti - along with the Dutch authors - dismissed all the witnesses, since none of them could describe what Kris and Lisanne looked like. I understand this, as some of these residents/witnesses were Martina, her sister, Olivia De Kam, her husband and others, who could not even remember what Kris and Lisanne wore. Even more surprising was that NONE OF THEM described Kris, with her striking red hair and red and white striped top, or the 6 foot Lisanne? Yet, this was Feliciano conducting interviews on April 3 mind you, not days, weeks, months, or years later. So for all the witnesses to not even remember two female, foreign, white tourists, one 6 foot tall, while the other a redhead, is strange. But Feliciano is relying on this information heavily, or so we are told.
--POWER-PIXIE: And more importantly: these were residents along the trail. But how did Feliciano deduce from all of these interviews with residents who do not live on the Mirador or past it, that it was Kris and Lisanne first and foremost, and that they actually even reached the Mirador? Or that they even went past the Mirador, if even the most experienced SINAPROC member, or those rescue dogs, could not find a single trace of Kris and Lisanne anywhere on the Pianista trail? Unless one had the foreknowledge by looking at the camera and the daytime hiking photos, would one know for sure they made it to the top, and then went past the Mirador to the other side? Nobody knew where they went, and as Eileen mentioned to the LITJ authors, “In those first days after April 1, no one mentions an intended hike to the top of the Pianista Trail, except for Feliciano Gonzalez, who claims to have heard about it from Eileen. But in the spring of 2020, Eileen denies ever having said that to Gonzalez. She had no idea where the women had gone and, in those first few days after their disappearance, repeatedly insisted that the search history of the computers at the language school should be looked into.” So why does Eileen deny this, if Feliciano is not lying about who knew about the whereabouts of Kris and Lisanne? On April 2, neither Eileen nor Feliciano claimed they knew where Kris and Lisanne had gone off to, otherwise the Pianista trail would have been mentioned in the police report for April 2 evening and searched right away by Feliciano, or the police would have raised the alarm. Instead we read that Eileen only insisted that the search history of the computers be checked - so she didn’t actually bother to check it herself on April 2 and inform Feliciano and the police that evening either? Yet on April 3, Feliciano somehow knows from interviews with the residents that it WAS Kris and Lisanne who went up to the Mirador, and then past the Mirador? And is searching on his own?
--POWER-PIXIE: LITJ book: "Eileen admits that her memories of that time are no longer clear. It was a very intense period that still affects her life. With the departure of Marjolein she was pushed into the role of location manager, while she barely spoke Spanish, and on the second day was confronted with a missing persons case. However, she is very adamant about something else: she never told anyone that Kris and Lisanne were going to walk the Pianista Trail." "And Marjolein Joosen writes us that she knew nothing of an intended hike to the Pianista." Seems like Eileen's and Marjolein's memory suddenly became very clear for the SLIP book. The only way we can be sure of what was said, is for those with the case files to publish all of the depositions from Eileen and Feliciano, and then that letter from Marjolein.
--DAVE: I occasionally check myself on whether I am being too hard on Eileen, but the fact that she seems to have ran away that week, when the two women she was friends(?) with were still unaccounted for, is hard for me to accept. And she has been running away ever since. Avoiding interviews, avoiding the subject, and on the rare occasions she does speak she only answers certain questions, and in a roundabout way... Contradicting her earlier statements. The explanation for how Feliciano could be so confident the Pianista was the key, has wandered from "the computers" to "Eileen overheard them talking about it" to "saw them looking at maps". That morning at the school, Kris and Lisanne learn there is no placement for them, decide on a hike, and allegedly book a tour to a Strawberry/Coffee farm/Baru/Finca for early next morning... Eileen apparently was involved in this tour, despite someone needed to open and man the SbtR school office that morning? None of it quite convinces. And now Feliciano has deleted himself from ever being there at the school, despite having admitted as much himself in an interview.
--POWER-PIXIE: We don't know how Feliciano knew about Kris and Lisanne hiking the trail to begin with, based on all the written claims by Eileen and Marjolein not knowing or mentioning the Pianista trail. What Feliciano actually searched remains a mystery to me, as there is no way for me to know. He simply went out on his own and searched. This guide has been the only official guide at the time in Boquete, who according to his own words had an interaction with the two on April 1. Nobody knew where Kris and Lisanne were or went to in those first three days and nights, yet this fellow is here now searching this path. Fair enough, as a guide instincts and experience may inform him that he needs to check to be sure. However, given that he is the only guide Kris and Lisanne were informed of also makes me suspicious of his persistence to enter
their room, go through their belongings, and then search the trail all on his own hunch. Then immediately knows that they were not sleeping in their beds, and that they were nowhere on the Pianista trail. Plus conducting his own interviews on the Pianista to find out what those witnesses on the trail actually knew?
--SCARLET: PP: 'We don't know how Feliciano knew about Kris and Lisanne hiking the trail to begin with'. Again various people have created smoke and mirrors with an important case detail. Like they did with whether or not Feliciano ever met Kris and Lisanne in person. And like they did with the question what sort of tour was booked with Feliciano. Or when it comes to Eileen's recollections about when she last saw Kris and Lisanne. So many different claims and statements. And the trouble is: once people throw in enough conflicting recollections, they can get away with a lot, given that nobody knows left from right anymore in the end, or right from wrong. Some would cynically call this a deflection method. The least authors can do, is to call this out for what it is. Instead of picking just one of those many conflicting claims and presenting it as the truth. Just because.. they chose it to be so.
"At this point, the leader of the SINAPROC expedition suddenly receives a phone call. With a serious face, he then informs his men that the search operation has been called off on higher orders. All the helpers have to return to Boquete immediately to set up a base there for the Dutch ambassador's visit the next morning. The men look at each other in bewilderment. What does this abrupt interruption mean? Are there indications that the missing persons should be sought elsewhere? Or are they simply trying to maintain diplomatic correctness? "Nobody understood," Feliciano tells us, but he immediately recognizes the seriousness of the situation and decides to search alone."
--POWER-PIXIE: Phone call? Did they use SAT phones? Where were they exactly when this phone call came in? And how convenient, just when the going was going to get good with SINAPROC, they’re called off. There aren't any references to the sources of this sudden phone call that diverted the SINAPROC group and discontinued their search. I would like to know who informed the authors about this phone call? Was it Feliciano who fed them all this information or if this in the case files? And of course they leave Feliciano to search alone. Search where exactly? No one knew where Kris and Lisanne had even gone that day, let alone that Kris and Lisanne made it to the Mirador and all the way to the other side. So how does Feliciano know where to look and look specifically on the Pianista trail?
"The false statement by authors West and Snoeren that the trail on the other side of the mountain is no longer called the Pianista Trail, but the Culebra Trail, has caused misunderstandings for years. The Culebra Trail, which is a completely separate trail in a different valley and does not cross the Mirador at all, begins just over four miles northwest of the start of the Pianista Trail in the Bajo Mono sector. From there, it winds its way to the coast of Bocas del Toro, over 24 miles away. [..] Which also led to the official SINAPROC search being misinterpreted"--POWER-PIXIE: This seems to be a major blunder by West and Snoeren. I wasn't sure why they kept referring to this trail, but assumed it was a typo they failed to bother to check. From the LITJ book: "The Pianista Trail turns into the Serpent trail on the other side of the Mirador, named after the Changuinola which, because of its meandering course, is also called the Serpent River. The Serpent trail is a notorious drug tracking trail, Philipps explains." Even though they do quote Philipps, they somehow misrepresent the entire trail? Another interesting detail here from the LITJ book that I failed to pick up on, is that the official Pate De Macho (not the hidden section) trail was also searched. "In this first week, the entire region is thoroughly combed out by a large number of search teams, led by Sinaproc and the specialists from David. The police report contains the composition of the teams and the search results. The list of search areas shows that they had been on the Camino de Culebra before April 7, the path that lines up with the Pianista on the other side of the Mirador. They likewise searched the Pianista itself, the Pata de Macho, Caldera, the Tres Cascadas Escondidas (Three Hidden Waterfalls), the Boquete Tree Trek, La Piedra de Lino, the Sendero los Quetzales, the Barú Volcano and several other locations in and around Boquete."
"As Feliciano finds nothing unusual in the hut on the paddocks either and the day is drawing to a close, he decides to make his way back to Boquete. After being questioned by private investigator Martin F. on April 5, Ricardo M., an indigenous resident of the Pianista Trail on the Boquete side, shares his assessment that no strangers have been here recently. On April 1, he is on a tour to his family's property in the village of Norteño, which is located almost 7.5 miles beyond Alto Romero toward the coast of Bocas del Toro.[11 On April 2, according to him, he hiked the trail back toward Boquete between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Ricardo had not heard or seen anything unusual that would have indicated that tourists had recently been on the trail, neither fresh footprints nor any cries for help. With the testimony of a tourist guide and an indigenous man, both of whom know the terrain perfectly well, the authorities have two strong judgments that Kris and Lisanne did not hike on the other side of the Mirador."
--POWER-PIXIE: Two strong judgments from two experienced people that neither women hiked the trail past the Mirador, yet we and Feliciano know that Kris and Lisanne had gone past the Mirador. While the rest of the world, and supposedly Feliciano, had no idea of where Kris and Lisanne had gone on April 1. Wouldn't the expert guide who could identify shoe prints of Kris and Lisanne, not notice their shoe prints from the start of the Pianista trailhead all the way to the Mirador and down the Serpent trail till River 1? Since the women DID hike up to River 1 at least. Yet he finds not a single trace of the two foreigners' shoe print anywhere on this trail. Did it rain since April 1? I don't think so....
--SCARLET: Yes this is a bizarre construction and makes you at the very least wonder about.. Feliciano's foot print identification skills?
'Feliciano was indeed the only one looking for Kris and Lisanne behind the summit on April 3. But his intention was not to cover tracks. Yet all those who have been defaming Feliciano for ten years and have made him the first scapegoat of an internet tribunal are ignorant of the context."
-SCARLET: The first of many such comments by the authors.
"West and Snoeren have missed the opportunity to provide clarity here. Instead, they fuel these rumors once again by claiming in their book that Eileen told them in the summer of 2020 that she had no idea that Kris and Lisanne had been at Pianista. She therefore couldn't have told Feliciano about it. "That's not true," says Eileen when we ask her about it. "I heard them talking about it myself and I saw on the school computer that they were googling for information about the Pianista Trail on the day they disappeared. I told that to Feliciano, who was only able to inform the authorities about it that way."
--SCARLET: We already touched on this detail in our comments above. But like with Feliciano, the SLIP authors appear to be underplaying just how many different versions of events Eileen herself has given so far. They pick the version she gave thém and assume it to be the truthful one. For instance: Eileen told local Boquete resident and interviewer Lee Zeltzer as early as April 4, 2014 that Kris and Lisanne told "no one" where they were going. This man was a true Boquete gem and on the forefront of the investigation. Right there and then when everybody's memory was still fresh, so not ten years after the fact as with this book. Zeltzer: "I spoke with Eileen at Spanish by the River in Boquete who confirmed that the girls are missing. That they told no one where they were going but they think from brochures and the internet sites they were reading that they were heading toward the Quetzal trail or someplace in that region of the mountains. For those not familiar with the area that is a very remote mountainous area north of the pueblo." Quetzal trail? That is a different destination from what Eileen nowadays recalls. And they told no one anything? It is a bit of a stretch to turn that into overhearing them talking about their destination nowadays. And Feliciano almost immediately spoke to police about the Pianista trail as the location where Kris and Lisanne had to be searched (on Thursday April 3rd). He said Eileen told him that. But Eileen later denied to have known anything about the Pianista trail or about the girls having had plans to go there. She also denied that she herself went through their internet surf history on the school's computers. Police did, but they did so much later on. - So let's at least acknowledge this huge mess and - again - those smoke and mirrors. Not play the blame game with those who were told a different version of events.
--POWER-PIXIE: From the LITJ book: "In those first days after April 1, no one mentions an intended hike to the top of the Pianista Trail, except for Feliciano Gonzalez, who claims to have heard about it from Eileen. But in the spring of 2020, Eileen denies ever having said that to Gonzalez. She had no idea where the women had gone and, in those first few days after their disappearance, repeatedly insisted that the search history of the computers at the language school should be looked into." Why would West and Snoeren lie about what Eileen had told them in the spring of 2020? And why would Zeltzer also lie about what Eileen told him?
--DAVE: I'd forgotten the Lee Zeltzer comment! I am prepared to think they perhaps misunderstood what Eileen was saying in that e-mail, I can easily see that happening. But this Lee Zeltzer quote adds a new dimension to it.. I confess Jurgen/Marja's wording is very explicit. I'm sure they can retrieve that e-mail and if it really does say what they wrote, then that would punch a hole right through the credibility of Christian and Annette, as well as highlight just how unreliable Eileen probably is.
"The authors could have found the facts themselves in the files because Eileen's first testimony on April 3 refutes their claims. She unequivocally stated to SINAPROC at the time that she had the information from the browser history, which is itself attached to the file.[13]"--POWER-PIXIE: Why don't the authors publish this testimony from April 3 for all to see as well? Given all of Eileen's conflicting statements over time. And simply having browser history is not enough to make it hard evidence that the two women went there in the first place. They could have searched for other trails as well and could have been anywhere on those trails. Besides, didn't Eileen already inform the Canadians (not Juan!) that she never saw Kris and Lisanne on Tuesday April 1? Eileen: "Ya that’s not possible I can tell you… They did not leave the school at the first of April… It was the day before…" "They got lost on a Tuesday… I saw them last Monday… I just checked my old conversation here on fb."
--SCARLET: Even if the German authors had used this opportunity to confront Eileen in a stern manner about her varying claims, I am not so sure that we would ultimately get the truth in SLIP. Simply because there are so many conflicting statements made and it is all such a mess, that nobody can be sure anymore now what is truth and what is fiction.
--SCARLET: Even if the German authors had used this opportunity to confront Eileen in a stern manner about her varying claims, I am not so sure that we would ultimately get the truth in SLIP. Simply because there are so many conflicting statements made and it is all such a mess, that nobody can be sure anymore now what is truth and what is fiction.
--POWER-PIXIE: These are non-answers that Eileen gives, but why? What is she hiding? Does the SLIP book give us a clue as to why she has suddenly opened up to them but not to the Canadians and the LITJ authors?
--DAVE: I want to know - What, and I mean WHAT, makes Christian and Annette so utterly convinced that the files they have are the only 'bible' that matters? It seems they (or one of them) has used the files they have been given, and had translated to the best of their abilities, and compared them line for line against anything and everything Marja, Jurgen and Jeremy Kryt have referenced from 'their' own copy of the files... They don't stop to question whether there is a translation issue, they don't stop to ask whether Kryt/Jurgen might have extra pages of files that they do not have, they don't recall that Marja/Jurgen's files may have been more complete than their copies. Instead they blame absolutely anyone but themselves. They show no doubts or due consideration that it might be they themselves who are lacking. This book will date terribly because of all this. The bias is overpowering to wade through. And the utter lack of any curiosity or criticism for Feliciano or Eileen is shocking.
--SCARLET: Eileen said this later yes. She told West and Snoeren something else as well. You'd assume it being MORE likely that she told the truth or something reminiscent of the truth in her early April 7 police interview. But we can't even be sure of that.
--POWER-PIXIE: We can go round and round in circles about Eileen, but I think we literally must have a separate post for Eileen's statements and timelines. The only thing missing is her statements from this April 7 police interview. If she was interviewed that date, then her memory would have been fresh. So Christian/IP/M&J/Jeremy all would have seen this interview. Same for Feliciano by the way. Kryt's Podcast also details in episode 2 that Feliciano told police the following: “I saw them Tuesday, April 1st of this year. I saw them at the Spanish Language school that day in the morning hours. That was the only time I saw them. After that I didn’t see them.” He said that he never actually spoke with Kris and Lisanne. “No, just the hello from afar. That was all.”
--SCARLET: And in this interview from May 2014 with a Dutch newspaper he literally said: "I remember well that I saw the girls for the last time. One was laying in a hammock at the Spanish 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." Just to have that clear. But then he goes on in time and declares everywhere that he never met Kris and Lisanne.
--POWER-PIXIE: Think on what he has described to the police in that deposition. He saw one in the hammock and the other looking in front of a map of Panama. This map of Panama is on the wall of the Spanish school’s office. These are two distinct areas, one being outside the school’s office by the hostel, and the other inside the school’s office. Even though he tries to distance his interaction for these morning hours, he can’t help but describe vividly what he saw and who he saw that day. By the way, what time was this meeting again? I thought Kris and Lisanne were at the School by 9 AM? And later that day Feliciano says he got a phone call. It was from the Spanish Language school where he had briefly seen Kris and Lisanne earlier that day. One of the school employees called to make a last minute appointment for Kris and Lisanne to tour a local farm. “They called me to tell me that the two young women I had seen at the school, wanted to go to Mr. Filo’s farm in Alto Quiel. I didn’t have any commitments the next day, so I told her I’d pick them up at 8 in the morning at the school. That’s what we had agreed on.” - 'Two young women I had seen at the school''. Shouldn't these two German authors be questioning Eileen about her previous recollections and what she told Sinaproc, the police, the Canadians, Ingrid, Marjolein, Lee Zeltzer, Marja and Jurgen?
--DAVE: This timeline for that morning is such a stitched together mess. You have to wonder, if Kris and Lisanne have really agreed with Eileen to this farm tour the next morning, then they must have gotten along quite well. So they retreat from that, to the computers, and Eileen overhears snippets of what they talk about. Kris and Lisanne are supposedly at the school for around two and a half hours (!) and end up leaving, having agreed between themselves to head off to the Pianista trail. No good-bye to Eileen on their way out? No parting "See you tomorrow morning!", followed perhaps by "We're going to try out the Pianista"? None of that. It feels as if Eileen keeps her distance, comments once in awhile trying to get a version to 'stick', retreats again, and will comment again, modifying her previous comment, and seeing if this one will 'stick'.
"At a press conference on April 7, Panama's President Ricardo Martinelli personally assures the public that his country will do everything in its power to solve the case. He reveals to the astonished public that, according to witnesses, Kris and Lisanne had bought a large quantity of anti-mosquito spray on the day of their disappearance and that they were now carefully investigating whether they had been recorded on video cameras.[24] Nothing more will be heard publicly about this promising information at the time. [..] In the investigation files, we find reports of the SDIJ asking for surveillance cameras in the financial institutions of Boquete on April 10. While there are no images of Kris and Lisanne in the footage
from one bank, three others only have cameras on ATMs or in their interiors, which are not investigated. This is a huge mistake, as it later turns out that Kris and Lisanne were carrying a considerable amount of cash on the day they disappeared. When the investigators enter the fifth bank, they are received personally by the manager. He expressly forbids them to view the video recordings from the interior and exterior cameras of his branch. Such a measure would require the permission of the Director General of Multibank Panama. It's unclear from the court documents whether such a request has been made to the head office. It therefore remains unclear whether the bank has something to hide, as skeptics assume. The fact that it was the bank, of all places, in whose immediate vicinity there were three pharmacies at the time - one directly opposite, ten meters away raises many questions.[25] Could Kris and Lisanne have been caught on camera? And if so, what exactly did the videos record?"
--POWER-PIXIE: I'm glad the authors have the sense to call this out and report it. It would have been good to know which banks these were. It will give us a sense for their movements in the area.
--SCARLET: Yes this is good writing and not something which we have seen being mentioned in LITJ. Again Pittí seems to have made no effort to flex some muscles here. Same with the telecom company not being willing to pin the phones of Kris and Lisanne or anybody else walking that Pianista trail on April 1st
--POWER-PIXIE: It might be this one; the Multibank on Calle Central street. Across from it (East), crossing the road (Via Boquete) is Farmacia Revilla. A few meters north of this bank is Farmacia El Javillo. 3/4 of a block south is Farmacia Any. To the west of this Multibank sits Aura. A few meters south east of the bank is Sabroson #1.
--POWER-PIXIE: It might be this one; the Multibank on Calle Central street. Across from it (East), crossing the road (Via Boquete) is Farmacia Revilla. A few meters north of this bank is Farmacia El Javillo. 3/4 of a block south is Farmacia Any. To the west of this Multibank sits Aura. A few meters south east of the bank is Sabroson #1.
"Eileen tells both SINAPROC and the Personería that she last saw the girls at the school at 1:00 p.m. At the end of 2020, a contradiction appears to have been uncovered in this regard, which caused heated debate on internet forums. When YouTuber Juan wrote to Eileen on Facebook during his research, she told him that the last time she saw Kris and Lisanne was not on April 1, but the day before. Only the time was right. Juan asks explicitly, and Eileen looks at her documents and confirms: Yes, it was Monday, March 31 at 1:00 p.m. While Juan immediately incorporates this information into his foul play theory and publishes a screenshot of the chat, many internet detectives no longer take him seriously at this point, even fearing that he may have falsified the course of the conversation. [..] We can't explain how the misunderstanding came about, just as we ultimately can't be sure what Eileen said to the others. However, we have no reason to doubt Eileen's credibility."
--SCARLET: Back to the Eileen topic again then. Firstly, this is factually incorrect info, and both Juan and I make it clear in our publications that this online questioning was not conducted by Juan, but by the two Canadian sleuths Francois H. and Pierre-L. L. Juan simply reported on it and shared the screenshots of their convo with Eileen. They were the originals and not manipulated, so I don't know why the authors would even hint at that possibility. We printed the actual image evidence of the conversation. It would have been so helpful if they had printed some of the letters and police interviews they quoted from.
--POWER-PIXIE: The authors have made another mistake here. For the record, it was Eileen and the Canadians. Eileen didn't check 'documents', she checked her Facebook posts, and confirmed it was Monday March 31 at 1 PM when she had seen Kris and Lisanne last. She never saw them on Tuesday. If Eileen stated this in error to the Canadians, and meant April 1, at 1 PM, then that is also a major issue. Since it changes the time to 1 PM. And why didn't the authors quote the text message exchange between her and the Canadians?
--POWER-PIXIE: "We can't explain how the misunderstanding came about, just as we ultimately can't be sure what Eileen said to the others. However, we have no reason to doubt Eileen's credibility." There we go, just like the Dutch duo they automatically assume Eileen is credible in order to not pursue the strict line of questioning needed to expose the lies/the truth about what she wrote to the Canadians and LITJ. On second thought, all Eileen had to do really without the German authors needing to pry, was to forward the email she wrote to West and Snoeren. It is 2024, and email servers have backups and sent folders for every email client. The same goes for the text messages. Then the authors could reproduce this email and text messages and show the world how Eileen was thrown under the bus and used and abused. Or not!
--SCARLET: Maybe they do not see her many versions of events as problematic. Like with Feliciano's many differing statements? Both just are given a soft pass. Which is a little bit strange, given their full frontal aggression towards other people in this story. We don't even know what motivates this bias.
--DAVE: 'LITJ' states: "Whoever the person is who saw Kris and Lisanne on April 1 at one o'clock, as Lommers claims, remains unclear." You read this paragraph and see Eileen stating to these authors in a mail that she only saw the two on March 31st, and references 'Petra' having never seen the two at the school. Who do you believe here? Then there's this on page 211: "Eileen tells Gonzalez that the day before Kris and Lisanne might have gone to Sendero el Pianista or Sendero Los Quetzales, because that's what they've been talking about. At that point it's too early to report them missing (this due to local laws and regulations). As there is very little they can do, Feliciano invites Eileen to go to Fillo's farm, where the owner is expecting them. On the way over, they drop by park ranger Felicia, at the station Alto Chiquero, near the hiking trail de Quetzales, hoping that she has seen Kris and Lisanne, one day earlier. Unfortunately Felicia didn't see the two women passing by." Eileen apparently saying she isn't sure where the two might have gone. And then "Mr Fillo's farm", the two new authors give it a different name though - is this name actually in the Case Files?
--POWER-PIXIE: Her statements are well documented now. So, like Feliciano, there's no going back.
--SCARLET: But there are also so many versions of so many events. I read three different versions also about simply what Eileen and Feliciano did on Wednesday afternoon, before going to the police in the evening to report Kris and Lisanne missing.. Provided by themselves to various authors and journalists. They went their separate ways and did not get back in touch until 17:00 that day. Or they together went to Feliciano's private ranch that afternoon and waited there. But to LITJ it is said that they together went to Mister Fillo's farm, where the owner expected them. SLIP now specifies this to have been the Finca las Princesas strawberry farm.
"Moreover, we should not forget that this experience must also have been traumatic for her at the time, as she acted as the first point of contact at school during Ingrid's absence. Traumatic experiences are often remembered imprecisely and hazily, which can often lead to inaccuracies and confusion in the retelling."--POWER-PIXIE: Really? Call them out for their inconsistent statements.
--SCARLET: Uhm no, that victim card has expired here.
"When West and Snoeren publish their book in 2021, Eileen's statement takes on a completely different meaning. The authors claim that the German intern told them in an interview in the summer of 2020 that she had last seen Kris and Lisanne on March 31. We initially hoped that the files would shed light on this as well, but Eileen was not asked when she last saw the girls during her interrogation by the SDIJ on April 7.[27] However, she clarified to us: "Kris and Lisanne were, of course, at the school on April 1." Petra from Liechtenstein also confirms this to Annette: "I met them at school the morning they disappeared."
--POWER-PIXIE: According to West and Snoeren, Eileen "wrote" to them in an email I assume. So produce this email to the public and we all will know who was lying. And that guest Petra here claims she can't remember ever meeting the girls. Yet her brain fog lifted for the SLIP book?
Canadians: "We now have a key witness told us that they left the school at 1pm on april 1st which is a major contradiction with the official story reported by the authorities at the time. So we are now looking for a second witness who could confirm this".
Eileen: "Ya that's not possible I can tell you. They did not leave the school at the first of April. It was the day before".
Canadians: "That's interesting. I assume you know Ingrid Lommers?"
Eileen: "Of course. The girls must have gotten lost. That's all I know. And believe." Canadians: "Between April 2nd and the time the backpack has been found, Ingrid said many times that the girls left the school on April 1st at 1pm".
Eileen: "Okay. And now?"
Canadians: "Well I don't wanna be rude in any way... But who is telling the truth?"
Eileen: "Okay. Listen: it's been such a long time. I don't know the exact days anymore... I would also have to read the reports again. I was the one who went to the police. What ever happened after that was out of my reach. Anyhow... It does not matter too much in my eyes. Because there will always be this gap from where no one knows what happened. A lot of people all of a sudden wanted to talk about it."
Canadians: "Alright I understand this and dont wanna be harassing. You already have been very helpful and I'm really grateful. There's this final question that I'm prettu sure you can answer me tough. People have been very speculative about this and it would be great if we could finally have a closure on this. It's been said that you left Boquete a couple days after the disparition of the girls. Is there any specific reason for this?"
Eileen: "I was working at the school for 2 weeks. And the girls went missing in the beginning of the first week... So I stayed for a longer time after that. I was there the whole time and tried to push the search. [..] I had to work there for 2 weeks. That
was the purpose of my stay. Feliciano was always very nice and helpful. We got along very well. I met with Feliciano and we were supposed to go for a hike with the girls."
Canadians: "I think that you are referring to april 2nd. This would be the day you went to meet them with Feliciano in the morning."
Eileen: "They got lost on a Tuesday. I saw them last (on) Monday. I just checked my old conversations here on fb."
Canadians: "Ok so you last saw them on the 31st.
Eileen: "Yes".
Canadians: "Were you working at the school this Tuesday morning?"
Eileen: "Yes".
--DAVE: It's hard to get sense out of her here. She says she last saw them on the Monday, not the Tuesday. I would put that down to poor memory but she specifically says "they got lost on Tuesday" and I last saw them the day before that... But previous to this she is talking about Feliciano and how they were there outside the school. She isn't making any sense, and it seems the Canadians know it. But she ends by making it clear she was meant to work at that School for two weeks. She seems to forget she left after just one week. And again, I could chalk this up to poor memory, but then the fact is she shows she doesn't remember much of anything anymore... So either she is scatterbrained by nature, or she is... lying? Maybe scatterbrained. And yet it has always bothered me how she could supposedly be close enough to Lisanne and Kris to all agree on going off on this farm visit, and yet she is out of Boquete soon after and never looks back. Despite the two only being 'missing', presumed lost on the Pianista perhaps... Whatever the truth was with her decision there, it doesn't leave her in any sort of a sympathetic light. All I see is someone bolting, but from what exactly?
--SCARLET: Both sets of authors like to stress that Eileen did not leave Boquete prematurely. And that she sat out those 2 weeks. But this does not appear to be correct. Or let's say: there is no evidence presented for this. There were however early reports that she left Boquete after just one week. Changing places with the Dutch guy Tobias. He worked in the Panama City school and moved to Boquete before April 7th 2014. In fact, we ourselves understand from a source that it was the weekend of April 6-7 that Eileen was in the process of being replaced by Tobias. Also, the talk online at the time was always that he did so to change places with Eileen. I believe that even Ingrid Lommers made reference to this at the time. And when we look at the Telemetro video reportage shot at April 7th 2014.... we see that they interview this same Tobias, in Boquete, at Spanish by the River. He clearly had arrived in Boquete by then (so within a week of Eileen arriving in Boquete), and most likely changed places indeed with Eileen. If in fact Eileen stayed the full two weeks as planned, why did Tobias have to leave his Panama City place already before April 7th to travel to Boquete to replace here? As far as I now understand and have been told, the exact date Eileen left Boquete is not documented in the case files. The authors probably go by Eileen's own statements, but she has given conflicting and changing statements about many things over time and I personally do not believe her statements, unless backed up by evidence. So Eileen may have stayed two weeks as intended, or actually left (fled) a week in, as claimed from the start and as reported in real time on the FOK forum.. I also don't understand why Tobias was already interviewed at the school on the 7th if Eileen was still there for another week to do the work. And if Eileen did leave one week in already, that should raise questions about why she left Boquete already so soon. What feelings or events motivated her. We never heard her talk about this in public. Just like we never heard much at all from Eileen about her recollections of the interactions she had with Kris and Lisanne during the last days of their lives.
--POWER-PIXIE: Well she just checked her FB conversations so she must be either lying to the Canadians or telling them the truth. She should have published those conversations for everyone to see and that would have been the end of speculation about Eileen's memory banks. SLIP: "We initially hoped that the files would shed light on this as well, but Eileen was not asked when she last saw the girls during her interrogation by the SDIJ on April 7.[27]" How could they not have asked Eileen this important question?
"Today, neither Eileen nor Petra can remember what time they saw Kris and Lisanne on April which is perfectly understandable, as it was ten years after the incident. However, Eileen gave both SINAPROC and the SDIJ a clear time of 1:00 p.m. just one day after the girls' disappearance. The immediate temporal proximity to the event and the testimony under oath suggest that she remembers the time correctly. The prerequisite is, of course, that the CID noted this down correctly."--DAVE: They forgive Eileen's wandering statements because she had a traumatic experience in that week and the stress was all too much. The authors apparently recently contact this 'Petra' though, who says she saw the three together in the school on that Tuesday morning, and this to the authors is a hard FACT.
--POWER-PIXIE: OK: let's go with Eileen's 1 PM. So while they are at SbtR:
1. Were both phones turned off?
2. If not, what is the last time the phones recorded the SbtR's Wi-Fi connection (or auto-connection)?
3. What is the computer browser's last date and timestamp for their browsing history, assuming it is them on those computers on April 1 prior to 1 PM?
4. If the timestamp is given for the last SbtR connection, were the phones turned off or put on Airplane mode to terminate the connection if it happened to before 1 PM? The RAW data will not lie.
--POWER-PIXIE: SLIP: "The prerequisite is, of course, that the CID noted this down correctly." - The prerequisite is that you verify all statements Eileen has made since the date of disappearance. Then open up a line of questioning for Eileen and Petra. The CID have nothing to go on, nor are they scheming some innate conspiracy so early in the case. Eileen's statement was recorded on April 3, when she informed the SINAPROC and DIJ that she had last seen Kris and Lisanne leaving the school at 1 PM on April 1.
--SCARLET: And this weird 1 PM school sighting HAS to have come from Eileen. There was no other employee present that day than her. Why has Ingrid made such an effort to not reveal the detail of who exactly were the employee and the teacher who last saw Kris and Lisanne at the language school on Tuesday afternoon, before they went missing? She never revealed who these were, despite now knowing it was a lie that had been told to her. I find that noteworthy and indicative of a coordinated plan to have this unfortunate 1 PM sighting reporting of hers on Facebook, soon after Kris and Lisanne went missing.... disappear from the radar perhaps. But the internet does not forget and she just seems unwilling to set that record straight, for some reason. But this 1 PM school sighting is one of several key unsolved dilemma's in this case.
"Eileen's statement is also confirmed and vehemently defended by Ingrid.[28] The principal refers to the statements of two school employees who claim to have seen Kris and Lisanne around the time stated."
--DAVE: It all comes back to settle on Marjolein and Ingrid's shoulders. I suspect that when you have two people, managers, like Ingrid and Marjolein, who run this little branch and are largely left to their own fiefdom, then complacency can and will set in after a period of time. And I think this is what had settled in by 2014 for them. Usually with places like this where you have two people running it, you will arrange your holidays and training course around each other. Therefore there will always be one of you at the school. That didn't happen come April. So that's one 'fail'. More than that though, the way Kris and Lisanne's long booked work placement fell through as it did, adds to that picture of a culture at Spanish by the River whereby things were not being followed through properly. This nexus of events come Monday and Tuesday is extraordinary - Kris and Lisanne have only been in town for two (and a bit) days. Their promised work placement falls through on the day they turn up for it. Ingrid and Marjolein are both off now for two weeks (?), there is no one at the school when these girls return to it, wanting answers. Another potential placement falls through the next morning. Something goes on at the school whereby the two suddenly race off out of town for the Pianista. They are never seen again... and in the aftermath is Eileen. A mere 'temp' essentially, left alone to run the schools office and with insufficient training or experience to do so. It's an unbelievable set of events, all of which are coming down to a combination of multiple failures in the schools official procedures, a complete failure in Duty of Care, an inexperienced 'temp' who may well have behaved in an irresponsible and unprofessional manner, and two experienced managers who quite likely had become so busy or complacent in their jobs that this double-disappearance/fatality was the result of it.
--SCARLET: We know from the parents that Kris and Lisanne prepared in great detail for this trip. They paid a fairly large sum, all in all, for this package deal with SbtR. Spanish classes, hostel, homestay, volunteer work, the lot. But clearly, something went terribly wrong with this volunteer work. It is one thing to have a mix up of dates. But for Maria Elena (who runs Aura) to send these two girls away the way she did, and then also to turn around and claim that she doesn't even KNOW Ingrid Lommers. That is truly shocking. The school is ultimately responsible for this, as they have the written agreement and business deal with their clients Kris and Lisanne. But it also seems that the Aura daycare manager acted unresponsible here and this caused trouble for everyone else. I don't know of any proper questioning of Ingrid or Marjolein. In fact, we've been told by someone that one of them did not even comply with a police request, as such. So you do wonder why such conduct was not investigated further. Add Eileen to the mix, who was indeed thrown in the deep end by the sound of things. And you see that even small ripples can create devastating outcomes.
"Even the red shoe sole that was discovered appears to match the lining of Lisanne's shoes seamlessly. However, the authorities never again mentioned this bag, and Lisanne's parents announced in an interview with the newspaper El Siglo on May 16, 2014, that it had "disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The authorities' handling of the plastic bag that was found remains negligent at best and still raises questions today. In their book, authors West and Snoeren allege a media campaign against the Panamanian authorities. They suggest that it was merely a misunderstanding and that everything was in order. In doing so, they not only conceal crucial details from their readers but do not correctly reproduce quoted persons. At this point, we would therefore like to use the police files to clarify what happened - and what the authors construe from this. [..] The authors put so many untruths into these statements that we can hardly assume that it's due to just a lack of research."
--POWER-PIXIE: I know they are the pot calling the kettle black, but I do appreciate them digging deep into this whole trash bag episode of the case. Exposing the police files in this way should have been done by both ImperfectPlan and the Dutch duo, but neither parties were bothered to check all of this and clear it up, despite having the case files at their disposal.
--SCARLET: In LITJ's case they made an actual effort to very selectively mention only parts of the files. Which is much worse actually, when you think of it. I really also did appreciate this chapter. A local journalist wrote a separate newspaper article about the sudden 'disappearance' of the found hair and the strange treatment (or lack therefore) of the plastic bag and the shoe sole. Pittí has attempted to neutralize this story. In LITJ the authors made it seem like there was nothing to this story. But there was. Whether it was incompetence of Pitti or by design, she effectively did the same to the blue shoe of Kris and the water bottles. She refused to have them investigated by the lab. It is infuriating.
"The authors of LITJ do not disclose the crucial information that the plastic bag and shoe sole were not part of this analysis. According to a note by Lisis C., they were merely photographed together with the box and then destroyed because the finds were "unsuitable as evidence and easily spoiled."[50] Completing the deception, West and Snoeren nevertheless list the red shoe sole among the food packaging in the bag, which they describe in great detail. They do not reveal that in the forensic investigation report on the packaging, the experts wrote an angry note to the effect that the chain of evidence had not been recorded correctly and it was therefore not known in whose hands the bag had already been. However, no useful traces were found during the investigation. [51] The blond hair that Carlos discovered is not mentioned anywhere in the files. It is simply concealed, as the authors did."
--SCARLET: So much went wrong here, courtesy to Pittí. This is the excuse that can be read in LITJ: "The discovery of the white plastic bag somewhere in the jungle on the Boquete side of the Mirador is a special element in this file, thanks to certain media who reported that the bag was lost and therefore blamed the Panamanian authorities negligence." (Blaming the media again). "Sinaproc had actually only lost the plastic bag for a short period of time, because after Sinaproc's deputy provincial director, Francisco Santamaria Ríos, is questioned about it, it turns out that for security reasons it was stored in his room in a sealed cardboard box with a white lid and an American flag on the side, bearing the inscription MRR STAR. Evidently, the misunderstanding was never publicly explained, because on May 16 the Kremers family is still complaining to newspaper El Siglio that the bag of waste had 'mysteriously' disappeared." So Pittí and the Dutch duo call it all a misunderstanding.. This is gaslighting of the highest order and I am glad that Hardinghaus and Nenner do not hold back here. The way Pittí tried to clean her reputation in that book through selective reporting and finger pointing is truly shameless and shows us the ethics and mentality of the sort of woman that was leading this investigation. I can't put it any nicer.
"At the start of her investigation, Pittí examines the evidence of criminal activity already in the file, which has so far only been superficially investigated. These include the testimony of German tourist Marcus M., who heard female cries for help on April 4 while hiking from Cerro Punta on the Quetzal Trail toward Pianista and then saw two dark-skinned, slim men moving quickly. The location is roughly the region where the plastic bag is later found."
--POWER-PIXIE: Was Marcus ever asked to look at photos of the Pandilla gang and see if they matched the two slim dark-skinned men he claimed he saw? Did he ever review Juan's Google Album or Scarlet's blog to see if any of the usual suspects matched whom he claimed he saw?
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"Shortly afterward, on May 29, investigators again swarm to a find in the undergrowth after the Secretary of Justice Bolivar Espinosa informs Pittí that two mattresses had been discovered on the banks of a stream in the Alto Quiel sector.[55] The place where they were found is described as the "crossroads between Cerro Horqueta and Cerro de los Ladrillos." [..] The pink and greenish-bluish
mattresses are neither photographed nor forensically analyzed, but a local TV team records the find. The omission of forensic examinations of potentially critical evidence such as the plastic bag, the shoe sole with blond hair, and the mattresses is evidence of serious omissions or inadequate investigative methods. On all of these finds, the likelihood of finding DNA, body fluids, or fingerprints would have been the highest."
"After the property of an American couple in the Caldera sector is searched in mid-April, there are increasing indications that foreigners living in Panama could be involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. On May 22, the private home and restaurant of a Canadian are raided in Boquete. On May 29, investigators visit a hostel in the district of Gualaca, which is known for excessive drug use and morbid horror parties and also has hidden waterfalls. [..] On June 2, the house of an allegedly militant Dutchman, whose unclean apartment Pittí complains about in her book, is investigated. On June 11, investigators search the home of a Colombian man who is said to have abducted Kris and Lisanne to his property in the San Lorenzo district."
"Pittí prepares everything for a major raid, but immediately cancels it when she is informed via telephone a day later, on June 13, that Kris and Lisanne's backpack has been found near the village of Alto Romero in the forest behind the Mirador. This turns the entire case on its head, revealing baffling curiosities that surpass the previous ones in every respect."
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"On April 29, the public prosecutor finally decides to have the computers at the language school examined and to create a digital image of the hard disks and server."
--POWER-PIXIE: Wow! It took these morons till April 29 to check the computers?!
--SCARLET: In LITJ the Dutch authors write: "What frustrates RHWW during their searches is that, just like Sinaproc in the first weeks of April, at the end of May still no one knows with certainty where Kris and Lisanne went. "We could verify very little." So even at the end of MAY nobody knew with any certainty where Kris and Lisanne went. Despite Eileen later claiming she did know almost from the start that they went up the Pianista, and Feliciano claiming to police he knew this also through her? A mess..
--SCARLET: In LITJ the Dutch authors write: "What frustrates RHWW during their searches is that, just like Sinaproc in the first weeks of April, at the end of May still no one knows with certainty where Kris and Lisanne went. "We could verify very little." So even at the end of MAY nobody knew with any certainty where Kris and Lisanne went. Despite Eileen later claiming she did know almost from the start that they went up the Pianista, and Feliciano claiming to police he knew this also through her? A mess..
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"Shortly afterward, on May 29, investigators again swarm to a find in the undergrowth after the Secretary of Justice Bolivar Espinosa informs Pittí that two mattresses had been discovered on the banks of a stream in the Alto Quiel sector.[55] The place where they were found is described as the "crossroads between Cerro Horqueta and Cerro de los Ladrillos." [..] The pink and greenish-bluish
mattresses are neither photographed nor forensically analyzed, but a local TV team records the find. The omission of forensic examinations of potentially critical evidence such as the plastic bag, the shoe sole with blond hair, and the mattresses is evidence of serious omissions or inadequate investigative methods. On all of these finds, the likelihood of finding DNA, body fluids, or fingerprints would have been the highest."--POWER-PIXIE: Very interesting details here. Why didn't LITJ or IP open up about this? Even Jeremy did not go at length into these finds and lack of investigation.
"On May 29, the Dutch are also allowed to search the Pianista, but only on the Boquete side. They are not allowed to search the path behind the Mirador, which irritates the head of the dog squadron, whom West and Snoeren interview in their book. He had assumed that this part would be investigated as a matter of course and would have been prepared to spend the night in the forest with the team and dogs. According to Lost in the Jungle, however, the Panamanian authorities saw no need to walk the path behind the Mirador, as it had already been searched by SINAPROC with sniffer dogs.[58]"
--SCARLET: Good to see this baffling detail/decision confirmed. In LITJ they explain this Pittí decision away like this: "When he [Han from the Dutch dog search team] gets back, he checks in with their guide. "I suggested that they drop off our group on the other side by helicopter so we could go down the trail from there towards the Mirador, if necessary I wanted to spend the night there." That plan is sidelined, because the search has to be based on the tips. [..] Besides, Sinaproc already searched that area. But Sinaproc kept its dogs on a leash, they considered the area too dangerous for their animals to let loose in, RHWW later learns." The Dutch authors do not seem to pay any further (warranted) attention to the permanent sidelining of the plan to allow the Dutch dog team to search beyond the Mirador. Which is truly bizarre, not to say rude, given that these specialized dogs were shipped halfway across the world for this expedition. So why this limitation? And how about the anonymous tip-off of May 16th, about two decomposing bodies being found behind the Pianista? They were gone by the time police made it out there. And the May 29th discovery of two mattresses? Yet, the Dutch sniffer dogs had no reason to search behind the Mirador even then, according to Pittí. And they were throughout their stay from May 26th till June 4th of 2014 prevented from doing so by local police. Very strang.
