Were these two friends lost or killed in the jungles of Panama? | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
website when 22-year-old Lan frun told her parents she was planning a 6- we trip to Costa Rica they kepted their
concerns to themselves the FR family lived in the Dutch city of amesport and had never been outside of Europe with
relatively little travel experience Lan's parents had reservations about their only daughter venturing to foreign
country but they wanted to be supportive Lan had been struggling with self-confidence and to step outside her
comfort zone could be exactly what she needed besides lassan was a sensible intelligent and introspective young
woman who preferred nature and sports over partying she gave her family no reason to
worry when the trip unexpectedly fell through Lan's parents breathed the collective sigh of relief but that
relief was shortlived before long Lan announced the plan was back in action but the
destination had been changed she would be going to the neighboring country of Panama
instead in the leadup to the trip Lan sat her parents and older brother down and ran them through every step of her
upcoming Journey she would be traveling with her close friend 21-year-old Chris Kramers A Fine Arts student with a flare
for per performing the two had met four years prior while working at the same restaurant and they'd recently moved
into a shared house together Chris had fallen in love with Latin America during a family vacation
to Peru since then she'd fantasized about returning to the continent to study Spanish Chris was extroverted creative
and outgoing complimenting Lan's quieter and more reserved personality the two friends had a shared
Vision they didn't just want a simple vacation through typical tourist traps they wanted a special trip one that held
significance they'd spent two weeks in the coastal Panamanian town of Bas deloro exploring the beaches while
taking Spanish classes then it was on to the mountain region of bokete where they demmers
themselves in the local culture and language and do some volunteer work at a daycare
center Lan's brother deemed it unnecessary for his sister to go through their plans in such detail but that's
just the kind of person she was organized to a tea as the big day approached Lan was
apprehensive yet excited having spent the past few years working part-time while studying for her degree in applied
psychology she was ready for an adventure the departing flight was scheduled for March 15 2014
when the day came Lan checked in at Amsterdam's Skip Hall airport and stood waiting with her
parents Chris Kramers was running late with each passing minute the ever punctual Lan grew more
anxious Lan's parents reassured her that Chris would arrive any moment while they too had been nervous
about the trip they now gazed at their daughter with nothing but pride and admiration when Chris finally arrived
Lan's anxiety gave way to excitement Peter frun embraced his daughter into a tight bear hug make the
most of it her mother said in High Spirits the two friends took off down the long hallway leading
to their flight just before they disappeared from view Lan turned around and waved a final
goodbye at that moment Peter relaxed it was clear to him that his daughter no longer had any hesitations
she was ready the four parents decided to grab a quick coffee together this was the first
time they'd ever met and with their daughters embarking on such a major adventure together it was suggested that
they exchange phone numbers surely theyd never need to use them but just in case
[Music] [Music] for Chris Kramers and Lan fr the trip started out like a dream after overcoming the shock of jet
lag they spent the first leg of their journey in ring the tropical heat and Caribbean lifestyle of bakus
deloro they took Spanish classes went island hopping and hung out with fellow Travelers they snorkled danced in a
tropical rainstorm and ate incredible food it was unlike anything they'd ever experienced after a day trip to the
nearby zapa Island Lan wrote in her diary I could not believe my eyes it was one big paradig I exactly like in your
dreams even a temporary stomach bug couldn't keep Chris's Spirits down as their time in bakus Del Toro Drew to an
end she struggled to say goodbye the time we had in bckas was really amazing Chris wrote in her diary
we really had a holiday there I have never seen a place with such a beautiful Coastline and palm trees and such really
super Chris and lassan arrived in B on Saturday March 29 2014 located in the western province of
chiiki just 60 km from the Costa Rican border B is a quaint Mountain Town known for its hiking trails waterfalls coffee
plantations and Lush scenery at 1200 m above sea level the cooler climate makes it a popular
destination for tourists seeking nature and outdoor adventure with the significant expa
Community B promised to Lan and Chris a unique experience without being too far off the beaten
path the young women had arranged to stay with a local family who rented out rooms to International guests not only