"After the property of an American couple in the Caldera sector is searched in mid-April, there are increasing indications that foreigners living in Panama could be involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. On May 22, the private home and restaurant of a Canadian are raided in Boquete. On May 29, investigators visit a hostel in the district of Gualaca, which is known for excessive drug use and morbid horror parties and also has hidden waterfalls. [..] On June 2, the house of an allegedly militant Dutchman, whose unclean apartment Pittí complains about in her book, is investigated. On June 11, investigators search the home of a Colombian man who is said to have abducted Kris and Lisanne to his property in the San Lorenzo district."--POWER-PIXIE: As much as all of this is riveting to read, I cannot go along with all these individuals being behind the kidnapping of Kris and Lisanne, solely for the fact that besides Eileen, Marjolein, Miriam and her family, Kris and Lisanne had not met anyone else for longer than 24 hours. Those individuals whom they may have met for under 24 hours, would be Feliciano, Plinio, Henry and the Pandilla, the Nelvis owner, Nelvis waiter, Bistro Boquete waiter, "Petra", "Ana", the Aura manager, Sigrid, a taxi driver and people in that mystery restaurant they had lunch in and connected to the Wifi on Monday. And store owners at the Plaza SF. Both Kris and Lisanne would have had to be overcome by brute force, and would have left a trail of evidence. The reason the Pianista/Serpent trail presents itself as the best possible place where they were led off the trail, is because some people "knew" early on where they went, and Kris and Lisanne - we believe - were typical victims who trusted their assailants and left without any hassle, initially of course - hence no trace could be found. - The reason I think the Pianista/Serpent trail presents itself as the best possible place where they were led off the trail, is because some people "knew" early on where they went, and Kris and Lisanne seemed like the typical victims who trusted someone whom they most likely were familiar with, hence why I think they left without any struggle, fight, initially of course. I have to remind myself that SINAPROC and many search parties never found a single trace of two lost tourists from April 2 - April 14. No evidence like shoes, food wrappers, water bottles, torn clothing, blood from animal attacks, broken leaves or branches were found. Something, anything to give them an idea of where Kris and Lisanne went off to. For two adult foreign female tourists to completely vanish like they did at one of the busiest times (2pm - 4pm) on that trail, based on the IP’s own investigation of camping on the trail, seems extraordinary. I think they had to have gone with someone they trusted and briefly met before.
"Pittí prepares everything for a major raid, but immediately cancels it when she is informed via telephone a day later, on June 13, that Kris and Lisanne's backpack has been found near the village of Alto Romero in the forest behind the Mirador. This turns the entire case on its head, revealing baffling curiosities that surpass the previous ones in every respect."
--POWER-PIXIE: Convenient. I believe the backpack mysteriously turned up because things were heating up as we have seen, and placing the dogs right up to the Pianista and Piedra de Lino meant that somebody was getting closer to something connected. I suspect the gang may have realized they had to do something sooner than later. It would make no sense to simply leave the backpack, say in another location, in order for it to be found. I mean think on it: who would find it if they left it somewhere near the PDL trail or Los Quetzal trail, or the Caldera hot springs. It most likely would have gone amiss. If someone else found it and handed it in, then there would be the case of finding fingerprints and DNA. And if any of the gang members or their tribe "discovered it", or Feliciano on his tour with a tourist for example in these areas, they would completely put themselves in the limelight. However, if it "awashed" somewhere near Feliciano's area, and all the parties whom he and his brother knew and had directed there would "discover" the backpack, then it wouldn't be as suspicious initially. And Feliciano is in control as to who would find this backpack, where they would find it and whom they would hand it to. I know it sounds like a B movie script, but Feliciano is not an A list actor either. He knows having it in the vicinity offers the best chance that people believe that the grinder river did it. And throw in some remains here and there, and voila! You have a tragedy on the monkey bridge.
--DAVE: I just went back into my notes on this, and it took time to once again isolate the exact spot fixed by 'Lost in the Jungle' giving coordinates and a map. But when you place the spot in the context of the surrounding geography, and the possible place someone out there COULD find it... it really is coming down to that one cleared spot just down from Alto Romero, and someone conveniently working in a nearby field that day, and the bag just happening to have caught between a rock and a branch to stop its progress. The odds of all of these factors coming together seem astronomical.
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--SCARLET: Even the SLIP authors make that case. The moment that bag was found, Pittí called everything off. Declared the case an accident and closed it, basically. That is suspicious and provides an immediate motive for that bag discovery. LITJ very slyly did mention Feliciano's brother as the one handling that bag in between Irma and her husband and Pitti and her team, but they never revealed his identity, nor mentioned he was Feliciano's brother. Instead, they just mentioned a certain "José D.G." (Instead of José Domingo Gonzalez). So there seems to be certainly smoke there also, or else those authors would have identified this rather important person more. And even the location where the bag was found, was somewhat flagged as suspicious by police.
--POWER-PIXIE: I agree Scarlet. If he was important he would have been fully described, as they championed a lot of others who seem to support their lost theory in their book. And absolutely Dave. When we received the coordinates, it seems so obvious that it is a difficult area for the backpack to navigate to on its own via some deluge. But to settle where it did, in the manner it did and in the condition is far-fetched for me.
"One of the photos taken by the police in the couple's house is published by the Panamanian TV station TVN[62] on June 17. It shows both the rucksack and its contents in almost pristine condition. Unpublished photos available to us confirm this impression. Even the spread-out banknotes, which can be seen in other pictures, appear to be barely soaked."
--POWER-PIXIE: I wish they added this photo to the book instead of just the ones everyone and their mother have now seen.
"The sensational reporting by some journalists will reinforce many misconceptions about the findings. For example, Jeremy Kryt from the US Daily Beast claims that Irma had been in the same place the day before and had not seen the rucksack, which she refutes in a conversation with Annette. According to Kryt, she had walked from the place where it was found to the police station in Boquete and handed it in there in person.[63] This is also false."
--DAVE: Kryt also pointed out in the Podcasts the shifting nature of Irma and Luis' statements over the months and years. These authors are so obsessed with turning Kryt into a creep and a liar however, that they are repeatedly missing the checkable fact that he is in fact nearly always one step ahead of them on these matters... It may be that Irma and Luis' memories and phrasing have altered over time, or it may be they are lying and therefore the story is never really set in stone. But don't call someone like Kryt a liar for something he reported like this - the fact is he probably has that interview they quote on tape!!
--SCARLET: I agree. Just like Feliciano and Eileen, Irma and Luis appear to have given varying statements in the press over time also. They have been quoted as saying the bag was found by Irma in a rice paddy, but also in the middle of the river. They were working the field in one version of events, and in another they were washing clothes. Irma has also said that she was alone at the river when she found the backpack and went home to show it to her husband, Luis. But Luis has testified to police that he was right there at the river when Irma Miranda saw the bag and took it home. Their stories do not line up in that respect. And maybe this is in part due to sloppy journalism and reporting at the time, but Irma and Luis also both declared to police that it was the very first time they went to this rice paddy. It says so in the police files. But does that make sense? Who normally worked on that rice paddy? Why walk at least two hours to go to this specific spot (to wash your clothes?) and what are the odds of ending up exactly where that backpack of Kris and Lisanne was supposedly lodged in the river? Seeing it by chance, as Irma was doing her thing? Then there is the phone call that Boquete police got the next morning, informing them about the discovery of the bag. It wasn't Luis (or Irma) who called, but Domingo Gonzalez. Brother of Feliciano. And Irma and Luis later (!) turned out to be employees of guide Feliciano and his family, who own land in the Alto Romero region and employ several of the villagers. "Sensational reporting", "This is also false" - judgements like these form a red thread throughout the SLIP book. But just because people tell Annette one thing, does not always automatically mean that they are given the truth. Or that everyone who reported on another statement given by these people, has been telling lies.
"In a corresponding letter, Pittí instructs the IMELCF to examine the plastic bottle for traces of DNA and, if found, to compare it with the samples provided by the girls' parents to determine whether DNA from Kris and Lisanne is present.[64] We do not find a result or an answer in the files, nor is there any further mention of the water bottle. Why there was no instruction to analyze the bottle for fingerprints or the water residue inside is inexplicable, also pointing in the direction of concealment. A biomolecular analysis would have revealed whether the residues contained in the bottle came from a natural body of water in the area. If, on the other hand, it had been industrially bottled water, the investigators would have been able to conclude that the rucksack must have gone missing near the girls' disappearance. Finding out about this would have been extremely important to confirm or deny foul play."
--POWER-PIXIE: Yes, we've all been asking these questions for years now. Good thing they at least called this out here.
--SCARLET: I agree. I have written about those water bottles before and to see the glaring issues with their forensic analysis confirmed in SLIP, is very good.
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"Relevant questions about other items found in the rucksack are also not discussed by the authorities. For example, the fact that Kris and Lisanne had taken a considerable amount of cash by Panamanian standards with them on their hike. The change found could at least have been an indication that the girls had bought something before their hike, possibly snacks in a plastic bag. However, no one observed them making a purchase or withdrawing money. Banks have refused video footage that could shed light on the matter and, according to Ingrid, the Romero supermarket "accidentally deleted" footage. More questions can be raised: If the girls had been out in the woods for eleven days, as is later proven from the analyzed cell phone data, why did they continue to carry the money around with them? Couldn't they have used the worthless paper for something else? Could they have used it to mark the way and attract the attention of search parties?"--SCARLET: A great question and something which any Hansel and Gretel fairytale reader would have contemplated, if truly lost in the woods for over 11 days...
--POWER-PIXIE: Good questions raised by the author regarding the money and ATM cameras. Shame on Romero supermarket for deleting their footage. How convenient.
"The file also reveals that the items found were packed up by the officers, taken to David, and handed over to the IMELCF's Forensic Informatics Department. According to the inspection report from June 17, we learn that the expert Luis R. attempted to analyze the phones and the digital camera. The camera cannot be examined, it turns out, as it is filled with water. R. extracts the known images from the SD card. He is unable to extract information from Kris's iPhone because, according to protocol, it cannot be switched on. R. could not gain access to Lisanne's Samsung phone because it was password-protected. However, he takes contacts, mobile phone connections, and text messages from the SIM card.[66] We locate these in the file and discover that they all date from before the girls' disappearance."
--SCARLET: Very good information this, good to have these type of details.
--POWER-PIXIE: This is great information here. So the forensic team did follow some protocol, as I have been harping on that this was necessary. So they understood and knew that turning on the phones would trigger a possible connection of some type, hence why they could not be switched on. I didn't know Lisanne's Samsung was password-protected. If it was, then why did the NFI not list the password challenges and subsequent password entries each time the phone was used? Did the Dutch duo and ImperfectPlan not know this from the files? It's a Pittí we have so little information about the phones and everything prior to their disappearance.
"The statement by Mayor M., who examined the contents of the rucksack before Pittí arrived at 9:20 a.m., does not quite match this account.[67] He noted that the Samsung phone he examined had neither a SIM card nor a memory card.[68] It is unclear whether this discrepancy, which is certainly significant, was investigated by the authorities."
--POWER-PIXIE: WTF?
"There is also little information in the files about any further investigations into the items found in the rucksack. The Dutch forensic experts asked by the Panamanian prosecutors for assistance, on the other hand, carried out a more detailed analysis of the evidence. However, this was done far too late to be of any use."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why? The NFI were the ones who found that there was a missing photo, whereas nobody from the Panama side at the time reported to the media that there was a certain photo missing or that they suspected a photo to be missing. So I don't think it was too late, more like they were perhaps not too thorough in their analysis for some odd reason.
"Meanwhile, the attention of the Panamanian investigators is once again focused on the forest of Bocas del Toro, where indigenous people continue to search for traces of the girls. We know from Feliciano that this was done on the initiative of the Dutchman Jerónimo. This unspecified man approached him and told him that he was looking for locals who knew the area well on behalf of Kris and Lisanne's parents. In response to his urgent request, Feliciano finds some volunteers, supplied with food by Jerónimo and his brother José."
--SCARLET: I wonder if they mean Jeroen van Passel here with 'Jeronimo' perhaps? Spokesperson at the time of the families? But is this once again a strange deflection tactic? Had Jeroen, as a spokesperson, really that sort of power in all of this? IF the searches were allowed to continue, you'd think that decision came from Pittí or the Gonzalez clique, surely?
--POWER-PIXIE: We also know from Feliciano in this very candid interview that... "We found the remains. And they didn't even say 'thank you for your help'. No, they only came in helicopter to pick it up in two minutes." Britta Sanders: "Feliciano is a guide in the area and has a farm there.... Together with three Indians, and a team of six from Boquete, he went out looking, because he felt the authorities did far too little." So can you tell me from the video who is this Jeronimo? Or from this photo? Did Feliciano take that photo?
--SCARLET: I wonder if they mean Jeroen van Passel here with 'Jeronimo' perhaps? Spokesperson at the time of the families? But is this once again a strange deflection tactic? Had Jeroen, as a spokesperson, really that sort of power in all of this? IF the searches were allowed to continue, you'd think that decision came from Pittí or the Gonzalez clique, surely?
--POWER-PIXIE: We also know from Feliciano in this very candid interview that... "We found the remains. And they didn't even say 'thank you for your help'. No, they only came in helicopter to pick it up in two minutes." Britta Sanders: "Feliciano is a guide in the area and has a farm there.... Together with three Indians, and a team of six from Boquete, he went out looking, because he felt the authorities did far too little." So can you tell me from the video who is this Jeronimo? Or from this photo? Did Feliciano take that photo?
"One of the shoes examined is recorded in the Institute's files as a size 39 left-hand black "Wildbeast" sneaker with pink edges and black and white laces. Forensic experts find a human foot in an advanced state of decomposition inside a black sock."
--POWER-PIXIE: Nice try by the Germans to keep Feliciano out of this. Let's see now.. He not only admitted to being involved in the searches in this very interview, but reporter Britta Sanders also says on camera: "The man who found the backpack of Kris and Lisanne also is disappointed in the officials. He is a tour guide and knows the area well." "They [the remains] were all found near the river Culebra by ordinary people such as Feliciano Gonzalez." The LITJ book also stated: "A few days after the discovery of the backpack, Lisanne's shoe containing her foot is found by Feliciano Gonzalez and a few other local men." That's who found the foot first, unless it was some other Gonzalez... Feliciano even told Britta Sanders in that interview with teary eyes: "This is about people. They needed to move quick like this. No. Waiting for the chief... waiting for this and for that. Then they needed to discuss this." So you see, Feliciano is the one who led the group, because according to his words, they needed to move quickly, and so....he did.
--POWER-PIXIE: Nice try by the Germans to keep Feliciano out of this. Let's see now.. He not only admitted to being involved in the searches in this very interview, but reporter Britta Sanders also says on camera: "The man who found the backpack of Kris and Lisanne also is disappointed in the officials. He is a tour guide and knows the area well." "They [the remains] were all found near the river Culebra by ordinary people such as Feliciano Gonzalez." The LITJ book also stated: "A few days after the discovery of the backpack, Lisanne's shoe containing her foot is found by Feliciano Gonzalez and a few other local men." That's who found the foot first, unless it was some other Gonzalez... Feliciano even told Britta Sanders in that interview with teary eyes: "This is about people. They needed to move quick like this. No. Waiting for the chief... waiting for this and for that. Then they needed to discuss this." So you see, Feliciano is the one who led the group, because according to his words, they needed to move quickly, and so....he did.
--DAVE: Yes, I noted this when I reviewed the chapter - he is barely even mentioned in SLIP as being present in those searches. His brother is though, in partnership with a mysterious local Dutchman called "Jeronimo" who was supposedly acting on behalf of the Kremers in the follow-up searches they paid for themselves. We know from Scarlet's collection of Youtube News reports from that June that he was very active in that initial search along the river. He is giving interviews in the aftermath of the discoveries, and we see him in some of the photographs of the actual search itself. I will keep reading as I really do want to know whether the authors tackle Feliciano's statements on seeing the two at the school. And I want to know just how much else they avoid mentioning - the proximity of his farm in Romero to the river; exactly when he heard of the backpack's discovery; where he was when he heard this; his astonishment to hear the backpack was found so close to his house; whether he looked at the camera contents; where his son was during all of this, and why exactly he was so convinced the second bridge was the source of an accident, as opposed to the first bridge...
--SCARLET: Thanks for continuing to read, but you may be disappointed in that respect.
"The second shoe is described in the chemical laboratory as a "left black boot" of the brand "Colorado" in size 39. Soil segments and plant material are found in the fibers of both shoes, which are not examined in detail. Stearic acid was also detected in both. The scientist responsible explains this as follows: "Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid that is solid at room temperature, white in color, and odorless; it is used on the skin because it has emollient and protective properties and is easily absorbed, making it an excellent high-quality moisturizer and humectant in cosmetic creams and body powders" [74] The acid, however, is more likely residue from cadaver fluid rather than a foot cream, the former also containing high levels of stearin. But this is not mentioned in the report. As no DNA samples were taken from the trekking boot, it is still not known or communicated whether it was Kris's boot."
--POWER-PIXIE: The German authors are right - the autopsy findings should have considered the stearic acid from Cadavar fluid as well. I'm not sure how to test to distinguish stearic acid from moisturizer vs cadaver fluid, but it should have been considered and checked at the very least to rule this out. Surprising that this Silvia director of IMELCF did not check the basics of cadavers, which would be more obvious to a medical forensic examiner than suspecting a skincare product
--SCARLET: Yes. What are the odds of both Kris and Lisanne having used significant amounts of moisturizer cream on their feet? What a strange suggestion, when this should be much more likely the byproduct/effect of the decomposition process of human skin. Just like it is really weird that the shoes were not forensically investigated and tested, and neither the soil found on/in them. This could have helped pinpoint both the location where they last were, as well as positively attribute that blue shoe to Kris. Pittí may have deemed it unnecessary, but she deemed quite a LOT unnecessary when it came to forensic investigation. This is just sloppy.
"Meanwhile, the commission led by Mayor M. remains in the forest in the province of Bocas del Toro and, led by indigenous guides, searches around the previous finds over a wide area."
--POWER-PIXIE: 'Led by indigenous guides'.. Again: we know from the animated Feliciano in the video posted on Scarlet's channel, that Feliciano had led this group of locals who found Lisanne's shoe/foot. LITJ: "All remains and the pants were found by the same group of local guides and Indians: Feliciano Gonzalez, Laureano B., Angel P. and some locals from Alto Romero who are related to them or often work with them, such as a cousin of Feliciano Gonzalez. Is that because they know the area well - both Laureano and Gonzalez have a finca in the Alto Romero area -, or are they involved in a plot? Feliciano Gonzalez became prey for speculation from the start, because he was the one with whom Kris and Lisanne had an appointment. But also because he was the first one to go into their bedroom and the first one to go on the Pianista Trail search. Furthermore, he was involved in almost all of the discovery and he seemed to constantly be where the camera's were." So why do the Germans make such an effort to not mention his involvement?
--SCARLET: Britta Sanders: "Feliciano is a guide in the area and has a farm there.... Together with three Indians, and a team of six from Boquete, he went out looking, because he felt the authorities did far too little."
"Finally, on August 29, Luis hands over one last find to special agent E., who has flown to Punta Rovaló, Norteño sector. These are three bones that the indigenous man Basilio A. is said to have found the day before while fishing in the Culebra River and detecting a "foul smell." He also hands over "a mass of tissue that was in an obvious state of decomposition."--POWER-PIXIE: LOL! This guy's olfactory sense, like that Angel P's, is better than those rescue dogs the Dutch and SINAPROC had with them. Just to confirm via the LITJ book: "On August 6, more bones are found along the Changuinola, as well as a piece of rolled up skin. Luis A. reports them to the authorities. They are wrapped in a black plastic bag. Everything was found by Basilio A., who couldn't bring them in himself. The river's water level was too high, so he was unable to walk the seven hours to Norteño, a village closer to the coast. But he could tell them where everything was found. On 29 August all the biological material is collected from Norteño. It includes three bone fragments and a mass of tissue, which is again put in two yellow envelopes, and taken to IMELCF in David. After delivery at the laboratory, the chain of custody is correctly established."
--SCARLET: The person who is reported in the media to have found and gathered the bones is identified as mister Espinoso. This is confirmed by a Panamanian forensic scientist, Mr. Trejos.
"After an initial examination by forensic scientist Wilfredo P. and forensic anthropologist Mair S. from the IMELCF, they confirm on September 18 that the bones were human specimens."
--SCARLET: LITJ mentions that Dr. Mair Sittón Moreno performs an autopsy on the bones and that IMELCF's director dr. Silvia Brenes de Bandel attends the autopsy. There is no mention there of forensic scientist Wilfredo P. who accompanies Dr. Mair Sittón Moreno....
"Years later, Pittí claims in Lost in the Jungle that the skin found was that of a mammal, probably a cow,[90] without referring to any expert opinion or explaining this finding in more detail. This contradicts her institute - whose head of the biomolecular analysis department, Diomedes Trejos, was still calling in vain in November 2014 for soil samples to be taken from the place where Lisanne's tissue was found to determine the larvae it contained.[91]"
--POWER-PIXIE: Glad they also called out Pitti on this subject.--SCARLET: I was very glad to read their point of view on this also. Because Pittí truly made an effort through the media and LITJ to plant the seed (without showing any proof!) that Adelita Coriat and the anonymous coroner were 'stupid' enough to mistake a slap of cow skin for Lisanne's skin in the detailed autopsy reporting... Sure thing Betty.. This is another huge letdown in LITJ: both the Dutch authors and Betzaida Pittí used that book to try to settle scores with critics of Betzaida Pittí, most obviously with journalist Adelita Coriat, who has always reported critically but with good facts and arguments about Pittí's investigation. Which is the job of a good journalist, in a free world! One of Coriat's more stinging lines was: "The government not only conducted a shoddy investigation, no serious investigation was ever done. Everything had to be covered up to protect tourism.” In return, these three tried to slander her in LITJ, creepily suggesting that mainstream investigational journalist Coriat had 'ulterior motives'. LITJ: "Given the vehemence of the rhetoric of Coriat in particular, it should be considered there were possible alternative motives to why she was pursuing Pittí so voraciously." Notice how they try to wrap the poison in words like 'should be considered' and 'possible' here. Also LITJ: "Earlier, we saw that Coriat was strongly convinced that the government was trying to cover up a crime to protect tourism. Revisiting her articles demonstrated to us that, in journalistic terms, her articles on this case were sometimes sloppy and subjective, entirely unlike the rest of her work. [..] Her reporting was one-sided and the experts she listed were quoted only insofar as they supported her view. The arguments that were put forward were usually unsupported by any concrete substantiation with facts." The funny thing is that any irony seems lost on West/Snoeren, whose biased book pretty much can be qualified with their own, exact criticism on Coriat. A book made possible thanks to the 'generous' sharing by Pittí (fired from her prosecutor's job in 2015) of these private case files. They are deserving of the venom which Hardinghaus and Nenner are spewing in their general direction.
PART 1: The NFI report (pages 71 - 92)
"It is Friday, June 20, 2014, and nine days after the backpack had been found, a sealed package arrives at the office of the Dutch Minister of Justice, Ivo Willem Opstelten. The sender is the Public prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Panama. It contains Lisanne's cell phone, her digital camera, and her backpack, as well as Kris's cell phone and the bras of the two women. Enclosed is a request for mutual legal assistance from the Panamanian government for the "preliminary investigation into an alleged offense of deprivation of liberty against Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers," which was drawn up based on a UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime."
--SCARLET: So the left shoes of both girls as well as the shorts
of Kris were not sent over for whatever reason? Pitti never forensically had them tested at home either and has not given any justification for this. (Same for the water bottle or the bleached blue shoe of Kris). "Preliminary investigation into an alleged offense of deprivation of liberty against Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers." So on June 20th Pittí was seemingly still considering the disappearance a crime...? Can we deduce from this that it were ultimately the Dutch Officials and Frank van de Goot perhaps that pushed to change this case status to "accident"?
"The NFI is not informed that Pittí's team has already examined, at minimum, the data from the electronic devices. Therefore the NFI themselves note that some of the photos on the SD card were edited on June 17, 2014. The originals are therefore not available for the NFI's investigation. The NFI investigators are also unaware that text messages and contacts from Lisanne's phone have already been backed up. The Panamanian authorities also refuse to comment again on the data recorded by R."
--SCARLET: To see this confirmed in print is a small bombshell in my opinion. Juan had this correct all along then. He discovered this June 17th alteration in the EXIF data early on, without having knowledge of the case files by the way. This should also shed further doubt on the authenticity of the photo card as we know it today. It also casts more doubt on the fate of the deleted photo #509. LITJ mainly mentioned that on June 20, Dutch policeman "Perlot takes the backpack to the Netherlands, with the phones, the camera and the bras. They are to be examined by the Dutch forensic institute. The NFI receives the backpack with its content a few days after its discovery and is asked to examine it for biological and DNA traces." No further information in LITJ about everything that was wrong with what Pittí sent the NFI.
"On closer examination, the few deleted files turn out to be nothing more than thumbnails of existing photos and videos. Panamanian investigators may have removed them in the course of their investigations. We can recognize some of the original pictures enclosed with the file from their documentation: They were previously edited on the PC and saved again on the SD card in a modified form. Why the authorities stored the manipulated versions on the original memory card and not on a computer raises questions, as they are no longer the original files. The NFI forensic expert does not explicitly mention this ominous circumstance, but at least notes in a commentary on three recordings that they were probably turned. It is not possible to determine from the EXIF data whether the images were only rotated or whether other things were also edited. It is also not possible to determine whether the images may have been manipulated before they were analyzed in the Panamanian laboratory."--POWER-PIXIE: 😳Why the fuck would they "remove" them in the course of their investigation? What kind of idiots do this in a forensic examination? Does a forensic pathologist remove evidence while examining the victim's body over the course of the investigation? Did the 470 photo files include photo 509? Where is the thumbnail for this photo? You can even use a free online tool to recover a deleted file not too long ago. So thumbnails of the deleted files usually exist, unless wiped out using a computer. They edited the photos on a PC, without making a backup. Then saved the edited photos, back to the SD card? What happened to the originals on the SD card? Why copy it back to the SD card to begin with? Technically from what I researched with mobile forensics, a separate data dump is done on a separate drive. This also can apply to camera data. You copy all known and hidden files on the SD card to the computer first. Then create a backup of those files on the computer, BEFORE examining them. You DO NOT edit the photos, unless they are password protected, and need to be unlocked. All photos that are typically looked at, require a thorough documentation of the process at hand for each photo being "edited" to say brighten it or darken it, but again a copy of this is made first, and then renamed to the appropriate action being made on the photo or saved into a folder for the type of editing. This is something I've worked with film editors, CGI editors, etc who have multiple key copies made. You just don't fucking edit the master file, the first generation copy of the file, until there is absolute need to and testing is complete and approved. What a travesty!?!
--SCARLET: Yes. I called this out years ago already, after Juan's convincing EXIF analysis years and years before these case file details showed up in publications. It is gobsmacking to see it confirmed now by these authors who possess the files. It should also raise huge red flags for the LITJ book and the way in which its authors gave Pittí a free pass for this travesty, without holding her critically accountable for anything. You do start to wonder now about the fate of photo #509. Or what theoretically could have happened to it while Pittí and her team were busy with that SD card.
--POWER-PIXIE: Did the Panamanian authorities delete photo #509? I really doubt it, because the NFI were still going to look at this, and leaving a gap like this in the numerical sequence is equally stupid. So I don't know why they would fuck around like this with the original data, unless they could not figure out what happened to photo #509. If they had to release this finding to the media and to the parents right away, then were they worried that there would now be a major repercussion for this that they would have to answer for? The photo to me was deleted by the gang. They are all quite capable of deleting a photo from a camera and SD card. So I'd imagine it would be very hard for Pitti to explain to her superiors, the parents, police, the public in Panama and to the world. Maybe she thought it would be best if we simply made it look like a photo was "accidentally" deleted when they copied back the files to the SD card or something moronic like that, not realizing that you would also need to then purge the files off the computer that they were edited on. This is why I think the Panamanian authorities did what they did. It's easy to simply muddle it further and pretend that they couldn't figure it out, when I believe that all the while they knew a file had been deleted from the camera with the use of a computer.
--POWER-PIXIE: 😳 Whose battery was this?
--SCARLET: Yeh this needs more explaining
"The fastening of a shoulder strap is partially detached due to a loose seam, which the forensic experts attribute to "normal use." [..] Next to the damage, there is a gaping cut in the material about ten millimeters long, possibly also the result of a stabbing. The forensic expert in charge suggests that both types of damage were caused by a sharp-edged object. Although the report does not speculate on this, the descriptions suggest
that it could have been a stabbing with a knife or a small machete, as the damage is linear. This speaks against a natural object that could have caused the damage. The detection of polyester urethane at the puncture site using infrared microspectrometry also speaks against this. According to our research, this specific soft plastic is manufactured for sheaths, including for coating sheaths for tactical and military knives."
--SCARLET: Notice here that Pitti went to the MEDIA right away to claim that the backpack had "signs of dragging". And to sell her accident theory: "This suggests - she explained - that the foreigners could have been pushed by one of the tributaries of the river called by the locals as "Culebra", which flows into the Changuinola River, in Bocas del Toro".... Talk about trying to steer public opinion right off the bat while at the same time not bothering to do the necessary forensic investigational work.
--POWER-PIXIE: The description makes me also wonder if this was a machete or knife stabbing, as it sounds like a linear tear. If it was a branch, wouldn't it leave some kind of residue on the edges of the tear? I'm trying to imagine a scenario in which this knife or machete would have been used on April 1? Or when the backpack was hung somewhere in someone's hiding place that resulted in a tear? No traces of natural residue, instead we read about polyester urethane at the puncture site. I agree that it could be a sheath for a knife or machete. Good work by the Germans here to say the least. Meanwhile, LITJ's take on this: "A rectangular piece of textile measuring 1.2 by 0.6 inches is hanging loose, the edges are frayed. Furthermore, there is a straight damage with frayed wire ends on one side. The other side, which runs parallel to a hem, has no fraying. If the damage was caused by cutting or stabbing with a knife into the fabric, according to the NFI no frayed wire ends would have been visible. The conclusion follows that the backpack was scraped along the sharp edge of a rock or stone in the river. Noting that, with the passage of time, threaded ends, even when damaged by stabbing or cutting, will inevitably fray." According to this, the NFI says there would have been no frayed wire ends if a knife was used....but they also say that if the bag had been stabbed or cut it would have inevitably frayed... 😄 Doughnut-logic 🍩
The Day Photos
"The biological examination also revealed plant fragments and sand on both bras, as well as transparent plastic parts of unknown origin on Kris's bra."
--POWER-PIXIE: Sounds like Kris's bra traveled to Mars and back. LITJ stated: "Next to a part of the damage a foreign material is identified as polyetherurethane (plastic), the origin of which is unknown."
"Of the total of 33 photos taken by Kris and Lisanne on April 1 during their hike, 22 are publicly known. The first picture is number 478 and is taken - always assuming the camera and not the witnesses shows the truth - at 11:18 a.m. at the start of the Pianista Trail."
--SCARLET: ERROR? Photo 478? I understand from ImperfectPlan that the first known picture on the Pianista trail (on that iron bridge in fact) is photo number 476. This seems to be an error. Photo 478 has never been leaked yet also. But maybe the authors have seen it?
--POWER-PIXIE: So what happened to the numbering system? How did the SLIP authors arrive at 478 being the photo that shows Kris on the Iron Bridge? Or is this a typo in their book? LITJ: "133 photos were shot on April 1 and 8, 32 were taken on April 1, starting from number 0476." When I roughly measured the distance on this website from the start of the dirt road next to the restaurant all the way to the iron bridge, it comes out 0.5km. It would be a 6-8 minute walk to cover this distance. So if we went with a 11:10 AM start of the hike, then it's possible to reach the Iron Bridge in 8 minutes, give or take a few seconds. Taking the above time frame, an Lisanne's last phone connection according to the NFI (via these two authors), Lisanne's phone's connection ends at 10:20 AM. I think the 11:05 AM cell tower ping needs to be seriously considered here. They probably were arriving in the taxi when the iPhone pinged the cell tower. Within 5 minutes, they arrive at the trail entrance next to the restaurant, exit the taxi, pay, and then start their trek as I doubt they simply bolted out of the taxi towards the path. ~50 minutes from NFI's stated time of 10:20 AM - possible 11:10 AM start of their hike. Shame by the way that the SLIP authors seem to not mention the location or name of the Wi-Fi which Kris and Lisanne used that morning.
--DAVE: Meaning we can say the two friends probably arrived there at around 11.08 AM at the latest. So 40 minutes from (presumably) leaving the school to getting here...? Roughly 20 minutes of that are the drive from the school/Plaza, leaving just 20 minutes for the walk back to Miriam's, getting changed, and getting to the School/Plaza for the taxi. It doesn't work, does it?
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"Miriam's neighbor Verónica is one of the few people who saw Kris and Lisanne on the day they disappeared. She tells us that she is certain that the girls were not wearing the same clothes as in the photos when she saw them leave Miriam's house at around 9:00 a.m. on April 1. She also talks about Lisanne's eye-catching three-quarter pants and Kris's white top. "They were both so striking, though," she tells us. "A lot of people must have noticed them." --POWER-PIXIE: Eye catching. So what top did Lisanne wear and what bottoms did Kris wear?
--SCARLET: This does make you wonder: why didn't Verónica see them leave the house that morning in the clothes seen on the daytime Pianista photos of April 1st?
"According to witnesses, the foreign women appeared tired, exhausted, and disoriented - none of which can be seen in the photos. Neither does Lisanne's poor state of health, as described by Miriam, or Kris's sunburn, which Eileen claims to have noticed on the day of her disappearance. Of course, outward appearances can be deceptive."
"But Kris's red hair alone makes it very unlikely that another tourist couple with the same characteristics hiked the Pianista Trail on April 1 - only three hours later and dressed differently. If there had been such doppelgangers in Boquete at the same time, they would certainly have been found given the intensive search. At the time of the disappearance, the investigators searched all hostels and hotels in the region for young women with matching descriptions - with no results. No accommodation was hosting guests who looked similar to Kris and Lisanne. In the case of a "doppelganger couple," it would also hardly be credible that these women would not have contacted the police despite the calls for witnesses in 2014. Or that they would never have been made aware of one of the most prominent missing persons cases in the age of social media."
"Kris takes selfie 495 at the Mirador at 1:00 p.m. The fact that the girls have already reached the summit by this time means a quick ascent - especially for those unfamiliar with the area without a guide, who, like Kris and Lisanne, make photo stops in between. The approximately 2.5-mile-long path to the top forks in two places and there are no markings. As a result, hikers often stray from the path and have to reorient themselves. Lisanne is also said to have suffered from breathing problems, and her feet were probably also causing problems. If the girls were the victims of a crime, the rapid ascent could indicate that they were already accompanied by an unknown person who knew the area. Theoretically, it is also possible to travel in a vehicle to the forest entrance."
"Photo 507 (1:54 p.m.) shows Kris from behind. [..] It is noticeable that her lower legs and pants are now dirty, which could indicate that she has touched one of the tunnel walls in the meantime, as these are sometimes so narrow that it is almost impossible to walk without touching them. She may also have slipped and fallen. There is also a small hole in her jeans, which can also be seen in the photos of her trousers."
--POWER-PIXIE: Eh? Eileen stated she never saw them on Tuesday. Now she not only sees Kris, but also a sunburn on her face? Lisanne looked more sunburned in my opinion in Bocas.
--SCARLET: Well spotted.
"But Kris's red hair alone makes it very unlikely that another tourist couple with the same characteristics hiked the Pianista Trail on April 1 - only three hours later and dressed differently. If there had been such doppelgangers in Boquete at the same time, they would certainly have been found given the intensive search. At the time of the disappearance, the investigators searched all hostels and hotels in the region for young women with matching descriptions - with no results. No accommodation was hosting guests who looked similar to Kris and Lisanne. In the case of a "doppelganger couple," it would also hardly be credible that these women would not have contacted the police despite the calls for witnesses in 2014. Or that they would never have been made aware of one of the most prominent missing persons cases in the age of social media."--POWER-PIXIE: I agree and am relieved to know that somebody decided to go search for these doppelgangers.
--SCARLET: Exactly. Well written this and well argued.
"Numerous theories are circulating on the internet that the day photos were manipulated by cropping, i.e. Kris and Lisanne were cut out of other pictures and inserted into the scene of the Pianista. This would at least be a conclusive explanation for the considerable discrepancies concerning the time of the hike and the girls' clothing. The theoretical possibility exists, and we also notice that certain areas appear strangely distorted and blurred, which is atypical for the camera used. This blurring does not appear in the photos of the girls taken before their hike to the Pianista Trail. On the contrary, the images always appear sharp and clear. So far, however, no one has been able to prove that cropping has been used. On the other hand, nobody has proven the opposite. We have confronted several experts with the question of whether the photos provide evidence of cropping and have not received a satisfactory answer. We were told in unison that it was highly unlikely, but that it could not be ruled out, as the overall quality of the images was too poor. However, the person who managed such a manipulation must have been a master. The unanimous opinion: It was either perfectly done or not all."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why didn't they demonstrate this or add the photos they think are blurred or distorted and what could be the technical reasons for this?
--SCARLET: Can't believe they go this far.
--SCARLET: Can't believe they go this far.
--POWER-PIXIE: Well, if this set of daytime photos have EXIF information, then you need to consider the dimensions of the original photo, vs the dimensions of the photo in their possession. Any deviation from the a 3000 x 4000 pixel or 4000 x 3000 pixel dimension would indicate at the very least that the image was cropped. You can always change the original that was cropped to these dimensions, but will encounter gross distortion or suffer artifacts because the cropping to remove certain aspects in the composition has to be a lot to ensure this amount of discrepancy like blurriness. Cropping down a 0.5 inch border around the photo versus zooming into Kris's scalp is what I'm getting at in terms of how much the amount of cropping will cause artifacts and blurriness. - And we have seen how date and time can be changed retrospectively.
--SCARLET: Yes, you can easily change the date and time on the digital camera. Take a series of photos, which are stored with the manipulated time/date in EXIF. Then after changing the settings back to the current date and time, it then stamps the current date and time in the EXIF data on the next image. If this is what theoretically happened, then those night photos could have been taken at any date between April 1st and the day before the backpack was found, technically. How to Change the Date of your Digital Photographs. Same for changing the time and date on your phone and staging a call, before resetting the correct time. The call attempt will then be logged on whatever edited date and time you want. That theoretically allows for fake calls at a pre-set and pre-determined time and date, instead of actually having to sit and wait in the wild to stage a string of 'emergency calls' over an 8 day period. I feel that this possibility is constantly overlooked...
"Kris takes selfie 495 at the Mirador at 1:00 p.m. The fact that the girls have already reached the summit by this time means a quick ascent - especially for those unfamiliar with the area without a guide, who, like Kris and Lisanne, make photo stops in between. The approximately 2.5-mile-long path to the top forks in two places and there are no markings. As a result, hikers often stray from the path and have to reorient themselves. Lisanne is also said to have suffered from breathing problems, and her feet were probably also causing problems. If the girls were the victims of a crime, the rapid ascent could indicate that they were already accompanied by an unknown person who knew the area. Theoretically, it is also possible to travel in a vehicle to the forest entrance."--POWER-PIXIE: Well I'm relieved that the authors bothered to mention this, as we've been harping about this theory for a while now. I'm still amazed at how quickly they did make it up there, given there are no markings. Either someone gave them the instructions beforehand, or they were accompanied by someone. You can almost hear someone telling them to go right when they arrive at the fork, and go down first, before this path ascends. Without the benefit of the vlogs by Victor and Romain, I would be in the dark about this detail as well, and would have needed someone to inform me to take the right.
I could have guessed it if I was at the fork, but it is not so obvious (as I stated) that you have to descend first, and then ascend at a particular point.
--DAVE: The left in the fork looks like the more obvious to the uninitiated, due to it going towards a slightly elevated path. It's not a difficult route as such, but you would be very aware of how isolated this is as a walk. And that if you get into any trouble, you will be in trouble! I think also someone had to have given them advice.
"On a clear day, hikers can enjoy a fantastic view from the Mirador and can see both the Pacific Ocean 45 miles away, and the Caribbean Sea, which is around 18.5 miles away. Kris and Lisanne, however, tend to rush over here. For some unknown reason, they barely take their time and take eight photos in just under 100 seconds as they jump from one end of the summit to the other, changing cameras now and then."
--POWER-PIXIE: Well does this video of the photo gymnastics still impress you both?
--SCARLET: I wouldn't call a 15 minute summit stop 'rushed'. As for the mere seconds between some Mirador photos, yes.... but that is something which Juan already made videos about very early on. See also Power-Pixie's video on the shuffling on the Mirador when those photos were taken by Kris and Lisanne:
--SCARLET: This could be of interest, given that the jeans shorts was eventually found by rescuers with somewhat similar damage to it. If the authors are correct, this damage may have already been sustained by Kris before photo #507 was taken and not be any indication of what may have happened after their disappearance.
--POWER-PIXIE: I appreciate the authors have gone into some details I've wondered about, but couldn't always make out from the low-res copies of this photo. I agree that Kris may have slipped and fallen. Ironic that her father also slipped and fell when he got to the moss walled section of the trail on the way past the Mirador.
"This last known daytime photo is perhaps followed by the biggest point of contention in the entire case: the deleted photo 509. The NFI expert agrees: "I noticed that one file was missing from the above series of photos: IMG_0509.JPG. [..] I was asked by the investigation team to further look into this to see if there were any traces of the missing file on the disk." Using the Encase program, I searched the evidence files on the disk extensively for traces of the missing file. I assumed that the file had probably been deleted manually at an unknown time after April 1, 2014, at 1:54 p.m. However, I could not find any trace of this missing file in the FAT32 file system of the data carrier. I then used the data recovery program Photorec, version 6.14, from CGSecurity to search the free storage space (unallocated clusters) of the data carrier for remnants of photo files that could still be recovered from this storage space. This program usually achieves very good results. [...] The results of the Photorec program provided no trace of the missing image IMG_0509.JPG.[97]" The forensic scientist performs a series of further analyses and recognizes that the file sectors of 508 fit seamlessly with the following photo 510. If 509 had been taken and then manually deleted, this would normally have been noticed by a gap in the file system. None of the photos previously deleted on the camera, which could be recovered using forensic software, caused such an error in the file system. Ultimately, the expert is at the end of his forensic rope and draws a dry conclusion: "It was not possible for me to determine the exact time the file was deleted nor the circumstances of the deletion.[98]"
--POWER-PIXIE: "It was not possible for me to determine the exact time the file was deleted nor the circumstances of the deletion." The fact that he admits that his findings indicate a file was deleted is enough for me. However, I understand that determining when it was deleted was crucial, as it would indicate that either a 3rd party deleted this photo or the Panama authorities did so. Well, I'm really glad they included the direct statements from the NFI investigator. This already proves to me that photo 509 was deleted using a computer, as Photorec from what I have read is quite a formidable recovery tool, even back in 2014.
--DAVE: If the file was deleted at a later stage, after the night photo's were taken, doesn't this pour some cold water on our belief that a third party owning the camera in these weeks deleted that file? If in fact the file was deleted after June 13th, when the camera was handed to the authorities, why would the authorities delete it?! It appears the SD Card contents may have been moved to a computer, possibly edited (file deleted) and saved back to card... But we just cannot ever say whether this was done in late June for instance, before the camera was handed in. The Panama authorities did some tinkering and rotated, resized or brightened the night-time images yes, and saved those changes to the SD card, we know this from the Exif data. But is it true that if someone previously transferred all contents to a computer, then saved the contents back to the SD card minus the file/photo, that all Exif data are preserved with it?
"The authors of Lost in the Jungle also carried out tests with the camera and discovered the distinct possibility that the girls had removed the memory card after taking picture 508 and inserted a new one so that the next photo was saved on this one as 509. They then changed the SD cards again and the next photo on the found memory card was given the number 510. Irrespective of the fact that there would have been no reason for such a strange action, it is not known whether Kris and Lisanne had a second SD card with them. But this is exactly what the authors claim by inventing the story of a Panamanian investigator who claims to have told them that two memory cards were found in the rucksack. Since there is no mention of this anywhere in the files, we assume that this episode is a mere invention. The authors probably thought they could set up that invention, as they assumed that only they had access to the files."
--POWER-PIXIE: 😄 I appreciate that the authors added some comic relief here.
--SCARLET: This is the debunking of their double SD card inventory error. LITJ mentioned a second SD card in the inventory list made by a cop of the backpack's content. Something which they had to take out of the subsequent English print (silently and without rectification note), giving readers of the two different prints raging rows about who quoted that list correctly and who was delirious or illiterate. Good times those were... "The authors probably thought they could set up that invention, as they assumed that only they had access to the files" - Brutal.
"Even if Lisanne had theoretically deleted photo 509 after creating it and skipped the next number, the question remains: Why would she do that in an emergency? After all, she hadn't deleted failed shots before, and the card had more than enough storage space.[103] So the mystery surrounding the missing photo 509 remains inextricably linked to the fate of the two friends themselves."
--POWER-PIXIE: Good arguments and questions here that the other duo forgot to consider in their magnum opus.
PART 1: Night photos (pages 94 - 105)
"The night photo series consists of a total of 100 photos taken on April 8 between 1:29 and 4:20 a.m. and saved on the SD card with the numbers 510 to 609."
--SCARLET: ERROR? I verified this with IP and the time for this last photo 609 is marked as 4:10 a.m. (4:10:59 seconds). So not 4:20.
"The unspoken motto among internet detectives is that whoever can find or determine the location of the night photos can also solve the mystery of Kris and Lisanne's disappearance. This is why private expeditions into the jungle of Bocas are undertaken time and again. The bloggers from Imperfect Plan and Romain Casalta, who are trying to explore the area with drones, have made a name for themselves here. [..] With all due respect to their efforts to map and document the places and thus make them tangible and accessible to others, we consider the effort to find the location of the night photos in this way to be futile. Annette has spent days wandering through various regions of the forest and noticed that everything is very similar yet constantly changing. [..] It is therefore likely that it was impossible to determine the location of the night photos just a few months or even weeks after April 1, 2014. Only if they had been taken in the area of the paddocks would there have been a realistic chance, as a photo spot could have been recognized by poles, bridges, or the like."