did this suit their budget it allowed them a genuine inside into local life but this culture shock quickly
proved overwhelming for Lan on the night of their arrival she confided in her diary that she wanted to
go home although the place was beautiful and the host family was friendly Lan felt that the switch from vacation mode
to living the real life of a real Panamanian was too much she wrote I was way too naive to think that
I could handle this I'm in way over my head I want mom and dad to hold me tight and tell me that everything will be all
right but I can't let them know how I feel now because I don't want them to worry I thought I should be able to do
this the final test before I can be really happy with myself so far I have failed
badly Chris wrote about struggling to adapt to the new environment as well but after a decent night sleep both women
were in better spirits they spent the next day exploring the town and checking out some
tours advertised in the local Spanish School months prior to leaving the Netherlands they'd arranged to volunteer
at a bokete children's center called Aura daycare both friends were looking forward to it
immensely but when they arrived at Aura on Monday March 31 they didn't get the warm welcome they
anticipated the staff weren't expecting the pair for another week and had no use
for them in the me metime put off by the cold treatment they received Chris wrote in her
diary Today Was A Strange Day we don't really want to go back to Aura anymore because we didn't feel welcome at all
there and it was really a huge disappointment Lan's diary entry was more succinct yuck yuck yuck she wrote our
first day was a disaster in an ATT attt to shake off their disappointment the young women
went to the Spanish school to discuss alternative volunteer projects they found another they liked
the sound of and hoped they could begin in the next couple of days while they waited for a response
from the volunteer coordinator they treated themselves to a massage Chris wrote let's hope that the other project
is really fun let's go with the Panamanian flow on the morning of Wednesday April 2 2014
B tour guide Felician Gonzalez stood at the Spanish school waiting for Lan frun and Chris
Kramers the previous morning the Dutch tourists had booked a tour with Feliciano to visit a nearby
Farm a German woman named eileene who worked at the Spanish school also decided to join them but as the minutes
ticked by there was no sign of Lan and Feliciano knew the young women was staying with a host family who lived
just a few minutes from the Spanish school he and Eileen walked to the house to see if Chris and lisan were there and
had perhaps got their times mixed up no one appeared to be home and the curtains
to the guest room were pulled shut Feliciano founded the homeowner a woman named Miriam to ask if she knew
where the Dutch women could be Miriam had no idea she said that Chris and Lan were still out when she went to bed the
previous evening she hadn't seen them that morning either but had left them breakfast before heading off to
work Miriam told Feliciano where he could find a spare key and gave him permission to go
inside he entered Chris and Lan's room the room was relatively tidy and the two single beds didn't appear to
have been slept in some of the women's personal belongings including mobile phone charges were spread out across
their beds and the bedside table while the rest of their luggage was packed away into the
cupboards wherever lisan and Chris were the state of their room indicated that they didn't intend to be gone for
long Feliciano and eileene reasoned that the pair had likely changed their plans
last minute without informing anyone they decided to check in later that day to make sure all was
well by the time Miriam returned home from work the breakfast she'd put out for her guests remained
Untouched by Sundown Lan and Chris still hadn't returned to mirams nor had they contacted anyone to inform them of their
whereabouts Feliciano and eileene went to the police to report the pair missing it was the middle of the night
in the Netherlands when Lan's mother dinny frun was awoken by the ringing of the
phone fear washed over her as she was informed that her daughter had failed to return to her lodgings for the night
Denny and her husband Peter called the emergency number for the travel agency that had organized Chris and Lan's
trip The woman there assured the worried parents that the girls had likely gone out for the night and would return
soon it was only when she started making some calls around bokete there on the fr's behalf that they realized the pair
hadn't slept at Miriam's the previous night either it dawned on them Chris and Lan
had already been missing for over 24 hours Denny immediately went on the hunt for the Kramer's phone number it turned
out they'd be needing it after all by the morning of Thursday April 3 world word quickly spread throughout
Boke that two young Dutch women were missing locals were eager to join the search but nobody knew where to look
Chris and lisan hadn't told anyone what their plans were for the previous couple