-DAVE: ImperfectPlan/Romain were clear on their belief going in, that the odds of ever finding that night location were exceedingly slim, and that isn't why they went to the area. They went to try and determine the actual difficulties in moving around the terrain, and to examine firsthand any possible avenues the two could have been funnelled away on. I have no doubt at all that that water-eroded rockface would still be there. So while the chances of ever discovering the night photo location are extremely small, that rock IS still out there. And on April 8th someone had walked themselves there, and may have walked themselves out as well. Meaning it is accessible. And it likely still is accessible.
--POWER-PIXIE: Can't help but think that this is similar to Feliciano's and Eileen's constantly changing and evolving statements since their foray into the world of Kris and Lisanne on April 2. You can say this of Ingrid, Marjolein, Pandilla, Pitti, but the above two stars of the Kris and Lisanne Vanishing Act take the Oscars. Everything else past April 2 has become an orchestrated course of events thanks to the elusive Feliciano and Eileen. Their words, whether they lied or were telling us some form of the truth, sent the investigations and everyone off tangent for so long, that I would bet an asteroid has more chances of hitting the earth in the next 100 years than anyone solving the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. Well, I hope I'm wrong, about the asteroid at least. 🙂
"Rumors on internet forums repeatedly claim that rescue helicopters were on the way that night. We have not found any information about this in the available search reports. Nor did we find any information about search teams who spent the night in the forest and searched for Kris and Lisanne using light and sound signals."--SCARLET: Good to have this rumour cleared up and debunked once and for all (hopefully). I realize it is a very popular and deemed 'straight forward' pipedream for the explanation of these night photos, and I know of one single Dutch news report about searchers going on at night, but there has never been any actual indication of that in Panama. Not even Pittí has bragged about such a thing. Sinaproc never mentioned it during their press conferences. There are no written official documents supporting this claim. And now Hardinghaus and Nenner confirm it, based on the case files. But it seems that no matter what, this narrative of Kris and Lisanne flashing their camera towards flying nightly helicopters or nightly search teams, will nevertheless be used for decades to come.
"Next to the branch, we recognize a piece of torn paper which, when enlarged, reveals the lettering of a car rental company. We know from the files that receipts from this company were also found in the girls' room."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why would "receipts" of a rental car agency be in their backpack and in their room? When did Kris and Lisanne rent cars from a rental company?
--DAVE: It's bizarre. It could be these receipts were left by a previous occupier in the room, but these authors should have acknowledged the nonsense of them belonging to Lisanne or Kris...
--SCARLET: The authors confirmed on reddit that 'receipt' was a translation error and that they mentioned an info leaflet in the original German version of their book. So they never rented a car, but they were given an info flyer instead..
Regarding night photo 580: "In our opinion, the only conspicuous feature that can be recognized behind the strands of hair is a structure on the left side of her head, which at first glance looks like a row of teeth, but on closer inspection turns out to be a pearl earring, which Kris also wears in other photos. This is also a clear indication that the photo is actually of Kris, though her being deceased or alive in the photo cannot be determined."
--POWER-PIXIE: Would Kris still be wearing earrings in the jungle after 7 days/nights? Or is this something that after a few days of wear, would become a little uncomfortable?
"Even with knowledge of the original photo, viewers still claim to recognize an injury at the back of the head shown; we cannot even imagine such a thing and refer once again to the phenomenon of pareidolia."
--DAVE: But you can "imagine" a pearl earring, and that's different...?
PART 1: The cell phone data (pages 107-122)
"The forensic experts at the NFI also proceed according to purely technical aspects in their evaluation of this investigation and do not offer a reconstruction of the events. However, they perform their analysis under the assumption that Kris and Lisanne disappeared behind the Mirador, which they do not question due to the lack of location data. They do not realize that there will be reasonable doubt about the time and place of Kris and Lisanne's disappearance."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why? What happened to both GPS and Locations Services features on both phones? When were they turned off? Why were they turned off in the first place? How is it that Facebook and other apps that relied on GPS for accuracy were used, but both Kris and Lisanne seemed to have not cared about location accuracy messages that would pop up on each app that needed GPS or locations services turned on?
"The time settings on Kris's phone are still set to the Dutch time zone during her time in Panama, even though the iOS 7.0.6 operating system running on the iPhone usually changes automatically, what the responsible criminalist remarks."
--POWER-PIXIE: That is a good observation. Why did Kris's iPhone4 not switch over to Panama time? Here is a Q&A on stackexchange that described the auto switch to different time zone, even when in Airplane Mode.
"The common explanation that the girls wanted to save battery power is also not convincing in this scenario. At this early stage, there is no reason for them to assume that they won't be found the next day or that they won't be able to find their way back on their own. In addition, Wi-Fi on Lisanne's Samsung cell phone remains constantly switched on - hardly a sign of efforts to save power."
--POWER-PIXIE: How did they know this, and not know if GPS was turned on or not? FYI...Wi-Fi is the first option, while GPS is the second option when you swipe down on the Samsung phone to arrive at the menu.
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"The damage to the rucksack could have been caused by a machete or a fence post."--POWER-PIXIE: Didn't Tharindu come up with this theory regarding the backpack getting hooked on a fence wire when the two were escorted through it and towards a path off the trail in the meadow/paddock area?
--SCARLET: Yes he did.
"Wednesday, April 2. After 13 hours of silence, the cell phones become active again this morning.. First, the Samsung dials 112 at 6:58 a.m., but is immediately switched off. At 8:12 a.m. the iPhone starts up, someone switches the signal search from "2G only" to "2G and 3G". Then 112 is dialed immediately. Then the control center is opened and a feature is activated that lets you swipe to access the system and applications from a control
panel without having to enter an unlock code."
--POWER-PIXIE: iPhone 4 Control Center reference. You just need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to get to the Control Center without needing to enter the passcode screen or entering a passcode, like we still do today with the latest iPhones. Please note that there is a "Flashlight" icon for the Flashlight app present. It is the first of 4 apps. The second one is the Timer app. The third app is a calculator. The fourth app is the camera app. Ironic that all four apps are quite useful, in a combination or on their own, if in a scenario where you are lost. Yet Kris and Lisanne did not even use the flashlight to see in the pitch darkness, with no moonlight for 13 hours and on subsequent nights. Nor did they use the camera for any reason. The rest of the options that are found on the top of the screen, like Airplane Mode, Cellular toggle, bluetooth, Do not disturb and screen rotation lock are obvious. To me this swipe up action and lack of any activity at this screen on the iPhone indicates it is not Kris using the phone, IMO. It's as if someone was getting a feel for the phone or checking to see if any of the options were still working or turned on.
--SCARLET: ERROR? SLIP states that on April 2nd, the iPhone from Kris made a 112 call at 08:12 AM and was powered off at 08:13. I verified this with IP and the files state that the phone was powered on at 08:12 and that the call was made at 08:14... I've seen the copy of this. Imperfect Plan also write this. Or maybe the NFI made an error here and the 08:14 time is in fact linked to a screenshot having been taken, but then the German authors are not explaining any of that when presenting the wrong time seemingly here. But according to IP there is no info available about a 112 call having been made at 08:12...
"The intentional actions on the iPhone seem questionable due to Kris' technical inexperience. She didn't even set Panama's time. It is doubtful that she could or would perform these deliberate steps to de facto deactivate the unlock code for further operation in one minute."
--POWER-PIXIE: I have to admit that this is a valid point. Kris never bothered to switch over the time zone or didn't know how to deactivate or activate time zone switch manually. Yet now she is somehow able to change all these settings so quickly.
--DAVE: So in theory someone swipes into the main screen, can disable the main screen password from there, alter the 2G setting? It does seem confirmed in this book that a SIM password was entered for the first days however.
--POWER-PIXIE: These are two different features. Swiping the Home Screen, then all you need to do is go to Settings -> Cellular -> Cellular Data Options (Roaming Off) -> Enable 3G. This setting only works if there is a SIM card in the iPhone. And it is not so obvious to get to the Enable 3G toggle either. So I doubt Kris knew of this option, much less Lisanne knowing this option on the iPhone 4.
--DAVE: Very good points! I have to say when I read it in this light, it does seem clear that someone else is using that phone this morning. Someone very familiar with it and who knows what they are going to do in the two to three minutes the phone is switched on. It's very odd with Christian, as he seems to get it. He seems to understand that there is a third party here. But by their desire to completely go against anything to do with Jeremy Kryt, he is reverting to the old idea that the two returned to the Mirador and were swept to some shed in the area...
--POWER-PIXIE: What files?
--DAVE: Someone having a good look through the phones content? In theory the photo albums, SMS/Whatsapp messages would be in Dutch however, maybe music files? Lisanne's phone is free access, no passwords required, so I strongly suspect this is why it is being favoured here in these first two days. It's very concerning though that there is no way to read which functions and programs are being used - though if you can read Accuweather has been opened that all seems very odd....
--POWER-PIXIE: But the authors mentioned this earlier in this chapter: "He is unable to extract information from Kris's iPhone because, according to protocol, it cannot be switched on. R. could not gain access to Lisanne's Samsung phone because it was password-protected. However, he takes contacts, mobile phone connections, and text messages from the SIM card.[66]" The Samsung's SIM card unlike Kris's phone was not password protected with a PIN code. However the above states that the Samsung phone was password protected? What baffles me is that the Samsung does not report the password challenges in the log files or that we are still yet to discover this information from the full Samsung data dump.
--SCARLET: Yes, from what was reported in the Dutch press and through the NFI, only the iPhone of Kris had password protection. So now we are told that Lisanne's Samsung phone was password-protected too? How come this is the first time we hear this claim in ten years time? Is it even true?
--DAVE: They clear this up on page 107 - the Panamanian end incorrectly listed the Samsung as having Password requirements, the Dutch NFI subsequently found this was not the case.
"A screenshot generated when the phone book is closed shows the contact "Mytiam."[111] The iPhone is then switched off at 4:03 p.m. with a battery capacity of 39 percent. Based on the phone number displayed on the screenshot, we can see that it is Miriam's mobile number, which we know. The contact has been saved with a typing error. The fact that it is open at all can hardly be explained by a lost scenario. The number is not dialed, and the user would have been aware at the time that this would not have been possible due to the lack of reception. If the girls were not alone, it is conceivable that they showed Miriam's number to someone who should have contacted their host mother for them. Assuming
that the cell phone was no longer in the girls' possession, a third person could have been interested in Miriam's number and would have wanted to dial it from a working phone."
--POWER-PIXIE: That's another very good point. I heard Losters always use this as their trump card or get out of Foul Play jail card. But surely someone who they showed the number to would have tried to contact Miriam for help.
--DAVE: I look at the timing. For perhaps three minutes someone has turned the phone on at 4 PM, no call or message attempts, but a look through the whatsapp contacts settles on Miriam? A switch on at 4 PM again, not 8 PM or 11 PM, and so I have to believe someone switched it on purely to look up the contacts and see what contact the iPhone had had with Miriam. This is the day when the story broke across Boquete and Panama, and Miriam's name was reported in connection. If someone has this phone, it suggests someone who knows who Miriam is, is curious to know whether the phone owner had any contact with her, and has to satisfy his curiosity over whether there were any 'conversations' existing. Of course, neither Kris or Lisanne spoke or wrote in local Spanish, so unless English was used the messages stored would be Dutch. When you think it through, the contacts on both phones were friends and family back home, meaningless to a Boquete local. But the name 'Mytiam' is misspelled here, so lost in all those other strange names all someone has to go off here to connect 'Mytiam' with Miriam IS the phone number tagged to it... That a screenshot is taken of this last action is suggesting someone knew this entry was actually 'Miriam'. Had they recognised the number tagged, hence why they settled in this one entry before shutting the phone down?
"We consider it impossible that Kris, if she was so keen to save battery power, would have looked up Miriam's number without good reason. For us, this action is a strong indication that a third person was involved. Looking up the number is also relevant because we see from the files that the officers had difficulty contacting Miriam, as she did not answer her phone. We know from a letter from Marjolein to Ingrid that Miriam gave her a new cell phone number the day before the girls disappeared.[112] It is possible that several people had problems reaching her at that time. Did a possible perpetrator, who did not yet have her new number, also need to contact the host mother of his victims for an urgent reason?"--POWER-PIXIE: Why did Miriam switch to a new number? When switching to a new number, wouldn't she have given her number to people that she knew or did business with? SbtR? Makes no sense that conveniently again, Miriam has switched her phone number without a reason been given. No. the Pandilla or the guide did not have any reason to contact Miriam, but they may have had a need to verify whose phone numbers were on the contact list, and noticed "Mytiam", and probably wondered if this was Miriam's number. Feliciano had already been to her home, so he knew who Miriam was. Out of all of the friends, family, relatives, the Spanish School’s number, the only contact this person handling Kris’s iPhone 4 looked up was this Mytiam. And didn’t even attempt a call or text in the hopes that it would reach somehow. Were they checking to see if any phone calls or Whatsapp messages from Miriam had come in?
"Friday, April 4. On this day, the Samsung is booted up one last time at 4:50 a.m. It then discharges completely until 5:00 a.m. before the device "probably" shuts down automatically, as the forensic scientist suspects."
--POWER-PIXIE: That is 10 minutes of inactivity on the Samsung phone, which would have been Lisanne's lifeline to the outside world, yet she does absolutely nothing of note with it. No desperation set in, but just simply turned it on for 10 minutes and watched the battery drain? And later again with the turning on and off for few seconds, like something was going to happen. I think at this point, the perpetrator is probably bored and has other stuff on his mind. 🙂 Or perhaps he was getting ready along with the gang to end Osman's life that early evening at the Caldera and didn't have time on the 4th to do much? With the Samsung phone being completely drained of battery, the iPhone is not switched on until 10:51 AM the following day. I think the perpetrator is being conservative with the iPhone, knowing that he needs the iPhone to last a few more days perhaps, if he had this already in mind.
"Saturday, April 5. At 10:51 a.m. on April 5, the iPhone is switched on for the last time for a few seconds with a valid SIM PIN. At 2:35 p.m., it is switched on for a few seconds without entering the PIN. It is reasonable to assume that the cell phone has changed hands in the meantime, and that the owner does not know the PIN."
--SCARLET: ERROR? As I understand it from ImperfectPlan, on April 5 the iPhone is switched on at 1:37 PM. On April 6th it is switched on at 2:35 PM in fact. Not on April 5th. The NFI erroneously wrote down 1:37 for both days, but one was in fact 2:35 PM. Imperfect Plan also write this.
--POWER-PIXIE: We need to be careful here. A valid SIM pin is given the first time here, but not the second time. When I demonstrated the tests to you both, do you recall that the SIM PIN challenge comes up, but there is no need to enter the SIM PIN to operate the phone or dial emergency numbers? This is purely to access the SIM card and make calls using the SIM card. So at 2:35 PM it is not significant if the PIN code is not entered, since the perp knows by now that he does not need the SIM PIN code to dial the emergency number, which he is only interested in so far. If this was Kris and Lisanne, they could have exchanged the PIN codes and passcodes way before April 5. There is no way of knowing they didn't do this as a precaution. But given their state in a lost scenario, they can't even move or feed themselves, or go to the toilet, they have fatigue and other possible ailments according to the Losters, but they somehow would be able to exchange and remember pin codes and passcodes, but don't use a flashlight or call other numbers, including Mytiam or leave voice messages or record themselves on video, etc... 🤷🏽♂️
"Normally, it is not possible to operate the cell phone system without entering the correct PIN. For this reason, the most likely explanation for the brief start-up is the intention to check signals, the time, or the battery status, which are also visible without entering the PIN."
--POWER-PIXIE: I agree that the SIM code, once unlocked, does display the cell reception. However you don't need to enter the passcode to view the clock or battery status. It comes up as soon as the iPhone is booted up. It's the same with the Samsung, though you can see the signal bars.
"Friday, April 11. After a five-day break, the iPhone is switched on without a PIN on the morning of April 11 and remains in operation for over an hour. The forensic scientist also comments: "I saw that a total of 11 new log files and system files were created between 10:51 and 11:56 [a.m.]. I also saw that the date and time of the last modification (last written) of 7 other log files and system files were changed. I looked further in these log files and system files for activity between 10:51 and 11:56 [a.m.] that could be related to user actions such as opening applications or system settings. I found no further traces of this."[113]"--POWER-PIXIE: From this statement by the NFI investigator, it seems like someone was able to jailbreak the iPhone using the Forensic tools, and go into the directory or directories where those files are located, and then edited them? This is not the Pandilla or Feliciano at work here. I'll bet on this. It is Pitti and her team who had access at that level of the iOS file system, given that there were no user actions such as opening applications or system settings. That right there to me says it was someone with higher level or intimate knowledge of smartphones to be able to get into the log files. To recap on these log files. Both the Samsung/Android, and iPhone/iOS have log files that are encrypted. They can only be read out in plain English when using a software like SQLlite database software. So the process goes something like this:
1. Attach the iPhone 4 to the computer with the forensic software, using a USB cable.
2. Jailbreak the iPhone 4 as soon as it is booted up using certain sequence processes (you can find all this on YouTube before 2014).
3. Once jailbroken, you are inside the phone. You use the forensic software on the computer to navigate through the file system.
4. At this point, you do a full data extraction to the computer. Investigate the files by using the Database software to read them.
5. Once you have read them, you decide what you want to do. If this was someone wanting to edit the files, then the files extracted to the computer is what gets edited.
6. Wipe out the iPhone to leave no trace of the originals. Pretend you have the original extracted to the computer and formulate a analysis report on the extracted/edited files. - Something like the above steps was done in Panama, if what the NFI investigator says is true.
"Our experts virtually rule out the possibility that the file manipulation could have been caused by an automated process. Someone must have operated the cell phone. Since no PIN was entered, there are only a few possibilities. In a field test with the iPhone 4, we can see that access to the flashlight, calculator and timer is possible. Music can also be played, as long as it is stored on the phone, and photos can be taken, saved and deleted. It is also possible to switch Bluetooth and flight mode on and off. A PIN would have had to be entered for further actions. Otherwise, there would only be the theoretical possibility of controlling the phone via the PC using a so-called jailbreak."
--POWER-PIXIE: I had already figured this out some time ago, just didn't have any confirmation, like we do now of the NFI investigator. So it definitely seems to me that Panama authorities fucked with the log files. If so, then I wonder what made them do this? Did they also delete the photo from the camera? Or did they have to delete this information from the log files in order to match the day time photos, and the absence of photo 509 since they could no longer explain what happened, and it was definitely leading to foul play?
--SCARLET: Very interesting.
"Our hypothetical assumption is that a third person has taken the cell phones from Kris and Lisanne at some point and is controlling them themselves to lay a false trail."
--SCARLET: Possible yes.
"From April 3 onwards, the log data obtained for the iPhone no longer shows any signal strength, which the NFI report does not go into any further. In our opinion, however, this is the crux of the matter. The only explanation for this is that the iPhone has not been in operation long enough to register a signal. It is important to note that the iPhone's log files record when the phone is switched on, but do not provide any specific information about when the phone was switched off."
--POWER-PIXIE: They have obviously not seen the full RAW data to be sure of this switch off. While the iOS on the iPhone doesn't inform you literally, or show "SWITCH OFF" or "SHUTDOWN" like certain computer systems record, it does go through a set of processes before the final shut down. This can be found in the sequence of events. All you have to do initially is find the first instance of the iPhone being shut down. Copy and paste the coded text. Then look for the same patterns, the same daemons, same alerts, and the same events that occur. Think about this: How did the NFI know when the iPhone shut down, to be able to record all those shutdowns? It is obvious that there are date and timestamps, and the quick shut offs and shutdowns would have highlighted this for those short bursts of timestamps for the particular days between April 1 and April 11. So I do not believe that Christian and Annette have looked at the RAW data in its entirety. I will need to go through the above process using my iPhone 4 and my laptop and see if I can put this theory to practice for you two.
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"In the field test, Antelo Conde simulates various scenarios for us. While switching on the iPhone 4 is immediately registered in the log file, the boot process takes 49 seconds to fully boot up. After that, the system needs another five seconds to search for a signal. During this time, the switched-on phone can easily be switched off again without any further information being recorded in the log file beyond the boot process. No emergency call attempts or other registered actions were inexplicably made until April 11. There is therefore much to suggest that something decisive changed after 4:00 p.m. on April 3. In an appropriate foul play scenario, the girls were taken from Pianista Trail to another location at that time where there was sufficient signal. This is exactly where a perpetrator in possession of the cell phones should have prevented them from being captured. If a kidnapper had a plan to make it look as if the girls were lost behind the Mirador and had been alive for some time, there would have been few other options available to him than to send out supposed signs of life via the missing persons' cell phones. This only works as long as no signal betrays him. He would therefore resort to the method of simply switching them on and off, which never lasts long enough for the cell phone to be technically capable of measuring a signal."--POWER-PIXIE: Bullshit. Why would a perpetrator risk a signal by taking them to an area with sufficient cell phone signal? This is a dumb theory. Any kidnapper would not want to leave a trace. The way the original phone calls and phone shut offs, do not suggest that they were made in an area with sufficient cell phone coverage, but the opposite. The whole point of this attempt was to gain an advantage over two adult women who wouldn't be able to communicate for help.
--DAVE: My position in this is that I AM convinced that they were followed, unseen, by persons who knew where they were headed to, and when. The idea that Kris and Lisanne ran into someone who just happened to be there, some random element with murderous traits, is just very very hard for me to invest in given the time of day, the nature of the trail the two were last seen on, the need for this random person to get them 'somewhere', the fact they so completely vanished that afternoon, the lack of cellphone activity... all of it. Another point here is that I no longer have much belief in the thought they managed to return to the summit. We know for example that their phones cut in and out of signal all the way up the mountain, so it stands to reason that if they made it back anywhere close to the Mirador, one or both phones would have registered a reconnect to signal, or a cell tower would have registered a 'Ping'. So I feel it is time to accept that whatever happened, they never came back to the Mirador - the answer is down there on the other side. For me it will always come down to the idea someone knew where they were, and intercepted them. Almost certainly on the other side of the mountain, perhaps even as the two were returning to the Mirador. Or rather intending to...
--POWER-PIXIE: Let's just call it - we believe that it may have been the gang who caught up to the two past the Mirador. Nobody knew where they were going except that guide during his Hola meeting that morning. Even Eileen probably had no idea they went to the Pianista trail. Maybe she overheard some conversation or saw them research the trail and other trails on April 1, but I get the impression she wasn't clear on their plans as it was most likely decided at Nelvis on Tuesday morning when they met up with locals guys, as reported on.
--SCARLET: There were claims made that Kris and Lisanne were seen talking with young men in Boquete, just as there were witness claims who saw them at Nelvis with young men. It is still a valid theory that Kris and Lisanne (also) talked with Pandilla members or friends of them at Nelvis that Tuesday morning. And thus that more people knew about their Pianista plans. Even the waiter there claimed he knew about their plans: Edwin S. who - according to Pittí, of all people - declared to the police that Kris told him they wanted to go to 'the mountain' that day. It is assumed by the Dutch authors that Lisanne's phone made contact with this Nelvis restaurant's Wi-Fi at 10:26 AM. Now SLIP says that there is no proof for this. But there certainly is smoke.
--SCARLET: With regards to the phone logs, people will read into them what they believe, and see things reflected in them depending on those beliefs. To me it seems that once thugs kidnapped Kris and Lisanne, they really only had to make sure those phones were powered off asap and before connecting to the network again. This was done shortly before 6 PM. Then for 14 hours there was no phone activity, allowing them ample time to take these women and their phones anywhere really in Panama. Indeed, once those phones were systematically powered on and off again from April 2nd onward, there really is no need to assume any longer that those phones were in a zone with (sparse) cell reception. They could have been in a cellar, in another forest, in a Faraday bag, anything could have happened to them in those 14 hours when the phones were powered off. That is also the only reasonable explanation imo for this powering off. There is just no way that two lost or injured women would rationally or instinctively power off both phones during that critical first night. Zero logic, not even by Occam's razor criteria lol.
"In this context, the deliberate switch from 2G to 3G on the morning of April 2 could ultimately be accounted for."
--POWER-PIXIE: Nah! I think the perp wanted to make it look like Kris had the bright idea of boosting cell reception. We are to assume here that in Kris’s injured, disoriented and fatigued state (supposedly), she pulled a Lara Croft and activated the signal booster? Why didn’t she also ask Lisanne to do the same with her phone? The Samsung III Mini also has the option to do so. Go to Settings, More Settings, Mobile Networks, Network Mode, Select GSM/WCDMA. Et Voila! Lisanne now has 3G. So Kris switches to 3G, while Lisanne sits there watching and wonders, “Oh what shall I do today, oh yeah, let me just drain the battery of my phone tonight.” Kris did not even know how to use Location Services to boost the phone’s accuracy for Maps, Weather, Compass, Facebook and other apps that she had on there. This is a basic feature of the iPhone 4 back in 2014, and it is similar to the Samsung III mini which also used GPS for accuracy with certain applications, especially with Google Maps. Imagine traveling to a foreign country like Panama, and not wanting to know or have accurate weather for the day/week you are there or up to date maps, despite the notification popping up. Btw, why aren’t all the apps from both phones listed in this “analysis” from the NFI? It would help us learn which apps were using/needed or prompted Location Services to be turned on.
"Antelo Conde explains this as a possible ruse by a perpetrator to buy himself more time. If no 3G network can be received on-site, but the mobile phone standard is preset, the iPhone first searches for a corresponding signal on this frequency or initially for the highest possible signals. Before it then automatically scans a lower frequency, additional seconds pass, which would have given the perpetrator a larger time window before the cell phone dials into a network, when he would have been recognized. We are unable to determine whether switching between 2G and 3G at a given time and place could have influenced the failure to establish a connection for the emergency call."--POWER-PIXIE: WTF? So help me out here. Perp is turning on 3G to buy himself more time? More time to do what exactly? Make emergency calls
that could potentially connect? Is this perp an iPhone iOS and cell network specialist as well? Perp did this to make it look like Kris wanted to boost cell signal. Plain and simple. No other reason. Kris didn't even use her iPhone properly. If she had turned off Location Services, then she would not even have accurate weather, compass, maps. So she would be a foolish, uninformed traveler. Yet she is turning on the 2G to 3G switch to boost signal, which as I mentioned before, is not that easy to figure out? And even more difficult to recall if you are injured or out of commission or if Lisanne is trying to use her iPhone. Sorry but the perp buying more time with this signal boost does not wash at all. Nice try though with the fancy explanation, which Tharindu already had professionally broken down for us in the past.
"In summary, Kris and Lisanne - if they were operating the cell phones - could not have used the switching on and off of the cell phones to read a signal. There simply would not have been enough time.[115]"
--POWER-PIXIE: I have been harping about this since I wrote that iPhone 4 theory document. There is not enough time for an entire cycle of iOS events to complete in time for the signal to be determined by the antenna and iOS network protocols. Also without a SIM card you cannot read the signal bars, after you have entered the SIM Pin code.
--SCARLET: Very good to have this clear now. As it is one of those theories that just keeps circulating. 'They only powered their battery-drained phones on quickly now and then to check if they had a signal yet'. Not possible then. Another theory debunked.
"But there would have been no conclusive reason for them to switch their cell phones on and off several times. Unless, of course, reading the time at very specific recurring times was of importance to them for some reason."
--POWER-PIXIE: And what would have been the point of reading the time at these specific times when turning on the phones? If they actually did something like check messages, emails, or anything that any of us would normally do in a normal situation, that would have reflected them checking to see what the current status is of events taking place. However, there is no point or reason given by either women to suggest that they turned it on to, what? Check the fucking time? And then what?
--DAVE: Someone going into the Clock app before turning the phone off... That is not an app you really go into, so given the context here is for very brief switch-ons someone needs(?) to check something in that app perhaps. It's not the alarm, it's not the timer, so all that really leaves is the international time settings. Is someone checking what time it is in the Netherlands? Actually, surely the point here is this phone was found to be still set to Dutch time - so either someone is here setting the phone to show European/Dutch time, or someone is wanting to check local (Panama) time. If you stay with that notion, then remember that this is the day when we have the 14.25 PM switch-on, suggesting someone who is a little out of routine today. This is Sunday, tomorrow is a 'back to Work' day...
"Presumably, a technically skilled perpetrator also made mistakes in the possible faking. A message from a Panamanian mobile phone provider contained in the files, according to which the IMEI of the iPhone was registered in the mobile phone network on April 18, fits in with this. Without explaining this, a special agent in Pittí's service reported in an attached file note that this was false information.[116]"
--POWER-PIXIE: Damn! Pittí will not come out of this unscathed.
"Similar cases show that leaving farewell messages is an extremely important need for people who know they can no longer get out of a situation - for their loved ones as well as to record their fate for posterity in general. On the other hand, internet forums often postulate that the reason for the lack of farewell words is complete mental confusion on the part of both girls due to dehydration and a bite from a poisonous animal. However, such a situation could hardly be reconciled with deliberately saving cell phone battery power, operating the cell phone at certain times, or being resourceful when signaling to the search teams."
--SCARLET: And yet this mental confusion argument is a very stubborn one for many. But it is one or the other, delirious or shrewd phone use planners. So take your pick.
"Finally, there is also the possibility that Kris and Lisanne left messages, but they were not found because a third party had deleted them."
--POWER-PIXIE: Or that the Panamanian authorities deleted them.
--SCARLET: For instance on June 17th, when Pittí and her team were so very busy photoshopping and overwriting photo originals of the night photos?
PART 1: Investigation halted and lawsuit against Panama (pages 125 - 131)
"On August 18, the Kremers announced on the blog they had set up, Antwoorden voor Kris, that Arrocha could not find the NFI report in the court documents. They had already learned from their Dutch lawyer that the report may not have been completed in full.[118] Pittí then explained that the report had not yet been sent from Holland. The NFI denied this - everything had been handed over to the Dutch public prosecutor's office as agreed. The latter, in turn, is said not to have forwarded the documents but denies this."
--POWER-PIXIE: We get to see this play out nicely in this book for a change. So much seemed to be fueled by speculation and he said/she said rumors. I'm glad the authors laid it out with dates and timeline for these little bits of drama behind the scenes. Now we can see how the Dutch Prosecutor was in unison with Pitti the Panamanian Prosecutor. Both tried to shut out Arrocha's look into the case. And I wonder what was incomplete in the NFI report?
--SCARLET: In LITJ, Pittí and the duo authors diminish the criticism vented by the Kremers family and their spokesperson and lawyer. The family (eventually) received the results, but according to Pittí and Co, the Kremers were just too preoccupied with finding their daughter. And their criticism was totally unfair because "Pittí shared all information with the ambassador, the Dutch police and she informed the parents as soon as they were in Panama". So the usual mantra: Pittí did nothing wrong and literally everybody else is just mean, out for her or has poor memory... while the authors nitpick from the files whatever suits their story. And criticise Pittí, and you're fair game. Even if your name is Hans Kremers. It is atrocious really.
--SCARLET: In LITJ, Pittí and the duo authors diminish the criticism vented by the Kremers family and their spokesperson and lawyer. The family (eventually) received the results, but according to Pittí and Co, the Kremers were just too preoccupied with finding their daughter. And their criticism was totally unfair because "Pittí shared all information with the ambassador, the Dutch police and she informed the parents as soon as they were in Panama". So the usual mantra: Pittí did nothing wrong and literally everybody else is just mean, out for her or has poor memory... while the authors nitpick from the files whatever suits their story. And criticise Pittí, and you're fair game. Even if your name is Hans Kremers. It is atrocious really.
"To close the case, the public prosecutor instead presents Lisanne's parents with the remains of their daughter on September 24 - Lisanne's 23rd birthday. They pass them on to the NFI, where scientists discover that Lisanne's foot has three metatarsal fractures. According to the IMELCF autopsy report, however, these fractures did not occur. In his report of June 19, 2014, Wilfredo P. writes explicitly about the examination of Lisanne's foot: "The tarsal, metatarsal and phalanx bones were dissected and exposed, and no bone trauma was found."[120]"
--POWER-PIXIE: Three fractured metatarsal? Did Pitti have someone intentionally break Lisanne's foot posthumously? Would be convincing if she did.
But we know her forensics team said there were no fractures or broken bones. So here it is. I think someone lied on behalf of Pittí.
--SCARLET: "They"... so the parents DID demand a second opinion of the bone autopsies? Interesting. I would have done the same in their position. But I wouldn't be surprised if pal Frank van de Goot did this autopsy. The same man who declared the case an accident because he could spot one specific slope on the Pianista where Kris and Lisanne could have theoretically fallen down. (But to Kinga Philipps he said ominously about the land behind the Pianista trail: "We may not see anyone (out) there, but everyone sees us").
"However, West and Snoeren state that the IMELCF had already diagnosed the fractures, although they should have known better. This should once again raise the pressing question of whether events like this happened at the request of their co-author, Pittí. As early as 2014, the public prosecutor needed something to support her accident theory. When she publicly declared the case closed, she claimed that the women had died because the river system had "dragged them to death" after they had somehow fallen into it.[121] In her reasoning, she cites the same metatarsal fractures and periostitis diagnosed by the NFI as evidence for her assumption. According to her explanation, only a fall from a great height could have caused these injuries. Pittí's statement leads to the conclusion that the girls fell from a bridge. However, it remains unanswered why they would not have waited for help or been found by locals before crossing the dangerous bridge. According to Dutch forensic scientist Frank van de Goot, who examined Lisanne's foot, the fractures are not necessarily the result of a fall. They could also indicate "a phenomenon that occurs in inexperienced hikers who suddenly start walking for a long time."[122] Pittí's evidence for a fall therefore results mainly from the diagnosis of metatarsal fractures, which her institute ironically failed to detect, and from periostitis, which her institute attributes to environmental and occupational medical influences."--SCARLET: Well written. And there we have it. It WAS Frank van de Goot. Look, I am trying to keep the quotes from this book as short and minimal as possible here under the Fair Use doctrine, but these sort of mini bombshells are hard to shorten without losing vital new details..
--POWER-PIXIE: At this point I have to applaud the German authors for taking a real good dig at Pittí and exposing her like this. She was totally out of her depth in this case, and we see it here now. Actually using the NFI's investigation to quickly state in the media that there were broken bones as a result of a fall from the fabled bridge. 🤣
--POWER-PIXIE: At this point I have to applaud the German authors for taking a real good dig at Pittí and exposing her like this. She was totally out of her depth in this case, and we see it here now. Actually using the NFI's investigation to quickly state in the media that there were broken bones as a result of a fall from the fabled bridge. 🤣
--SCARLET: Which theory was approved by Van de Goot. So the three suddenly discovered metatarsal fractures of Lisanne's foot and then used this to push/'prove' that they fell off a monkey bridge into the river and perished? All very convenient this. Interesting also that West and Snoeren did not point out this discrepancy between two clashing forensic bone autopsy conclusions in their book... Instead just presenting the NFI/Pitti 'finding' of "28 fractures in Lisanne's metatarsal bone" as the truth... The only doubt they built in, is by first stating a word in Dutch that translates roughly like 'there are supposedly'. But nothing about this being a second opinion finding, or that it contradicted the initial IMELCF autopsy report. Strange... Such a contradiction should have been worth mentioning you would think. So this is very interesting indeed. And very well called out by Hardinghaus and Nenner! And notice also how nobody on Reddit has flagged this finding ever since SLIP came out. Despite there being so many small bombshells in this book.
--SCARLET: Also, in the Break Free documentary, Peter Froon says: “Well that was a big surprise, when people from the NFI came to our house to explain the report. And only at the end they said that they also found that some bones in her foot were broken. So I looked at him like, ‘How is that possible?’.” Peter: “Well that was very comforting for me, because that did point towards a fall. And from investigators in Panama I learned that she also had shin splints; an infection of the periosteum. This is very painful. You cannot walk far with this condition.” - So these newfound fractures of Lisanne's leg bone had the desired effect. Convincing the Froons it was all a fall and an accident.
Talking about Betzaida Pittí's bizarre conclusions, the authors write: "In interviews, her conclusions sometimes seem far-fetched. For example, she is asked why the girls went behind the Mirador in the first place. Her baffling answer: It was known that Kris and Lisanne felt more comfortable in Bocas del Toro than in Boquete, which is probably why they wanted to walk back there.[128] In addition, she claims to have suddenly known from the beginning that Kris and Lisanne were lost. Her authorities had done everything they could, the search was the biggest in the world and Boquete was a tourist region where there were no serial killers.[129]"
--POWER-PIXIE:🤣She makes for a great character development in a Hollywood movie by the Cohen Brothers.
--SCARLET: I am getting instant Fargo visuals here. Combined with a large dollop of Stephen King's 'Misery'.
"In conclusion, neither the accident theory nor the deaths of Kris and Lisanne are officially confirmed. The official reasoning refers to the fact that only 13.2 percent of Lisanne's skeleton was available for analysis in the case of the three bone fragments found, and only 0.94 percent with the two fragments from Kris. This means that the final forensic evaluation by the IMELCF does not dare to certify the death of the two girls. That is why no death certificate was issued. [..] According to the institute, Lisanne's leg bones are not conclusive in this respect. In the case of Kris' discovered hip bones, the IMELCF forensic experts point out that it is theoretically medically possible to shape a pelvic wall with titanium implants in such a way that a person can continue to live."
--POWER-PIXIE:🤣Good information here, as I wasn't aware of the death certificate not being issued due to the number of evidentiary remains not satisfying the required amount and type to rule on a death and cause of death.
--SCARLET: Good detail. As for the last sentence of the titanium implants: that had me reluctantly chuckling, as it was one of Juan's 'wild but possible' theories. Covered also by me somewhere buried deep down in the blog. To see the IMELCF explicitly mention that option is interesting to read (even though still a highly implausible scenario).
"Arrocha and the journalist not only denounce the refusal to carry out further necessary investigations, but they also openly speculate that the gaps in the report are due to a desire to protect Panamanian tourism. Tourism generates around four billion US dollars a year, more than 18 percent of the country's total GDP."
--POWER-PIXIE: You could also apply this to Feliciano and his reputation as a guide being tarnished and loss of income if his step-son were found guilty of something.
PART 2: Theories and reconstructions (pages 133 - 141)
"In her affidavit to the Personería on April 10, 2014, daycare center director Maria G. says that she did not offer any internships and did not even know the language school or Ingrid. In general, she had not employed any volunteers for three years.[137] There are contradictory statements. In a letter to head teacher Ingrid in May 2014,[138] Marjolein claims that she arranged the work assignment for Kris and Lisanne by telephone with the daycare center on March 28. Although Marjolein claims to have gone to the daycare center with Eileen the next morning to clarify the final details, Eileen denies this to us. The head of the daycare center, Maria, also only mentions a single foreigner who came to her daycare Center. However, Marjolein writes to Ingrid that Maria had turned her down out of the blue. Surprised by this, she went with Eileen to the neighboring Esperanza daycare center to ask for a place - but the person in charge was not there. Eileen tells us that she doesn't know anything about it either."
--SCARLET: And there we go again with the smoke and mirrors and inconsistencies.. An email confirmation from SbtR for Kris and Lisanne on Friday the 28th that the volunteer work with Aura was sorted. Marjolein later saying she arranged it by telephone that same day. Marjolein claiming she and Eileen went to Aura in person on Saturday the 29th. Eileen ánd Maria Elena denying this.. Marjolein writing to Ingrid she was turned down 'out of the blue', while Maria Elena now says she never even heard of Ingrid, knew of no arrangement whatsoever and hadn't employed any of her volunteers 'for three years' already. Someone is lying here.
--POWER-PIXIE: The SbtR website states all the information for Aura daycare center. Why would they/Ingrid advertise Aura on their website, yet for three years there have been no volunteers at Aura? April 10 is when this statement was made. So definitely this woman had the time to review whatever was going on at the time, and prepare her answer to try and distance herself. Why didn't the authors print the confirmation emails about Aura to Kris and Lisanne? Are those not in the case files? But Kris wrote in her diary: "When we arrived, we introduced ourselves, expecting the woman to know who we were because she was expecting us, after all. But that was not the case. She showed no sign of recognition and said that it was not possible now [to start volunteer work there] and that we should come back next week. We also did not understand what exactly was going on. Then we went back to the language school to tell our story and to get some answers. It turned out that there was no place/work for us after all this week, so we couldn't start yet. The school also found it very strange, because we had planned things months in advance." And Lisanne wrote: "As we arrive at Aura on time, we are not even recognized or given a friendly welcome. The only thing we hear is "no proxima semana"= we are only welcome next week. WHAT?! We returned to the [Spanish] school disappointed and indeed, the daycare only has work for us next week." This tells me that Kris and Lisanne did have work planned. That somebody screwed up their calendar schedule as to when they were supposed to start, which according to this Maria G. would be next week. Yet she told the police that she has never had any bookings for volunteers for 3 years?
--DAVE: Unless this is an example of people protecting themselves in the aftermath (the statement is April 10th dated), I don't know what to say. This is the first time we have heard of this statement. It seems like the people with access to the case files cherry pick such things out of them, and these authors seem no different. Did Marjolein leave communicating and agreement with Aura till this very last-minute window...?
--POWER-PIXIE: Well, what was stated in the email confirmation to Lisanne and Kris? Who sent that email to them on Friday 28 of March? Maybe the email confirmation informed them with the canned response of their scheduled work, but in reality, perhaps Marjolein either forgot they were due this weekend, or she forgot to contact Aura for some other reason? I know the SLIP book asked Eileen if she had gone to the computer store and Aura on Monday with Marjolein, to which she replied she did not. And Maria Elena sort of backs up Eileen's response as well. It kind of makes sense, as we have been wondering why Eileen would leave the school to go to a computer store, and then to Aura. Theory: Marjolein needed an alibi so she concocted one, in the absence of Eileen, when she wrote that letter to Ingrid. Marjolein does the same with Eileen on Monday, come to think of it.
--DAVE: For all the later excuses to come from Aura and the Spanish School, I don't think we will ever know quite what did go wrong here. But something has gone quite wrong, since Aura has been advertised on the SbtR website for quite some time before Kris and Lisanne arrived in Panama.
--SCARLET: My money is - for now - on an unreliable Maria Elena who was untrustworthy with her promises.
--SCARLET: My money is - for now - on an unreliable Maria Elena who was untrustworthy with her promises.
--SCARLET: It is basically a wild guess at this point to give either Marjolein or Maria Elena the benefit of the doubt here. But it is clear now that at least one of these two women is lying. On the one hand we have the Aura info on SbtR's website at the time, which makes you suspect that they made an agreement of sorts. Despite Maria Elena claiming she has no idea who Ingrid Lommers is. On the other hand, we have Ingrid who was selling package deals and had an incentive to draw in European tourists. Plus we have an 'alibi letter' of sorts from Marjolein, written at least one month after the disappearance, which made it into the case files we now learn and which is now used as evidence. Written after all media hell broke loose, by May 2014. I feel that both Marjolein and Ingrid have failed to communicate transparently about the lead up to this disappearance and may even have been in damage control mode. But at the end of the day, I do not trust that Maria Elena, but I also think the German authors should have done more than just parrot what Marjolein wrote down in May 2014. They should have dug up the email confirmation which Lisanne received by Friday March 28th, yes. Who wrote it and sent it to her? How much of it was just empty promise and in how far was this Aura volunteer work actually arranged by then?
--POWER-PIXIE: From the archived link: "At all our locations in Panama and Costa Rica we offer a variety of FREE volunteer options provided you study Spanish with us or stay in any of our accommodation options." It seems like the volunteer was always a carrot that was dangled for students looking for credit or experience for their resume, before SbtR hit you with the Spanish lessons and accommodation options. It feels a bit arse-backwards, because you would choose to stay at some location first, and then look around for volunteer work and other activities. Here SbtR advertises it shrewdly, rather than offer up volunteer work in a charitable way. So, yes most definitely Miriam enjoyed this side hustle. I still don't know who the last volunteer at Aura was or when this volunteer turned up for work at Aura? Did they stay at SbtR or at Miriam's?
--SCARLET: There is of course nothing wrong with running a business, like Ingrid does. But it is good to have read the old archived website of Spanish at Locations, so that it is clear to us now that in order to do volunteer work, there was a system in place. And this is what Kris and Lisanne agreed on and paid for, with the in between company Het Andere Reizen in the Netherlands also involved. They paid for Spanish lessons, which were required if they wanted to use the volunteer options advertised on the website. And they used the homestay of Miriam, which was also advertised on the website. And they planned to use the tour guide services of Feliciano, because he was suggested to them by Marjolein.
--POWER-PIXIE: What is in the letter that Marjolein wrote in May? What was the statements she gave to police in April? If she lied to the police then she could have had a serious problem on her hands. Why would Marjolein lie about taking Eileen with her to Aura that day? I don't quite get that. Was the trip she took to David on Monday personal or was this for SbtR business? Dave hit upon a theory so far that I think is the focus here with respect to the letter. I'm not looking to scapegoat or hang Eileen by the neck, as I don't believe she is at fault. Perhaps she was late to work on Tuesday for some reason and missed Kris and Lisanne, and has been caught up in Feliciano's web. Or simply was used as an alibi as Dave thinks, because she was available, vulnerable, didn't speak Spanish and has zero experience with Boquete. This is an initial impression, though many other questions do arise in terms of her character since April 2.