of days nor had they left a note in their room sent any texts or written anything in their diaries about where
they intended on going although the two had taken smartphones with them neither device was
equipped with a manian SIM card Chris and lisan had simply been using their phones to connect to the internet using
Wi-Fi which was how they maintained contact with loved ones back home mobile records gave no indication
of where they could be but a check of the Internet history at the Spanish School confirmed that the pair had
searched for information about a popular hiking trail known as the p& star a 10-minute Drive outside of town
the anista offers visitors the opportunity to walk to the top of the continental
divide the trail begins across Open Fields before weaving upwards through dense forests until it reaches the
summit known as the Mirador at roughly 65,000 ft above sea level on a clear day the Mirador offers a 360° view of the
forest canopy stretching all the way to the ocean for the healthy able-bodied indiv
indidual the pianista can be completed within about 5 to 6 hours it's a relatively straightforward
albeit challenging hike with a single defined track taking individuals all the way to the summit and back down
again many people choose to take an experienced tour guide with them but it's not unusual for travelers to do it
without one Feliciano Gonzalez the tour guide who'd realized Chris and lisan were
missing said that he'd offered to take the pair to the panista but they'd declined their online search history
suggested that they might have decided to hike it [Music] alone various Witnesses reported having
seen a pair matching Chris C Lan's description heading towards the panista on Tuesday April 1 the problem was no
one could say with utmost certainty that the women they'd seen had definitely been the missing Dutch Duo
Chris and lisan were both white and slender with strawberry blonde and light brown hair they looked similar to many
of the other young European Backpackers who frequented the area complicating things further no one
knew for sure what the pair had been wearing or carrying when they left their guest house on Tuesday morning and
witness descriptions of their clothing varied one witness claimed to have seen Chris and lisan waiting for a taxi in
town at around 1:45 p.m. this was supported by a taxi driver who recalled picking the pair up and
dropping them off at a hostel called Casa Pedro shortly before 2: p.m. the hostel was about a 20-minute
walk from the panista trail head according to the owner of the hostel the Joo asked about hiking the pianista but
later changed their mind saying they were going to head back into town instead on the main road in front of the hiking
trail was a restaurant called IL panista a restaurant employee claimed to have seen the pair heading up the trail
sometime between 3 and 3:30 p.m. a dog belonging to the restaurant's owners often accompanied tourists on
their hikes according to the employee the dog followed the women but returned later on
alone a local woman claimed she saw Chris and lissan heading up the mountain at around 4:15 p.m. concerned that they
weren't adequately dressed and that it was getting too late to complete the track before dark the woman warned the
girls in Spanish not to go up the mountain alone they didn't appear to have understood volunteer search teams began
scaring the Pista but found no sign of the missing women if Chris and lisan were indeed out there they considered
this a little unusual although the narrow Trail was surrounded on both sides by dense forest
it was designed with tourists in mind and therefore difficult to Veer off track the vegetation surrounding the
trail was thick to a point of being almost impenetrable if one veered off course
they wouldn't be able to go very far especially if they weren't appropriately dressed once bers reached the summit
they typically turned around and headed back down the mountain the same way they
came up had Chris or Lan gotten injured or sick during their hike Common Sense dictated that they would have likely
just stayed where they were until someone came by the trail was managed and monitored
by Park Rangers hikers passed through the trail every day not just tourists but locals
and members of the indigenous tribes that lived on the other side side of the Continental
Divide however the trail didn't technically end at the miror door on the other side of the summit a rugged
passage LED off the tourist track and onto a precarious web of trails used almost exclusively by members of the
indigenous norbar tribe this is where things became dicey if Lan and Chris had mistakenly
decided to walk onwards they could have gotten lost lost especially if they'd miscalculated how much time they had
before Sundown the trail was manageable for a while but it eventually led into a padic
where the path became difficult to reestablish tour guide Feliciano Gonzalez was an expert on the
panista not only did he take many tourists there his family also owned property on the other side of the
Divide felici told the Dutch broadcasting Foundation that it wasn't possible to lose track of the trail and
wander into the forest without noticing he said what is possible and what is a risk
is that you forget the time and that you keep walking that trail on and on had this been the case the missing
women were in danger of succumbing to dehydration hunger or the elements April 1 had been a warm clear
day but once the sun set the temperature dropped significantly without appropriate gear
or clothing hypothermia posed a genuine risk Lan had asthma and had been struggling with a bad
cough this could have been exacerbated By changes in the altitude or exposure to the elements which would only get
worse in the coming days as the rainy season kicked in search teams traversed the other side
of the summit but found no sign of the missing women there either this added weight to the
possibility that the two friends could have completed the hike without incident and disappeared
thereafter one local business owner claimed he saw two women matching the description of Chris and lisan coming
down the mountain in the late afternoon of April 1 looking tired and grumpy they asked for the best way to
get back to bokete he advised them to take a taxi but he didn't see which direction they
went or what they did from there back in the Netherlands the Kramers and frun families did all they
could from their end they reported The Disappearance to police in amers Fort notified Interpol and created a Facebook
page appealing for information as the search gained momentum the families reassured
themselves that the duo would likely turn up soon with a valid explanation but as the search reached
its fourth fruitless day concerns heightened Panama's National civil protection unit cpro took over the
mission and called for all the volunteer search parties to stand down working on the belief that the pair
were lost in the wilderness a map was created of all the possible locations that Chris and lisan might have
visited 25 rots throughout the baru national park that surrounded the panista were identified with a team of
40 cpro Rescuers and 35 Agents from the National Police tasked with conducting the
search sniffer dogs were also brought in but after a week of dry clear weather rainy conditions added an extra
challenge to the already difficult exploration it also increased the fears for Chris and Lan's well-being
while the trails could have been manageable at first the intense rain turned them into muddy unforgiving
passageways the Babbling streams transforming into rushing Rivers some small vacant Huts along the
trails could have provided adequate shelter but these were checked and no signs were found to indicate Chris and
lisan had stayed within if they'd sought shelter in a cave or crevice somewhere this would only make them more difficult
to find mind with any screams for help most likely being absorbed by the surrounding
jungle members of Chris and Lan's families flew to Panama to join the search efforts in a bid to encourage
indigenous people from the other side of the Continental Divide to continue the search they announced a $25,000
reward still the days ticked by with no leads some started to criticize cenpro approach calling for the search to be
expanded beyond the national park and to other areas the missing women might have
headed to if the Dutch women had made it back from the panista officials could be
wasting precious Time by not properly exploring other options by April 14 two weeks had passed
with no breakthroughs if Chris and lisan were out in the wilderness their chances of
survival at this point were Slim the Intensive search was scaled back with the investigation handed over to
the public Ministry Panamanian and Dutch authorities worked collaboratively to generate leads and provide support to
the families but as each day passed with no new information emerging the belief that
Chris and lisan were lost gave way to a new prevailing theory that the pair had met with Foul
Play the possibility of fair play had been considered from the outset of the investigation but it was only when no
evidence emerged to suggest otherwise that it really started gaining traction the fair play theory was mostly
born from the belief that Chris and lisan would have never willingly ventured into the formidable Trails on
the other side of the panista summit these were intelligent women who knew they were unprepared for an
extended period of time in the wilderness as a lawyer hired by the kramis family later told The Daily
Beast I hiked at myself the whole Trail I saw it with my own eyes they would never have wanted to go on down into
that hell furthermore if one of the women had gotten sick or injured it made sense to
think that the other one would have managed to follow the trail back to safety as investigative journalist Peter Dev
told a Dutch current affairs program a vanon d it was plausible to think that one of the women could have slipped and
fallen into a ravine making them difficult to find it was less likely that this would happened to them