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"In the evening, Marjolein finally reaches the girls, asks them to come to school the next morning, and promises that Eileen will call the nursery again. We wonder why she doesn't take on this task herself after all the chaos - not to mention that Eileen doesn't speak Spanish. We cannot clarify with certainty who is not telling the truth about the "penultimate day" and for what reason. We would have liked to interview Marjolein, but she refuses Annette's offer to talk, just like Ingrid."--POWER-PIXIE: Yes, we've wondered about all this as well. There you go. Both Marjolein and Ingrid seem to be hiding something now. I wonder why they couldn't come clean and clarify all of this for the world. Now they look suspicious, maybe unnecessarily so, while Eileen seems to have slowly faded in the background. Well, not for me. And we know from one of Scarlet's sources that Ingrid reportedly also refused a meeting to come talk with police at the time. So Marjolein and Ingrid both refused to talk and thus refused their chance to clarify their statements. Also that we all would like to see the statements that Marjolein and Eileen gave to the police.
--SCARLET: Yes. While Eileen gave completely contradicting statements as far as eight years later, making sure nobody could believe anything she had said really. What a mess.
"Only "the taller one in the flowered blouse" spoke a little Spanish, she says, while the other one didn't. Again, Maria explains that she can't offer her a job, to which "the tall girl" replies that she doesn't want to accept any more work at all but is going on a trip to Bocas del Toro instead. If Lisanne has said this, it could be due to resignation. At that moment, it must have felt to her as if everything was going wrong in Boquete. It is possible that prosecutor Pittí later used this statement as an opportunity to claim that the girls had walked to Bocas via the Mirador. Where Kris and Lisanne go after that is completely unclear."
--SCARLET: Interesting. Did Lisanne really tell Maria Elena they wanted to go (return) to Bocas instead? And this is something which Betzaida Pittí then also used.. That she believed Kris and Lisanne willingly kept walking beyond the Mirador because she thought they wanted to WALK back to Bocas, lol. I don't know if what Maria Elena said there is true or not, but Lisanne's own diary statements about feeling miserable and homesick in Boquete should not be forgotten here.
--POWER-PIXIE: I don't know what Maria is talking about here, but I do take note that Lisanne is wearing a "flowered blouse". Why would Lisanne tell her that she is going to Bocas Del Toro? No, there is no resignation at this point, since they are confused by the refusal, as they just arrived to start work. They weren't told earlier that there was no work, just that they were waiting to head to Aura to start their work week. If anything, I think their resignation would have come the following day if they had been informed about Casa Esperanza not working out either. They went to Sigrid's to take their minds off with a massage that same evening. And their parents said nothing about Bocas Del Toro either. And Pitti's a sly tool.
"The authors of Lost in the Jungle claim that they went back to school immediately to write the note for Marjolein, which they say also had a time written on it. However, Marjolein does not mention a time."
--POWER-PIXIE: This is good information, as this means that Kris and Lisanne's whereabouts are in the vicinity of Aura, and all the places of interest that we have been investigating. Sabroson #1 and #3, Park, Nelvis and that mystery restaurant where Kris and Lisanne connected to SbtR router was listed in the RAW data log files, then this router will also be listed. Was this mystery restaurant Nelvis?
--SCARLET: I really do appreciate Hardinghaus and Nenner setting the record straight here and showing us what is truly written in these case files. But we really still need to know where Kris and Lisanne were on Monday afternoon, who they met and in which restaurant they connected to the Wi-Fi..
--DAVE: Wasn't the note they left the trigger for Marjolein feeling she had to call them later though? I re-read p. 209 of LITJ: "Kris and Lisanne stayed at the language school that morning until 10:40 pm, but by the time Eileen returned, they had just left. Consequently, Eileen doesn't succeed in informing them of Aura's decision. At 11:00 am Marjolein is on the bus to David when she drives past Plaza San Francisco; from the window she sees Kris
and Lisanne getting into a taxi. She immediately calls Eileen to say that the women are in downtown Boquete. Rightly so, Marjolein assumes that they will go straight to Aura at the beginning of the afternoon, where Maria Elena Q. will tell them there is no work for them that week." It carries on another page or two, but what I come to realise is that there seems to be a problem in the authors choice of words and phrasing. They aren't necessarily contradicting what Annette and Christian are saying... but there are still some underlying problems in what they are both proposing nevertheless.
--DAVE: The thinking is that Kris and Lisanne set out at around 11 AM to Aura, both sets of book authors agree on this. The two friends arrive at Aura sometime between 12.30 and 1 PM, are turned away, and may have retreated to a nearby cafe where Wi-Fi is used. So they sit there for nearly an hour, use Wi-Fi, but make no attempt to contact the school to report on their experience? After 2 PM they may have visited an arts fair, but the truth is; we have no idea what they do for the next two hours or so. All things considered, just WHAT are they doing all afternoon here when their entire reason for coming to Boquete unexpectedly collapsed in the nastiest way possible?! We know they return to the school and are on the Wi-Fi at 4.42 PM, until 5.26 PM. Now here is the crux of the issue: if Marjolein returns at around 6 PM and finds that note under the door, the suggestion seems to be that Kris and Lisanne used the Wi-Fi while being outside, perhaps in a hammock...? They wait and after roughly 50 minutes they log off, shove a note under the door and go home to Miriam's. Now, would you, in their position at 1 PM, really wait until the end of the day, at 4.30 PM to have it out with the school? In this scenario, Eileen seems to have closed early, perhaps at 4 PM. She isn't supposed to do that. And yet the next morning she and the two friends have somehow come together to agree on a tour to a strawberry field, and need Feliciano to guide them there. Meanwhile Kris and Lisanne set out to the Pianista trail, because unlike a walk around a strawberry field, the Pianista option doesn't need a guide... Hmm.
--POWER-PIXIE: "At 11:00 am Marjolein is on the bus to David when she drives past Plaza San Francisco; from the window she sees Kris and Lisanne getting into a taxi. She immediately calls Eileen to say that the women are in downtown Boquete." So Marjolein "calls" Eileen. Why Marjolein never bothered to contact Kris or Lisanne directly still does not make sense here? I mean, how did she contact Kris or Lisanne when they were at Sigrid's for a massage? And what are Kris and Lisanne doing from 1 PM to 2 PM if they did not contact the school? I would be livid and heading straight to the school first, or call them, unless of course Kris and Lisanne called the school using the Wi-Fi connection. However, there's no mention of this in the phone logs. I also cannot imagine both Kris and Lisanne waiting until 4:42 PM or 5:26 PM to report their experience and find out answers from the school.
--DAVE: I keep thinking about Eileen and how she appears to have closed the office early on the Monday (her first day solo), and appears to have been intending to give herself the Wednesday (morning?) off too... With Eileen not opening the office because she is off to pick strawberries... in other words she isn't working, not doing the job she is there for, and therefore risking a bad reference at best from Ingrid and Marjolein, but potentially being dismissed too if and when the two managers found out she was completely unreliable, irresponsible, and workshy to go with it. But that farm tour... whichever way I look at it, it just doesn't ring true. An early 8 AM pick-up, just to go pick strawberries, paying a guide for the privilege of being lead around a local farmers field? And paying the farmer on top of that?!
"At 1:06 p.m., according to the NFI report, Lisanne's cell phone logs into a public Wi-Fi network and remains connected until 1:38 p.m.[140] Kris switches her phone on for the first time that day at 1:13 p.m. and uses WhatsApp, among other things, until 2:00 p.m."--POWER-PIXIE: The gang may have spotted them or come into contact with them. Here the timings are really important. Given there was no evidence of time on that note, or that they went back to SbtR, we are seeing them in the vicinity of Aura, rather than SbtR, because I could not imagine them taking a taxi back to the school and then hopping on another taxi to go to some artisan village after going through the rejection. I also think that if they went back to SbtR, Lisanne's phone would have auto connected to their Wi-Fi.
At 1:48 p.m., two photos[141] are taken with the Samsung phone. Between 2:00 and 3:30 p.m., the photo gallery on Lisanne's cell phone is open.
--POWER-PIXIE: What were these two photos that Lisanne took? Wow, this is certainly new information. Why did IP, Dutch duo and/or Jeremy keep all of this information quiet? Or am I missing something here?
--POWER-PIXIE: What were these two photos that Lisanne took? Wow, this is certainly new information. Why did IP, Dutch duo and/or Jeremy keep all of this information quiet? Or am I missing something here?
--SCARLET: It may have been two photos of their meal or of themselves having a meal... We don't know. I also cannot remember if IP have thumbnail photo copies of those photos which were taken with the smartphones. Probably yes. Ultimately however, not many of these people seem as invested into the timeline leading up to the disappearance itself, it seems.
"Kris's boyfriend Stephan claims to have received a message from his girlfriend at 2:00 p.m. on April 1, in which she told him that they were going hiking.[142] After analyzing the camera and phone data, this information cannot be correct, because at this time Kris is behind the Mirador and has no reception. If Stephan had made a mistake here by a day, this message would match the phone log created, according to which Kris closes WhatsApp at 2:00 p.m. on March 31."
--POWER-PIXIE: Roelie corrected Hans in the interview in the Netherlands to 2 PM Panama/local time for Tuesday. Stephan could have gotten this wrong, but why hasn't anyone produced the screenshot from Stephan's phone? For as big a case as this turned out, nobody has this guy's phone showing the contact with Kris with date and time? If anyone, it would have been Hans and Roelie eager to see what the last message or date and time the contact was made? If it was Whatsapp as these two authors are alluding to, then even better.
--SCARLET: This irks me to no end also. It is quite difficult to accept that during their very first TV interview, the Kremers family would not have prepared things. They would have had the facts ready I think. Double checked the last contact moment with Kris, surely? Roelie even corrects Hans on the time of that last contact on air. Being on National TV for the first time is already a big deal. But doing so because you urgently need to find your missing children.. that would be even more of an incentive for these clearly very intelligent people to have those types of last contact data ready to share. So I wished this problematic detail would have been explained properly by now, by people who truly know.
"We don't know where Kris and Lisanne logged into the Wi-Fi until 2:00 p.m., and we don't know where they went afterward, because no further cell phone activity is recorded until 4:42 p.m."
--POWER-PIXIE: How is it that they don't know the location of the Wi-Fi that both of the phones had logged into? Wi-Fi names come up in the phone logs, since we knew SbtR's Wi-Fi was obviously recognized. Even if the Wi-Fi router was named something silly, this could be checked with the service provider for that area, as they can trace this back using the SSID (Service Identifier or name of the router) and its IP address. This is not a job for an average person and needs some tech expert, but if you are investigating a case, then this would be handled by tech expert and not some doughnut with a laptop on the couch. So it makes me think these two authors don't have the RAW data log files from the two phones. Remember that I showed you that I'm able to see my router, IP and MAC address when it comes up on the iPhone 4.
-DAVE: I don't think they know, because the NFI run-off doesn't list a name. It seems that the NFI may have tagged Spanish by the River to the matching IP address in their breakdown of the phone logs, as it was a recurring address. But for a one-off random address like on the Monday 1 PM log-on... no. I do wonder whether the NFI had been made aware of the Spanish Schools IP address, and so listed it against the information in the Logs, but for a random address such as the Monday 1 PM one, they simply didn't know the address, and so didn't put any effort into finding out who/where it was...
--POWER-PIXIE: That's impossible that the NFI didn't know this one-off address. The LITJ book stated it was a restaurant. How and where these Dutch authors got that information from is still a mystery. If they managed to get it from the analysis report of the RAW data, then the NFI is the one who supplied this information from the RAW phone logs. As for the Wi-Fi logging in the iPhone 4 logs, this is not some selective logging going on. The Wi-Fi logging is the same for every router seen by the iPhone, irrespective of the router model, the service provider and iPhone model. As long as it is the same iOS version, it WILL log the same information for any and all routers that the iPhone connects to. That is a fact. So the NFI would have known this router and seen it in the RAW data. What they listed later on in the phone log analysis report, which I suspect is what SLIP and LITJ authors have had access to, is up for debate. The NFI could have ignored it as you stated, or maybe they checked and asked Panama, but maybe Panama nodded "yes", but didn't do anything with the request to check. There seemed to be a lot of disconnect between the two authorities back then, with the blind leading the blind at times. My money is on Sabroson #3 or Nelvis as the "mystery restaurant", but I wish we could just get clarification on this and put it to rest if it is neither (at least for me).
--SCARLET: Very valuable information this. We're stuck between either an NFI that was not professional and precise enough to list this Monday afternoon Wi-Fi connection in the actual phone log analysis report.. Or Panama who did not want to provide the NFI with this information. But this lack of data for the Monday afternoon sticks out like a sore thumb. And when we go the conspiracy theory route, Kris and Lisanne may even have been using the Wi-Fi of a place which Pittí did not want to be named in the case files. I am also wondering about Sabroson or Nelvis. Liking Kris and Lisanne to the Pandilla. It is just bizarre that this entire Monday afternoon is a foggy blur in the timeline. Unaccounted for for several hours, and no explanation of their whereabouts in the case files. Why not??
"At 4:42 p.m., Kris's cell phone, and two minutes later, Lisanne's, log into the Spanish school's Wi-Fi. Eileen is probably there at this time."--SCARLET: Probably? Did Eileen not give clarification for this when the authors spoke with her?
--POWER-PIXIE: Probably doesn't mean she was there. I think she could be making this up. So Kris and Lisanne tell her that they couldn't work. Did they try calling her? Did Eileen know that Marjolein had gone to Aura and found out that Maria was not accepting volunteers that day? Did Marjolein not bother to inform Eileen at all or try to ask her to contact Kris and Lisanne? Where was Eileen in the morning when Kris and Lisanne were at the school? According to Eileen, what time did Kris and Lisanne leave the school?
"Sigrid reveals that Kris and Lisanne told her in disappointment that they would not be able to work at the Aura daycare center as agreed, and that they would not be able to start work the following week either. If Sigrid's statement is true, then Marjolein is telling an untruth, because, according to her, Eileen wasn't supposed to call them until the next day. The rumor that Kris and Lisanne had told Sigrid that day that they wanted to hike the Pianista Trail has been circulating on internet forums for many years and causes a lot of confusion when trying to reconstruct the events. However, the rumor is based on an incorrect translation of the interview that the masseuse gave to the Panamanian broadcaster NEXtv in 2014. In it, Sigrid reveals that Kris and Lisanne came to Boquete to also hike the Pianista Trail. Scarlet R., who translated the conversation into English, subtitles this statement incorrectly with the words that Kris and Lisanne told Sigrid about their plans to hike the Pianista Trail. This gives the impression that they told her this during her massage treatment.[148]"
--POWER-PIXIE: Whoa! Scarlet is this true? Is the translation incorrect? I think you better clarify this on your blog and YouTube video as it is misleading information.
--SCARLET: That would be really unfortunate. I don't normally translate Spanish videos, as I don't speak Spanish. There were just a handful of prominent Spanish spoken videos which I translated with autocorrect. And below those videos, I have asked people who speak Spanish to correct things if needed, and for all the years it has been up, nobody corrected it. (In comparison, I received dozens and dozens of translations of Feliciano's "Don't tell them anything about..." comment in Spanish). But that would be bad indeed, if this misunderstanding is down to one of my own translations. Ok, I looked it up again. Sigrid is difficult to autotranslate due to her accent I think, but she says something along the lines of 'and they came here with the plan to climb the Pianista'. 'They came here' can link to their overall visit to Boquete indeed. It does not have to mean that they came to Sigrid's house, in front of which she stands as she is being interviews, with the plan to climb the Pianista. But that is how I have interpreted it, because she is asked about what she knows, and she only met them on Monday night. So how can Sigrid know so soon after the disappearance that Kris and Lisanne had those Pianista plans if they did not tell her this during those 2 hours of massages? There, in her house? Sigrid was interviewed early on, before the SbtR school computers were checked at the end of April. At a time when nobody knew for sure where they had gone. So before it was actually verified by Pittí that they looked up the Pianista trail and had plans to go there. So I interpreted this as Sigrid telling the reporter very early on in the disappearance that from what she knows from talking to Kris and Lisanne the evening before their disappearance, they had plans to hike the Pianista at some point. The translation does not say 'tomorrow'. So I interpreted her statement as it being something the girls told her themselves at the time. If this is incorrect, then that is very unfortunate indeed and needs correcting. But look, to state that "The rumor that Kris and Lisanne had told Sigrid that day that they wanted to hike the Pianista Trail has been circulating on internet forums for many years and causes a lot of confusion when trying to reconstruct the events", that sounds like a bit of an exaggeration. When literally everything about the timeline is a murky mess, least because of people like Eileen and Feliciano.
--SCARLET: And Sigrid said in that very early TV interview that Kris and Lisanne 'Came there' with the plan to climb the Pianista.. So why didn't Annette ask Sigrid how she knew that at the time? Just saying 'no they never mentioned this' is only half the story, surely?
--POWER-PIXIE: Interesting. Here Sigrid is telling Annette that she did not know anything about the Pianista trail from Kris and Lisanne when they visited. However in that interview she gave, she stated the following that I was able to extract from the audio, though I'm not sure about the words she states (aca for aqui) as she tends to eat her words as it is not her first language. And she seems a little nervous being interviewed with the other man staring at her: "vineron aqui primero con la intención para subis al a pianista." - "They came here first with the intention of going up to the Pianista." In any case, whatever else she said, she DOES mention the Pianista. How does Sigrid know what their intention was if they never mentioned the Pianista?
--SCARLET: And Sigrid said in that very early TV interview that Kris and Lisanne 'Came there' with the plan to climb the Pianista.. So why didn't Annette ask Sigrid how she knew that at the time? Just saying 'no they never mentioned this' is only half the story, surely?
--POWER-PIXIE: Interesting. Here Sigrid is telling Annette that she did not know anything about the Pianista trail from Kris and Lisanne when they visited. However in that interview she gave, she stated the following that I was able to extract from the audio, though I'm not sure about the words she states (aca for aqui) as she tends to eat her words as it is not her first language. And she seems a little nervous being interviewed with the other man staring at her: "vineron aqui primero con la intención para subis al a pianista." - "They came here first with the intention of going up to the Pianista." In any case, whatever else she said, she DOES mention the Pianista. How does Sigrid know what their intention was if they never mentioned the Pianista?
"Sigrid makes it clear to Annette that Kris and Lisanne never mentioned the Pianista Trail during their visit."
--POWER-PIXIE: But the Pianista is mentioned by Sigrid in this interview. It goes back to our questions as to how she knew about the Pianista trail and Kris and Lisanne having planned this for their visit to Boquete. The SLIP authors state that Kris and Lisanne "never mentioned the Pianista trail" to Sigrid during their visit to her place. But as long as Sigrid mentions the word Pianista in her early interview, she is informing the audience that somehow she knew at the time that Kris and Lisanne had mentioned the Pianista trail to her. Otherwise she is parroting someone else's words - most likely Feliciano, who had already started investigating the Pianista trail on April 3. I wish the interviewer had asked Sigrid how she knew about the Pianista trail, or if Kris and Lisanne told her during their massage appointment.
"The Dutchwoman has a keen sense for people and doesn't believe it was an accident, but that something else must have happened to the girls. The fact that Sigrid, one of the last important witnesses that Kris and Lisanne spoke to, was never interviewed by the police or any other authority according to the file leaves us with the bitter feeling of a missed opportunity."
--SCARLET: Interesting to read.
The last morning
"Feliciano confirms that he will be at the school at 7:00 a.m. to pick up Marjolein. She plans to drive with him to David, and from there to Costa Rica."
-DAVE: This is expanded on on p.148. But this supposed letter Marjolein writes for the police was written sometime in May? In it she appears to spell out that she had told Kris and Lisanne not to travel without a guide etc, and made a specific point that Feliciano had agreed
to take her to David that morning. He had an appointment (alibi?) at the hospital that morning and so she arranged with him an early morning pick up - David is about one hours drive away. Later in this book we are told the school cut ties with this guide sometime in 2014, supposedly due to the weight of gossip and negative press surrounding him...
-DAVE: ["The fact that Feliciano still looks after hiking guests today is almost exclusively due to a large Dutch travel blogger who promotes the tour with him. All hotels and companies such as Spanish by the River ended their collaboration with him after the tragedy in 2014, even if none of them outwardly consider him guilty."] It's on page 169 where they reveal the school cut ties with him in 2014. It is presented in a form and context where they paint him as the victim, and all his onetime agents and hotels have turned their back on him. But think on that. And their own claim that no one in Boquete was saying he was involved in any way with the disappearance.. It makes no sense. There is nothing, on the face of it, that would warrant such an ostracising from the school. He worked with Sinaproc, he was at the center of things and ultimately he led the search that 'solved' the mystery and he deduced there was an accident at the cable bridge, et etc. He was the Man of the hour in these weeks and thereafter. On the face of it at least. The authorities and media got behind his conclusions and it became the eventual verdict on the matter. Here the story ends. Why then would the school cut all ties with this man? There is obviously something else going on here.
--POWER-PIXIE: It makes no sense why Feliciano was cut off like that, since even the media between April - June and beyond never went after him, nor painted him in any bad light, except for taking his own words from him and publishing it. Feliciano was even on TV and nobody asked the tough questions, nor were any of the parents out for his blood in any way, and they had plenty of opportunities. One of them being the Kremers' hike. Even if they suspected him behind the scenes, both Roelie and Hans handled it like professionals and adults, to say the least. Hans nor Roelie ever go into the guide's involvement. Perhaps they held back their suspicions or were more angry at or doubted the NFI or Pitti, but Feliciano stayed out of their crosshairs. And he said he maintained good relations over the years. To be cut off in 2014 in the way SbtR did, and other places did, something must have surfaced with a lot more questions that weren't asked before.
--POWER-PIXIE: The letter according to this book was written by Marjolein to Ingrid in May 2014. There is no mention of this letter in the LITJ book. Did Marjolein give statements to the police in April? I wonder what she had stated to the police then? Her statements, if she gave them, should have included Feliciano giving her a ride to David, and that the two of them were far away from the city. However we do not see any of this in the SLIP book, nor in the LITJ book, do we? Just his words and something Marjolein later wrote.
--DAVE: If the letter is real, then it is in the Police files. They quoted the Murgas October statements, and so I have to think that the Feliciano statement which Kryt read out is also in their possession. I hope the authors aren't cherry-picking what they want from the files, and ignoring what isn't convenient.
--POWER-PIXIE: "Feliciano confirms that he will be at the school at 7:00 a.m. to pick up Marjolein." So he was at the school - was he inside the school or outside the school? Why didn't he state all this in the media and in the police statement he gave on April 2? Was Marjolein ever interviewed by the authorities? What did she say? Yes, we, the ones without the case files, have had to double-triple the efforts with the finest toothed comb to be able to pick out inconsistencies. What do you think the ones with the case files can/would do to defend their reputation? Pitti is also open to duck-hunting season, so she also has a stake in clearing some of this up, because there have been Losters who've become disillusioned by the previous book and her BS theories. Now they are subjected to more information that is pulled from the files that clearly shows everyone the games behind the scenes, and even more questions.
"Before her departure, Marjolein postpones a planned trip with Kris and Lisanne to the Barú volcano from April 2 to April 5. Why they would potentially book such a trip for that day seems strange, since Kris and Lisanne are still assuming they have to work on that day."--SCARLET: Ok...? This is also new info about that Barú tour having been initially booked for Wednesday April 2nd.. Weren't Kris and Lisanne still expecting to have replacement volunteer work options that day? So why book such a very long day tour already for the Wednesday initially, as opposed to the weekend?
--POWER-PIXIE: So the Barú tour was booked for April 2, and then moved by Marjolein to April 5? WTF? LITJ book stated it was made known on Sunday and booked on Monday for the Saturday: "During the welcome talk, Kris and Lisanne tell her (Marjolein) that they would like to climb the volcano Barú." "At the request of Kris and Lisanne, Eileen books a tour to Barú at Gonzalez for the upcoming Saturday, April 5." "On Lommers' Facebook page the following message appears on April 5: ‘So I think I should write down what really happened and happening since in Holland in the media I read that they went up Volcán Barú what is really not true since they booked that tour with us for Saturday;" - So why on earth would Kris and Lisanne book a tour on Monday for Wednesday April 2, when they had planned to work that whole week, before the Aura collapse was known to them? And who gave Marjolein permission to move the tour at 7 AM in the morning from this supposed April 2 date to April 5? And what does Eileen have to say about this date change, since she was the one who made the booking with Feliciano, or so we are told?
--POWER-PIXIE: And Hans said in the interview on Saturday, April 5, 2014: "Well Saturday (March 29th) they arrived at their host family and then they had planned to start doing volunteer work at the school on Monday. But then it turned out that the staff of this school (Aura) were like, 'Huh? We expected you next week.' So then they had a whole week to fill. And this Monday they started to make plans for the rest of the week. And we know that they continued making these plans on the Tuesday. We know that they looked online about things to do in the area. And they booked some tours, for the Wednesday, the Thursday and the Saturday." - Hans is stating that they booked tours, but mentions Saturday. The Barú tour was booked for Saturday on the Monday. Whether this was in the morning or after Aura dismissal, who knows. I wonder since this interview is on April 5, was it in the afternoon/evening time? And was Ingrid back in Boquete on April 5? Her Facebook post (location tag) shows she is back in Boquete. So I was wondering who fed Hans all of this information about Kris and Lisanne had booked tours for “Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday”? Was it Ingrid now taking over and providing this information? What tour was booked for Thursday? Nobody knew anything on April 2. On April 3 we start hearing Feliciano is busy on the Pianista trail, which he claimed he found out from Eileen, but these tours sound like they are being lumped into information being fed to the inquisitive parents most likely before April 5?
--DAVE: This strikes me as possibly made up by the two authors? But having thought on it - is this possibly something they have read in the Marjolein letter...? We really do need someone (like Kryt) to verify it and explore its contents. I think the problem is the idea they were planning a three or four day camp, which is absurd, but IF she did write this... that letter would be damning.
--POWER-PIXIE: I don't know how to draw this letter out from the Gods who possess the case files. Where is this information coming from?
--SCARLET: We're still at a stage where we can at most write down all the remaining open questions, and can highlight all the inconsistencies in statements made (I have tried to systematically describe them here in the Feliciano section: ). But we are simply handicapped in that sense. I wished everybody with more case info would just publicize the lot. Let the public weigh in and move this case truly forward. Let specialists interpret those phone logs properly and objectively. Rationalizing and deducing based on gathered public statements made by people in this case, by logic and common sense can bring us far, but never as far as the case files can do. Hence the frustration sometimes. (And I don't have the rumoured 10K to buy them lol!)
--POWER-PIXIE: Open questions now about this, which SLIP did not answer:
--POWER-PIXIE: Open questions now about this, which SLIP did not answer:
- Did Eileen book the appointment for Barú on Monday?
- LITJ is the only one with the reference to this booking. SLIP left this out of their book, even though Eileen contributed to this book, while Marjolein and Ingrid refused to do so.
- So from where/whom did the LITJ get the Barú booking reference date/time it was done? Eileen?
- Did Marjolein change the Barú appointment from April 2 and April 5?
I appreciate you taking the time to go through all the work, also the work which Dave and I do on this case, plus maintain the immense amount of information on your blog. Your blog serves a major source of information, like a massive library. Hence why I could work on this document and compare the details in the SLIP and LITJ book with existing info, including the podcasts that didn't add up. Despite both sets of authors, the IP and Jeremy, having the case files.
I appreciate you taking the time to go through all the work, also the work which Dave and I do on this case, plus maintain the immense amount of information on your blog. Your blog serves a major source of information, like a massive library. Hence why I could work on this document and compare the details in the SLIP and LITJ book with existing info, including the podcasts that didn't add up. Despite both sets of authors, the IP and Jeremy, having the case files.
--SCARLET: Do we know for certain though that Kris and Lisanne arrived at the school "by 9"? It is really important to know the exact details of this morning, given that there are also claims made that they visited a pharmacy this morning and the local supermarket, as well as as café Nelvis. And we don't know for sure yet how to fit them all in the timeline. "Probably": what makes the authors think they arrived there at 9?
--POWER-PIXIE: "Probably arrive"?
--DAVE: They accuse others, and then do precisely what they are accusing these people of... In addition, note the "as agreed with Marjolein"; this is potentially leading people to think it was agreed they would arrive at the school for 9 AM. As I said elsewhere, they are possibly stating this as they recognise that if the two arrived for 8 AM, then there would need to be a full hour accounted for before Lisanne is logging onto Wi-Fi. I believe they did arrive for 8 AM, and whatever they were doing for the next hour, it was absorbing enough that it wasn't until 9AM before Lisanne could now turn her mind to checking on her messages, and seeing what friends and family were talking about on Facebook etc.
--POWER-PIXIE: Yeah most likely Lisanne and Kris showed up earlier. Casa Esperanza opened its doors at 8 AM. From the archived link: "You can work in the mornings, afternoons or both. In the morning the youngest kids stay at Casa Esperanza because they don't have school yet. As a volunteer in the morning (8am till 12pm) you can help the teachers. If you work in the afternoon (1pm till 5pm) you will help the teachers with the different activities that are planned." Work schedule: From 08.00 till 12.00 and/or from 13.00 till 17.00. You can clearly see here that CE opens its doors at 8 AM for the kids being brought to the school. So someone would always be there prior to 8 AM to receive them, as this is a much larger school than the Aura daycare center. Kris and Lisanne were probably eager to find out and move on if nothing was available at CE. 8 AM seems like the time both might have set out to SbtR to find out from Eileen and CE.
"According to the report, Lisanne's cell phone is logged into the school's Wi-Fi network between 9:09 a.m. and 10:20 a.m. The Samsung phone is last located at 9:57 a.m. in Spanish by the River.[150]"--SCARLET: I understand from Imperfect Plan that Lisanne's Samsung phone last made a connection with Wi-Fi at 10:26 AM on April 1st? It was long assumed that this was at Spanish by the River, but LITJ since published that it was in restaurant Nelvis where they had breakfast at that point. (But the Wi-Fi source is very unfortunately not specified by the NFI, I have been told). But how can two sets of 'truth seeking' authors who both have the same case files (we assume) come to different conclusions on such facts?
--POWER-PIXIE: Contrast this with the LITJ duo: "Lisanne's phone shows app traffic until 07.52 am, then they rush to the language school. At 08.00 am Eileen calls Casa Esperanza. But Kris and Lisanne can't work there that week, they are told there are already enough volunteers. So the they decide to do 'fun things'. Together with Eileen, they agree on going on an excursion the next day: the coffee tour. Eileen calls guide Feliciano; who is in David for a hospital visit at the time. He confirms the appointment and promises to pick them up from the language school at 08.00 am the next morning."
--POWER-PIXIE: This paragraph goes on to state that they used their phones at the school first. LITJ: "Kris and Lisanne use their phones to use the Internet for a bit more and decide they want to do at least something that day." It's only after the above usage, that the two go off to Nelvis, on their own. "Until 10:16 am, Kris and Lisanne were on the Internet via the wi-fi of Nelvis. Lisanne is briefly on Facebook and looks at the Dutch news app (NOS). Then she opens Google Maps and downloads a map for offline use. The NFI report doesn't reveal what exactly she is downloading, but we consider it very probable that it was the map of Sendero el Pianista. At 10:26 am the last wi-fi contact at Nelvis is registered, shortly after, Kris and Lisanne settle their bill and leave." - Where did the Dutch authors get the 10:26 AM timestamp from? That is very specific time to mention from a report. Where is the 10:26 AM timestamp in the SLIP Book? Both books get 10:16 AM Google Maps download correct, but in different locations. So how is that Wi-Fi names, that were obviously recorded here for both of them to mention it so specifically along with the time stamps, could be so different in their interpretations in the police files and log files that both parties possess?
--SCARLET: Why would they name Nelvis specifically here if it wasn't mentioned in the case files? What would have been their motive? If anything, on this particular point I am strongly wondering if LITJ has it right perhaps? That is after all the place where the waiter Edwin S. claimed to have seen Kris and Lisanne and where other witnesses claim to have seen them with young men. We always hung onto this detail and have suspected Nelvis to have been the place where Kris and Lisanne headed to after the Aura/Casa Esperanza disappointments and before heading to the Pianista trail on Tuesday. And the place where they may have talked with local guys, or more precisely the Pandilla. And besides; if we are to believe that Kris and Lisanne did use Wi-Fi at SbtR that morning, then Eileens 'recollections' told to the Canadians are also not going to be true?
--DAVE: In the early hours Lisanne receives Whatsapp messages,. We don't know where from, but the listing in LITJ on p.175 states she views Whatsapp at 9.09 AM, followed by Facebook etc. Between these two points she is in her phone looking at her Clock app. I'm wondering, because of the 7.52 AM mention here, in the left-hand bracket, whether Lisanne might have been at the school earlier than we thought. Without a Wi-Fi connection her phone (in theory) wouldn't receive such messages. Only when on a Wi-Fi signal would these arrive in on her phone. So 7.52 AM...?
--SCARLET: Did they use Wi-Fi in Miriam's house? I don't recall..
--POWER-PIXIE: Technically all you need is a data plan for a Whatsapp connection, but will incur charges. To use Whatsapp for free, Wi-Fi is recommended and used everywhere where Wi-Fi is available, including at home. So Lisanne probably used some of the data plan during certain times? And used WiFi when she wanted to go on a full-on communication binge.
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"Coincidentally, when Kris turns on her cell phone for the first time that day just under an hour later [than 10:16], her battery is also at 51 percent."--POWER-PIXIE: If Kris connected to the Wi-Fi on April 1, it makes no sense to me why the phone suddenly connected to a cell phone tower at 11:05 AM if it was turned off or on Airplane mode. Did the NFI extract only what they felt provided an explanation for the lay person to think Kris and Lisanne got lost? They never expected the case files to have been leaked back then, nor for anyone to trawl through the numerous code in the log files. I think our answers will come from the complete log files, whatever it is.
--DAVE: I know that while the two kept erratic habits with their phones while on holiday (Kris didn't switch hers on on Monday till around 1 PM!?) it does seem the phones had been left on all night and into Tuesday - reflected in the battery readings. So there is no record of the Samsung being switched on on Tuesday morning, and the strong suggestion here is indeed that the I-Phone's Wi-Fi information for Tuesday morning is missing, like other details the NFI either... what? Accidentally didn't report on? No, the information we are talking about here is so critical that they had to have extracted it from the logs, and yet for whatever reason they have not made the information public - not to the Kremers, not to anyone.... I have to ask just what they knew by the end of April.
--POWER-PIXIE: See this is what boggles the mind. It beggars belief that some don't find it at all strange that Kris has not touched her phone since Monday, only for it to wake up suddenly and report some dBm signal reading at 11:05 AM on April 1. From the LITJ book, page 177: "On March 31, 2014 until 2:00 pm, several apps were sent with Kris' device, and she used the Internet via wi-fi. That night, her device was left on. Since the iPhone had 70 percent battery life on March 31 at 4:59 pm and on April 1 at 11:04 am 50.91 percent, we assume that the device was not charged that night." Do the authors think this is irrelevant? From the book: "We have chosen not to include data prior to April 1, although these are listed in the NFI report." Huh?🤷🏽♂️ So my guess is that the raw data may still need to be looked through with professional eyes and minds. I hope so, otherwise we're going to be left guessing forever.
--DAVE: There are some very very glaring (and inexplicable) gaps in the basic information for Tuesday alone. Is it even remotely believable that if she didn't switch the phone off all night, that she would leave her phone in her room while they head off to the school? But extend that - we know she takes her phone with her as they head out to Boquete, so why is there nothing tangible reported for the gap between 10 AM to 11 AM? It seems to me the iPhone's Wi-Fi record for the morning isn't in the NFI report, neither is any of the other activities on the phone, and this goes hand in hand with the huge gap between 2 PM and 4.40 PM, not to mention the very basic information on the emergency call attempts that afternoon. I really don't know what to think of all of this. Is it credible that the NFI deliberately redacted information from their report, or might it be that the information was never there when they got the phones back from Panama...?
--SCARLET: And where is the detailed Samsung phone log? If only its raw data?
"The NFI report does not indicate that Kris and Lisanne switch on Wi-Fi networks that morning, as claimed in Lost in the Jungle. According to the authors, Kris and Lisanne "used the school's internet a bit," then went back to their host mother's house, packed their backpacks, and changed their shoes. [151] This information is just as speculative as the authors' further description that Kris and Lisanne took a cab to the Nelvis restaurant about three miles away, where they had breakfast. There is no evidence in the entire court file to support their claim that Lisanne's cell phone was logged into the Nelvis network on April 1.[152]"--SCARLET: And back to Nelvis again. It makes no sense why Marja and Jurgen would have written in such detail about this. But Jurgen HAS been asked to clarify this at a time when he was active on reddit, and he never answered the question about these Nelvis logins and instead went offline again. Why publish about the Nelvis Wi-Fi use with exact times and mention a Google maps download even there, if it is not specifically specified as such in the case files? Why don't they defend their own work here or explain why the SLIP authors call them liars, basically?
--POWER-PIXIE: So where did Marja and Jurgen get this information from then? Pitti? I still don't understand why they would make up Nelvis in this way, other than to explain away Nelvis as not being a foul play theory, and inserting only Kris and Lisanne and not the Pandilla members. "Kris and Lisanne take a cab to town and have breakfast at restaurant Nelvis, where the cook, Nelvis, sees the women sitting on his terrace. Edwin S. serves them their food. He remembers the brief conversation that he had with the two, in which Kris and Lisanne told him that they wanted to walk to 'the mountain': "I am almost sure that I have seen them sitting here on the terrace. I also told the police that." So the Nelvis owner and waiter told the police this and more I suppose?
--POWER-PIXIE: If Nelvis wasn't logged on Tuesday April 1, then I theorized that Nelvis was logged into on Monday afternoon, as it also fits into that day, given the SLIP authors claimed the two may not have gone to the school at all and were still in town. This opens up the possibilities we had long suspected, that they could have met Henry and either Murgas or one of the Pandilla at this local dive. Somehow I cannot get away from the idea that Kris and Lisanne knew who the perps were when they were intercepted on April 1, according to Margarita’s recount of Murgas’ statements to her from the podcasts. If they had seen them before, it helps to establish that trust needed to be convinced to go via the hidden/defunct section on the Pate De Macho trail, without leaving any trace behind. That is, before Kris and Lisanne realized they were in trouble.
--POWER-PIXIE: The LITJ authors claimed Kris and Lisanne had lunch in a "restaurant", since the two connected to the Wi-Fi there. But why they didn't mention the restaurant name beats me. Just like it is a mystery to me why these German SLIP authors did not confirm this Wi-Fi location. LITJ book, page 208: "At 1:13 pm Kris turns to her phone for the first time that day, Lisanne's phone registers wi-fi contact from 1:27 to 1:38 pm at the restaurant where they are having lunch."
--DAVE: "The NFI report does not indicate that Kris and Lisanne switch on Wi-Fi networks that morning, as claimed in 'Lost in the Jungle'". It's another jab at the Dutch authors. But when Christian/Annette are calling the claim "speculative", they are doing so off the back of their own purely Speculative takes in the preceding three pages alone. What follows is a refutation of Nelvis ever being a place of any interest. This is these two author's word versus the rather detailed account put in print by Marja and Jurgen - it's impossible for us out here therefore to judge this on that basis.
"A later press release reveals that there was a mistake about the date: Lisanne's parents mixed up the day on which Kris and Lisanne are said to have eaten at the Nelvis restaurant.[156] Lisanne's brother Martijn also confirms March 31 as the correct date of their visit on the Facebook page set up for this purpose. This information may also shed light on why the two could not be contacted that morning via Marjolein and Miriam."
--POWER-PIXIE: Now this is interesting. I overlooked this article in detail which the German authors are referring to. If this is true as per the article and Martijn Froon, then Kris and Lisanne were at Nelvis on Monday. "In Panama, the police are looking for two boys who would have had lunch with the Dutch women who have been missing for more than a week. The four would have eaten in the city of Boquete on the day before the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon in restaurant Nelvis. That’s on the Facebook page that is managed by Lisanne’s brother." This also opens up the possibilities that Kris and Lisanne did meet up there with Henry and the gang. LITJ book: "At 1:13 pm Kris turns to her phone for the first time that day, Lisanne's phone registers wi-fi contact from 1:27 to 1:38 pm at the restaurant where they are having lunch. From that period until roughly 2:00 pm she receives and sends several WhatsApp messages. After lunch, they visit the Boquete Artisan Village, where they talk to saleswoman Ana, about a walk they want to make, they just don't say which one. Later that afternoon they return to the language school to look for information on the computer about, among other things, the Pianista Trail." The timings make sense to me, given now that Kris and Lisanne are still in the vicinity of Aura, as opposed to SbtR. Perhaps the German authors in their bid to take out the Dutch authors, forgot that this Wi-Fi connection is not explained properly, especially the location. They don't mention the location of this Wi-Fi connection do they?
--DAVE: If this cafe on the Monday were to be Nelvis, then it still raises questions, as this cafe is at the other end of the town centre from Aura, it is not easily found, it is in a semi-industrial area, set behind the relatively new shopping centre, and I have no real idea how the two could (or would) end up there...
"The investigation's failure to ask the Nelvis's staff about guests from the previous day misses the opportunity to identify possible companions of Kris and Lisanne. In Lost in the Jungle, their route to the Pianista Trail is depicted as starting from the Nelvis restaurant. Two cab drivers claim to have driven the women there, but neither of them starts the journey at Nelvis."
--POWER-PIXIE: I still think that Nelvis plays a pivotal role in their disappearance and in their spontaneous decision to go hiking. It's possible at this point on Monday, they could have gone to the Caldera, hiked the Piedra de Lino, since Lisanne was wearing a flowered blouse and possibly lycra pants or something,. Or they met Henry and the gang and headed off to chill at Cuervo's (or the Caldera even). This also opens up the possibility that Osman was here at Nelvis, and knew the two were with Henry and company.
PART 2: Accident theories (pages 142 - 164)
(Annette voluntarily hikes several times with Feliciano up the Pianista trail).
"Is it coincidence or fate that Feliciano was the last person she could think of after four others had turned me down? I'm delighted, as I wanted to get in touch with him anyway. We chatted on the phone for twenty minutes - Feliciano is a sociable and open person, as long as his gut feeling tells him that the other person means well." "Feliciano has no idea about my work or this book. As if he was thinking about them at the same moment, he begins to talk: "You must have seen the cross on the Mirador the first time," he says. "Yes, I did, and I know that two girls disappeared a few years ago." "That's right, we don't know exactly what happened," he says. "Nobody knows the Pianista as well as I do, so I started looking for them there two days later. But there was no sign of them."
--POWER-PIXIE: He didn't know who she was and what she was doing there, and Feliciano was the only one who would take Annette past the Mirador.
--DAVE: What is marvellous here is the demonstration of what a very small world it is. She just happens to run into him. In fact... everyone just happens to run into him when you think back on it.
"When we arrive at the place where the Pianista path begins and Feliciano parks the car on the strip of grass at the edge, he forgets to turn off the engine because he is so engrossed in the fate of the two girls. It is as if a lid has been lifted and now all the words flow out unfiltered and directly into this new acquaintance."
"I ask Giovanni, the restaurant owner, about it. He explains: "My faithful friend Blue has since passed away. He used to walk with tourists from time to time, but I can't remember him walking with the holandesas desaparecidas. Now that another legend has been disproved, the tour finally starts [..] "
--SCARLET: So he just met Annette, had no idea about her research plans, but nearly a decade after the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, Feliciano starts yapping about this case right away to a total stranger? And he gets so worked up that he forgets to shut off his car engine? This may have enamored Annette, but it sounds a bit extreme to me?
--POWER-PIXIE: This is obviously showboating for the book if Annette is aware or is embellishing this, or if she is completely unaware of his antics, then showboating for him. Either way I don't buy into this.
--SCARLET: On April 7th, 2014, Boquete resident Lee Zeltzer went to the restaurant owners Doris and Giovanni Santoro and interviewed them about the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. They confirmed to him/Phil that they were Blues owners and that Giovanni saw the girls. They also said that Kris and Lisanne talked shortly with him at the start of their walk. Doris declared that Blue was given to them
as a guide of sorts and that the dog came back alone. This was an early interview they did with a local they knew, and who had a very good reputation as a local reporter. I don't understand why the authors do not refer to this contradiction in Giovanni's statements here. This is a red line throughout the book and a real negative for me: just because various people talk to Annette in the year 2023 (or perhaps 2022 at the earliest or 2024 even, as I don't know how long it took them to research and write SLIP) and tell her A version of events, that does not mean that they are telling her THE true version of events. The casualness and ease with which they just step over long before given statements is noteworthy. Same here: Annette is told something and never mind that it contradicts earlier statements and thus warrants some critical questions. No, she denigratingly calls those "legends" that now have been "disproved". Eyebrow raising writing this is.
--POWER-PIXIE: Nothing has been disproved or proved. He still stated "I can't remember him walking with the holandesas desaparecidas." What was he doing the whole day? Hanging out with the dog on April 1 to know what Azul was up to or where he went?