both given that neither Chris Lan or any of their belongings had resurfaced during the search Peter said you have to
consider the possibility that a third party had a hand in it the search for the missing women
shifted gears into a criminal investigation there were two leading theories the first was that Chris and
Lan had encountered a perpetrator while hiking the pianista who had forced them down the other side of the
mountain tourists had been robbed on the trail before so it didn't seem farfetched to consider that something
more Sinister could have taken place the second theory was that Chris and Lan had successfully completed their
hike and it was upon their return to town that they met with f play and were taken to another
location Chris's father told reporters we are extremely worried what worries us most is that somebody could
have taken them away with an evil purpose rumors swelled that the pair could have been kidnapped for rantom
were being held captive or had been murdered by an opportunistic Predator as part of a sexually or financially
motivated attack the more extreme rumors speculated that they could have been sold by sex traffickers taken by drug
cartels killed by organ Harvesters or Fallen victim to a serial killer although there was no evidence to
support any particular Theory Chris and Lan's families were taking no Chances with with the investigation
turned criminal they began handing out flyers and Plastering life-sized banners with their daughters faces on them
around B they hired a private investigator and created an organization called the
foundation to find lisan and Chris calling for donations from the public to help fund their ongoing search
efforts appearing at an informal press conference Peter frun told reporters dear lisan and Chris please
know that we will stay here in Panama until you have been found we will wait as long as it takes and we will not give
up really we won't have faith in us Chris's mother Roy refused to believe the worst had happened to get her
through the days she repeated a mantra over and over in her head she's alive and she will be found she's alive and
she will be found the families increased the reward for information to $30,000 this was a significant amount in
Panama enough to ensure a comfortable life while the previous reward was motivation for volunteers to join the
search the revised amount was intended to entice individuals to report suspicious activity among their close
circles Denny frun told reporters the coverage has to get bigger there must be people here who know
something the boosted reward led to an influx of tips including an unsubstantiated report that two
decomposing bodies had been found in the jungle nothing brought investigators any
closer to the truth and with more leads trickling in it became harder for them to stay on top of
things the people of B were deeply affected by what was going on it was a small community and they felt
great Sympathy for the loved ones of the missing women as the sixth week past without a
solid lead emerging residents organized a silent March in honor of Chris and lisan the families thanked the people of
Panama for their heartfelt support and announced that they'd be working closely with the newly assigned State prosecutor
bider pity who specialized in criminal cases citizen of amamos Fort also rallied behind the families with various
organizations holding fundraisers to raise money for the foundation to find lisan and
Chris by late May B's rainy season was in full swing specialist rescue dogs were flown in from the Netherlands but
their search was hindered by heavy rainfall despite these challenges the Dutch teams trudged on for 8 days before
concluding that there was nothing to indicate that Chris and lisan were anywhere in the mountains of
boret their parents were at a loss for what to do next by the time the K9 team returned to the Netherlands on June 4
Chris and lisan had been missing for over 2 months and not a single clue had emerged to suggest what had happened to
them if they weren't in the mountains then where were they worried sick the families decided
to return to the Netherlands where they could organize more help and figure out their next
steps they didn't have to wait for long they'd barely been home a week when finally there was the first big break in
the [Music] case imma mirando was a member of the indigenous nor tribe she lived in the
remote Village of Alto Romero which was roughly a 12-hour Trek North from the of
the panista on Wednesday June 11 2014 10 weeks after Chris and Lan were last scene yma was washing clothes in the Rio
kbra known to English speakers as the serpent River the freshwater river earned its name for the snake-like way
it spiraled through the region Emma caught sight of something wedged between some Driftwood and rocks
of the riverbank she went to take a closer look it was a backpack inside among other items was an
insurance card imma was all too aware that two Dutch women had recently gone missing
from the area when she saw the name on the card she recognized it immediately lisan