--POWER-PIXIE: Thanks for the reminder. I dug this up from your blog: "On April 7th, 2014, Lee Zeltzer was out and about again, investigating, and he 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. Blue their dog, who often follows hikers went with them. No one can remember seeing them return. Blue did return and Doris believes because of the hour they could not have gone far. She and Giovanni believe that they did return or the dog would have stayed with them. All of this information has been provided directly by them to the DIJ investigators and Sinproc." - So to recap, on April 7, 2014, Lee reported that Doris said that their employee of the restaurant (not Doris or Giovanni) saw the two girls go up at 3 PM - 3:30 PM, and this employee saw Blue the Dog accompany the two women. And that the dog had returned, but nobody saw the women do so. By the way: since the daytime photos do contradict the time as to when they started up the trail, could this have been on Monday instead? Just because nobody remembered them returning, doesn't mean they did not return.--SCARLET: The sentence "No one can remember seeing them return", implies that various people (I assume Giovanni, Doris and the employee at least) were around the restaurant by then. Just because Giovanni nowadays says there is no truth to this entire Blue story, does not automatically mean that people like Lee Zeltzer did not report correctly. The entire story may also have been bullshit by the time it was told to Lee and Phil. Maybe they wanted it to look like Kris and Lisanne went up there alone, but never came back down again, thus must have gotten lost. Their son was working there and was named as a Pandilla member. Locals even anonymously emailed me about them. With regards to a Monday Pianista trip with Blue the dog: why did neither of their phones connect to the Wi-Fi there that day then? The phone logs show a blank for the afternoon, we've been told
--POWER-PIXIE: Good point Scarlet. Their phones would have connected for sure. In fact, this same point could be applied to these restaurant witnesses as well.
"We walk behind each other, he in front of me, checking every stone to make sure it is safe to walk on and drawing my attention to protruding branches so that I can admire nature without a care in the world. His machete is only used in the cover when he points at a beetle, lifts a flower, or pushes a branch aside. I'm glad that he has it with him because the jungle is known for its surprises."--SCARLET: Maybe it's just me, but I got the feeling here that this was written with the negative review of Sophie J. in the back of their minds: "Not long after we left he subtly started to flirt with me and also touching me, first my hand, but also my arms, shoulder and legs, even after telling him many times to stop doing that. He wears a big machete
and suggested to chop off my legs (this of course was a joke but still...)." Annette is meanwhile implying here: 'See? Feliciano is nothing but peaceful with his machete, really. Just take it from me.' But she barely knows him at this point.
"At no point do I feel defensive or reluctant. We have a connection from the very first moment - he trusts me. Just as I do him". "I know the stories that are written about him on the internet. However, my gut feeling tells me that the slander comes from people who have never met Feliciano." "He also looks after the memorial regularly and sends photos of it to Kris's family. I am amazed." [..] "He plucks a few weeds from underneath the memorial cross, then lays a plastic sheet for me on the small mound two meters away and takes Tupperware boxes and bottles out of his rucksack. [..] As agreed, I send a short message to Christian: "I'm fine, everything's great, don't worry."
--POWER-PIXIE: Good to know she can send text messages. Did Christian receive it? I wonder how many messages Kris and Lisanne received or sent when their phones reconnected with the GSM on the Mirador? Surely they would have received the text messages? The more these authors are delving into specifics and taking it out on others, the more they're opening up themselves and this case to the public about the possibility of a hidden trail. I wish Kryt has a proper response
The wrong path
"Marjolein's letter makes it clear that she suggested the Pianista Trail as a possible excursion route. She claims to have expressly pointed out that the trail should not be hiked without a guide, and also to have explained that you would have to turn around at the summit and walk back the same way.[158]"
--SCARLET: That letter again.
--POWER-PIXIE: So why would Kris and Lisanne go down to the other side, if Marjolein was so helpful in explaining to them these details? Re the letter:
1. What format was this letter written in? Snail mail or email?
2. Why didn't Marjolein produce this same letter to the authors of LITJ? It is chock-full of information that exonerates Feliciano from his Hola meeting on April 1. The Dutch authors would have given something for this letter, as nearly everything in this letter helps the Lost theory just as much as it would any other theory for that matter.
3. Why didn't Feliciano inform the police where he went with Marjolein on April 1? Did he tell the police about his Hola meeting? Feliciano appears sly to mention to the police it was in the morning hours, rather than state the specific time. Marjolein in her letter stated that she asked Feliciano to come pick her up at 7 AM to take her to David to catch the bus to Costa Rica, which is an 8 hour trip. Kris and Lisanne were checking their phones at Miriam’s at 7:42 AM, so they weren't at the school at 7 AM to be 'seen from afar'. And we are told that at 9:09 AM their phones connect to the SBR Wi-Fi router. Where’s Eileen during this time? Did she see and hear Feliciano shout Hola to Kris and Lisanne? What time did she see Marjolein and Feliciano leave the SbtR on April 1?
4. Marjolein gave statements to the police. Did she state that she had gone with Feliciano to David on her route to Costa Rica?
5. Did Marjolein write in her letter that she also went to the computer store with Eileen?
6. Why is Marjolein writing this letter in May to Ingrid? Was Ingrid questioning her? Eileen? Police? Unsure of something? Or was this a strategically timed and planned letter to clear themselves or herself of any blame?
7. Otherwise, why not just pick up the phone and call Ingrid and chat with her? What was the reason for this written communication (email or handwritten)?
8. If it is an email, can someone please produce this email, so we can all see and read what exactly was written, why and when?
"Marjolein did not mention in her statement to the police, to Ingrid, or ever in public that she had hiked the trail herself three days before Kris and Lisanne walked the Pianista Trail. We only know this because Feliciano guided her and because Petra, whom we spoke to about it, was also there. During their hike, Marjolein also asks Feliciano to take her to David on Tuesday, as he has an appointment there at the regional hospital, which is close to the bus terminal, for his injured thumb. According to Marjolein's letter, Kris and Lisanne know that they can and should book guided tours through the school. However, they decide to hike the trail on their own."--SCARLET: We also already knew that Marjolein had hiked more regularly with Feliciano from the Nikkie Abroad blog post. You can read about it in this blog post of mine, under the heading 'Marjolein went hiking with guide F. shortly before Kris and Lisanne did. Nickie Abroad's blog'. So she now also hiked the Pianista with him, mere days before Kris and Lisanne?
--POWER-PIXIE: Marjolein would have informed Kris and Lisanne of what the Mirador looked like if she had herself just hiked not three days ago, right? That would be Saturday March 29th. The Mirador would have been fresh in her head of what it looked like at the top, as well as for Petra. Why didn't Petra impart any wisdom from her experience, since she said she met the girls on April 1? Very interesting that Marjolein reveals all of this in a letter.
DAVID HOSPITAL CLAIM
--DAVE: Another new piece of information is revealed - Feliciano (will?) arrive at 7 AM to pick up Marjolein and transport her to David... This whole paragraph is baffling, and not annotated with a source, so I have to question its truth... And as they go on, the authors seem to tie themselves up in a series of impossible timings and contradictory movements for these people. Take this for an example: "Lisanne and Kris probably arrive at 9am" - the authors have absolutely no basis for saying this. And from here we get the authors own version of events that place the two at the school until around 10.30 AM, a linear version of what Eileen heard and saw. Also the claim that the call to Feliciano about the farm tour was also made this morning, not in the afternoon as claimed in the podcasts. All of this is very subjective. As the authors are not relying on facts, but the confused and wandering statements of both Eileen and Feliciano. Indeed they unconsciously put some decisions and involvement this morning ON Eileen, when in fact all it is is supposition and their own personal guesses at work here.
--SCARLET: The SLIP authors use that excuse elsewhere: that Feliciano was not in Boquete when Kris and Lisanne went missing, because he was in David in a hospital. So now Marjolein is a witness of Feliciano's alibi: because he drove her to David so that she could get a bus there towards Costa Rica and he could move on to his supposed hospital visit. Technically, he could have been back between 8 and 9 AM perhaps even, after dropping Marjolein off. He may still have had time to see Kris and Lisanne in the hammock and checking out a map that morning, as per his own statements in the press. And without Marjolein present. But this hospital visit is used by both author duos now. Yet, not a single piece of evidence of that visit has ever been presented. Maybe it is impossible by now, but didn't he have an appointment confirmation to share for instance? Or a hospital bill with a date and time? Nothing. We just have to believe it. Elsewhere in the book the authors come with an 'alibi' for him in the shape of a hand written agenda calendar he had filled in (when? who knows!), indicating they had a tour planned that day.
--POWER-PIXIE: If he's truthful about his hospital visit then why didn't Feliciano mention this in his lengthy deposition? Why not also mention several times how he was there at the school when he went to give Marjolein a lift to David, when he saw Kris and Lisanne and waved hello to them from afar? Why not simply describe: I also said goodbye to the German girl Eileen, as she was there to take over from Marjolein and then we left the school together, and that was that? - And just based on their words, neither Eileen nor Marjolein (who is waiting to be picked up to be driven to David at 7 AM), have "seen" Feliciano have his Hola meeting with Kris and Lisanne at the SbtR, which he told police about on April 2. Seeing one in a hammock and the other looking at the map of Panama inside the office. So to do so, he would need to enter the gated entrance, and he would have to be at the school áfter 8 AM, before which time they had not arrived yet based on the phone log at Miriam's. This again would require both Eileen and Marjolein to "see" all of this, if it was just a fleeting meet and greet. But both of them have never said anything about this meeting since 2014. But Feliciano told the police he did all of this in the "morning hours", "just before they disappeared", which would mean that he had to have returned after his supposed hospital visit to David. That drive takes 30 - 35 minutes, while a bus ride takes 45 minutes to an hour. Feliciano left for David with Marjolein at 7 AM. Kris and Lisanne's Wi-FI connection, if not at Nelvis then at SbtR, then lasted until 10:26 AM. There's a good 3.5 hours in which Feliciano could have returned for his Hola meeting. (All major hospitals in David were and are still open 24 hours, while orthopedic clinics in David are open from 8 AM). - We are informed this was a follow-up visit, since he was able to drive, so then he was perhaps having the bandaged thumb examined and had bandages taken off - so a 10 - 30 minutes visit tops? What time was his appointment and which clinic or hospital did he visit on April 1? A receipt for this service would be most welcome to review.
--SCARLET: Yes, for guide F. to stop by and "see" Kris looking at the map of Panama on the wall, as he initially claimed, would mean indeed that he would have had to step into the gate of SbtR, and then into the office area. Eileen would have been there. But she has never said anything on this topic. Never mentioned that the guide interacted with Kris and Lisanne on the morning of their disappearance. Marjolein has also kept that info out of her letter to Ingrid (**UPDATE: I have read her entire letter since. I will update this blog post soon about Marjolein's letter**). She does mention she left SbtR Tuesday morning around 7 AM, but did not share with Ingrid that it was the tour guide who picked her up at the school to give her a lift to David. Why not? As we know it was him who did so. And Marjolein vowed to have written down everything that happened as detailed as possible.
--SCARLET: And Feliciano would have been back well in time to have been in theory behind the Pianista again around 14:00 PM, which is when Kris and Lisanne were likely getting in trouble. Even Adelita Coriat wrote in the local press that he and his stepson were behind the Pianista at that time. For what her claims are worth.... So what sort of an 'alibi' is this even supposed to be??
--POWER-PIXIE: Both Lisanne and Kris pose in front of Boquete township. They also knew which direction they had just come up from, hence why they posed in front of the Boquete landscape. Kris especially is quite telling as she is "presenting" to us the town from where they had just arrived, and have been staying. She isn't gesturing towards anything else as far as I'm concerned. So they knew this route was a one-way at least on the Mirador. Kris's expressions in photo 508 tells me that she and Lisanne may have realized this to be the case and needed to head back.
"Ultimately, it is only Kris's photos by the stream that allow us to deduce that they took the path behind the Mirador. There are opinions that the places photographed could also be on the Boquete side, where there is a similar stream. As the vegetation changes quickly and even large rocks are displaced by strong currents, the photo location could have been mixed up afterward."
--POWER-PIXIE: That this Annette, despite watching the Kremers' hiking video, is thinking this... Hans compared this Quebrada 1 to the photo quite clearly, and some of the rocks, especially the largest one was present in its original place. In fact the largest rock was still present in Romain's hiking photo with the IP, and I had remembered that I had spotted this large rock which was moved by the river flow at some point before. But it was quite recognizable to me. Hans and Roelie were also led by Feliciano who no doubt would have known/recognized this River 1 back in July of 2014. After all Feliciano has had to take this route to go to AR, unless he takes the hidden Pate De Macho trail.
"There are opinions that the places photographed could also be on the Boquete side"
- They seem lies, surely?
- They seem lies, surely?
Power-Pixie's comparison video overlay:
"A few hundred meters further on, Kris and Lisanne would have reached Quebrada 2, a more beautiful stream with charming waterfalls. But there is also plenty to marvel at away from the streams, such as hanging moss that looks like hair, bright red bromeliads and mushrooms, and snow-white caterpillars. It therefore stands to reason that something unexpected must have happened between the streams if they had gone further downhill. Hans and Roelie are sure that their daughter would have wanted to photograph this panorama."
--POWER-PIXIE: Good thing Annette records these natural aspects. In a way I'm glad these Germans are taking it to everyone.
--SCARLET: Yep this is good additional information. It shows us at home what beautiful things Kris and Lisanne would have seen if they had continued to hike from quebrada 1 to 2. As hans has stressed all along: they would have taken a photo of those marvels. I think everyone following this case can agree on this.
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--POWER-PIXIE: There you go... Another local pops up out of nowhere. Senor Feliciano, how come nobody saw Kris and Lisanne on this trail up to this point, eh?
--SCARLET: Yep. They were camping out for days and nights near a monkey bridge according to so many, and nobody heard or saw these desperate and no doubt at times hysterical Dutch women? Despite everybody who walked this trail - from Imperfect Plan to Victor Hugo to any other tourist - having declared so far that there are multiple people a day walking this trail behind the Mirador, including the monkey bridges....
"My hands claw at the ropes, and [..] if it weren't for the intrusive thought of certain death lurking beneath the foaming water, this entire scenario would've been truly calming."
--SCARLET: Annette, now you are sounding like Betzaida Pitti and LITJ... Careful there, this is 'bone grinding river' territory.
"Feliciano is behind me. I didn't even feel him coming; he moved so calmly on the filigree construction. There is joy and awe on his face. [..] Feliciano feels the same, I know that even if we only talk about it with our eyes up here."
--SCARLET: I don't think she meant to make him sound like a gattopardo type of stalker here...
"Most locals and hikers who know the trail consider it unlikely that you could accidentally stray off the trail behind the Mirador, get lost, and never come back. And it hasn't happened yet."
--DAVE: This chapter is another interesting one, as Annette is able to tell us of two previous 'Lost' events on the Pianista, and I finally hear the tale of 'the Germans'. It is reassuring that it was the local people who came to their help, and were responsible for getting them back in the right direction to Boquete.
--SCARLET: Yes, interesting anecdotes indeed. And further cementing the notion that people can get lost there, but rarely stay lost.
--SCARLET: Yes, interesting anecdotes indeed. And further cementing the notion that people can get lost there, but rarely stay lost.
"In their book, Marja West and Jürgen Snoeren make the bold claim that they have found the exact route that Kris and Lisanne took. They also claim to know the cause of death and to have identified the location of the night photos. However, their "proof" that the girls were at the start of the Pianista Trail at 11:04 a.m. is based solely on their imagination. Despite possessing the files, they claim that Kris's iPhone connects to a telephone pole at Il Pianista restaurant. However, the NFI report makes it clear that not a single radio cell could be determined for the calculations. The claim that Lisanne had Google Maps open and offline at the time is also unsubstantiated.[160]"
--POWER-PIXIE: 🤣
--SCARLET: Fair enough. That is a good correction.
--POWER-PIXIE: Fair enough yes, so where then did the Dutch get this 11:04 AM GSM connection from? ImperfectPlan mentioned in their analysis as well that there is a GSM connection at 11:05:25 AM. That is a very specific connection and time that is stated. So did they also get this GSM connection incorrect? Remember this: At the core of GSM networks are base transceiver stations (BTS) and base station controllers (BSC), which facilitate communication between mobile devices and the network's core infrastructure. So the phone connected to a cell tower, not a fucking telephone pole by the Pianista restaurant. While we understand that the Dutch authors were being literal with their interpretation for their magnum opus, we think somewhat a little differently from these two people. What is open to interpretation is that a cell tower has a wide range of frequency and coverage and doesn't need to exist next to the Pianista restaurant to operate. This range can be as close as 20 feet or can be as far as 20 miles in rural areas for signals to be reached by a cell phone - yes, even in 2014. So Kris could theoretically or even realistically have received a GSM connection with the 5 bars as IP mentioned in their article, while she was in the taxi, on the way to the trailhead. If the photo timings are correct for the day time hike, then she could also have been at the trailhead according to the official calculations of the trail being hiked. It doesn't mean the cell tower was next to her or next to the restaurant.
--DAVE: It doesn't necessarily mean a thing, but you can see a cell tower at the back of Hotel Casa Pedro here. It's a tall tower, and clearly may well be the tower covering the Pianista area, and just over the Mirador...
--POWER-PIXIE: Well spotted Dave.
--DAVE: When Kris and Lisanne leave the town and move out of range of the tower there, they move into the growing signal from the tower at Hotel Casa, and that tower/signal takes over. According to the map the distance from the hotel to Il Pianista is one and a half miles, which is maybe less than five minutes drive - we also saw this proved on a you-tube video.... So what Jurgen says IS perfectly plausible. It just depends on exactly when and where that tower signal takes over. But either way, in a car the time and distance in very minimal.
"The [LITJ] book presents an idiosyncratic walking route from Kris and Lisanne to Quebrada 1, based on photos and phone data. The only local source providing information to the authors is Augusto R. He is presented as a forest ranger to give the impression of an expert. In fact, "Rambo", as the authors call him, is a sub-lieutenant of the National Police from David, who serves as personal security for the public prosecutor's office when they are led through the forest by indigenous guides. This can be found in the files if you want to.[161] Augusto accompanies Pittí to the backpack discovery in Alto Romero. He is also personally put in charge of the large-scale search operation from July 29 to 31,[162] before indigenous Panamanians make further bone finds at the beginning of August. The police officer also turns up when the senior public prosecutor needs a confidant for house searches, for example. However, he is not known among the tourist guides in Boquete."--SCARLET: So all roads lead to Pittí, again. And more evidence that the Dutch authors have been manipulating their audiences a bit, unfortunately. This time by presenting Pittí's aide as an independent 'expert forest ranger', pushing the story they want to convey on Pittí's behalf.
"However, the Dutch authors claim they follow the trail until 4:00 p.m., then lose sight of it and somehow end up in the paddocks. There, they find an abandoned finca and decide to spend the night. They sit down inside, call the emergency services once each, and switch off their cell phones shortly afterward to save the battery."
--SCARLET: Yeh this always sounded like an illogical theory. Those huts were searched and no trace of Kris and Lisanne was ever found. They didn't even leave a sweets wrapper behind or a hair? And it is hard to believe that they would have been 'lost' already at that point, given that the paddocks are bordering on the exact one way up-one way down trail that the Kremers family walked and that would have brought Kris and Lisanne to those huts in the first place. And back to the Mirador and Boquete, in effect. It was bewildering to see the LITJ authors present that story as their widely pitched Case Solution.
"The second hut is located further north-east in the third paddock and is referred to by the locals as the "Serracín estate" because of its former owner."
--POWER-PIXIE: Forgot about this. Interesting to read that Serracin has property or owned property here. Is this Cuervo's family? Cuervo started and owns a florist company from what we dug up in the official records in Boquete. We also learned that his father is/was involved with the Flower Show community in Boquete, and all his FB posts we have researched show him to be known around town. He was running for Mayor or was the Mayor I’m not clear, but Cuervo’s father is a notable figure. How ironic it would be if this is Serracin’s family property, as we also have Sam John D. who works with his family who owns the Il Pianista restaurant.
--SCARLET: Many people do seem to have similar names over there. Many Pittí's, Gonzalez and probably also many Serracin families. But it would be good to find out if this hut belongs to Cuervo's direct family, indeed.
"Logbook Annette (8°51'12.6"N 82°24'24.0"W). On May 10, 2023, I am on my second hike with Feliciano. We have just passed Quebrada 2, where I was able to fill my bottle with fresh water. [..] We work our way forward for about 100 meters until we have a clear view of Alto Romero and the Caribbean coast. I take a photo and notice that there is cell phone reception here! In the middle of nowhere, I can once again tell Christian about the beauty of the country."
--POWER-PIXIE: This is good information, assuming it is true. Why didn't IP or Romain find this out? They were there making 100s of drone videos, and never thought to take an iPhone 4 and Samsung with SIM cards to test connections?
--DAVE: This chapter is another (enjoyable) travelog with Feliciano, as they go in search of old abandoned 'Serracin farm'. The path and place are long abandoned, and the authors reinforce the observation that Feliciano is seen as 'Master of the Mountain' due to his intimate knowledge of this area, and the fact he has spent his life exploring and travelling this area. Due to his age he remembers paths and shortcuts that have long since fallen out of use and memory. It is well written. I bristle at her meeting with Feliciano, clearly he smells something about her, but she is oblivious to his obvious awareness of her true motives. "Feliciano remembers two paths that both lead to the Serracin estate..." it's a revealing paragraph that reinforces everything I have said about this man and his extensive memories of a life and an area that time has left to memory - *his* memory. No one knows as much as he.
"Feliciano remembers two paths that both lead to the Serracín estate and must have started somewhere here. Everything is so overgrown and looks untouched that I suspect he is mistaken. But at one point - Feliciano is pushing a few bushes aside - something that could pass for a trail suddenly appears. Boquete's oldest guide is not fooled. [..] The path is overgrown and extremely difficult to walk on. At this point, everyone must immediately realize that they are walking toward misery."--POWER-PIXIE: You can also imagine Kris and Lisanne being led down one of these types of trails by the gang. The hidden Pata de Macho trail may have looked something like this path does.
--DAVE: Something swept up the two just after 2 PM and made phone use or camera use near impossible. When I think of the limited scenario's that could explain this, it's hard to think that one man leading them astray could explain it - even if he sweet-talked them somehow, it wouldn't be very long before they rebelled and broke away and out would have come their phones. To disappear so quickly and completely like they did, they must have been taken off the trail. I cannot think of any other credible alternative.
--SCARLET: Yes, especially with the increasing information we are getting from people walking that main trail that there are passers by virtually every day.. So it does seem most logical that Kris and Lisanne were whisked off that main trail at some point.
--DAVE: And whoever was responsible was so overpowering, that they appear to have shut down Kris and Lisanne for the rest of the afternoon. Even the 'one each' 4.39 PM and 4.52 PM call attempts are somewhat suspect... It's why Margarita's testimony is so compelling - it actually makes sense of what went
on, and why.
"But let's continue with their [LITJ's] theory for the sake of completeness: after a pitch-black night and 14 hours later, the lost women finally turn their cell phones on again on April 2. They walk up a hill in the morning and discover a stream that they want to follow. It exists and flows right past the Serracín finca. If they hadn't discovered it straight away, they would have at least heard it during the night. In LITJ, Kris and Lisanne follow the stream and end up on "the old, disused Culebra Trail." As we already know, this does not exist down here, just as there is no "old Pianista Trail."
--SCARLET: Is this a dig at Jeremy Kryt's claimed discovery of the unused, old smuggler's trail Pata de Macho? Is Annette here assuming that it does not exist? I'm not sure that a guided tour with Feliciano could have provided that evidence or should settle the Pata de Macho matter?
--DAVE: Annette, what makes you an expert on this area...? I accept there are old pathways, forgotten routes that have slipped away from sight and memory over the decades. I've spoken of Feliciano's expertise and long life walking these areas several times now - he knows these 'lost' routes and secret paths as he is perhaps the only one who has any investment in this area, and comes from a whole other world now, a world before tourism took over the area and transformed Boquete. I am not under much doubt that a lot of what Annette is coming out with here, is based on what Feliciano has shown her, and what he has chosen to tell her. But the blunt fact is; she still knows barely a fraction of what HE knows!!
--POWER-PIXIE: TripAdvisor Reviews for Alternate Paths with Feliciano:
*August 2018: "The hike we did was very cool and completely off the beaten track. We saw no people other than the indigenous people who live in the area. Views and diversity were great and added to the thrill was a section through real jungle where the path was so narrow that a machete was needed here and there to clear the track."
*May 2018: "He's very knowledgeable about the area and will take you completely off the beaten track. We did two treks - a full day and a half day - and didn't see a single other tourist."
*Feb 2018: "He knows the jungle very well and takes you to places off road you would never see without him."
*July 2017: "We set up a contact with Feliciano who arranged for us two 4-5 hour hiking tours. The first one was El Pianista (standard trail). The second one took us off the beaten tracks into the tropical forest in the area of El Sendero de los Quetzales. Feliciano knows his mountains inside out. Not only does he know all the tracks. But, he also knows all indigenous communities around."
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*August 2018: "The hike we did was very cool and completely off the beaten track. We saw no people other than the indigenous people who live in the area. Views and diversity were great and added to the thrill was a section through real jungle where the path was so narrow that a machete was needed here and there to clear the track."
*May 2018: "He's very knowledgeable about the area and will take you completely off the beaten track. We did two treks - a full day and a half day - and didn't see a single other tourist."
*Feb 2018: "He knows the jungle very well and takes you to places off road you would never see without him."
*July 2017: "We set up a contact with Feliciano who arranged for us two 4-5 hour hiking tours. The first one was El Pianista (standard trail). The second one took us off the beaten tracks into the tropical forest in the area of El Sendero de los Quetzales. Feliciano knows his mountains inside out. Not only does he know all the tracks. But, he also knows all indigenous communities around."
--SCARLET: And in this travel blog, two tourists wrote in 2018 about their booked tour with Feliciano that he took them on a Hidden Trail only he knew supposedly: "We set off with our Panamanian friend Feliciano. 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 ... Feliciano 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 that 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."
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"The [LITJ] authors claim to have determined the legendary spot "by precisely analyzing the photos," in which they see a body of water and a stone. They mark this "precisely calculated location" on their map. At this point, we simply have to emphasize once again that West and Snoeren never set foot in this forest area of around 200,000 hectares with several hundred miles of river courses and countless stones."
--POWER-PIXIE: They really destroy Marja and Jurgen here. I couldn't stop laughing.
--SCARLET: Brutal. But it's true, they didn't go to Panama.
--DAVE: The two books have a great deal in common, one shared outlook is that Feliciano is not to be criticised and is but an innocent player in this story. Remarkably though, 'Lost in the Jungle' does acknowledge that he was at the school on Tuesday morning - see page 109 - It's a passing reference, not expanded on or further discussed, but Marja and Jurgen did acknowledge it as an accepted truth.
"Kryt wrote an article in which he suspects Feliciano of murdering the girls - he doesn't mention the guide's name, but it is unmistakably clear whom he means. Now, however, Kryt recognizes the monkey bridge in the photo himself and claims that three guides from the area independently recognized the place where the picture was taken as that of the first monkey bridge. Only Plinio is mentioned in the article. However, we are not aware of any guide who has ever expressed this opinion."
--DAVE: Why should you be Aware?!?
"But Kryt will never let go of the story. [..] After an exchange with journalist Coriat, who rules out an accident, he believes for his new article that a serial killer killed Kris and Lisanne. He now places their deaths in the "context of more than two dozen other unsolved murders and disappearances in the same, mostly rural region of Panama over the past eight years."[173] In 2021, Kryt - once again proving himself wrong - claims to have found proof that a gang led by Feliciano's son killed the girls at a party."
"But Kryt will never let go of the story. [..] After an exchange with journalist Coriat, who rules out an accident, he believes for his new article that a serial killer killed Kris and Lisanne. He now places their deaths in the "context of more than two dozen other unsolved murders and disappearances in the same, mostly rural region of Panama over the past eight years."[173] In 2021, Kryt - once again proving himself wrong - claims to have found proof that a gang led by Feliciano's son killed the girls at a party."
--SCARLET: 'Once again?' That is not a proven fact at all at this point in time.
--POWER-PIXIE: While the Dutch duo are guilty of having Pittí as their author and influence, Jeremy also had the case files and logs. I agree that his articles were a bit sensationalist given who he was writing for, but unlike the Dutch authors, he did go to Panama and tried to make contact with Feliciano to get information. His initial articles were still based on the theory that Kris and Lisanne got lost. All the stuff about Feliciano and serial killers was based on the rumors and information given to him by people from there. He's a reporter and so he reported on what he heard. It's not Kryt who said "I saw one in a hammock and the other reading a map and said Hola to them." So anyone reading Feliciano's statements in the police report for April 2 would immediately wonder when and what time did Feliciano see them? What were they wearing? What did they say or do? So, Jeremy has not proven himself wrong. He has simply exposed Feliciano and the Pandilla through the words of others, including Feliciano's.
--SCARLET: If anything, Kryt could be commended for being sincere enough to change his view on this case over time, once he received different information. Don't forget that during that very first tour in Boquete (for the initial Daily Beast articles), he was accompanied by local guides, who told him a lot of nonsense: that the night photo location was known, that they fell off a monkey bridge, yada yada. The same stuff they have pushed in the media.
--POWER-PIXIE: So far the book gives me the impressions that the authors have it out for West and Snoeren, Pittí, Jeremy/Mariana and Juan. This makes me wonder if (and this is a stretch) there could have perhaps also been people who backed this book with such motives. Perhaps mainly to disrupt. Like with the various claims made (disputed in SLIP) about the disruption of Osman's funeral by the gang back in 2014. I didn't understand it at first, but then realized (if true) that the gang was there to not just stamp their authority, but threaten, strike fear and leave a lasting impression against those who may have suspected them to be responsible for Osman's death. It would have been a very bold thing to do, but gang's in the US have done this against rivals and often ends up in a shooting or murder of the opposite gang members or parties involved. Not that the German authors are anywhere near that, but Pitti used LITJ in a similar way.
PART 2: Crime theories (pages 166 - 223)
THE MURDERER IS ALWAYS THE GUIDE
"No sooner have the first details about the mysterious disappearance of Kris and Lisanne appeared in the press than the first theories about a crime are already flaring up in the forums. The internet detectives quickly have a prime suspect in their sights: tour guide Feliciano Gonzalez. They accuse him of kidnapping Kris and Lisanne and causing them harm. These accusations, which are largely based on misinformation and wild speculation, persist to this day and place an enormous burden on Feliciano and his family."
--DAVE: As I noted elsewhere, the reality is that it seems clear that Feliciano and Son were being talked about in Boquete virtually from the start. I pointed out Jeremy Kryt's first visit in 2016, noting that stories were swirling about this man in the town gossip, and even these authors admit several times that Henry and his friends were being named virtually from the first week - a detail that may well tie in with what Milagros is said to have told Osman that night while at work. It wasn't Westerners or 'Internet Detectives' fingering these people out - it was the locals in Boquete itself. A fact these authors also (unintentionally?) admit to on p196, as they reveal that even Marjolein and Ingrid dropped him from being associated with their school at some point. Page 169 - "The fact that Feliciano still looks after hiking guests today is almost exclusively due to a large Dutch travel blogger who promotes the tour with him. All hotels and companies such
as Spanish by the River ended their collaboration with him after the tragedy in 2014, even if none of them outwardly consider him guilty." For all of these places, especially the School, to distance themselves from him, surely has to have its basis in something more than just internet chatter.
--POWER-PIXIE: When someone points a finger, three fingers are pointing right back. 👉🏽
--SCARLET: The authors could have explained to their readers why precisely Feliciano was talked about. A list of all the news reports, interviews and case related searches/discoveries he was involved in from the word go.. would have been a start.
--DAVE: They write of local gossip in 2014, Feliciano being sacked from working for the school and engaging with its clients, and people like Murgas being brought in for questioning... According to their own words there was speculation in Boquete itself. Names like Henry, Aguirre, and Sam Downer didn't come to local attention from nowhere - someone in Boquete itself named these particular names, and must have supplied a convincing enough story to go with it. From there it appears it slowly leaked further, and people like Kryt began to hear about these stories too. But the narrative they use is of those mean nasty "Internet detectives" and Jeremy Kryt inventing stuff that isn't there. It's the undoing of their book quite frankly. They treat people as if they are idiots.
"At first glance, it does indeed seem suspicious: Feliciano is the one who notices Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, enters their room, and knows which route they have taken."--DAVE: Again the authors completely avoid dealing with the statements of the guide being at the school that morning and seeing the two. If you are not willing to deal with this huge elephant in the room, it is showing that you are unable to deal with it.
--POWER-PIXIE: I agree. There is no hiding from the police report statements Feliciano made, and it starts to open up all the possibilities of what may have happened soon after. 'Feliciano is the one who notices Kris and Lisanne's disappearance'. Yes, and Eileen stood there like a statue and didn't have a clue that they were missing!? Eileen probably guessed they were not there to begin with, especially since they rang the doorbell multiple times, knocked on the door, knocked on Kris and Lisanne’s window, which to any normal person would have simply informed them that they weren’t at home, or that nobody was at home to be exact.
--SCARLET: I think Eileen would have even noticed their absence when they didn't show up at 'her' school by 8.
--POWER-PIXIE: Had Feliciano and Eileen simply shrugged and left Miriam's house, thinking that both tourists were somewhere else and must have forgotten about the tour or ditched them, it would have been understandable. Or if the urgency and realization had come from the host mum Miriam. Or if the panic was sparked by the parents, missing their regular communication with their daughters, which would have been even more reason for Miriam to raise the alarm. But no, it's Feliciano who is adamant about getting into the house and into their room, realizing that two tourists who he has never met nor knows.. have not slept in their beds.
"He even searches this route alone."
--SCARLET: The authors claim that Feliciano was asked by Sinaproc to join the searches and that he was allowed to hike the trail by himself on Thursday already. Is this true? Then the widely spread previous information that Sinaproc told him explicitly not to do so and not to intervene that day with the search operation is false? I do believe the authors when they quote stuff straight from the police files, but with no possibility to check those files for ourselves it does remain a little bit unsatisfactory.
"Later, Kris and Lisanne's backpack is found by his brother's employees, who open it before alerting the police. There is speculation in the media that this cannot be a coincidence. According to the theory, Feliciano could have planned, executed, and concealed a crime."
--SCARLET: This reads as a manipulative way of phrasing things. 'This cannot be a coincidence' sounds like they are ridiculing the pigheaded sleuths. When you can also phrase it like: some people find this involvement of Feliciano's brother, his employees and himself in all major developments in the case... noteworthy.
--DAVE: There is no curiosity with these authors, indeed they noticeably don't even mention the fact that Henry has acted as his fathers assistant on his tours... which is also a significant detail.
--POWER-PIXIE: Rachel Rounds wrote on her blog on April 9th 2008: "So we set off for Boquete and met Feliciano, an energetic, slightly frenetic small man filled with excitement for the hike and Henry, his 17-year-old son. We headed off with our big packs, trekking poles, hydration packs, cameras, binoculars and rubber boots, and felt very goofy every time we passed a Ngobe-Bugle on the trail." *Nickyabroad wrote in her blog for March 22, 2014: "We, being Marjolein, the Dutch hostel manager, and Christina, the Swiss cyclist and I, were driven by Feliciano’s son about 13km out of Boquete to the start of the Quetzal trail. [..] We arrived at the top near Cerro Punto, where Feliciano’s son was waiting and extremely disgruntled at having had to wait for an hour for us because we were late." * Tripadvisor review from April 14, 2015: "Thank you so much Feliciano for safety navigating our family through 4 days hiking across the cordillerand staying with indigenous indian homesteads. We will never forget you and Titto."
--SCARLET: And as for people wondering why the Gonzalez family would have possibly (theoretically of course) wanted to have that bag and those remans found in the vicinity of Alto Romero where the guide has his finca, which did pose a link with the guide, faintly (although the SLIP authors tried to cut that link by falsely claiming he does not own a finca near Alto Romero.. so there was some attempts to muddle that water as well later on, why would that be?), instead of far away from his place.. To have that backpack being found by employees of the brother of the tour guide, may have ensured that the 'right' people found it. The many other volunteers searching closer to Boquete did not find the remains. The guide and his helpers did. This ensured that guide F. and his helpers were the heroes and banked on that in the press. But there is also the added detail about a finder's bonus, which they unsuccessfully claimed by them with the families....
"Rumors spread that Feliciano has a preference for Western European tourists and sexually harasses them on his tours." "A book has even been published about Feliciano and his family. In 2021, French author Nina von Rönne with German roots published the thriller Ne t'en fais pas, nous sommes amis. [..] To us, the book seems like the personal revenge of an aggrieved woman."--DAVE: Perhaps it is. It was a strange book, that is true, but again - this reflexive action to completely dismiss peoples experiences or critiques against this man... that is what this book comes down to in the end. It isn't really about Kris Kremers or Lisanne Froon, or about how they were betrayed and failed by this town.
--POWER-PIXIE: I didn't really take to the stuff in Nina von Rönne's book, but Nina did live next door to Feliciano, and we received some first hand information outside of the allegations by Nina which were helpful to note and understand, especially with Henry whom I doubt she had anything against as she did not know if he was in a gang or what came later by way of the podcasts.
--SCARLET: Nina von Rönne says that Feliciano's clientele in particular consists of "young, sporty (northern) European women who travel solo, and sometimes couples". And for what it's worth: a lot of people who leave reviews behind do fall into that category. Sophie J. wrote: "Great guide, but not for women travelling alone. [..] Not long after we left he subtly started to flirt with me and also touching me, first my hand, but also my arms, shoulder and legs, even after telling him many times to stop doing that. He wears a big machete and suggested to chop off my legs (this of course was a joke but still...). He has an obsession for Northern European women and I felt very unsafe." Or Lienvoets: "I'm surprised I only read 1 negative review... It seems like Feliciano is very well protected from negative reviews. Unfortunately, I also only read the positive reviews before I left. Feliciano was super friendly, helped me, held my hand during the climbs on the Pianista trail. Until I realized that the help was only for me, not for my 3 fellow travelers. In the days that followed, I was bombarded with messages, invitations,... During a horse ride and a trip to hot springs, he suddenly turned out to be our driver (although he had nothing to do with horse riding) and he joined the hot spring. Not exactly what you expect from a taxi driver. I did not feel comfortable in his environment and was very glad that my fellow travelers had accompanied me so that I was not alone with him, which is what he was aiming for. In the 3 days I was in Boquete, I received constant messages asking to come to his home... Enthusiastic guide, but I have my doubts about his intentions... As a European woman, don't go alone..." - I do understand that Annette felt very positive feelings when she spent time with Feliciano. And that she now feels a sense of injustice on his behalf. But at the end of the day, Annette spoke to him nearly ten years after Kris and Lisanne went missing. She is not a case specialist, aside from having had the privilege to read those case files and being granted halfhearted interviews with Pandilla members. Ultimately, neither of these German authors know truly what happened and they don't claim so either, but this extents to the actions of the tour guide.
"I realize once again how shamelessly Kryt is spreading this rumor when I listen to the podcast Lost in Panama [..]. In episode five, he claims that Feliciano was banned from the hotel where Kryt was staying in Boquete. The reason: Feliciano had been harassing women. As luck would have it, during my time in Boquete, I was staying in the same house that now functions as an Airbnb. So I get the name and phone number of the former owner- and find out that it was the other way around. It wasn't Feliciano who had been expelled from the hotel, but Kryt himself. When Feliciano picks up a few tourists for a tour, the journalist gets so close to him that the owner throws him out and says he never
wants to see him in his house again. So, it was his expulsion that inspired this false and unscrupulous anecdote."
--DAVE: What on earth is this?
--POWER-PIXIE:🤣Scarlet please post this on your blog in big bold letters, under the title, "Comedy Central".
"In 2016, it was once again Kryt who cast suspicion on Feliciano and fueled it journalistically. [..] This paragraph is full of untruths. There is no evidence that locals suspected Feliciano"
--DAVE: Kryt is the source of all evil? There is no evidence that locals suspected Feliciano? How can they know this?! In this revised reality, where he never visited the school that morning, then yes, there would be no local gossip. In the original reality however, it seems to have been vaguely known that he was there that morning, and some tongues were indeed beginning to wag as a result. The more you read of this book, the clearer it gradually becomes to me that the main purpose seems protecting Feliciano, as well as trying to destroy or muddle the progress that has been made to examine the background of this disappearance. When you read the paragraphs you see here on this page, you see a typical example of the approach and tactics these authors use. "No evidence that locals suspected Feliciano." It's something they work hard to impress on the reader. But then pages later you will get an unintended statement such as "the Spanish School cut ties with him in (or after) 2014"... (and possibly more businesses).
--SCARLET: Interesting. I heard something very different from a source with the case files. If only those case files were printed for all to see, instead of traded in the shadows.
"Feliciano does not own a ranch in the area where Kris and Lisanne may have disappeared.."
--SCARLET: How about his widely reported ranches and fincas in Alto Quiel and Alto Romero at the time? All lies?
--DAVE: He doesn't?! Or has he sold it since...?
--POWER-PIXIE: LITJ book confirmed twice that Feliciano owns a finca in the area past the Mirador. On page 18: "he owns a finca (a kind of bungalow) in the jungle behind the village." On page 111: "both Laureano and Gonzalez have a finca in the Alto Romero area ". Jeremy Kryt also has the case files and visited Boquete and hiked the trail. He mentions Feliciano’s property in the podcast when discussing the inconsistencies of Irma and Luis’s statements and knowledge of the area: “So how does this rice paddy exist, if they have never been there before? [..] Apparently it’s either on or close to Feliciano’s property. There’s a mention when the investigators go with them, back to where they allegedly found the backpack, that they pass through Feliciano’s property, to get there.”
".. nor has he ever seen or spoken to the two women."
--SCARLET: Now this is getting silly. Feliciano said himself in the press that he did. On Tuesday morning, at Spanish by the River. We have quoted him in earlier comments here already. Is this an attempt to gaslight your audiences?
--DAVE: By who's verdict is this though? Again, there is no curiosity. No acknowledgment of his various statements on this issue.
--DAVE: By who's verdict is this though? Again, there is no curiosity. No acknowledgment of his various statements on this issue.
"The alleged tour with an overnight stay in the rainforest is also a fabrication by Kryt."
--DAVE: Yes, maybe it is. But how can you know?
--DAVE: Yes, maybe it is. But how can you know?
--SCARLET: Because... the tour guide told Annette so? I guess.. I wonder if Annette ever saw or investigated Feliciano's infamous pink notebook, in which he wrote down all his (female?) tourist appointments according to Nina?
--POWER-PIXIE: Regarding that pink notebook, from Nina’s book: "When Andy speaks out this observation during a visit of guide F. one morning, he responds with big shiny eyes: "Yes, many beautiful women". He writes down all the details of his tourists in a pink notebook. Sometimes F. also asks them if they know whether or not a name is male or female, while going through his work emails." Nina stayed with Feliciano sometime during the 2nd week of October in 2015. So (if true) I bet this pink notebook of client information would have existed before Kris and Lisanne became his clients, as going by TripAdvisor, he has had a sporadic amount of tours since Kris and Lisanne disappeared. Wouldn't he have noted down the Baru tour that Eileen supposedly scheduled for Saturday April 5? So I wonder what he wrote down for April 2?
"Kris and Lisanne have never actually had the chance to meet Feliciano."
--DAVE: Kris and Lisanne Have never Met Feliciano, because he says so... the statement he made in April and thereafter that he saw them, are lies. He made no such statements. No, he himself said very clearly that he was at the school and saw the two.
--DAVE: Kris and Lisanne Have never Met Feliciano, because he says so... the statement he made in April and thereafter that he saw them, are lies. He made no such statements. No, he himself said very clearly that he was at the school and saw the two.
--POWER-PIXIE: The best you can say here, and still be honest, is to say that the man is a first-class bullshitter who, at the time, told a lie about that morning on Tuesday. About him seeing the two. The problem then however, is that this man is still coming out as an unreliable and slippery figure who spins stories to suit whatever moment he is currently in. I.e. - He is a man of charm and 'stories'. We did not make Feliciano a potential suspect. He did that himself...
--SCARLET: And yet, Christian wrote around June 20th 2024 on Reddit: "Keep listening to all sides. Don't make the mistake of committing to something until there is a proof. The division in the case, by people who can't let go of their specific lost or foul play theory, means we're not moving forward and have been going round in circles for years. Think in all directions and you will come closest to the truth."
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"Coriat is said to have told him about Feliciano: "He has a son who also lives nearby [Alto Romero]. As far as I know, they were both seen in the area when the Dutch women disappeared - but I don't think the police ever looked into it." [175] Correction: Feliciano does have a son, but Henry has never lived near the village of Alto Romero, where only his father owns a small piece of land."--DAVE: How can you know this, as a fact? And you said just up above he doesn't have property here?
--SCARLET: So when Annette wrote above that "Feliciano does not own a ranch in the area where Kris and Lisanne may have disappeared.." (which seems incorrect info, but soit), she forgot to add right after that he does "own a small piece of land" there?
"The bitter impact these insinuations have on Feliciano and his family becomes clear to me as I get to know the guide a little better."
--DAVE: I do feel for him - we cannot say exactly what his role in the disappearance was, if Any. And yet this is a situation he himself has never (and will never) admit that he himself had a part in creating. There is a lack of honesty here. And yet, if he did ever admit to lying when he said he was at the school that morning, then by his own confession we could never trust a word he says. Whichever way you look at it, he helped to create his own Prison in that sense. It starts with his own decisions at the time and what he himself said.
"The bitter impact these insinuations have on Feliciano and his family becomes clear to me as I get to know the guide a little better."
--DAVE: I do feel for him - we cannot say exactly what his role in the disappearance was, if Any. And yet this is a situation he himself has never (and will never) admit that he himself had a part in creating. There is a lack of honesty here. And yet, if he did ever admit to lying when he said he was at the school that morning, then by his own confession we could never trust a word he says. Whichever way you look at it, he helped to create his own Prison in that sense. It starts with his own decisions at the time and what he himself said.
"All hotels and companies such as Spanish by the River ended their collaboration with him after the tragedy in 2014, even if none of them outwardly consider him guilty."
--DAVE: Note the wording - "Outwardly"... That is a very specific choice in wording. Interesting information. Everyone was looking after themselves, and if the school cut ties with him it aligns with the abrupt way in which Eileen departed too... It might be a precautionary reaction, or not.
--POWER-PIXIE: Ingrid must have turned these questions in her head, over and over again. It meant Ingrid also came under pressure. So all the hum-drum during the first weeks and her attempts to distance herself, including getting (witness) Eileen to leave, may perhaps have been self-preservation.
"Acquaintances and even some relatives have also withdrawn after the accusations were made."--DAVE: And it doesn't occur to you that there may be reasons for this? It can be hard to get to truth, but it never even occurs to you that there might just be 'something' in this...? Apparently not.
--POWER-PIXIE: These people may all have known more than Annette does. There are things as reputations and among their community, people talk and word gets around fast.
--SCARLET: There are typically rumours and lies going round in smaller communities yes, but sometimes also the truth. With the foreign TV people and journalists often kept out of that loop. Annette and Christian are outsiders. Foreigners. They were eager to GET something from these people they interviewed. But they seem to think that the nonsense the Pandilla told them is the truth. By the way: in this recently uploaded video, some hikers hired Feliciano and also talked with him about the Kris and Lisanne case and you can see him very passionately telling about it all as if it happened yesterday. Blaming the government, blaming those fast running rivers again for their deaths. But he also suddenly states here (apparently to the sharp noticing of the video maker) that it were the Indians living on the Pianista who reported Kris and Lisanne missing to the police, instead of he himself... Although she failed to capture that exact statement on camera it seems. But in any case, if true, then he is lying to his audience here, as it were him and Eileen who reported the girls missing to police. Is she correct and is he shifting the blame to people like Martina and Oliva de Kam now?
"The other, worst thing is the personal messages, threats, and insults that make his life difficult every week."
--DAVE: That is cruel. You do have to ask by relation just what similar pressures the Spanish School and others have come under also...
--SCARLET: Yeh that is unacceptable. Total harassment and not OK at all. My problem here is however that such excesses (and unfortunately there are always some idiots out there who cannot behave normally or accept to everyone is innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law) are used here as a stick to hit every single sleuth with, who dares to pose critical questions about Feliciano's widespread self-involvement in this case. We're not saying he or the Pandilla are guilty of anything; just that they need to be treated with the same scrutiny.
"For some time now, Feliciano has had enough of putting up with all the slander. Now he is fighting back. He wants to silence the perpetrators of this huge web of lies."
--SCARLET: Are they saying here that he is fighting back through their book? Shouldn't book researchers stay neutral? Especially when smacking the Dutch authors around the head that they were Pittí's lackey's, so to speak.
--SCARLET: Are they saying here that he is fighting back through their book? Shouldn't book researchers stay neutral? Especially when smacking the Dutch authors around the head that they were Pittí's lackey's, so to speak.
--DAVE: If that is so, he will need to grab the bull by its horns and get to grips with his own statements on the matter.
"In the first few weeks after the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, Feliciano and a local group of perpetrators are suspected of having done something to the Dutch women."
--DAVE: You have said, repeatedly, that no one in Boquete named or suspected Feliciano of having any involvement in a crime. And here you are, contradicting yourselves. Again...
"The origins of the Pandilla theory can be traced back to a post on the Dutch FOK forum on August 25, 2014. [..] It concerns the death of local teenager Osman Valenzuela, who drowned while swimming in the Chiriquicito River east of Caldera on April 4. A false claim by the authors West and Snoeren persists to this day. According to this, Osman was part of the SINAPROC team that searched for Kris and Lisanne.[177] Since we have studied the file on his case and have also spoken to his mother and sister about it, we can rule out the possibility that Osman worked for SINAPROC or was involved in the search for Kris and Lisanne."
--DAVE: Did he volunteer? That is the question.
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"The Pandilla from Boquete is generally thought to have seven members, only four of whom are still alive today."
"The origins of the Pandilla theory can be traced back to a post on the Dutch FOK forum on August 25, 2014. [..] It concerns the death of local teenager Osman Valenzuela, who drowned while swimming in the Chiriquicito River east of Caldera on April 4. A false claim by the authors West and Snoeren persists to this day. According to this, Osman was part of the SINAPROC team that searched for Kris and Lisanne.[177] Since we have studied the file on his case and have also spoken to his mother and sister about it, we can rule out the possibility that Osman worked for SINAPROC or was involved in the search for Kris and Lisanne."
--DAVE: Did he volunteer? That is the question.
"As Feliciano's son Henry is considered by many to be the leader of the gang, his father's supposed attempts to cover up the murder now seem to make sense. [..] While the gang members are also known by their actual nicknames, various names are attributed to the Pandilla in relevant forums, including "La banda," "Los ND5," "Los niños de la quinta," and "The ND5."[178] However, these are completely different men from a notorious gang in the province.[179]"
--DAVE: This notion that these authors are trying to establish (or suggest) is that the 'Pandilla' are not a gang. This is another example of what I will call rebranding. Spin. The authors imply that these are simply a friendly band of young fun-seekers. Energetic perhaps, but with no criminality at all. And yet in line with their habit of contradictory messaging, they also admit that Edwin has a reputation for drug pushing. They admit that these people here were being named virtually from the first weeks as having something to do with the disappearance. The Police are interested in them, they pull in Murgas in October for questioning, they let slip that the Spanish school cut ties with his father in or after 2014. In hand with this, let us recall also that in his very first article in 2016, Jeremy Kryt speaks of the rumours that swirl around Feliciano in Boquete, even though Kryt stresses there is no evidence he had anything to do with the fate of Kris and Lisanne. But there was clearly gossip locally... Names like Henry, Sam Downer and Aguirre weren't conjured from nowhere. It wasn't some other gang that were being named, it weren't drug runners, it was this little band of 'friends'.
--SCARLET: And for what it is worth, the various messages I received over the years from locals in Boquete, were all mentioning some of these 'Pandilla members'. They may have been wrong in their suspicions, but at the very least they indicate that these youngsters names were doing the rounds there.
--SCARLET: And for what it is worth, the various messages I received over the years from locals in Boquete, were all mentioning some of these 'Pandilla members'. They may have been wrong in their suspicions, but at the very least they indicate that these youngsters names were doing the rounds there.
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"The Pandilla from Boquete is generally thought to have seven members, only four of whom are still alive today."--DAVE: Do you not find that remarkable?
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-SCARLET: On Reddit, one of the SLIP authors (I think Christian handles Reddit) more recently wrote: "I would like to let everyone have their theories. But I won't let these flat Kryt conspiracies stand any longer. Because innocent people are being called by their full names and slandered." "Whenever I read this made-up Pandilla story, I can understand why people prefer to believe in an accident. It's really pointless to correct all this nonsense that the podcast has put out into the world. Again and again." "I am referring to the original judical files and not to an entertaining podcast." "I am regarding to mother and sister Osmans police affidavit. Also on the investigations of all Pandilla members, that had been done. Not a single connection had been found. The podcast you listened to is either inventing the story, or somebody had told them fairy tales." "What are they supposed to have been witnesses to? Neither Osman nor Jose ever had anything to do with Kris and Lisanne." "Unfortunately, you are on the wrong track and are jumping on rumors and myths that can be refuted. So Henry and others were never seen with the girls, they never went swimming with them, Osman was never part of Sinaproc, and the bar fight between Osman and Henry wasn't about Kris and Lisanne either. We have seen the Osman file and everything has been thoroughly investigated. There are no connections at all between the Pandilla and Kris and Lisanne. And we also know who is in the ominous swimming photo." "Since we have inspected and evaluated both the Kris and Lisanne court file and the Osman V. court file, we can say that the podcast is lying. Kris and Lisanne never had anything to do with the Pandilla members. The entire story about the party at Cuervo's house is made up, just like the story about the ominous swimming photo. The true story about the Pandilla and Osman's death is now known. We have published it and can prove it." - So the podcast is lying, Hardinghaus writes. I am very curious what Jeremy Kryt and his team have to say to thát...
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"Dutch YouTuber Juan Perea y Monsuwé, who has been working on the case since 2014, is inextricably linked to the Pandilla theory. Since 2019, he has been working meticulously and ultimately almost maniacally to prove his theories. Independently of this, Juan has built up an extensive, freely accessible online case archive containing all press reports, photos, and videos relating to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. It goes without saying that this is not in the interests of Kris and Lisanne's relatives."
"He is assisted by Scarlet, who who still runs the biggest blog on the case today and whose summaries and investigations are used by almost all podcasters and YouTubers."
--SCARLET: Thanks, but that is not correct. I know Juan only through this case. I do not assist Juan, aside from us publicly linking to each other's work. The only time we ever worked together on anything was when Juan forwarded me the photos of the diaries, which I helped translate. Juan did not find it ethical that a couple of cowboy sleuths were trading these diaries and other case info behind the scenes with a clique of incrowd people and he believed everyone following this case should know about this. The LITJ authors also went on a rant about the ethics of this, but they are hypocrites who got their copies of the case files through muddy means. Publishing a commercial book against the parent's wishes in the process. - "He who without sin cast the first stone" (John8:7)
"At the time, a local contacted her and explained that the perpetrators were not named because Panamanian laws made rumors a punishable offense. However, it was well known in Boquete that the main suspects were Henry and his buddy Sam D., who kept making allusions in bars about his knowledge of a crime against Kris and Lisanne.[181]"
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"Alongside Henry, Edwin becomes a key figure in the Pandilla theory over the years and is also said to be the gang leader. Almost all foul play theories build him in as the one who drove the kidnapper's vehicle. [..] But local Panamanians also tell Annette that they suspect Edwin is connected to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne."
"In contrast to Jeremy Kryt, who sees Murdog's statement as decisive proof of the murder of Kris and Lisanne by the Pandilla, the police do not pursue this any further and do not seek out Henry and Sam - a circumstance that also irritates us, however. Hardly anything is known about Sam."
Sandra C. "None of us have ever met them," she says, "or even seen them." So, of course, they are not in the photo either. 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. I try to help her out."
"we imagine Kryt with a few bills in hand trying to find people willing to mime a crime scene cleaner, but of course we would never say that."
Annette meets Martin Ferrara
"I'm standing in the rain on my street in the center of Boquete, waiting for a car I don't know and whose owner already seems suspicious to me. That evening is the creepiest of my entire time in Panama. I don't want Martin to know where I live, so I set up a few meters away from my front door far too early. Thick raindrops, the kind you only get in the tropics, patter on my umbrella."
"The conversation cost me 100 US dollars."
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"He is said to have been killed because he witnessed the murder and the other members were afraid that he would report them. He is said to have confessed this to his mother shortly before his death after the Pandilla threatened to kill him during an argument in a bar."
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"During a fight, the son of the Il Pianista restaurant injures Osman in the face with a glass bottle. Sam is obviously worried that Osman might report him to the police. The argument escalates until, according to Margarita, Henry and Edwin threaten to kill him in a bar two days before his death if Osman reports it to the police."
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"Although the autopsy report reveals injuries that cannot be explained by Osman simply drowning, and the SINAPROC paramedic who pulled Osman out of the water also notices inconsistencies, the case is ultimately dropped and Osman's death is classified as an accidental drowning. Margarita feels betrayed and remains convinced that the Pandilla is responsible for Osman's death."
"In the entire investigation into the Osman case, the two women play no role, not once is their name mentioned - by anyone."
"The theories are supported by the fact that the exact circumstances of the deaths of the two young men, officially declared to be an accident, have not been clarified beyond doubt. While Osman inexplicably disappears while swimming with other Pandilla friends and is later fished out of the river dead, it is assumed that Murdog's death was a hit-and-run without the perpetrator having been identified."
--DAVE: Reading Milagros' etc versions of this was a bizarre experience. Osman apparently went behind a rock to take a 'number 1' and disappears from the face of the earth - none of this Pandilla could find him. That is quite extraordinary in itself. Several questions arise from this, and Annette asks none of them... Not one grain of curiosity is expressed.
"We cannot confirm that Osman's death, which, according to the autopsy report, was caused by a blow to the back of the head, was subsequently classified as murder by the authorities, as various people claim. As with almost all previous crime and accident theories, it is once again Jeremy Kryt who is fueling this rumor. In the after-show episode of episode six of his podcast Lost in Panama, he claims that there was a fistfight between Sam and Osman by the river."
--DAVE: Good lord... is Jeremy Kryt Satan incarnate to these two authors? It is over the top. It was Margarita herself who told of how she fought to have the verdict of Accident overturned, and declared a possible murder instead... The fact that it was Margarita who is saying much of this and Kryt was merely witness and commentator to it, isn't being put across by these authors. But instead it is Jeremy Kryt who is painted as the source of all pain and misinformation. While we must be careful of thinking Kryt is ever beyond criticism, the abuse that these two are consistently laying onto him is not only grossly unfair, but in many cases provenly false. They accuse him also of certain things that they themselves are visibly guilty of doing...!
--SCARLET: The podcast claims that Osman had suffered a (non-lethal) hemorrhagic contusion on the back of his head at the Caldera. And that Osman had also marks on his wrists and legs and bruises on his body. And they claim that the initial 'accidental drowning' verdict was changed into 'the crime of homicide' by police. All lies? That is a bold claim, and as usual we cannot do our own investigation as these case files the authors claim to base themselves on are not shared or available for the reader. While I appreciate the authors having gone to Boquete, having shared details from these case files and having been critical towards people like Betzaida Pittí and her biographers, this second part of the book just seems off. Are we now going to pretend all over again that Osman, surrounded by his 'friends', Osman who had been stressed out and anxious and threatened for days.. just disappeared in broad daylight along that small, shallow river, after crouching behind a rock? The coroner did find a headwound on him we have been told, but now we are going to roll back Kryt's info that the police changed their accidental death verdict in a homicide? Unfortunately at this moment in time, every author can still claim and interpret whatever they like from those police files, leaving us without.. grasping.
--SCARLET: The podcast claims that Osman had suffered a (non-lethal) hemorrhagic contusion on the back of his head at the Caldera. And that Osman had also marks on his wrists and legs and bruises on his body. And they claim that the initial 'accidental drowning' verdict was changed into 'the crime of homicide' by police. All lies? That is a bold claim, and as usual we cannot do our own investigation as these case files the authors claim to base themselves on are not shared or available for the reader. While I appreciate the authors having gone to Boquete, having shared details from these case files and having been critical towards people like Betzaida Pittí and her biographers, this second part of the book just seems off. Are we now going to pretend all over again that Osman, surrounded by his 'friends', Osman who had been stressed out and anxious and threatened for days.. just disappeared in broad daylight along that small, shallow river, after crouching behind a rock? The coroner did find a headwound on him we have been told, but now we are going to roll back Kryt's info that the police changed their accidental death verdict in a homicide? Unfortunately at this moment in time, every author can still claim and interpret whatever they like from those police files, leaving us without.. grasping.
--POWER-PIXIE: "as various people claim." Podcast Aftershow 6, Jeremy: “The cause of death was officially drowning, but investigators believe he was knocked unconscious and pushed or thrown into the river, which is what led to him drowning.” Mariana: “And this is critical information because as we learned in the episode his death was then ruled a homicide. So out of these three initial deaths, in addition to Kris and Lisanne, that we learned about in this episode Osman Valenzuela, the taxi driver and Murgas, Osman’s death was the one that was ruled as a homicide. And we learned that the pivotal figure in making this ruled as a homicide is Osman’s mother, who has been a long time source of our detective Martin Ferrara.”
--POWER-PIXIE: Podcast Aftershow 6, Jeremy: “He allegedly saw the women, as I said, in the red truck and went home and told his mother what he had seen. And couple of days later apparently he confronted those boys, the Pandilla, in a bar in Boquete and there was a fight between Sam John and Osman. And you know I’ve heard that from our detective Martin Ferrara about this fight. But then if you remember, Luis Downer, Sam John’s brother told us about this fight too when we interviewed him - well I guess we met him, it wasn’t a formal interview - but when we spoke with him. So that was an interesting corroboration. Osman then went back to his mother and not only told her - tell her what he had seen in the park, but he said, 'I'm afraid they are going to kill me for what I know, after this confrontation in the bar.' And just a couple of days later, sure enough he was murdered.” - Some things to note here:
1. He saw them on Monday, March 31, went home that same day and told Margarita about what he had seen.
2. Couple of days later, April 2?, Osman fights with Sam John D.
3. Osman goes back to his mother, second time? He tells her: 'I'm afraid they are going to kill me for what I know, after this confrontation in the bar.' Not sure if Jeremy summarized the fight for Osman by saying "this confrontation in the bar".
4. Then Jeremy states that Osman is murdered a couple of days later, so April 4?
These dates make sense, if the 'couple of days later' in point 2 above is correct.
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-SCARLET: On Reddit, one of the SLIP authors (I think Christian handles Reddit) more recently wrote: "I would like to let everyone have their theories. But I won't let these flat Kryt conspiracies stand any longer. Because innocent people are being called by their full names and slandered." "Whenever I read this made-up Pandilla story, I can understand why people prefer to believe in an accident. It's really pointless to correct all this nonsense that the podcast has put out into the world. Again and again." "I am referring to the original judical files and not to an entertaining podcast." "I am regarding to mother and sister Osmans police affidavit. Also on the investigations of all Pandilla members, that had been done. Not a single connection had been found. The podcast you listened to is either inventing the story, or somebody had told them fairy tales." "What are they supposed to have been witnesses to? Neither Osman nor Jose ever had anything to do with Kris and Lisanne." "Unfortunately, you are on the wrong track and are jumping on rumors and myths that can be refuted. So Henry and others were never seen with the girls, they never went swimming with them, Osman was never part of Sinaproc, and the bar fight between Osman and Henry wasn't about Kris and Lisanne either. We have seen the Osman file and everything has been thoroughly investigated. There are no connections at all between the Pandilla and Kris and Lisanne. And we also know who is in the ominous swimming photo." "Since we have inspected and evaluated both the Kris and Lisanne court file and the Osman V. court file, we can say that the podcast is lying. Kris and Lisanne never had anything to do with the Pandilla members. The entire story about the party at Cuervo's house is made up, just like the story about the ominous swimming photo. The true story about the Pandilla and Osman's death is now known. We have published it and can prove it." - So the podcast is lying, Hardinghaus writes. I am very curious what Jeremy Kryt and his team have to say to thát...
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"Dutch YouTuber Juan Perea y Monsuwé, who has been working on the case since 2014, is inextricably linked to the Pandilla theory. Since 2019, he has been working meticulously and ultimately almost maniacally to prove his theories. Independently of this, Juan has built up an extensive, freely accessible online case archive containing all press reports, photos, and videos relating to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. It goes without saying that this is not in the interests of Kris and Lisanne's relatives."--DAVE: I would argue it is, in the sense that it stops the story of Lisanne and Kris slipping away from all sight, and reminds those with any interest or who are visiting Panama/Boquete, that a potential for disaster or crime is very real.
-SCARLET: By that logic, commercial books are not in the interest of Kris and Lisanne's relatives either. The parents have also not condoned a single book publication and reportedly refused to read LITJ for instance. They also did not want certain case details to come out to the public. So if this applies to Juan then it also applies to commercial book authors.
--SCARLET: Thanks, but that is not correct. I know Juan only through this case. I do not assist Juan, aside from us publicly linking to each other's work. The only time we ever worked together on anything was when Juan forwarded me the photos of the diaries, which I helped translate. Juan did not find it ethical that a couple of cowboy sleuths were trading these diaries and other case info behind the scenes with a clique of incrowd people and he believed everyone following this case should know about this. The LITJ authors also went on a rant about the ethics of this, but they are hypocrites who got their copies of the case files through muddy means. Publishing a commercial book against the parent's wishes in the process. - "He who without sin cast the first stone" (John8:7)
"Interested readers will find what they are looking for in Juan's archive, where they can spend many hours tracking down distorted proportions, mismatched shadows, reflections, or accidentally cropped backgrounds."
--DAVE: The condescension shown here... They were almost kind to him up until this point.
--SCARLET: Yes they were in the gossip circuit.
"Other locals also put Sam forward as a suspect early on. According to them, he and Henry met the girls the day before they disappeared and were seen with them."
"Other locals also put Sam forward as a suspect early on. According to them, he and Henry met the girls the day before they disappeared and were seen with them."
--POWER-PIXIE: Again they bring up locals and gossip which they themselves cannot seem to get away from.
"Sam, who lives at the foot of Pianista, observes Kris and Lisanne on the trail and informs the gang."
--POWER-PIXIE: Podcast Aftershow 6. Mariana: “Tito was among them, as well as this guy named Sabroson, and that’s a nickname because there are certain Sabroson restaurants in town. Sam John Downer, whose brother we actually revealed in one of the other episodes, works at this pizzeria at the bottom of the Pianista.” Jeremy about Osman: “He allegedly saw the women, as I said, in the red truck and went home and told his mother what he had seen. And couple of days later apparently he confronted those boys, the Pandilla, in a bar in Boquete and there was a fight between Sam John and Osman. And you know I’ve heard that from our detective Martin Ferrara about this fight. But then if you remember, Luis Downer, Sam John’s brother told us about this fight too when we interviewed him - well I guess we met him, it wasn’t a formal interview - but when we spoke with him. So that was an interesting corroboration."
-SCARLET: From what I could find out, Sam John and Luis appear to be the sons of Doris of the Il Pianista restaurant. Sam John worked at the Il Pianista restaurant. 'An employee of Il Pianista restaurant' saw Kris and Lisanne go up the mountain that fateful day and also reportedly saw them talk to Doris' husband Giovanni. There is a chance that this person was one of the sons, most likely Sam John. He is also linked by various people to the Pandilla clique. Yes hearsay, but some local sources did write me this, for what it is worth. A few years ago I received these anonymous messages for instance about Sam from locals (LITJ later confirmed that he has indeed a place in Bocas): "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 on 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." - Just to say that Pittí could perhaps have looked deeper into these people and exonerate them properly and definitively. Instead of nothing being explored by the book, and everything remaining up in the air.
"The girls walk as far as Quebrada 1, then turn around and start the walk back to Boquete. At the entrance to the trail, they are intercepted by members of the Pandilla, who are sitting in a red pickup truck and persuaded to receive a lift from them. When the girls in the truck realize that they are not being taken home, they try to call the emergency number before the kidnappers take their cell phones. They are then abducted, raped, and killed. In addition to a sexual motive, prostitution or organ trafficking are also cited in relevant forums as motives for the kidnapping and possible links to South American cartels."
--POWER-PIXIE: All of these theories have since evolved - however the names of those allegedly involved remained the same as it is today.
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"In Margarita's opinion, Leonardo Mastinu, who is said to have transported Kris and Lisanne in his cab, is also a victim of the Pandilla. Mastinu drowned on March 15, 2015, while swimming in the Los Cangilones ravines in the district of Gualaca."
--SCARLET: ERROR. Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez Mastinu (34) died on March 2nd, 2015. Not March 15.
--SCARLET: ERROR. Leonardo Arturo Gonzalez Mastinu (34) died on March 2nd, 2015. Not March 15.
--DAVE: "Opinion". An interesting phrasing, in line with their very careful way of approaching both her, and what she had to say... Like in the next chapters about the podcast, these authors don't challenge Margarita head on. Neither do they challenge what she says as such. Instead they set about undermining her claims, a tactic they use throughout the book yes, but it is very noticeable in how they will not even acknowledge that the basics of her story are both plausible, and are HER own confession here - Osman was her Son. It is very hard to challenge what she says therefore. And yet these authors opt for a tactic whereby they instead go about undermining her key points, attacking Jeremy Kryt instead, and trying to construct a framework here whereby she is left standing as just one more gossiper and who's worlds are of little or no value in the overall picture.
--POWER-PIXIE: Are they so busy correcting and disproving others in their book, they forget that they also have made factual errors? March 15 is not when he passed away. And regarding Leonardo keeping quiet to the police, from the article dated June 1st 2014, it seems he was quite open about his involvement and mentioned it to the media. Why would he open his mouth to the media if he was quiet about this to the police? Article: "It is worth mentioning that we wanted to contact the only person who last saw them alive, we are talking about the taxi driver who left them on the pianist's path, in addition to being the only one who claims that the Dutch women entered the path. He told us over the phone that he used to do it because he was a taxi driver, but that he already got another job and it would affect him if he gave statements. We were unofficially informed that he could be called to testify in the coming weeks."
"Here, proponents of the theory find various explanations for the inconsistent timeline. But the Pandilla does not trust Mastinu and kills him. However, unlike many online detectives, his father does not believe this, but assumes an unfortunate death due to health problems, as he tells one of Annette's confidants."
--DAVE: In other words - hearsay. "A friend of a friend told me that..."
--POWER-PIXIE: Record this as hearsay.
"Alongside Henry, Edwin becomes a key figure in the Pandilla theory over the years and is also said to be the gang leader. Almost all foul play theories build him in as the one who drove the kidnapper's vehicle. [..] But local Panamanians also tell Annette that they suspect Edwin is connected to the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne."--POWER-PIXIE: Again the authors go into another reference to rumors from people in Boquete. 🙄
"We learn from the files that the police themselves also become aware of Pandilla by investigating the rumors against Henry and Sam."
--DAVE: Again, with this entire paragraph. They began this chapter by saying no one was gossiping or linking these people to the disappearance, and here they admit again that the Police Files contain statements saying... completely the opposite! Henry appears neck-deep in, but his father is ignorant of it?
"An anonymous whistleblower contacts the CID in October 2014 and states that Murdog knows that his buddies Henry, Sam, and Edwin are involved in the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. The investigators seek him out and he reports that the three of them could be holding the girls captive. Shortly before Kris and Lisanne disappeared, Henry told him in a pool hall that he had arranged to meet the Dutch girls for a trip to the Pianista Trail or the Barú volcano to spend the night with them and enjoy the sunrise. He was the last person to see them.[184]"
--SCARLET: Reading all this, I often have to remind myself that these authors are actually trying to make a case against the Pandilla involvement... And for all the Kryt bashing, this chapter is pretty much made up of extensive summaries of his work.
--POWER-PIXIE: I wonder who this whistleblower was? Baru being mentioned is quite interesting here. I wonder if Jeremy received this same information from this whistleblower or from the case files?
--DAVE: But this paragraph does tie in with what we were talking about - three or more people quite possibly working to cover up a scandal that would destroy the lot of them, or at least destroy Boquete's reputation as a place for tourists to feel secure in.
--SCARLET: SLIP added this detail from the files in their book... only to try to then exonerate the same Pandilla. But that detail about the pool hall and Henry having had that last tour appointment in fact with Kris and Lisanne... and then the addition that him and Sam John D. have gone AWOL in the days after the disappearance... how damning really. To only a few pages later have to read how Hardinghaus/Nenner try to ridicule anyone believing the Pandilla are involved.. is all so schizophrenic.
--POWER-PIXIE: The statements from Murgas is so telling. It is so specific in that he describes the overnight stay at Barú. Feliciano gives several tours, but the only two this guy mentioned were the ones we all knew about since the beginning of this case: the Pianista and the Barú tours. It doesn't get any better than this now. And I'm convinced now also that Kris and Lisanne must have had some familiarity with Henry, which now makes me wonder if Henry was there at the school with Feliciano on Tuesday morning?
"After their disappearance, Murdog claims not to have seen his buddy for six days. When he is later able to ask him where he has gone, Henry allegedly tells him that he was with Sam on his father's farm outside Alto Romero."
--DAVE: He "claims". Merely 'claims'. It would be in your Police Files, for October... either Murgas said this to Police, or he did not. And yet you avoid clarity on this point.
--DAVE: Notice also here that Henry isn't anywhere in April or June. He does not help his father at any point looking for these missing Dutch tourists. He isn't even there in early August when his father takes several other assistants to show the Kremers where their daughter was last known to have walked to..."
-Notice also that despite having been working with his stepfather from a young age, he seems to be showing no ambitions or ability to take over from his father as a local guide or for Feliciano Tours, for whatever reason. His stepdad seems to help him a lot and pick up after his son a lot. For what it's worth..
"When the Personería summons him two days later, Murdog says something else under oath. In his second interrogation, he states that he is merely referring to widespread rumors. "Everyone" was saying that Henry and Edwin had killed Kris and Lisanne. However, he could not confirm that Henry had told him about the Dutch women, as he had only spoken of "foreigners." Murdog only tells the officers that Edwin owns a black pick-up truck.[185]"
--DAVE: So a repeat (and possibly unintended?) confirmation of what Jeremy Kryt related in the podcasts. It's an interesting admission this, and very notable that the authors do not dwell on it, or the obvious implications with it. I do therefore ask the question as to the Statement Kryt himself read from the files, Feliciano's Police Statement. Is that there too, or has Felicano's rewrite of reality taken effect and removed it? In early days you directly stated that we should not believe Kryt's "fairytales" concerning his readings of the Police files. But so far they don't seem 'fairytales'.
"However, Feliciano tells us that his son stood in for him on the day of the disappearance because he was in hospital. [..] As evidence, Feliciano shows a calendar entry that supports this statement."
--DAVE: Oh but that is rock solid evidence then.
--SCARLET: Yeh, a hand scribbled calendar is surely not really considered evidence here? Or was it a digital one? In any case, unless the authors could scientifically determine for a fact that that calendar was filled in at or before April 1st 2014, I consider this hearsay also.
"In contrast to Jeremy Kryt, who sees Murdog's statement as decisive proof of the murder of Kris and Lisanne by the Pandilla, the police do not pursue this any further and do not seek out Henry and Sam - a circumstance that also irritates us, however. Hardly anything is known about Sam." --DAVE: He doesn't say that. Any more than that he said there was a shred of actual evidence Feliciano had anything to do with the disappearance back in 2016, when he wrote his first articles. These two are not recognising that it was Margarita who formed the backbone to these podcasts. What she said, her being Osman's mother, makes her a strong witness and voice. Jeremy Kryt gave her voice a public platform, and it altered the course of what was understood about the disappearance, and what went on around it. Kryt and Mariana weighed her story, investigated it where they could, but were always careful to say that the actual evidence was circumstantial. These two don't recognise that however. Kryt, for whatever errors he might have made, IS a professional journalist. He knows the legal boundaries he works under, and while these two clearly have a near psychotic hatred for him, I have never heard or read Kryt being disrespectful of anyone. Other than the people he is investigating perhaps. But do not forget that the Podcasts were based on Margarita and her testimony.
--POWER-PIXIE: "Hardly anything is known about Sam." Hardly anything is known about Henry either, especially since Monday the 31st of March. So why don't these authors actually investigate his background, his cell phone records, etc?
--DAVE: If only Annette had thought to ask Henry for 'the truth' on Edwin... where he himself was in April 2014 while all this was going on... what his take on the strange disappearance of Osman was... how afraid was he that he too would meet as sudden and strange a fate as Osman and Murgas.. The attrition rate that year for 'the Pandilla' was incredibly high. That had to have been very alarming for this small band of friends to deal with. These things can slip your mind. But perhaps Annette had enough to deal with in simply asking all these members about that one photo. Perhaps there simply wasn't time for other questions?
"Murdog fears that he will be murdered for the same reasons. He is plagued by intense remorse. When he gets drunk in a bar with the Pandilla's friends on his 22nd birthday, he fervently blurts out details about the murders of Kris and Lisanne as well as Osman in the presence of Milagros P., Henry, and Edwin, according to Margarita. A heated argument ensues."
--DAVE: None of this however is explored by Annette when she meets with Henry or Milagros. Make of that what you will.
--SCARLET: Maybe Annette sensed during that chat with Milagros and the others, that she wasn't supposed to outsit her welcome? I don't know. Maybe there was only patience on their part for a couple of questions. Milagros and most of the others sounded busy, distracted, complacent and I wouldn't be surprised even if perhaps the group agreed beforehand to only talk about that swimming photo. It did feel like they may have aligned their story. I say this because they all seem to agree on a very far-fetched and illogical story.
UNDER THE SPELL OF THE PANDILLA
You can read a more detailed summary of this chapter at the top of this blog post.
"Next, I visit Henry. Feliciano took a long time to persuade him because first he didn't want to talk to me. [..] The first thing I notice about him is his look. Henry makes direct eye contact, not like other people, where you get the feeling that they never really look at you."
"Next, I visit Henry. Feliciano took a long time to persuade him because first he didn't want to talk to me. [..] The first thing I notice about him is his look. Henry makes direct eye contact, not like other people, where you get the feeling that they never really look at you."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why was Tito not wanting to talk? Here's what Jeremy Kryt said about when he met him in the bar: Podcast 7 - "On one of our last days in Boquete, Jeremy walks into a bar hoping to meet with a source. And who should he see drinking alone, but Henry Tito Gonzalez himself. We've been afraid to meet this guy who is at the center of so much gossip, so many theories. But then he just appears. Jeremy sits down next to him and starts up a conversation. Tito, who is fairly well liquored up, proves to be everything we've heard about him in town. He rudely mocks the bartender. He tells Jeremy about the best places in Boquete to pick up young girls. And then Tito starts bragging about using his fists for violence, saying that with his left hand he puts his victims in the hospital. And with his right hand, he puts them in the graveyard. This from the same man who may have beat Kris to death with his bare hands for resisting his sexual assault."
--SCARLET: Also hearsay then.
"Henry hardly tells me anything I don't already know. He hasn't been to any parties or on any hikes with Lisanne and Kris. He hasn't even met them. Logically, I think, how could that have happened? It's not so easy to make contact with tourists if you don't speak English."
--SCARLET: He speaks no English? A kid of his generation? Despite having accompanied his father on so many tourist tours? Ok.
--POWER-PIXIE: Oh if only I could speak English. But alas, twas not to be my dear Senorita Annette, just ask Murdogitty-Dog, Octo-Sabro and Cuervocito.
"But he does have one revealing piece of information for me. He mentions it in passing as if I already knew it: According to Henry, Osman retreated behind a rock that day to do his business and never came back. They had all looked for him in vain."
--SCARLET: There's that story again. Osman must have fallen victim to those supernatural events then which they all said to have experienced that day, with the haunted camera. One moment Osman was there, the next... poof! Up in smoke.
--DAVE: How can anyone not be skeptical of this claim? I am surprised he would even place himself at that location on that day. But here he is directly linking himself to Osman, just like he may have been there when Murgas went on his final outing with his 'friends' and ended up similarly dead shortly after. Think on that: Osman 'disappears' while in their company and is found dead hours later. A year later Murgas is in their company in his final hours, and is found dead. But if these people can let those sort of strange passings of close friends wash over them as casually as this, it makes me suspect all the more that life is cheap to them.
"Henry quickly wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead. The conversation is not a pleasant one for him, I can tell."
--SCARLET: And to think that this must have been the nicest interview imaginable.
"When I ask who is in the swimming photo, he simply confirms the names that Milagros has also mentioned. [..] When I turn around once more, his face is relieved."
--SCARLET: Either it is the truth, or a prearranged answer the clique agreed upon.
--DAVE: An odd reaction to this photo, isn't it? Here Annette sells us on these people being ignorant of Kris and Lisanne, and yet hands them this hazy photo showing someone with red hair...
--SCARLET: And Sandra had to be reminded by Annette that it is HER in that photo.
--DAVE: And how about "Why has my hair been painted red?!" But no, no curiosity at all over this picture they are handed to look at.
--POWER-PIXIE: Why is Annette, a foreigner, trying to help this Sandra person out with a photo that was taken of her, when Sandra is the one who claimed she was there on that carefree afternoon? Annette appears to have partly placed words in her mouth. Sandra does recall being in a few other photos back then, which no doubt will not be produced for evidence. It is also interesting that Annette does not quote Sandra, but summarizes Sandra's main points she supposedly made to her, and lists them out, one of which is the detail of Osman going behind a rock because he needed to relieve himself there and did not return. I also find it interesting that Sandra did not initially meet with Annette, but only later is "ready" for her interview - perhaps coached by one of the Pandilla members?
"Finally, Alba looks at the swimming photo, repeating the names I've already heard. Only one is different, so I can hardly believe my ears: "And to the bottom left of Milagros is Osman," she says. I'm a bit confused. The person who so many people think is Kris and who should be Sandra is now supposed to be Osman, the drowned man. I look skeptically at the person in the photo again, who looks very much like a young woman. On the other hand, the photo is so distorted and blurred that you can interpret anything and everything in it."
--POWER-PIXIE: 😂Didn't the authors already lecture us about pareidolia and not to make assumptions?
"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. We quickly take a souvenir photo together and then everyone goes their separate ways. The two different statements about this one person in the photo may leave me confused for a while, but the conversations with the people who are in the swimming photo and who took it couldn't have gone better. In the end, the most important thing is it's not Lisanne and Kris."
--POWER-PIXIE: Right! That's solved this legend then, has it Annette. All it took was asking this group who was in the photo, that nobody for the past 10 years could make out or match or identify to the authorities or people who investigated this case since 2014.
SCARLET: I already wrote out the important details of this chapter at the top of this blog page, in my short summary of the book. I added just a few commentaries of Power-Pixie and Dave here. Of course there is a potential weakness in interviewing people with a stake in this, ten years almost after the fact. And with the case being as covered in the media as it is, you cannot even necessarily trust witness statements a week after the fact, let alone ten years. One can think of so many ulterior motives for people to speak out that late. Just because people are willing to be interviewed, does not mean they automatically tell you the truth. Annette however writes: "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."
DAVE: Annette spent, altogether, around five months in Boquete. I can't say who and where their Police Files were bequeathed by. But she compiles a list of people to contact and it isn't made clear whether Feliciano and Henry 'greased the pole' here and made her mission easier. But as you read on, it does become clear that this is a very sanitised and stage managed affair. In the end it is bordering on farcical. The questions asked are safe ones, the common thread is the Caldera Photograph. Not for one solitary second does this woman really question anything these people say. So what I am reading here is stage-managed propaganda. Nothing more... And when you think of what a Jeremy Kryt figure might have asked of these people, the whole thing comes over as a bit of a charade being played out.
POWER-PIXIE: "I quickly ask Milagros to repeat the brand-new information so that I can record it. Immediately afterward, she hurries back into the house. Everything happens so quickly that I don't get a chance to ask who took the photo." - Everything happened so quickly? Like what was Milagros doing exactly when Annette went to meet with her? Training for a marathon, while Annette was running beside her trying to keep up? "But more importantly, the swimming photo was not taken on April 1, 2014, so it has nothing to do with Lisanne and Kris. And most importantly: they are not in the photo at all." "I'm entirely convinced I'm on the right track." - That's amazing detective work. When in doubt just ask the Pandilla gang members. It's a pity that the Pandilla did not come out and produce this photo back in 2014, or provide one of the many photos that would have been taken by various members of this group at this location, including Osman while he was still alive. This would have so easily exonerated all of them of any blame. In addition, the parents themselves, while corroborating that this photo wasn't a fake, never named the two women they thought wére supposed to be in this photo. Neither did the police or the media at any point in time. Even the Dutch duo and Pitti never received any word about the people in this photo. But they did write this: "A man named Osman Valenzuela was seen by witnesses on the afternoon of April 1 in a car with Kris and Lisanne. The young women are said to have simply returned from their walk and then gone to the hot springs with a couple of Panamanian boys"
And did Annette ask Milagros P. about her boyfriend at the time, Jose E.? A policeman in the Grupo de Acción Rápida (G.A.R.) of the 4th Police District (Chiriquí Province) of the National Police. How come he was silent the whole time? What would have made for a better lie is that if Downer insulted Milagros, then Osman being the long time friend of her, or perhaps even attracted to her, gets into an argument to defends Milagros's honor. I know this sounds like one of those Spanish daytime soap operas. But I don't buy this story at all, much less a redheaded Osman.
House of Crow: Scurrilous murder party of an inglorious podcast
"Devotees of true-crime stories have an insatiable appetite for dramatic storytelling, and the entertainment industry is well aware that such intense drama can be profitable. It is therefore hardly surprising that even renowned journalists are occasionally tempted to spread dubious stories to gain maximum attention. The US podcast Lost in Panama, with its hosts Jeremy Kryt and Mariana Atencio, is a striking example of this phenomenon."
--DAVE: Think on how this book was put together... Annette admits in her first 'Logbook' she has only been familiar with Kris and Lisanne for "a few weeks". So she is sent to Boquete to contact a list of people. We see her meet Milagros, Henry etc, we see her hearing how Osman just vanished after wandering off-screen, we see her hear Martin Ferrera describe what happened to Kris and Lisanne, we see she meets Margarita face to face and hear her relate the story she told Jeremy Kryt... When you think about that journey Annette took, and understand that her meeting with Margarita should have put her meetings with Henry, Milagros and these others into a perspective... Then accept that she and Christian would have gone on to write and assemble this book into what we read here.. How can you sit there and listen to Margarita face to face, listen to that bizarre story of how a scared and threatened Osman went behind a rock and left behind a bemused Pandilla, and not feel you have just experienced something that is both sad and quite disturbing? But not these two.... Honestly, the thought of Kryt's podcast having fueled the production of this book is even coming to mind at this point.
"The hosts take up the outdated theory that Feliciano is the perpetrator or at least an accomplice in the case of Lisanne and Kris."
--SCARLET: But who decides it is an 'outdated theory'? Nothing in this book has so far convinced of this.
--DAVE: Why is it outdated...?
"However, they merely rely on their intuitions and misinterpret statements without presenting any solid evidence. Moreover, as in the entire podcast, they only interview people who support their views. They cleverly leave out the many others who could testify to Feliciano's innocence."
--DAVE: The basis of this podcast was her story, being Osman's mother. And as someone who had been approached by Murgas, and had a great insight into what occurred on April to June. Now how much of it is true, that is what Kryt has set out to test. He never said this IS what happened.
--POWER-PIXIE: Similar to Annette running around to get the interview with the Pandilla gang, minus Edwin, to support her theory on the Swimming photo or corroborate what Milagros stated to her?
--DAVE: I understand Annette doesn't want to face Margarita's authenticity, but it was a plausible account she gave.
"And you don't even have to look far for them in Boquete. As soon as you open your mind a little to the Boqueteños and ask around, you realize that nobody suspects Feliciano."
--DAVE: Oh stop it now. This is concentrated non-stop Gaslighting.
"Kryt claims to have access to court records. With no way for listeners to verify this, it gets a lot of attention."
--SCARLET: Yeh, that is unfortunately also the situation for all of us out here, without the case files to verify your claims. You could have printed those files for all to see, or Marjolein's letter for instance. But alas. So I don't think it is a good argument to use against Kryt.
--POWER-PIXIE: Annette also summarizes statements from interviews, with no way of verifying what was said exactly by the interviewee. Just her words in the subjunctive, I might add.
"We tracked down Israel and questioned him about the allegations. "These people have used my name to make up a story they can profit from, but none of it is true. I don't know any Pandilla, I haven't been to any parties, and I saw the holandesas for the first time on the posters in town."
--POWER-PIXIE: But what did she expect him to say exactly? "Yes, I saw the Holandesas and then I sold them cannabis, while Tito was salivating as he stared at Kris and Lisanne, and Edwin's tentacles tried to grope them." Israel! DID you take the cookie from the cookie jar?
--DAVE: On the other hand I also accept that Martin Ferrera seems rather questionable from what I have read of him. So here I can give some leeway, and agree that Ferrara probably isn't a compellingly moral or honest figure...
"According to the hosts' thesis, a secret path leads down from there in an easterly direction and back up to the summit of the Pata de Macho Mountain opposite."
--DAVE: I think this idea came about purely based on what Margarita related about Paolo Alto being the destination they ended up at - Kryt rightly pondered this and so sought out advice from (can't remember his name) and he suggested the Pata de Macho.. Perfectly reasonable journalist's work. There are problems with this Pata de Macho/Palo Alto scenario, we've discussed them at length amongst each other, but given the limited area Kris and Lisanne vanished within and the lack of Phone activity or reconnection, this is still a good suggestion being made on what exactly happened to the two friends, and where they likely disappeared to...
"Annette on the other hand, has hiked the Pata de Macho Trail up to the summit and considers a connection between the two mountains to be virtually impossible."
--SCARLET: She may have hiked the main and known Pata de Macho trail then. Not the 'secret trail'. Or else she probably wouldn't have decided to dedicate no more than a line about this? Given the weight the podcast of Jeremy Kryt puts onto this hidden 'Pata de Macho' trail, linking the Pianista roughly to Palo Alto. Supposedly. None of us have seen the evidence of it yet. But SLIP doesn't offer evidence of the falsehood of that claim either.
--POWER-PIXIE: Yes, she is going to be the one person who happens to know where the secret route is, because.... she's hiked the official trail? How would anyone even know if there is a trail, if it is supposed to be secret or hidden in the first place? And with whom did she hike it? Feliciano? Henry? Yeah like they would have definitely shown her the secret route. Why didn't she hire Jose Donderis? He's the one who confirmed that there is a hidden trail, and has taken Jeremy and his crew on it, before rains washed them out. If anything, she could have easily proved Donderis was full of crap, or he would actually show her where this hidden section begins and ends. In this way she would be proving Kryt and Mariana were also making this stuff up for their podcasts, without accusing them.
"To support their house party theory, the hosts may not shy away from buying fake statements. R., an indigenous inhabitant of Pueblo Santos, a village behind Alto Romero on the way to the coast, tells Annette about a corresponding offer"
--DAVE: "May not"? You are admitting here you do not know this, but have no problem in issuing slander anyway? This is the part where I really am struggling to keep going with this... what these two are putting down here goes beyond the pale.
"However, none of this happened at Cuervo's house, but at Feliciano's finca near the village of Alto Romero."
--DAVE: You told us earlier that Feliciano has no finca in Alto Romero... I'm not sure if you are backtracking here, or forget what you write.
--SCARLET: Guys, my head is hurting! Annette wrote above: "Feliciano does not own a ranch in the area where Kris and Lisanne may have disappeared.." But now he does have a finca near Alto Romero, where their remains were roughly discovered? Make it make sense please.
--POWER-PIXIE: They are falling into the same problem as the other duo in their book. It is a very difficult case to keep up with, full of contradictions at every turn, theory and "evidence", so I'm not surprised.
"Kryt's and Atencio's informant Tony visited him in his village, presented him with a letter containing a prefabricated statement and offered him money if he would read out the statements formulated on it and allow himself to be recorded."
--DAVE: Here. We. Go. These are about the most serious accusations you can make of someone and their work. But let's look at it - an anonymous indigenous man. Why would 'Tony' approach THIS man, and offer him money...? And how did Annette ever get this tip? Where did it come from, and... why?
"Fortunately, R. has enough integrity to turn down this immoral offer."
--DAVE: This line makes my skin crawl.
"the quoted informant wishes to remain anonymous"
--DAVE: Like your own 'sources'.
"we imagine Kryt with a few bills in hand trying to find people willing to mime a crime scene cleaner, but of course we would never say that."--DAVE: What you are doing in this book is bordering on libellous. You have offered not a stitch of proof for these slanders.
--POWER-PIXIE: No proof, but more "subjunctive" bs.
--SCARLET: Some of their accusations towards Kryt bring this otherwise decent book down a level. It was unnecessary.
--DAVE: Kryt has kept with the disappearance of Lisanne and Kris for Eight years now, chipping away, trying to penetrate the walls of secrecy that exist in Boquete. I think he has done a good job on the whole. Trying to make progress on a cold case like this, in a foreign land like Panama, is like running up a mountain. How much of Margarita's story is true is hard to say, but there was and is a good deal about it that makes sense of what we knew, and it even made sense of some things we either didn't think about before, or things that we did - but were looking at in the wrong way.
"They seem biased, accept Martina's testimony uncritically, and leave questions unanswered. This tendency intensifies as the podcast progresses."
--POWER-PIXIE: This is rubbish and everyone with a brain knows this to be not the case. They explored what Margarita said across 2 or 3 episodes. Annette and Christian are simply trying their best to undo Kryt's hard work in the podcast.
"Their search for evidence in the first two episodes is selectively focused on portraying Feliciano as the guilty party,[203]"
--POWER-PIXIE: I disagree. He's 'there' because he was always there back in 2014. Right in the middle, of just about everything.
--SCARLET: It does feel at times as if SLIP is trying to rewrite history, a decade after the fact. But Feliciano placed himself square in the middle of this case from day 1 indeed. And there is no way to erase all those interviews and conflicting statements and actions. It doesn't mean he is guilty of anything. But to pretend he had no part in anything (like he has as good as been erased in SLIP from the searches and discoveries of the remains of Kris and Lisanne, for instance), reeks of biased reporting.
--POWER-PIXIE: The reality is, whoever does a piece on what went on between April 1st and the end of June that year, is always going to have to deal with this man. You cannot get around the fact he is everywhere in those weeks. He is at every juncture, every turning point. He was there at the very beginning, and he was there for the climax in mid-June... If his name appears 124 times throughout the seven episodes of the Podcasts, as the authors stress to make him seem a victim, then that is therefore to be expected.
"With methods like this, it is not surprising that a whole series of interesting interviewees do not want to talk to them. This includes Edwin, the supposed leader of the Pandilla."
--SCARLET: Edwin didn't want to talk to you either!
"Against this background, however, it seems quite possible that the podcast contains purchased statements. This becomes particularly clear when the podcast is given a much-needed turning point from the fifth episode onwards."
--DAVE: Supposition is not evidence. I know what you are doing here, I know you are flinging as much Mud and Smoke at Kryt and his Podcast as you humanly can in order to demolish him and those Podcasts. But the problem you have is that you are going so enormously over the top with it, that you stopped any chance of making your case feel plausible... It began on page 66, and hasn't really stopped. The mud-slinging and smearing has to have a limit - whatever he might be, Jeremy Kryt is not a gangster. Or a career conman, or this corrupt super-amoral figure you are trying to present. The reality is Kryt will probably be left standing long after both sets of authors have gone back in obscurity. Kryt has earned his respect.
--SCARLET: I just read that Christian 'received his doctorate in propaganda and anti-Semitism research in 2011'. I am sure he recognizes it when it stares him in the face.
--POWER-PIXIE: Well said.
--SCARLET: Yeh enough of this mudslinging indeed. Next chapter.
Annette meets Martin Ferrara"I'm standing in the rain on my street in the center of Boquete, waiting for a car I don't know and whose owner already seems suspicious to me. That evening is the creepiest of my entire time in Panama. I don't want Martin to know where I live, so I set up a few meters away from my front door far too early. Thick raindrops, the kind you only get in the tropics, patter on my umbrella."
--SCARLET: For all her criticism on Mariana Atencio, Annette does seem to have been inspired by her flair for drama.
"As we approach Martin's property, the private detective calls his wife and barks into the phone that she should come out and open the gate. Even though it's pouring rain, the walk from the house to the gate is a good ten times longer than the one from the driver's seat to the gate. I flinch but will get used to the sound as the evening progresses. He must have shooed his wife around a dozen times."
"As we approach Martin's property, the private detective calls his wife and barks into the phone that she should come out and open the gate. Even though it's pouring rain, the walk from the house to the gate is a good ten times longer than the one from the driver's seat to the gate. I flinch but will get used to the sound as the evening progresses. He must have shooed his wife around a dozen times."
--SCARLET: What sort of creative writing slash journalism is this?
--DAVE: Annette's morality seems quite strange. She knows the stories that surround Henry, Milagros and Feliciano, she knows how they can be connected to what became of Osman, but never accepts that these people have a credible black cloud that hangs over them. Meanwhile she gets involved with Martin Ferrera here and it's almost too much for her to cope with... Is this genuine, or is it theatre to help paint Kryt and his Podcast and leave the Pandilla and Feliciano looking like Bright Sunshine in comparison...?
"A few weeks earlier, I had visited Cesar a.k.a. Cuervo, and also had a look at his garden. On that occasion, Cesar told me about his life as a family man and that he had already completely focused on his family in 2014, which is why he wouldn't have held any parties in his house. The mango tree that Kryt claims to have seen doesn't exist - he could only have spotted a few lemon trees."
"A few weeks earlier, I had visited Cesar a.k.a. Cuervo, and also had a look at his garden. On that occasion, Cesar told me about his life as a family man and that he had already completely focused on his family in 2014, which is why he wouldn't have held any parties in his house. The mango tree that Kryt claims to have seen doesn't exist - he could only have spotted a few lemon trees."
--POWER-PIXIE: For someone who was a central figure in Kryt's podcasts, Annette and Christian barely scratch the surface with Cuervo, don't they. I was expecting another 5 chapters on Cuervo, and disproving everything. The only real investigation Annette conducts is of the mango tree, but this is also not entirely convincing. When did she go and visit Cuervo's? How many days, weeks, months or years since the podcast production went to his house that day? Annette couldn't possibly know what was there even if a mango fell on her head from a branch.
"Martin sees specific faces and whole people where I only recognize leaves and nothing else at all, and I don't know how to react. Can he be serious? Or is he joking and pulling my leg? Everything points to the fact that he thinks he is presenting serious evidence."
--DAVE: The noteworthy thing though is that she is expending a tremendous amount of energy and pages in examining Ferrara here, and vilifying him. It is at complete odds in how she treats Henry, Sandra, Milagros and Feliciano. Hell, even Serracin. But from what little I have read on him, Martin Ferrara does seem to have had some reaching theories on what happened that afternoon. And as Annette suggests here, Kryt and Mariana found some of his behaviour and ideas too off the wall as well...
--POWER-PIXIE: I get the impression that Martin Ferrara is easy to pick on, because of his theories and inexperience in certain areas, mixed with emotions shows through. When you stand on the soap box and go further than wisdom suggests you do, well, you leave yourself exposed. Also when someone is in the business of profiting from a tragedy, it leaves them open for this type of criticism, whether it is warranted or not. Martin's a big boy, and has had his time in the limelight and may have taken liberties as a self-proclaimed private investigator. It's one thing for us in the audience to be coming up with theories, research or investigating from our sofas at home, it's another when someone has the actual documents and has been close to the people involved directly or indirectly to the cases, and still manages to hold on to nonsense instead of common sense. Had Martin adopted the approach of Jeremy or even IP, I think he would be very hard to take on, and perhaps would not be turned into some kind of spectacle and ridicule, which is what Annette has attempted to do here. Her attempt almost mimics Mariana's "trapping" of Feliciano in the cafe, which I thought was unnecessary and foolish/unfair to some degree. In the Western court of law, this would have backfired on Mariana, especially with a really good lawyer on the guide's side.
--POWER-PIXIE: Good! Too bad Cuervo didn't give you advice about Panamanian people cheating you out of your dinero!! Welcome to paradise Annette.
--DAVE: It's an odd contrast this - These two savaging Kryt and his team, accusing them of bribing their way around Boquete, and here she is wheeling and dealing herself for information and informants...
"Back at home, I hug the cat of the house as tightly as I can. I'm sad, angry, and desperate because of the despicable lies I've had to listen to today."
--SCARLET: Oh c'mon now, this is too much.
"But the truth has priority!"
--DAVE: See what nags at me within this book is the origins of it, Just why do these two people writing it have such a powerful conviction that this guide, his son, and his 'friends' are all victims? All innocent of any and all wrongdoing? Not a bad bone in their bodies...? Why, where does this powerful sense of conviction come from? What have they read or experienced that so convinces the both of them? How can you listen to people like Margarita, read the various accounts of Henry and friends, read the report of Marjolein being the guide's company that Tuesday morning and yet never once stepping out to defend him against these accusations and gossip... How can you see and read all of this and be 101% convinced that Feliciano and son are so completely innocent of any and all doings? And just how on earth can you be so incredibly hostile and militant to Jeremy Kryt? I can't make it make sense. Unless I force myself to accept the theory of you both being paid for all of this.
"During another meeting, I speak to Tony about a possible continuation of the podcast. He tells me frankly why there won't be one, because Kast Media has ended its collaboration with Mariana. The reason: she had taken over the entire story too much and turned it into a kind of one-woman show, even though Jeremy had done most of the work."
--SCARLET: I believe that Martin Ferrara also complained about this. But let's be fair here: most duo's who have so far reported on this case (no, not me and Juan) consist of a serious looking male investigator and an attractive, sort-of-youthful and attention drawing female investigator/presenter. The Travel Channel with Kinga Philipps, the podcast series with the stunningly beautiful Mariana. I'm not saying that they are just taken along as eye-candy and to draw in an audience. I do think that all these women contributed a lot to their respective researches. But it is easy kicking at someone like Mariana. We all know that she was in part hired for the job because she is very professionally qualified to do so, but also in part because she speaks Spanish and is extremely photogenic. So did she 'take over the entire story'? Or was she just very noticeable with her style of presenting? Anyway, no need to act spiteful towards Mariana, as the producers knew she wouldn't shy away in front of the camera.
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The death of Osman Valenzuela
"He is said to have been killed because he witnessed the murder and the other members were afraid that he would report them. He is said to have confessed this to his mother shortly before his death after the Pandilla threatened to kill him during an argument in a bar."
--DAVE: These two seem to lack thought, compassion, and understanding of Margarita and her suffering... On the other hand they cannot stop their near weeping over the 'Plight' of Feliciano and his (locally notorious) Son. Margarita though... the contempt and indifference they show is so so revealing. And Osman as a person simply does not register.
--POWER-PIXIE: The Pandilla reportedly not just threatened to kill him at the bar, but are claimed to have harassed his family at his funeral. The following are the comments from Boquete ning forum in which Ms Miller was Osman’s employer, and had attended his funeral. She was very disturbed and hurt by the Pandilla’s behavior towards Osman’s family at his funeral, and wrote these comments. Reply by suzanne miller on April 9, 2014: "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. To add insult to injury, the family has to hire a lawyer to prosecute and prove that these animals are guilty.... The police have already verified it was them and if it wasn't why would they show such disrespect at his Mass in front of his mother and father and all his friends."
"Jeremy Kryt - equally obsessed with Kris and Lisanne's story - who wants to exploit the tragedy to the full extend after years of trying to use Feliciano as the perpetrator"
--SCARLET: New chapter, but we just keep going after Kryt? And "obsessed"? Aren't we all obsessed with this case to some degree? We here are, the thousands of sleuths out there are, you two clearly are as well, given that sleuth Christian wrote a book about this and nomad Annette spent 5 months in Panama..
--DAVE: In no way is Kryt "obsessed" with this story. He comes back to it when he has a new and credible line to pursue, other than that he is off doing other things.
--POWER-PIXIE: Jeremy Kryt wrote articles for the Daily Beast and included the narrative of Feliciano's bridge fall that had initially been supported by him, even though he does question the strange coincidences of the guide's involvement. Fast forward to 2021-2022, and Kryt has most likely been in contact with all those he interviewed to obtain the information and test it out, which is what he did by returning to Boquete. He did not continuously publish articles like those who are obsessed with the case, like many members on Reddit, Fok forum, Scarlet and her blog, Juan and his videos, me, you and everyone else interested in solving the disappearance. To not be obsessed over this disappearance case, is to not be interested in finding out if the long held theories are true or not, and justice, as far as I learned from both parents back in 2014 - 2019, was not served. So yes, we ALL on the outside, including these two authors have obsessed over the case in order to research, write and publish their book.
"Annette meets with Margarita and her daughter, Osman's sister P., 5760 miles away. They tell Annette the same story as it is presented in the podcast."
--DAVE: So, on that basis it is hard to argue with her accounts, isn't it... Imagine being Annette here, facing Margarita and daughter, and they tell you the very same story they told Jeremy Kryt. What would your reaction to this face to face meeting, and their conviction in this story, be? With Annette is doesn't seem to have any impact at all. No matter who she hears this off, no matter when Martin Ferrara speaks to her of Graphic scenes of violence in that house, Annette apparently has no ability to register the impact and horror of all of this... Only Feliciano, Henry, and his friends register.
--SCARLET: Well said. I am starting to think that her hard conviction that none of it has anything to do with Kris and Lisanne, or with Henry and stepdad, has taken a very firm, cold hold.
"In the files, however, it reads differently in one crucial point: Kris and Lisanne play no role in it. Under oath, Osman's mother tells the Personería de Gualaca in two statements on April 26 and May 8, 2014, what Osman actually confided in her.[209]"
--SCARLET: Well said. I am starting to think that her hard conviction that none of it has anything to do with Kris and Lisanne, or with Henry and stepdad, has taken a very firm, cold hold.
"In the files, however, it reads differently in one crucial point: Kris and Lisanne play no role in it. Under oath, Osman's mother tells the Personería de Gualaca in two statements on April 26 and May 8, 2014, what Osman actually confided in her.[209]"
--DAVE: According to her and her daughter they were both being intimidated by the gang. I would have to hear her account again from the Podcast but they both put across their experiences, and it was a very stressful time where they were not sure what had happened with Osman, or exactly why. So her statements in April and May 2014 to police should be seen in this understanding and context.
--POWER-PIXIE: Why were the statements taken so late? Osman was missing on April 4. Found dead on April 5. And they take his mother's statements on April 26 and May 8?
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"During a fight, the son of the Il Pianista restaurant injures Osman in the face with a glass bottle. Sam is obviously worried that Osman might report him to the police. The argument escalates until, according to Margarita, Henry and Edwin threaten to kill him in a bar two days before his death if Osman reports it to the police."--DAVE: If this is so, I really do feel for him... the misery he was put through is very relatable, very human. Note though that even though the authors name Edwin and Henry, no blame or suspicions are present when they speak of Henry elsewhere. How can you do that, behave like that, when you hear or read statements like the one here?
--POWER-PIXIE: Note: two days before his death. So this would be April 2. April 4 is when Osman went missing, and found his body on April 5 at noon. So when did Milagros inform Osman about the murders according to the podcasts?
"He confides in Margarita because Milagros wants to meet him to talk in a park on April 4, 2014, the day of his death. He tells Margarita that he wants to find out what she has to say. Afterwards, he wants to go to work as normal. He doesn't, however, but accompanies Milagros and the Pandilla for a swim in the Chiriquicito River. Henry, Edwin, Jorge, Murdog, Sandra, Alba and Xinia are with them. Henry drives the first car, Osman, Jorge and Murdog get into Edwin's car, who also collects Xinia's children and takes them to the river."
--DAVE: This is disturbing to read - it comes after that attack with Downer, Edwin and Henry trying to convince him not to go to the Police over it. It reportedly involved Milagros possibly levering him to come along on the trip, has Henry driving, Edwin along too. And ends with Osman supposedly disappearing into thin air, and these people have no idea where to?! They drove him here. How is he supposed to get home?! The whole thing is incredibly suspicious - but not to Annette and Christian?
--POWER-PIXIE: Who got into the car with Henry? Milagros, Sandra, Alba, Xinia?
--DAVE: Does this put a hole in the suggestion Henry went off-grid in the days after the disappearance, according to Murgas? Or does Henry go off after Osman dies...? Of course, this could be a lie and he wasn't at this swim - lord knows the whole thing is very murky, there seem to be a number of versions of this swim going around, and this version here is being filtered through this books lens, and Annette's reinvention of the Caldera Photo
--POWER-PIXIE: There are a couple of things here. By reinventing/revisiting this swimming photo, it is now seen as a legitimate photo, unlike what the Losters claimed it to be or IP or whoever were the flavor of the month authority on this case. The other thing is what you bring up. Henry IS at this swim meet. Was he also there at the funeral? How come he wasn't helping out his generous and pious step-father with looking for Kris and Lisanne? But....Henry is strangely here with Osman, whom he has had some heated words with not few days ago. And then he sees him go to relieve himself downstream, when Osman's body was found upstream. Interestingly enough, Annette does not broach that topic of questioning, which the policeman who interviewed the Pandilla that week(end) had found odd. "Like a Salmon, Osman's lifeless body swam upstream."
--DAVE: In such a tight-knit community as this is, I can see how rumour and hearsay would go around very quickly. Kris and Lisanne disappear and are eventually found dead, Meantime in the same week they vanish, Osman here also disappears under mysterious circumstances and he is found dead not long after... The levels of coincidence are extraordinary. But to quite possibly be lured to this spot to be killed shows incredibly cold bloodedness from all those involved. The rather feeble description given as to how he disappears behind a rock and can't be found is thoroughly unconvincing. At the bottom of all this is the question of Motive. Why did Osman have to die, when a bit of 'persuasion' would have been enough? Was it his religious nature that was the problem?
--POWER-PIXIE: If this happened to be one person killing Osman, Kris and Lisanne, it would have been deemed a serial murderer was on the loose. However, the alleged accusations and stories about them show the signs of a serial group of killers. You can also add Murgas to their list (not sure about the taxi driver), but let's take Murgas and add him. He too began to show signs of vulnerability and eventually appears to have collapsed due to the events affecting his mind. And then the seeming MO of the gang. Lure the victims to a remote place and attack them when no one's around when they resisted.
"The answers of the witnesses summoned are unanimous and coincide with what they told Annette. Osman told them that he had to go to the toilet, he went behind a rock and did not come back. The police also analyze Osman's cell phone data and the messages and chats between him and the gang members and cannot identify any evidence of a crime."
--POWER-PIXIE: What were they going to say in those texts? "Osman, we are going to kill you at the Caldera. Wanna join us?"
--SCARLET: Yes it is good that police checked his phone, but it was unlikely that anyone would have given away murderous intentions over text or voice message indeed.
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"Although the autopsy report reveals injuries that cannot be explained by Osman simply drowning, and the SINAPROC paramedic who pulled Osman out of the water also notices inconsistencies, the case is ultimately dropped and Osman's death is classified as an accidental drowning. Margarita feels betrayed and remains convinced that the Pandilla is responsible for Osman's death."--SCARLET: And for good reasons, by the sound of it.
--POWER-PIXIE: Did the authors think to investigate these inconsistencies and injuries that are not synonymous with Osman simply drowning? What about the statement that Jeremy made about the police authorities who investigated the case? Aftershow 7: "One of the police officers who investigated Osman's death told us that they asked Murgas, Tito and Sabroson, and the women with them, to identify where Osman had gone off to use the bathroom -- and they asked where was that on the river bank? And as they're being questioned, they told the police where this allegedly was. But the body was found upstream from that point. And he said, 'So what was Osman? A salmon?' in Spanish. That he somehow swam against the current after falling in and drowning? So they were suspicious of this at the time - the cops were suspicious of that."
"She also angrily told Annette about the 5,000 US dollars she was promised for her participation in Kryt's podcast, but according to her was never paid."
--POWER-PIXIE: Now the other side of that story. Jeremy said in the Podcast very clearly that he cannot be seen giving her any money as if/when Margarita were to be called to court, it would be seen by the law as a bribe.
"Margarita and her daughter assure Annette that Kris and Lisanne were never there when they went swimming in the river. This could not have been the case, as the photo was taken three days later and the Dutch women were not acquainted with the young people."
--POWER-PIXIE: Where is the EXIF of this image file? That should clear up when it was taken and with what device, including possibly the name of the owner of the device and file. As of now, the swimming photo description is simply based on some random information that still does not add up, by a gang of people who are trying to ensure they are not responsible for Osman's death nor Kris and Lisanne's.
"It will not be possible to clarify exactly how Osman died. His death is tragic enough and we understand his mother's despair, but no one is helped by exploiting it to find answers to the fate of Kris and Lisanne."
--POWER-PIXIE: What a cop out. They conveniently avoided the tough questions, and also tried to paint it as if their own book doesn't capitalize on or exploit Osman's and Kris and Lisanne's deaths to make a profit or "exonerating Feliciano and the Pandilla members - Tito, Sabroson, Cuervo, Murgas, Sam John Downer and Milagros".
--DAVE: "But no one is helped by exploiting it to find answers to the fate of Kris and Lisanne"...Words are failing me.
--POWER-PIXIE: Why would they even mention Kris and Lisanne to the police and draw attention to themselves, when they already drew attention by being in the same spot where Osman was killed not long after the women's disappearance and a fight at a bar with Osman, and also they told the police of the spot he supposedly went to relieve himself, which was downstream from where his body was found?\
--SCARLET: Hardinghaus and Nenner also argue that since Kris and Lisanne are nowhere mentioned in the police files about Osman Valenzuela's untimely and violent death, they must have had definitely no connection to the Pandilla at all. But why would the police mention Kris and Lisanne in their report of his death on April 4th? We are interested in the reason why Osman was so anxious and downright fearful in the days leading up to his violent death. The same days by chance when Kris and Lisanne were missing. Margarita Valenzuela made it clear in the Podcast series of Jeremy Kryt that there was a link. Are those all declared lies now? She explained that the Pandilla lads were bad news. That they sold cocaine and marijuana and that they wielded power. According to Margarita, Osman told her shortly after the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne that he had something important to tell her. That he was having some trouble with the young men in the Pandilla. "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." From the podcast also: "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." - So the claim is that Osman told his mother about the reason for his anxiety and why he had been threatened and attacked at that point. And by Margarita's admission, it IS linked to Kris and Lisanne. It also is besides the point here that Margarita said that Kris and Lisanne were not at the Caldera to swim with the Pandilla. They couldn't have, as they were already missing at that point. But we believe that there *may* be a link between Osman's violent death, the reason why he was threatened and beaten up and the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne. Just like we believe there *may* be a link between the Pandilla and Kris and Lisanne's disappearance. Meaning: that should have been properly investigated a long time ago. The fact that it hasn't, now hangs heavy over this case. Unfortunately.
"This story is just as much a lie as the one that was told around the swimming photo."
--DAVE: Why are you both so knowingly Offensive? There is no balance within this book. The Podcasts on the other hand did have balance. Whatever the truth is behind this books origins, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with finding 'the truth'. There is absolutely no interest here in what became of either Osman. It's as simple as that.
About guide Plinio
The authors present a lot of info here which I already gathered and wrote about on my blog and which you can read HERE under the Plinio header. I will skip those sections.
"Plinio stands out in his social media appearances with bizarre photos that could indicate that he knows more about Kris and Lisanne than he lets on. He seems to be constantly retracing their route and knows the area between Bocas and Boquete very well."
--POWER-PIXIE: As much as I would like to go on this Plinio safari as being the person behind Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, I have a suspicion that Feliciano and company would have figured this guy out and found the night location that very week. Plinio was not as an experienced guide as he was quite young back in 2014, compared to say Laureano or Feliciano. These two at least were already veterans of the area, and would have jumped at the chance to become heroes. Plinio exhibits some strange behavior yes, but I think he was taking the mick out of Juan, Scarlet, and anyone else he felt was "hot" on his trail as a suspect. I also think his interviews were a bit rehearsed, and perhaps he knows of what took place or heard the "rumors" that we all were made aware of via the podcasts. He does drop hints in those interviews, when you listen for it. One of them in particular being the boots that would have been shredded if Kris and Lisanne really did hike all those kms of trail. [source] That always stands out as his way of saying that Kris and Lisanne may never have gone too far from the last place they were known to be. Did he pass Kris and Lisanne on his way up to the Mirador? Sure why not? Did he take those thumbs up photos? Perhaps, but in both those photos, where is the other woman, if she's not taking the photo? Waiting for her turn to be photographed? Plinio, if he had driven them via the bus, then has a remote chance of them being acquainted, and hence their "chance" meeting on the trail can be justified as someone they trusted to lead them elsewhere. I still have a hard time though accepting that it was he alone, unless he had led them to a place where people were waiting to take advantage of the two. Whatever route he took, I think Feliciano would have found it. I'm confident of this, unless Feliciano was part of that group, which I highly doubt.
"My hope of finding a guide quickly vanishes. As soon as I have asked my question, Plinio starts to talk me out of the plan. It's too dangerous behind the Mirador; there are all sorts of dangers and pitfalls lurking there and the path is very difficult. As a woman, I'm tired of being underestimated in terms of my physical abilities, so I try to reassure him that I'm stronger than I look. Besides, I have a lot of hiking experience and some rainforest experience. It's no use. [..] He tells me an utopian price, which I assume he suspects I won't pay. Plinio seems very serious to me, even a little dismissive, which at this point I blame on my request, which he probably very rarely or never receives. A woman alone in the forest? That doesn't happen every day. [..] I am disappointed and don't know what to do."
--POWER-PIXIE: As much as I would like to go on this Plinio safari as being the person behind Kris and Lisanne's disappearance, I have a suspicion that Feliciano and company would have figured this guy out and found the night location that very week. Plinio was not as an experienced guide as he was quite young back in 2014, compared to say Laureano or Feliciano. These two at least were already veterans of the area, and would have jumped at the chance to become heroes. Plinio exhibits some strange behavior yes, but I think he was taking the mick out of Juan, Scarlet, and anyone else he felt was "hot" on his trail as a suspect. I also think his interviews were a bit rehearsed, and perhaps he knows of what took place or heard the "rumors" that we all were made aware of via the podcasts. He does drop hints in those interviews, when you listen for it. One of them in particular being the boots that would have been shredded if Kris and Lisanne really did hike all those kms of trail. [source] That always stands out as his way of saying that Kris and Lisanne may never have gone too far from the last place they were known to be. Did he pass Kris and Lisanne on his way up to the Mirador? Sure why not? Did he take those thumbs up photos? Perhaps, but in both those photos, where is the other woman, if she's not taking the photo? Waiting for her turn to be photographed? Plinio, if he had driven them via the bus, then has a remote chance of them being acquainted, and hence their "chance" meeting on the trail can be justified as someone they trusted to lead them elsewhere. I still have a hard time though accepting that it was he alone, unless he had led them to a place where people were waiting to take advantage of the two. Whatever route he took, I think Feliciano would have found it. I'm confident of this, unless Feliciano was part of that group, which I highly doubt.
"While Plinio told SINAPROC that he had seen Kris and Lisanne, a week later he claimed to the Personería that he was not sure because the Europeans all looked the same. He states that on the morning of April 1, he went on a tour of the Pianista Trail up to the Mirador with a family of four, whose name he gives as "Schorr". They were a man and a woman aged between 45 and 50 with their 15- and 13-year-old sons. Surprisingly, the officers do not ask any further questions about these people and do not follow up on their identities later. However, they must be among the most important witnesses in the investigation because, like Plinio himself, they were the last people to see Kris and Lisanne alive shortly before they disappeared."
--SCARLET: Another brilliant yet inexplicable decision by Pittí again? They should have found out who those people were exactly and have questioned them. If only about whether or not they saw or heard Kris and Lisanne on the trail that day. It is hopeless though. I don't even think Betzaida Pittí did the most basic thing, namely mapping out which mobile phones were active that day on the Pianista. An absolute disgrace, this entire investigation.
"Before he met the girls, Plinio claims to have seen a young couple resting against a tree 50 meters from the path. Like the "Schorr family," these witnesses were not seen by anyone else and also did not report to the police. This means that a total of six important witnesses whom Kris and Lisanne must have met are missing."
--SCARLET: And again.. Was this by ignorance or by design?
--POWER-PIXIE: Seems like this Plinio was quite busy and saw many things that day.
--POWER-PIXIE: Seems like this Plinio was quite busy and saw many things that day.
"According to many internet theories, Kris and Lisanne may have been accompanied up the Mirador by a previously unknown guide. [..] Romain Casalta, for example, who has walked the trail many times, concludes: "If the girls were able to reach the summit within two hours, it was because someone gave them instructions - either at the beginning of the climb or during the hike. They were certainly not alone during their hike."[224] A guide may have led Kris and Lisanne across the other side of the Pianista trail at their request, especially as the measured time between the last photo on the Mirador and Quebrada 1 is almost record-breakingly short."
--SCARLET: So we áre allowed to wonder if guides like Feliciano and stepson could have potentially been the ones telling them where to go. Or even being with them on their Pianista hike. Or can we only wonder those things about other guides, such as Plinio?
"We can't say that Plinio has anything to do with the disappearance of Kris and Lisanne, but we highly doubt that he hasn't seen them. The reasons for him not communicating this could also be that he saw them with other people he doesn't want to reveal, or that he feels guilty for perhaps not warning them about the descent on the other side of the Pianista."
--POWER-PIXIE: If Plinio had indeed witnessed all of this, he may have also mysteriously been run over or drowned in a shallow pool of water.
--DAVE: It's not surprising when you see many others are also distancing themselves once it becomes clearer that the two friends are more than just 'lost'. Nobody wanted to be near a missing persons/foul play investigation...
"My hope of finding a guide quickly vanishes. As soon as I have asked my question, Plinio starts to talk me out of the plan. It's too dangerous behind the Mirador; there are all sorts of dangers and pitfalls lurking there and the path is very difficult. As a woman, I'm tired of being underestimated in terms of my physical abilities, so I try to reassure him that I'm stronger than I look. Besides, I have a lot of hiking experience and some rainforest experience. It's no use. [..] He tells me an utopian price, which I assume he suspects I won't pay. Plinio seems very serious to me, even a little dismissive, which at this point I blame on my request, which he probably very rarely or never receives. A woman alone in the forest? That doesn't happen every day. [..] I am disappointed and don't know what to do."--SCARLET: This reads a little bit like Annette looking for all sorts of explanations as to why Plinio isn't as fuzzy and charming towards her as the other guide. Dragging in misogyny, when he probably just isn't interested in taking a single tourist on a long hike. Or maybe he had already heard through the grapevine that she was in Boquete to research the Kris and Lisanne disappearance for a book, and he wasn't keen to be stuck behind the Mirador with her for that reason.
--POWER-PIXIE: It seems to me that Plinio likes taking on larger groups or people who have much more to invest his time in, like the reporters, the documentary filmmaker, etc. I don't know why he would go on a hike with just Annette. Perhaps if Christian had accompanied her, along with another member of their team, maybe he would have guided them.
"When Feliciano calls me a few days later, I quickly realize that he is the solution to the problem: "Si, si, claro, cuando quieras," - of course, we'll go whenever you want, he says. [..] I am happy, but I still wonder about the huge discrepancy between these two reactions today, months later."
--DAVE: I would speculate that a reason for this may be that Feliciano doesn't turn down work, whereas Plinio has other options. I can understand. Plinio is approached by this lone western woman, who is asking to go beyond the Mirador. That is probably a little strange to him. But also the economics - he may prefer groups to singles. A group means a good worthwhile payday. One lone person though...? Not worth the exertion.
Foul play evidence and investigation errors
(pages 224 - 242)
The authors present here their story about the Red Truck and Mister M. I already covered both of those chapters at the top of this blog post, in the short book summary. Below I will only add a couple of isolated quotes from this chapter to which Power-Pixie and Dave made relevant comments.
"The human tendency to replace uncertainty with theories is an attempt to make sense of inexplicable events. In the case of Kris and Lisanne, where there are no clear answers, people look for clues that provide a coherent narrative."
--DAVE: This is true if you are newly arrived to this story, and faced with so much established theorising and counter-theorising. But strip the weight away and is Kris and Lisanne's disappearance really inexplicable? Four to five years ago it arguably was. Before we had people step onto the Pianista trail and film it for us, before we had people visit the second bridge and survey it finally, before we understood that this area wasn't as impenetrable as we once were told it to be, and before we had a fuller grasp on what the logs of the two phones showed... We know so so much more now than we did just four years ago. Which means what elements were once inexplicable, are now... not so mystical or baffling. Where once we believed in the second bridge and a probable accident, today we believe in neither. Neither do we believe that Lisanne is necessarily in charge of either the phones, or the camera. These two authors seem to want to reverse all that progress, all that work from people like Kryt, IP, Romain and Victor Hugo, and take the level of understanding back to 2018, where we were still thinking the cable bridge was the spot, and were struggling with the question over whether the two could have returned to the Mirador and if something happened on the Boquete side. This disappearance is definitely puzzling, but is it truly inexplicable? No, not anymore in my view. And it seems to me that that growing awareness and understanding people are coming to have, is bothering certain people.
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"It may seem paradoxical, but apparently, the investigators lacked the necessary imagination to come up with a crime scenario, even though there were concrete clues such as a red pickup truck, a remote cabin, plastic bags, and mattresses."--SCARLET: I appreciate any new angle presented by investigators. The information we received through this book about the Red Truck and this Mister M on the Pianista trail seems good (even though none of us three believe the Mister M. theory to be true, ultimately). But they are theories which should be looked into at least. But again, there is a certain hypocrisy involved here when the authors write about keeping all avenues open and staying openminded etc. When we know from their own writings that they have closed certain avenues off prematurely.
"The police files show that investigators were already made aware of the pickup during their interviews with the residents of Pianista Trail. Oliva, a 66-year-old resident, said that on April 1, 2014, at around 3:00 p.m., she observed a wine-red, recognizably older pickup truck driving down the slope. She was surprised by this, as she had never seen such a vehicle there before. Her reaction is understandable if you know that the Pianista Trail is not designed for a car to drive through at any point."
--POWER-PIXIE: While I did acknowledge the red truck theory of heading up the trail, it wasn't until I saw the vlogs of Romain and Hugo, that I understood what the authors had written here. I could conceive how any vehicle would make it past Olivia Kamp's house. But I do have to say that the section past the Iron Bridge, and also across from the bridge by the large structure, I do recall seeing in a youtube video a truck coming down the same path that Kris and Lisanne are seen photographed on. I think it was a motorbike trek that was filmed, and the guy had to stop as the truck passed him, with two men inside the truck. I was rewatching this video Scarlet had posted on her blog. We have seen this video before, but I had not registered this particular route which the bikers use to get past the Iron/Metal bridge and cross the creek which it spans. Scarlet did a great job when she had outlined the route the video shows. I decided to go through it and jot down the main timeline of the video for reference purposes, as I was trying to understand the route the red truck could have possibly taken and how it was either kept out of sight on April 1 and/or driven back.
- The video begins just after the trailhead.
- Within 23 seconds (0:23) the bikers are at one of the witnesses, Olivia De Kamp's house.
- Within a few more seconds they cross the creek simultaneously with a mother and two kids walking across the log.
- If you pause the video at 2:31 you can see the Iron/Metal bridge on the left side of the frame. This is where Kris and Lisanne and all hikers/walkers on this trail cross the creek using the bridge, while vehicles follow the route that the bikers use to cross the creek.
- At 2:37 you see a truck parked on the right side near the structure. It used the side road there. Below is the map of the same area. There is no gate preventing any other vehicles from entering the area where the truck is parked.
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- At 2:59 they cross the creek.
- At 3:15 on your left is the gate that all the hikers use to enter/exit this section of the trail after/before using the metal bridge.
- At 4:28 they are waiting for the white truck to pass.
- At 9:18 they pass the same spot we see in the Kremers' hiking video.
- At 9:48 they approach the entrance to the forested section of the trail you see on the top of the frame.
- It's too bad the video ended or they ran out of hard drive space on their camera. I would have liked to see if this route looped around or they turned around somewhere ahead. Based on the map, most likely they turned around.
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--SCARLET: Thank you. It is great to be able to add some more info to this theory of theirs. As you say, unfortunately the video cuts off a bit too early and we would have ideally wanted to see how they crossed further up the top. And how they got back down again, where they looped etc. But the book has barely any images and illustrations, and that is an advantage with a blog I suppose. The ability to add videos and photos to further illustrative matters.
"E. P. also states that on Thursday, April 3, he drove the same car to M.'s property again, accompanied by colleagues, because he was still missing orchids."
--POWER-PIXIE: As Scarlet mentioned at the top of this blog, again the connection with Cuervo and his flower business is the underlying current here for us, with his father's connection to the Boquete flower show that year. Never mentioned by the authors. Even a red truck was linked to Edwin and this Pandilla.
"April 3 would have been the most likely time for the phone to have left the areas without a signal."
--POWER-PIXIE: Why April 3? April 2 was also brief in use with the iPhone?
"A red pickup truck with tinted windows is seen at another known location on April 3. In the files, we find the statement of Miriam's neighbor Verónica S. She lives on the route that Kris and Lisanne have to walk between Miriam's house and Spanish by the River. As early as April 10, Verónica states in a sworn statement that on April 3 at around 9:00 a.m., a red pickup truck sped past her property at an exceedingly high speed in the direction of Miriam's house.[236] The situation had alarmed her, as no one in the area owned such a vehicle. During a conversation with Annette, Verónica confirms the information, which seems suspicious to us, as she gives the impression of knowing her neighborhood well."
--SCARLET: It must be said here and remembered that Boquete (at the time at least) was full of red trucks. In this photos of Lisanne, we already see two different ones in the small area behind her. You see them everywhere in videos of Boquete at the time. And Boquete is small enough for all those various red trucks to drive around Véronica's neighborhood as well at times?
--POWER-PIXIE: So somebody had a different car in the neighborhood. You find this suspicious?
"Two days had passed before anyone had even looked for Kris and Lisanne on the trail. Dead or alive, a perpetrator could have hidden both or one of the girls in the Mirador area and taken them away from there in a camouflaged vehicle at a prearranged time. In addition to M.'s estate, there are other huts up here that, judging by the file, have not been searched."
--DAVE: One of my obstacles to believing Lisanne and Kris might have been taken to one of these huts, is that you have to believe that it was a completely random and spontaneous event. There must be dozens of similar opportunities for this random person to snatch vulnerable women off the trail, for instance Annette herself says she climbed to the Mirador solo - did she ever worry that some 'random person' might take her off the trail...? No. So you have this event, never seen before or since, and we are asked to think about Mr M. here, or some other local?
--POWER-PIXIE: Even the most deranged or most astute perpetrator had most of the time one or all of the following: a plan, had experience, knew the area, knew the victim, knew the activity during the time of day or night, and so forth. As you stated, Annette herself would have been apprehensive of being abducted "randomly" by someone on this trail, but she shows none in her flowery prose. Kris and Lisanne would certainly have fought back one person, or even two strangers. When they're dealing with 4 known acquaintances however, one or two of whom they had met earlier in the day and put their trust in, perhaps shared a joke and stories with before they vanished...
"Based on the theoretical assumption, a perpetrator could have hidden one or two bodies in a cabin here for a longer period of time and buried them later, while continuing to use the cell phones to make it look as if Kris and Lisanne had simply gotten lost in the woods."
--SCARLET: Hate to bring up this old tale again, but in Kryt's podcast this exact scenario is suggested. Only the guide's son and his pals were the perpetrator in that theory.
--SCARLET: This also seems to confirm what the parents and the Bocas friends talked about: Kris and Lisanne having wanted to see Hidden Waterfalls in Boquete... And they would have needed local tour guide advice in order to reach this specific hidden waterfall. Yes, it may have led them past this Mister M's place. But it may also imply that they did get tour guide advice and instructions beforehand. On how to make it up the Mirador in one go (and where to turn left or right, as the authors themselves suspect as well), and then also providing Kris and Lisanne a reason to keep walking on, once on the Mirador. Hiking further to see those hidden waterfalls is a valid motive, because we know from their summit photo in front of Boquete in the distance, that they were most likely aware that the way back to Boquete was not to move forward in the opposite direction. We don't know of any guides they contacted about this. The only guide we know was suggested to them by Marjolein, is the guide we are not allowed to question.
--POWER-PIXIE: Again the irony is lost on them. Yes, the Waterfall has been reported by some who have made it to this location. However it took a guide or some local to show them this waterfall in the accounts that I was able to find. So someone informed Kris and Lisanne that day about certain features like the entrance to the forested trail, the fork in the forested trail, the Mirador, and perhaps this waterfall. They may have also shown them a photo or two of what it looked like, and said they had to go past the Mirador, down the other side to get to it, but it requires that they need to find a hidden section. It's very enticing for two tourists who had nothing to do, and this type of urging and baiting would have theoretically been enough for the gang to follow them up the trail, catch up to them, ask if they found the waterfall yet, and convince them they could lead them to it via this trail. No need for Bermuda Triangles and corrupt former presidents.
--SCARLET: This may be the Hidden Waterfall, also described here.
"It can be reached after a long hike along the Rio Pianista if you walk through the "dangerous triangle" between M.'s hut, the ex-president's dairy farm, and the sugar cane field where the bodies might have been buried."
--DAVE: There is absolutely no evidence to support what you are saying. And the description here is essentially fitting with the Podcasts theory of a breakout from the Pianista trail, and a push down into a hidden trail. It's always a convenient Cabin... Is this cabin idea really very different to the Cabin Marja and Jurgen presented, out on the meadows? Who can say whether this 'Two brothers and their Mother' claim is true. If these three really were on the trail that late afternoon, then 6 - 6.30 PM is absurdly late to be out there. And where would these two girls they sighted be going to that late anyway? If it was Kris and Lisanne, they would have had to have been marking time for four hours by this point!
"If a crime has taken place, there is still the theoretical possibility that Kris and Lisanne have been attacked and managed to escape. This could have happened, for example, on their way back from the north side of the mountain to the Mirador."
--DAVE: Here is one of the great contradictions with this book. It is titled 'Still Lost In Panama', and yet at no point does its content ever really entertain the idea that the two friends who vanished that day, got lost. Even despite its obsessive assaults on Jeremy Kryt (and others), the authors actually do share his view of there being a crime committed, a kidnapping. And I find this contradictory narrative these authors have baffling, but at the same time very interesting to think on. The bulk of the book is spent attacking and undermining, while also defending and lifting Feliciano and friends. But in between all of this lies some trace of what perhaps the authors (Christian?) would actually rather be writing about - the practicalities of the disappearance. The Methods needed in order to make Lisanne and Kris so completely vanish. And just what the available evidence actually points to... These portions of the book are its strongest elements.
"Assuming that it is not possible to get lost on the trail or fall off, it is possible that the girls did not want to go back and fled to a riverbed in Quebrada 1 to wait for help. That would have been a case if their fear of what was lurking on the trail was greater than that of the consequences that would await them away from the trail. They may or may not have been in possession of their cell phones while on the run."
--DAVE: This is all good thinking, though again there is the auto-reflex of not being willing to embrace the simple fact that there may well be a secret path off this part of the Pianista - as by admitting to this simple idea, they are admitting Kryt knows what he is talking about, and is pursuing uncomfortable territory for some people.
--POWER-PIXIE: All of this would have been possible, if there was a hidden trail. Otherwise how would they have even gotten this far off trail, that was frequented by returning travelers from both sides, and the chances of being seen was high in the known section of the trail they were last documented being at? The Pianista is a central artery, but it perhaps shares a network of known and hidden paths that were carved out by those for whatever purposes suited the need. From the Charel Klein photographer's blog: "Beside some travellers who take this trail for hiking, the locals are using it a lot to arrive at their barrack somewhere in the mountains. They also cut new ways which are easy to mistaken for the Pianista trail."
"Numerous unofficial helpers were involved in the search for Kris and Lisanne, most of whom certainly had good intentions. However, it is possible that there were also people with bad intentions among them."
--POWER-PIXIE: Dangerous territory to drift off to again. Because when Feliciano and his band of merry-little-helpers in rubber boots weren't finding backpacks of tourists, they were busy finding feet, boots, shorts, hip bones, ribs, you name it.
"According to the files, the Pianista Trail was only searched three times by official SINAPROC units up to April 7. After the aborted tour with Feliciano on April 3, the next day a group of officials from the civil protection authority, with the local guide Verísimo F., walk the official trail to the Mirador and turn back. On April 5, a search team walks about half an hour beyond the summit before returning. The men are therefore likely to have arrived at Quebrada 1 a little before the point of the last known daytime photo of the girls. The SINAPROC documents attached to the case file do not list any notes that the Pianista Trail was searched further beyond Quebrada 1 in the first week of April. [..] Until June 2014, there was no evidence in the files that SINAPROC had searched the Pianista Trail beyond the Mirador. However, it is certain that voluntary search teams, whose missions are not recorded in the official protocols, have explored this area. The guide Plinio is one of these volunteers. He has repeatedly combed the path behind the Mirador both during the day and at night beyond the so-called monkey bridges to at least Finca Laureano and has also led SENAFRONT soldiers through the forests of Bocas del Toro. As these teams did not document their search activities, it remains uncertain what they may have discovered or missed."
--POWER-PIXIE: Feliciano went on three other searches besides April 3. On April 5 ("Feliciano indicated that on Saturday, April 5, he accompanied a DIJ commission to walk along this path.") On April 6 (Tripadvisor Review April 2014: “We trekked Volcan Baru with Feliciano. [..] Incredibly strong small wiry guy- he had been out all day helping with a local search party before he took us up Volcan Baru at 1am!”). And on April 7 ("I accompanied the Sinaproc and we did not find them either.") That was well documented in the media, as Feliciano even gave interviews. As for not going beyond the Mirador, I don't understand why the authors not go find the SINAPROC or SENAFRONT people to interview or the directors or former directors and ask them of their experience, like Jeremy did with Jose Donderis? It would help clear up what was and wasn't in the documents. Or perhaps we would learn why they chose not to go where these two authors claim they didn't go?
--POWER-PIXIE: From the April 8th article: "The National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) lowered the search for the two Dutch women missing for seven days in the Highlands of Chiriquí to level two and this case is passed on to other instances such as the DIJ and the National Police. Arturo Alvarado, National Director of SINAPROC, said the rescuers of the Delta Group of this entity ruled out the location of the two Dutch women on more than 25 trails and routes in Volcán, Cerro Punta, Boquete and Bocas del Toro." - Even though SINAPROC searched the official Pata de Macho trail, which we all know exists near the Boquete Tree Trek, the hidden trail remained a secret with only people like Jose Donderis and a handful who may have known about it. Maybe they themselves may have considered it not possible for Kris and Lisanne to go through that route, due to the immense task of cutting a path with a machete, which most likely they guessed two foreign women would not have had with them.
--DAVE: There is absolutely no evidence to support what you are saying. And the description here is essentially fitting with the Podcasts theory of a breakout from the Pianista trail, and a push down into a hidden trail. It's always a convenient Cabin... Is this cabin idea really very different to the Cabin Marja and Jurgen presented, out on the meadows? Who can say whether this 'Two brothers and their Mother' claim is true. If these three really were on the trail that late afternoon, then 6 - 6.30 PM is absurdly late to be out there. And where would these two girls they sighted be going to that late anyway? If it was Kris and Lisanne, they would have had to have been marking time for four hours by this point!
"If a crime has taken place, there is still the theoretical possibility that Kris and Lisanne have been attacked and managed to escape. This could have happened, for example, on their way back from the north side of the mountain to the Mirador."
--DAVE: Here is one of the great contradictions with this book. It is titled 'Still Lost In Panama', and yet at no point does its content ever really entertain the idea that the two friends who vanished that day, got lost. Even despite its obsessive assaults on Jeremy Kryt (and others), the authors actually do share his view of there being a crime committed, a kidnapping. And I find this contradictory narrative these authors have baffling, but at the same time very interesting to think on. The bulk of the book is spent attacking and undermining, while also defending and lifting Feliciano and friends. But in between all of this lies some trace of what perhaps the authors (Christian?) would actually rather be writing about - the practicalities of the disappearance. The Methods needed in order to make Lisanne and Kris so completely vanish. And just what the available evidence actually points to... These portions of the book are its strongest elements.
"Assuming that it is not possible to get lost on the trail or fall off, it is possible that the girls did not want to go back and fled to a riverbed in Quebrada 1 to wait for help. That would have been a case if their fear of what was lurking on the trail was greater than that of the consequences that would await them away from the trail. They may or may not have been in possession of their cell phones while on the run."
--DAVE: This is all good thinking, though again there is the auto-reflex of not being willing to embrace the simple fact that there may well be a secret path off this part of the Pianista - as by admitting to this simple idea, they are admitting Kryt knows what he is talking about, and is pursuing uncomfortable territory for some people.
--POWER-PIXIE: All of this would have been possible, if there was a hidden trail. Otherwise how would they have even gotten this far off trail, that was frequented by returning travelers from both sides, and the chances of being seen was high in the known section of the trail they were last documented being at? The Pianista is a central artery, but it perhaps shares a network of known and hidden paths that were carved out by those for whatever purposes suited the need. From the Charel Klein photographer's blog: "Beside some travellers who take this trail for hiking, the locals are using it a lot to arrive at their barrack somewhere in the mountains. They also cut new ways which are easy to mistaken for the Pianista trail."
"Numerous unofficial helpers were involved in the search for Kris and Lisanne, most of whom certainly had good intentions. However, it is possible that there were also people with bad intentions among them."
--POWER-PIXIE: Dangerous territory to drift off to again. Because when Feliciano and his band of merry-little-helpers in rubber boots weren't finding backpacks of tourists, they were busy finding feet, boots, shorts, hip bones, ribs, you name it.
--POWER-PIXIE: Feliciano went on three other searches besides April 3. On April 5 ("Feliciano indicated that on Saturday, April 5, he accompanied a DIJ commission to walk along this path.") On April 6 (Tripadvisor Review April 2014: “We trekked Volcan Baru with Feliciano. [..] Incredibly strong small wiry guy- he had been out all day helping with a local search party before he took us up Volcan Baru at 1am!”). And on April 7 ("I accompanied the Sinaproc and we did not find them either.") That was well documented in the media, as Feliciano even gave interviews. As for not going beyond the Mirador, I don't understand why the authors not go find the SINAPROC or SENAFRONT people to interview or the directors or former directors and ask them of their experience, like Jeremy did with Jose Donderis? It would help clear up what was and wasn't in the documents. Or perhaps we would learn why they chose not to go where these two authors claim they didn't go?
--POWER-PIXIE: From the April 8th article: "The National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC) lowered the search for the two Dutch women missing for seven days in the Highlands of Chiriquí to level two and this case is passed on to other instances such as the DIJ and the National Police. Arturo Alvarado, National Director of SINAPROC, said the rescuers of the Delta Group of this entity ruled out the location of the two Dutch women on more than 25 trails and routes in Volcán, Cerro Punta, Boquete and Bocas del Toro." - Even though SINAPROC searched the official Pata de Macho trail, which we all know exists near the Boquete Tree Trek, the hidden trail remained a secret with only people like Jose Donderis and a handful who may have known about it. Maybe they themselves may have considered it not possible for Kris and Lisanne to go through that route, due to the immense task of cutting a path with a machete, which most likely they guessed two foreign women would not have had with them.
PART 2: A new look at the time mystery (pages 243 - 244)
"There is also some evidence that the girls had already been picked up from school or Miriam's house in a vehicle and taken to the trail or even a little way up it. This would explain why no one saw them in the right clothes at the right time. On the other hand, we think it is impossible that two identical-looking girls in different clothes walked the trail on the same day. Such a double pair has never been found."
--POWER-PIXIE: Here is a statement in the media regarding Miriam and her kids, regarding April 1 morning: "As her story continues, the young women did not have any type of plan for that week. On Tuesday, April 1, Mrs. Miriam, as she used to, left her residence very early; however, like every day, she left them breakfast. When she returned she asked about them and her daughter told her that she had seen them leave with very light clothes and one of them was carrying a small bag, hence she did not realize if the girls returned or not."
*Earlier in the SLIP book they wrote: "Other known photos clearly show that Kris and Lisanne also had the clothes described by the witnesses. In addition, Miriam's son Amilcar describes in his police statement that both girls often wore "jircas", by which he means tight-fitting, three-quarter pants.[96]"
*LITJ book: "Without telling Eileen where they are going, they walk back to Myriam's house, pack Lisanne's backpack and swap their shoes. Myriam's daughter watches them leave, she describes the two as lightly dressed, carrying only one backpack." - Why didn't the authors track down Myriam and ask her about these statements in the press, that even the LITJ book seemed to have copied the information from?
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"Kris and Lisanne could have already gone to the Pianista Trail on the day they received a rejection from the daycare center. There is a time slot between 1:00 and 4:45 p.m. that day when we don't know what they were doing."--SCARLET: I'd say that timeslot is shorter? More like between 2 PM and 4.30 PM. Unless their connection to an unknown Wi-Fi connection between 13:06 PM and 13:38 PM was near the Pianista trailhead somehow. Otherwise: is that enough time to hike the Pianista or the Piedra de Lino instead? Possibly, and it could explain so many witnesses on that trail being quite off in the time they say they saw these girls. But then Kris and Lisanne should have both powered off their phones for unknown reasons at some point, as we know there is a Wi-Fi connection near the trailhead and the NFI did not write down such a phone connection for Monday afternoon... Or the NFI somehow failed to document the phones connecting there specifically? They would also both have stayed mum about it to Sigrid later that evening, for unknown reasons. They spent quite a bit of time with her for their massages, and we know from Sigrid that the disappointment about the Aura fail was discussed, as well as their plans for that week. It would have seemed more natural for one of them to tell her about their first experience with Boquete's nature that day, had they in fact done an exploratory hike already. To me, it makes more sense to stay mum about - say - an afternoon swim with the Pandilla lads. Sigrid would have been a motherly figure (Lisanne told her mother even that she didn't have to worry, as the masseur was a Dutch lady) and they may have more reason to keep their social antics with local guys a secret, than a chirpy local hike.
--POWER-PIXIE: What do the phone logs state? *LITJ Book: "At 1:13 pm Kris turns to her phone for the first time that day, Lisanne's phone registers wi-fi contact from 1:27 to 1:38 pm at the restaurant where they are having lunch. From that period until roughly 2:00 pm she receives and sends several WhatsApp messages." *The authors of SLIP wrote earlier: "At 1:06 p.m., according to the NFI report, Lisanne's cell phone logs into a public Wi-Fi network and remains connected until 1:38 p.m.[140] Kris switches her phone on for the first time that day at 1:13 p.m. and uses WhatsApp, among other things, until 2:00 p.m. At 1:48 p.m., two photos[141] are taken with the Samsung phone. Between 2:00 and 3:30 p.m., the photo gallery on Lisanne's cell phone is open." - So we know from the NFI report between 1:06 PM and 2 PM on Monday, March 31, that both women were busy with their phones via a Wi-Fi connection. They could not be busy walking or hiking somewhere between this time, nor could they have been at SbtR, Myriam's or Bistro Boquete, as these places would have been way too obvious. Both book authors reference the times of the connections, which seem to be off by a few minutes in terms of when both women's phones began reporting, but both books are in agreement on the ending of the connection or phone activity at 2 PM. LITJ refers to this Wi-Fi connection as a restaurant - how did they know it was a restaurant? And was this Nelvis, which they tried to shoehorn into on April 1? SLIP book states there was no Nelvis WiFi connection, but then referred to this article excerpt here: "In Panama, the police are looking for two boys who would have had lunch with the Dutch women who have been missing for more than a week. The four would have eaten in the city of Boquete on the day before the disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon in restaurant Nelvis. That’s on the Facebook page that is managed by Lisanne’s brother." But the SLIP authors provide no location of said Wi-Fi.
"The question of why all witnesses claim to have seen the girls on April 1 would also remain unanswered. A plausible explanation for this could at most be that this date was not mentioned by the witnesses themselves but was merely recorded as such in the police reports or subsequently adjusted. There is an old principle that says that what does not fit is made to fit." --POWER-PIXIE: Yes, just like Milagros and the redheaded Osman in the swimming photo.
"It is worth noting that Eileen was only asked the time, not the exact date, during her interview.[250]"
--POWER-PIXIE: The Canadians asked Eileen both the date and time during their interview, which Eileen then went and checked her "facebook posts" to be sure. Why not publish these facebook posts to prove she was telling the Canadians the truth?
--SCARLET: I guess it is now the police's fault for asking her about a time, but not a date.
"The question remains: Who is the 60-year-old foreigner with medical glasses who was waiting outside the Pianista Trail entrance when cab driver Mastinu dropped the girls off? And could this man, who was seen by Mastinu, have had an interest in the cab driver's death?"
--SCARLET: It this a brand new detail? I never heard of this before. Why don't the authors provide a source link for this new info?
--POWER-PIXIE: Where did this supposed 60-year-old foreigner with medical glasses come from? Did the cab driver notice this guy and inform the police? What about the restaurant owners? They seemed to notice red pick up trucks and what not, but nobody from the restaurant, at a time when they would be busy preparing for lunch hours at the restaurant would have noticed this foreigner? How do they know this foreigner was "60 years old"? How do they know what medical glasses are supposed to look like? WTF are medical glasses?
--POWER-PIXIE: Where did this supposed 60-year-old foreigner with medical glasses come from? Did the cab driver notice this guy and inform the police? What about the restaurant owners? They seemed to notice red pick up trucks and what not, but nobody from the restaurant, at a time when they would be busy preparing for lunch hours at the restaurant would have noticed this foreigner? How do they know this foreigner was "60 years old"? How do they know what medical glasses are supposed to look like? WTF are medical glasses?
"It is also conceivable that he could have intervened manipulatively by causing the witnesses to give the wrong time- and possibly different clothing. This could be a more complex but theoretically possible explanation for the time puzzle."
--POWER-PIXIE: Okay, my head hurts now from your theoretical scenarios.
"However, it is still more likely than the following: on the day of Kris's and Lisanne's disappearance, an unknown double walked the same trail two hours later in different clothes and was never found, while, at the same time, no one saw Kris and Lisanne in their clothes and at the reconstructed camera time."
--POWER-PIXIE: But let's not forget here that there are apparently unlikely doubles of tall Lisanne and fair and redheaded Kris in Boquete. Even Osman is said to have red hair. Perhaps he was walking with Murgas in lycra pants and a flowery top on the Pianista?
PART 2: The masterminds of Crime and Justice (pages 247 - 251)
"It is clear that if Kris and Lisanne had been kidnapped, the perpetrator would have had to orchestrate the story of what happened behind the Mirador to conceal the murder. In addition to a great deal of criminal knowledge, this would have required extensive planning, organization, and cleverness that a single person alone could not have mustered. There would have been a criminal mastermind behind it."
--DAVE: What are you saying here? If this was some anonymous person, abducting the two and leading them off the trail to some place, why would he need to arrange a 'story'? An anonymous unknown person wouldn't need to arrange a 'Story'. He would simply need to make the two bodies and possessions disappear. And in a terrain like Boquete and its surrounding, that wouldn't be too difficult. You don't have to be a James Moriarty, just somebody cunning. The fact is when you look at most Murderers, they are clever, manipulative, know their territory extremely well, and are incredibly motivated - it's self preservation, and a matter of life and death for them. In an area like Boquete, where people tend to live on the land, the resources a murderer has available are vast.
"In addition to a few helpers in the areas of logistics and organization of the hideouts, who would not have been privy to the overall plan, such an undertaking would have required at least two specialized individuals. [..] The scapegoats often come from circles that already have a criminal record or are overloaded with prejudices."
"In addition to a few helpers in the areas of logistics and organization of the hideouts, who would not have been privy to the overall plan, such an undertaking would have required at least two specialized individuals. [..] The scapegoats often come from circles that already have a criminal record or are overloaded with prejudices."
--DAVE: These two authors are doing everything they can to erase the concept of the Pandilla/gang. But they go about it so intensely, that they actually keep reinforcing the Podcasts and Margarita's story. Here they seem to have fallen back on the idea of selling this as being the work of one man. So all of this at the moment is based on a single man, an opportunist. But could one man have taken control of Kris and Lisanne on the trail? Yes, in that confined a space the two wouldn't really have options. But given the authors agree that he must have led them off the trail, well... then they have options. Could he really lead the two to some hut, control the two in this new context? To me is seems unlikely. Someone familiar with this area, who just happens to have an appetite for assault and murder... who can take control over two fit, young, tall women? I'm unconvinced.
"Another perpetrator would have been perfectly familiar with the terrain behind the Mirador and in the forest of Bocas del Toro to place the rucksack and bones there. However, it can be assumed that the real perpetrators speculated that it would be advantageous for the public prosecutor's office if they were given enough clues or evidence of an accident. Even against this background, we consider it impossible that members of the Pandilla could have planned and technically implemented all this, as is claimed in most theories."
--POWER-PIXIE: Yeah nice try, but you are forgetting that this was a simple plan that turned into a nightmare. In theory: the Pandilla didn't go out to kill Kris and Lisanne. Their motive was perhaps to lure them, drug or liquor them up and have sex with them in a remote location on a well hidden and less traversed path. Nothing complicated, but something that was perhaps based on their initial meeting with the two and they found the women to be gullible and inexperienced or with lack of street smarts. This happens all the time when someone is very new to a foreign country, and can be easily spotted from a mile by people who think they have the upper hand in their own backyard. The Pandilla (theoretically) did not implement any technical know-how, like infiltrate iOS or Android operating systems. They simply used the phones in a dead zone to create a superficial trail of two lost tourists. This was no Hannibal Lector preparing a victim for an elaborate supper with other guests and getting away with it. The Pandilla could theoretically have taken advantage of Kris and Lisanne's lack of knowledge of the area, perhaps their longing to see some sights and their rejection at Aura which was their only major plan in Boquete. And some or all of the Pandilla were known to use drugs and deal in it. And it is not true that only known criminals who commit a crime act like this. Many first timers have tagged along and get caught up in the deed as accomplices, that later wished they had never done it.
--DAVE: In a sense this is true, up to a point. But it seems quite clear that there was also a central set of brains involved. I'm sure these two authors know this... Someone was using the phones in a strange manner. Someone used the camera to shoot 90 night-time photo's. Someone then packed up all the possessions into the backpack, even an empty plastic bottle, and someone zipped it safely shut. Lisanne didn't take her boots off apparently. And Kris seems to have undressed herself, or someone undressed her. So you do have a strong argument that someone (or more likely two or three people) were involved here with all this, and that a fair bit of thought and effort was going into all this. Too much thought.
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"It is still unclear where Juan got the swimming photo, he used to deceive thousands of readers. Shortly after it was published in the FOK forum at the end of 2019, he pointed out that there was a leak in Boquete that contained a lot of sensitive material. This had given him access to a file folder that contained the swimming photo, among other things. This information attracts the attention of authors West and Snoeren, who are working on their book at the time. They are determined to find out whether they have missed something and how much Juan knows. So they decide to set a trap for him. They created the fictitious Facebook profile Cas.R. and claimed to have the missing photo 509. Hoping to receive the picture in exchange, Juan suddenly sends the fake account a scan of a page from Lisanne's previously unknown diary. When there is no response from the fake account, Juan publishes the complete diaries of Kris and Lisanne in his online archive. For West and Snoeren, this at least confirms that the well-known YouTuber with a penchant for conspiracy theories is receiving information from an authentic, secret source. [..] However, when the nicknames were leaked on the forum, the authors contacted the Canadians by email. They admitted that they had received the files from Mark H.'s wife in the fall and had also been in contact with the private detective Martin F. Because of the Dutch text of the diary, they had asked Juan for a translation. However, he published the contents without consulting them and without their knowledge, which they were truly angry about.--POWER-PIXIE: Whatever Juan's screwball-theories or alleged attempts at trying to solve this case for some kind of fame, I think Juan, along with Scarlet has done this case a major justice by putting everything out there for all to see. Just like the Dutch duo, Annette and Christian seem almost jealous because they were never the first authorities of this case, and are mere wanna-bes.
--SCARLET: How is it unclear still where Juan got the swimming photo from? You reveal their identity in the same paragraph. Appreciative as I feel for anyone revealing more case details, this sanctimonious attitude from authors who use this case for commercial means is getting very grating. These same authors freely use the hard work of Juan and myself, costing us years of our lives, all the while publishing everything we know for free... Some (not SLIP, they are very correct and gracious actually) do so without as much as the courtesy of a source reference. Juan believed that he did the case justice by revealing the diaries and the swimming photo. The Dutch duo also sneered about ethics (perhaps peeved that they could not make those diaries a selling point for their own book?), but also used Juan for all the case information he had. Nothing in the publishing world is ethical. And let's not forget that all these book authors not only published a commercial book against the wishes of the parents of Kris and Lisanne, but also all merch and purchase (and some even 'trade') very sensitive case files and autopsy reports and what not, as if they are on the black market. Then transform selected parts of it in commercial books they try to pitch on Reddit. So this whole ethics debate is a slippery slope.
--SCARLET: How is it unclear still where Juan got the swimming photo from? You reveal their identity in the same paragraph. Appreciative as I feel for anyone revealing more case details, this sanctimonious attitude from authors who use this case for commercial means is getting very grating. These same authors freely use the hard work of Juan and myself, costing us years of our lives, all the while publishing everything we know for free... Some (not SLIP, they are very correct and gracious actually) do so without as much as the courtesy of a source reference. Juan believed that he did the case justice by revealing the diaries and the swimming photo. The Dutch duo also sneered about ethics (perhaps peeved that they could not make those diaries a selling point for their own book?), but also used Juan for all the case information he had. Nothing in the publishing world is ethical. And let's not forget that all these book authors not only published a commercial book against the wishes of the parents of Kris and Lisanne, but also all merch and purchase (and some even 'trade') very sensitive case files and autopsy reports and what not, as if they are on the black market. Then transform selected parts of it in commercial books they try to pitch on Reddit. So this whole ethics debate is a slippery slope.
"It makes sense that Alto al Crimen also uses events such as the disappearance of the two Dutch women to legitimize its existence."
--SCARLET: It IS a shame that we are going to end this book and blog post on such a sour note. But your cynicism at times gives us no other choice. Clearly everyone has bad motives but the German authors.
--DAVE: Very cynical of you Christian/Annette. I don't feel I am qualified to judge this group, I know ex-pats can be targets for crime in the region and so this is the equivalent of a neighbourhood watch program, with a remit to watch out for fellow retiree's and settlers. These authors don't consider that this groups interest in the fate of the two Dutch girls has a context - it comes after numerous murders of western tourists including Catherine Johannet in Bocas, and the relatively high profile disappearance of Alex Humphries about five years before. This disappearance remained unresolved and so hung over Panama and Boquete even in 2014. Two Dutch tourists who similarly vanish, and with rumours swirling naming Henry etc, I can see perfectly well why this group would show genuine concerns...
"In any case, it is obvious that unauthorized persons have tried to influence the investigations and that Alto al Crimen has been involved in some way, possibly commissioned by the authorities."
--DAVE: Where does this come from? This is a running theme from these authors - a steady flow of accusations and slander, but based on absolutely nothing more than their own biases and needs for belittling a target.
--SCARLET: So not even the sincere volunteers of Alto Crimen are left out of the firing line.
"An even more pressing question is why Mark H. entered Kris and Lisanne's room on April 8, 2014. Since his name does not appear in the files, he was either there illegally, or his cooperative involvement was deliberately concealed. It should have been clarified who granted him access and when he was in the room for the first time. People who are not part of an investigative team can alter or remove evidence, either independently or on behalf of others."
--POWER-PIXIE: But you never questioned why Feliciano entered the women's room in the first place? You see, these two authors like to wax lyrical about what others should and shouldn't do, when they don't apply their rhetoric to some subjects. Whether Mark H. should or should not have entered the room, he díd produce important information for everyone and anyone to look at. Had he not done this, who knows whether we would have even seen those diaries of Kris and Lisanne, as they offered up so much insight and truths, even with their lack of some major details.
--SCARLET: Unethical of course, but with so many different voices screaming their various narratives in this case, it seems vitally important to now have at least the golden standard in the form of those diaries. The absolute truth, in Kris and Lisanne's own words, in a sea of manipulation.
--POWER-PIXIE: If I understand this correctly, they are laying blame on Mark H. for doctoring the swimming photo (blurring it), so he could parade it around as the photo that potentially shows Kris and Lisanne in the Caldera area? What happened to the original photo that the police had from Milagros's cousin, Xinia's tablet? Why didn't they show this undoctored photo to Margarita so she could see her redheaded son Osman swimming in the Caldera river with Milagros?
--DAVE: I don't know why or how this man came to be in Miriam's house either, and neither do these authors. But the fact he had entry to the house at all suggests he must have been a part of an investigation officer, and may have been asked to photograph the diaries etc. I just can't say for sure, and neither can these authors. And yet the tone they use here is extremely high-handed and assumes too much, while passing a very unwise accusation on this man.
--DAVE: They don't even offer an explanation as to how Mark might have had access to this tablet? (We don't know whether the Tablet story from Xania is even true, frankly from the piecemeal explanation she gives it seems clear this isn't a complete story, it isn't convincing).
--SCARLET: This swimming photo is a royal nightmare for sure, one way or another. If it does show Kris and Lisanne and Murgas and Osman or Jorge, why would anyone keep that photo, instead of destroying it? But the same can be asked about a fake photo. Who would have photoshopped such a photo and why? Why then leak it together, as a batch, with the night photos (which were legit) and the diary entry photo copies (which were also legit)? I've seen them all through Juan, we went through every single one of them and the rest are all verified real. This photo showing women resembling Kris and Lisanne was also already referred to in August of 2014 by a FOK forum member called Poekje, who has connections in Boquete itself. He reported that police found photos on Osman's phone (who was dead by then), showing two women resembling Kris and Lisanne. Including matching hair colours, he reported. Notice that this swimming photo was not known yet by then. It only showed up a couple of years ago, through that batch of photos leaked to Juan. Poekje said at the time that Osman's family never got that phone of his back. But the story did make the rounds already mere months after the disappearance; that Osman had photo evidence of them on his phone. It is speculation, but I always suspected this to have been one or more of these swimming photos. I do not exclude the possibility that Osman shared that photo with someone before his death, and that is how it ended up with the other case related photos eventually and was leaked. It also provides a motive for all those other supposed swimming photos, which the pandilla now admit to have existed at the time, to have suddenly disappeared. There must have been an incentive to delete them, something that never seems to come up as a possibility for these German authors. But it remains speculation of course.
"Another possibility is that the police officers edited the photos for tactical investigative reasons to be able to recognize faces by enlarging, brightening, and contrasting them. As with the SD card from Lisanne's camera, it is possible that the manipulated images were played back onto the end device and the original images were overwritten. In this case, the investigators would have unconsciously created a template with which other people deliberately confused and also frightened the Pandilla. This could ultimately explain all the paranormal phenomena that Xinia and her friends claim to have recognized in the photos."
--SCARLET: This swimming photo just hás to be explained satisfactory. Something must niggle at them also about the Pandilla explanation and having to imagine Osman in the Kris figure and plump Milagros in the Lisanne figure. But not even this 'explanation' is convincing.
--POWER-PIXIE: What a load of ....! Why would they have wanted to frighten the Pandilla? I thought there was no Pandilla, according to the group interviewed by Annette? As for paranormal phenomena, perhaps ask Xinia and company to stop smoking first before looking at photos.
"It seems unlikely that a crime like the one possibly committed against Kris and Lisanne will be repeated on the beautiful Pianista Trail."
--SCARLET: But Mister M. still lives on that Pianista trail...
--DAVE: The suggestion of Mr M, surely leaves open the possibility this person could take another chance, surely?
"It will not have escaped our readers that we, as journalists, are disappointed with the work of our predecessors West/Snoeren and Kryt/Atencio. Our disappointment is, of course, not of a personal or spurious nature."
--DAVE: And yet we have caught them slandering, lying about what Kryt did and said, accusing Kryt of telling fairytales from the case files and yet they offer no evidence at all what these "fairytales" might be. They lie by omitting Feliciano's own confession about seeing the two on Tuesday morning, and the list goes on... And they write the above line about Journalistic integrity, and how Kryt doesn't meet it.
"We were particularly keen to exonerate Feliciano and his family."
THE END
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CONCLUSION
Good and bad things can be said about this book, which we did. Some of their chapters seem perfectly reasonable, and then they directly smear and dismiss other researchers and authors, even though there can be no doubt at all that Jeremy Kryt's work since 2016/17 has been a benchmark on the subject and highly influential. And then there is the unflinching support for Feliciano, and a clear drive to completely exonerate him from any and all wrongdoing.... Is this book Impartial? I don't go on Reddit anymore, and it was very reassuring to hear that some of the better posters cautiously put forward the same initial criticisms and questions I myself was asking.
I do feel there is value in occasionally being challenged to come at this whole disappearance afresh and actually test perceived ideas and ask whether other possibilities are out there to be considered. These authors do just that, and to test my imagination and the available evidence, to see whether anything else might fit instead... By raising examples such as "Mr M", strange men loitering at Il Pianista in "Medical Glasses", Semi-isolated sheds on the Boquete side of the mountain, Dairy Farms, and Sugar Cane fields, I am offered possibilities to consider by the two authors. The noteworthy aspect to these suggestions though, is that as presented they lack... confidence. That sense of a Vacuum, of whether anything else can be made to take the place of the Podcast's scenario, hangs heavy with this book - "Take Away Feliciano and Pandilla, and what do you Have?" is the question it is posing. The two pose it quite well, though whether the results were what they were intending I cannot tell, because after the stage-managed nature of Annette's meeting with 'the Pandilla', their arguments lose a good deal of credibility. And when Annette goes on to meet Margarita face to face, and barely passes comment on the experience, you are reinforced with the unavoidable suspicion that this is someone writing to a strict brief.
Jeremy Kryt too comes out well. I have talked about this in the comments, but when you cut through the bile and the relentlessly over-the-top nature of it all, the two authors inadvertently end up strengthening his position, not weakening it. Claiming he betrayed Margarita, promised her $6000, when in fact he and Mariana made it clear in the Podcast where he met with her and what his dilemma here was, which is not something you can really argue was an omission from them. The result however is a devastating slur on the man. There are a number of other ways in which they end up reinforcing his position, and as I reflect on their approach to him throughout the book, I can see it as a mixture of desperation and the basic underlying fact that the work he has done is just that powerful. When you go about trying to undermine the elements he uncovered in his Podcasts, it is understandable that you will get desperate, and frustrated. And so resort to the increasingly childish efforts they show throughout the book - essentially ending up name calling him! But as I discussed above, an interesting fact to come out of the experience that was this book is that you cannot have a vacuum. Feliciano and the Pandilla cannot be just wiped out of the narrative, as the guide especially placed himself bang in the middle of it. By erasing all reference to that admitted Tuesday morning school visit where he saw Kris and Lisanne, you remove much of the substance that has driven people's interest in the man. But you also collapse the whole belief that the two friends were targeted by someone. Instead it becomes... unknowable. A random stranger.
I have always wanted a balanced book on the story of the two friends who disappeared in Boquete. But this is another book that brings its own biases and wild theories. There is now too much of this with this story - too much cashing in from authors, out to sell a book or product and needing to make it stand out from those that went before. The price is a case where the story is becoming more and more confused and contradictory, and moves everyone actually further away from reaching a general agreement on what likely did happen. This book is not helping in that respect. It particularly bothers me that two unknown journalists spent a few months poking around in the aftermath of Jeremy Kryt's work there, and after interviewing the gang and Feliciano conclude they had nothing at all to do with it... That Kryt and his sources are wrong. That alone sets my alarm bells ringing on this new book, and I am astonished that these two just went with what those men said.
The one remaining thing that whirls around in the back of my mind though is the lack of any grit from the two to tackle the 'Feliciano at the School' aspect - I ask myself why that is, because for a book as devoted to Feliciano and his clique as this is, that School visit should have been (arguably) their #1 element to address and overturn. So why did they completely avoid the subject as they did? It's important to discuss this as it may point to what actually happened in the first week of April that year. I believe Jeremy Kryt's reading of Feliciano's Police statement is likely authentic - if that statement wasn't in the case files, these two authors would have used that fact to beat Kryt to death with... It would have finished him as a credible force. But there's so much else they similarly tippy-toe around or distort. Kris and Lisanne were only in this town for two and a bit days. It is no time at all. Therefore potential suspects are able to be easily counted on one hand, and they revolve around that SbtR school that morning. And who had the knowledge of where they were headed to, and when? One of the details these authors raise to us is the letter from Marjolein, to Ingrid, which somehow ended up with the Police. Apparently written a few weeks after the disappearance, sometime in May, it allegedly includes her giving an alibi to Feliciano for the Tuesday Morning. We really need a second confirmation of this letter and its content here. If you approach this story in a true journalistic sense, an enquiring mind, then there is no getting around the role Feliciano played between April and June. And yet, they try to. I am astonished the Reddit experts don't call it all out in the same way they did with 'LITJ'. You can see the bones of what could have been a good book here, but it seems clear to me that it is completely defeated by this veto on ever giving Jeremy Kryt and Margarita's story any credit.
This is the tenth anniversary of Lisanne and Kris' disappearance, a key year therefore. These two new authors come in off the back of considerable investigation and work from Jeremy Kryt (working on it since 2016) and the work of others. But in the end it is just another book. I don't believe there will be much of actual substance to come out of it and it may unintentionally highlight the ongoing deflection and lies going on with Eileen and Feliciano. In the end it is always source material that actually counts - what was said and shown at the time. Not what somebody is spinning several years later.. Nevertheless I would very much like an impartial book that looks at the story afresh, keeps an open mind and doesn't set out to sell its own new theory. Worse still, a theory based on the words of what the main suspects themselves have to say. But alas. If the Dutch book was dedicated to the altar of Betzaida Pittí and selling her vision of events, then this new book follows a very similar path in being dedicated itself to the vision of Feliciano and that Pandilla. And the tribute at the end to me seemed about as genuine as a $7 bill. My thoughts are with the families.
Oh, how I now wish the people of Boquete or the parents of the missing women stood up and investigated and wrote their own book, instead of foreigners who have no connection whatsoever. I do appreciate that at least one of them went there for a few months and conducted research, but I'm not sure how this is all different from what Jeremy, Hugo, Romain, ImperfectPlan, etc have done for months and years and for free. Some of them have the case files as well. As for the book itself, there are many disappointments to be found in it. But why did Christian not review the millions of lines of code in the RAW phone logs? Was this because the RAW phone log data was on a DVD and that he has not seen it? In that respect we're still at square one. With what the NFI concluded in all their wisdom. These two authors got stumped at the technical details. I maintain that the phone logs are key to busting the seams of this case wide open. It just hasn't been explored to its fullest extent, also because the Samsung phone logs are out there floating somewhere. I had hoped that this book was chock full of information from the phone logs and was able to explicitly prove many issues surrounding March 31 and April 1. It is logical code, so there is no other way, other than (malicious/accidental) deletion of technical information from the logs. But no.
While I chuckled at their digs at the two Dutch authors and Pittí, I don't agree that they should have done that, and neither to Jeremy and Mariana. These guys have tried to put a different spin on theirs, stating foul play, but also dismissing key events and people surrounding the disappearance on April 1 and subsequent aspects that have come to light back in 2014 and in recent times. "Intensive interviews" were conducted with the Pandilla, and Feliciano😄. What were they going to say in these interviews after 10 years, when they were already "intensely interviewed" by authorities back then? Yes to all the connections to Kris and Lisanne? Yeah right! How were they going to interview Murgas and Osman who were part of this gang? And where are the important substantial interviews with Osman's mother or Jose Donderis? Did they hike the hidden Pata de Macho trail yet? Same with the Taxi Driver.
And this part always makes me angry and disappointed. It is what taints many unsolved cases, because the ones that were solved, were most often done by generous people and ones who were connected or remained connected to the case from the beginning. Raising money to fund the investigation is one thing, like IP did, but straight up clawing the backs of others and then also dismissing them in one go is poor taste and may backfire. And who TF is handing out [copies of?] all the police files and phone logs like it is candy? I don't take these things lightly, as it has a lot of legal implications if the person(s) are found out, and it could also endanger lives if it has incriminating information that someone can dig up.
And this part always makes me angry and disappointed. It is what taints many unsolved cases, because the ones that were solved, were most often done by generous people and ones who were connected or remained connected to the case from the beginning. Raising money to fund the investigation is one thing, like IP did, but straight up clawing the backs of others and then also dismissing them in one go is poor taste and may backfire. And who TF is handing out [copies of?] all the police files and phone logs like it is candy? I don't take these things lightly, as it has a lot of legal implications if the person(s) are found out, and it could also endanger lives if it has incriminating information that someone can dig up.
I already wrote about my own book criticism throughout this document. And while I was happy with their use of source notes and do feel they have gone about those notes in a reliable manner, we ultimately just have to believe that whatever Hardinghaus and Nenner highlighted from these vast case files in their book is in fact actually relevant. We cannot verify for ourselves if they have been nitpicking, like the Dutch author duo clearly has. When this letter from Marjolein (which we have since been able to read for ourselves through a source, more on that soon) plays a role in the overal story and in the dismissal of her as a person of interest, the least the authors could have done is transcribe the content of that letter in their book. Same for the statements from Marjolein and Feliciano that he went on a hospital visit in David on that pivotal (in our view) Tuesday morning. Why not print the evidence of this? What was he doing there, how late was his appointment, or was he visiting someone? How long was he there? Because we also have his own media admission that he saw Kris and Lisanne that same Tuesday morning at Spanish by the River, seeing one in a hammock and the other studying a map, while he called HOLA to them. I know that we are beating this story to death ourselves with that statement of his, but this is because it glaringly is omitted from commercial books and because we believe this Monday and Tuesday Timeline to be vitally important.
In SLIP we picked up some small errors, which can happen. Not a big deal. They did a fairly good job I think with a lot of those case files and I thought their foul play theories were interesting and well argued. But as Dave and Power-Pixie worded much better already, there is a gaping hole in this book when it comes to 'investigating' certain people who are perhaps innocent, but who deserved to be properly exonerated then. And you don't do that by calling those who are critical bad names, and using personal positive experiences with a guide as a whip to slap everyone else with. We as readers also still have no real idea at the end of the book, what exactly motivated Annette and Christian into believing this. Or those rather peculiar Pandilla statements. Annette may have been weary about stepping over lines when it came to those Pandilla youngsters. Maybe that explains her silly questioning and her total lack of critical responses. Maybe she was so proud/choked about securing those 'exclusive' Pandilla 'interviews' (also as a sales point for this book), that she was hyper-vigilant about not stepping on any toes and not outsitting her welcome. And there was the safety aspect too. From interviews they gave afterwards I learnt that Annette is a modern nomad of sorts, living all over the world without a fixed home in Germany. And so when Christian teamed up with her (Annette knew nothing about this Kris and Lisanne case until a week or so before she was asked to go to Boquete), she just moved from one Southern American country to another (well, latin-American I should say). But Christian was not there in Panama, he has stayed in Germany all along. She got in contact with Feliciano who became her go-to guide during those 5 months or so they claim she was there. Through him and no doubt being all praiseworthy and outwardly impressed with him (because that's what he gets energized from), she got into contact with Henry and the Pandilla later. She writes in SLIP that she tried to charter Plinio for a tour, but he saw through her right away and declined the offer. Annette got all insulted and insecure from this, but Plinio is no fool and clearly a lot more level-headed and grounded, and wisely stayed away from this self-proclaimed undercover agent. She wrote that she made herself look all naive and harmless, but for someone asking questions like she does, staying there for 5 months, it must have been obvious within 5 minutes really what she was there for. She didn't bring a body guard, like ImperfectPlan did. But pretending to be stupid can also serve as a virtual bodyguard sometimes..
I also seriously wonder WHO came up with this Mister M idea first? Because Annette knew nothing about this case initially. And then suddenly she supposedly reveals all the secrets of Jeremy Kryt's movements there, and suddenly she cracks this case and discovers Mister M? It seems obvious from the book that somebody told her about him, informed her about things. Christian dug through the case files and may also have flagged this Mister M. as relevant to the story. But a huge weakness in their book is this reliance of Annette in Boquete on the willingness of locals to inform her about things. She seems to blindly believe what she is told. There is very little indication in the book that they were critical of the possibility that Annette was used as a pawn perhaps by types like the tour guide and others, to strike back at someone like Jeremy Kryt for instance, and his bombshell podcast findings and claims. Which is a glaringly obvious possibility to us. So this whole Pandilla pandering and Mister M. theorizing is flawed for sure, and should be read with some critical view. But as to them writing down and publishing that BS paranormal ghost story from the Pandilla with dry eyes in their book? I am still shocked by that. That is worse and more pathetic than what West/Snoeren ever published in their flawed book. The image I am left with after finishing this book is unfortunately that of the figures of Kris and Lisanne, bathing at the Caldera. And then looming large, the faces of Milagros and Osman over them. It just doesn't work.
AFTERWORD
We also believe that although this unconventional 'book review' is extremely long, it will serve at least a tiny bit of purpose, hopefully. I do think everyone involved in this case has his or her specific topics of interest. We hammered the importance of the timeline in, and kept going back to the Feliciano Hola moment that wasn't covered by the authors. Placing himself in the timeline of their last day; being someone who would or could have known about their last destination. I sincerely believe that the many positive reviews for Feliciano and his tours are genuine and that he is in fact a lovely man to all those tourists. It is not even that I suspect that he himself is responsible or even involved in Kris and Lisanne's disappearances. But what we are trying to say is that everybody should be looked at critically and objectively. That's how it should be and with Pittí opting nót to properly investigate any potential person of interest, there is now the unfortunate situation where nobody is officially cleared either. So it is always good to have some critical eyes on things, including new books on the subject. And to provide some pushback (if necessary) to those with a platform, in the interest of this case and how it is discussed in the public spheres. And of course opinions will differ then, that is normal.
If you like my work and want to give me a thumbs up, then feel free to leave a comment below or on my youtube channel. Do not directly accuse people of crimes. That is not the reason why we wrote this post. We only believe that everybody who features in this unsolved mystery should be looked at critically. Having theories is one thing, but nobody knows what ultimately happened, least of all us. So please remember that everybody is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law (not a social media court of law). Thanks so much for reading and for the countless messages I have received over the years. It helps to keep me going with this case. Also a massive thanks to people like Power-Pixie, Dave, as well as many others for their cooperation and help over the years. And of course many thanks to Christian Hardinghaus and Annette Nenner for their book and everything new we learnt about this case through it.
"We also get a much more detailed insight into the initial criminal investigation and just how vital and impactful the 'discovery' of the backpack really was: enough to radically stop a planned criminal raid by Pittí on a suspects house the next day. Enough to entirely stop the criminal investigation, in fact. "
ReplyDeleteCountless idiots on Reddit: "It doesn't make sense that a killer would plant the backpack!!!!"
this is remarkable! thank you Scarlet. I'm doing some research on this and came across a post that you made somewhere else where you mentioned this blog that you have about the case and it is fascinating, love your perspective and critical thinking skills, I'm born and raised in Puerto Rico so my Spanish is perfect, if you ever needed help with translation or any slang term etc, let me know,
ReplyDeletecamoabs@gmail.com
Excellent review/discussion/critique of the book. I had a fascinating time reading this these last few days. I feel that I don't need to go out and buy the book. You've covered all the pertinent points extremely well. Plaudits to you Scarlet, Power Pixie and Dave M. Well done on this. Cheers.
ReplyDelete