FR Emar and her husband took the backpack to the home of a local cattle rancher who contacted the authorities on
their behalf the following day a helicopter was dispatched to Ala Romero to collect
the lightweight Burton brand a day pack save for some dirt scratch marks and discoloration it was in relatively good
condition one of the straps was partially loose and there were some small holes and tears but the contents
remained intact this included Lan's Samsung Galaxy smartphone Chris's iPhone l an's
digital camera two bras two pairs of sunglasses a water bottle and $83 in cash lisan was an amateur photographer
and she'd been using the Canon PowerShot sx270 camera to document their trip since the
beginning the camera contained a 16 GB memory card which was still accessible despite being exposed to
water investigators watched with anticipation as the images began to load the photos proved that lisan and
Chris did indeed hike the P star on Tuesday April 1 2014 but the pictures didn't align with
the witness sightings that had previously been provided a taxi driver said he dropped
the Dutch women off near the Pista just before 2: p.m. with various Witnesses then claiming to have seen the the duo
climbing up the mountain between 3 and 4:15 p.m. each of the photos contained a digital time stamp which proved that
they'd actually started the hike at 11:00 a.m. straight off the bat this debunked the timeline that investigators
had been working with since the very start of the women's disappearance from Chris and Lan's
attire it was clear they didn't set out for anything other than a leisurely hike
both women were dressed in shorts and tank tops carrying nothing between them except Lan's
backpack they wore hiking boots but had no hats jackets or protective gear lisan captured the scenery as they
made their way up the trail with Chris often stopping to pose ahead of her it was a bright sunny day and the
two friends looked happy metadata showed that they reached the Mirador Summit at 1:00
p.m. a series of elated selfies captured Chris and lisan grinning proudly as they
gave the thumbs up symbol showing off the Epic landscape stretching behind them up until this point there was
nothing out of the ordinary about their actions and their photos indicated they were alone on the
trail but from there on in that all changed photos showed that Chris and lisan did indeed travel onwards down the
indigen Trails on the other side of the Divide away from b a photo taken after they'd left the
summit showed Chris crossing over a stream and heading further downhill Specialists familiar with the
area identified this spot as less than an hour's hike from the top of the summit in the wrong
direction there was nothing in the pictures to indicate why they'd continued onwards but some interpreted
the expression on 's face as no longer being happy and carefree from there things only got
stranger for 8 days there were no more photos then on Tuesday April 8th at 1:29 a.m. the camera sprung back into
action over a period of almost 3 hours 90 similar images of near tootal Darkness were
captured some were taken just Seconds Apart others several minutes only one image captured anything
other than Blackness it was the back of someone's head presumably Chris Kramer her long
strawberry blonde hair filling the entire shot in a bid to make sense of the nighttime photos investigators resized
the images and manipulated their brightness levels although they were still done
dark this allowed them to make out some of the items in the frame numerous bright specs indicated it
had been raining at the time the photos were taken which aligned with the recorded weather patterns from the time
in question several of the images captured what appeared to be trees foliage moss
covered rocks and large Boulders in one photo a twig with red plastic attached to it had been placed
on the rock face seemingly intentionally like some kind of marker another photo captured several
pieces of what looked like intentionally torn up rubbish sitting on the rock face from the positioning of the angle
it appeared that the photos had been taken by someone who was either sitting or lying down and facing the camera
slightly upwards most of the images had been taken with a steady hand indicating they
were intentional and not taken under duress then natural surroundings suggested the images had been taken on a
rivered or Cliff face but there was no clear Landmark to indicate exactly where a straight line visible in some of
the photos was speculated to be a cable from one of the few makeshift bridges known as monkey bridges used by the
indigenous locals to cross from one side of the serpent River to the other this bridge was deep into the
forest several miles from where the last fot photo of Chris was taken on April 1 with the back of Chris's head visible
in one shot it was plausible to assume Lan was the one taking the photos but this couldn't be said with
certainty as she didn't appear in a single image furthermore because Chris's face wasn't visible there was nothing to
prove what kind of state she was in or that she was even alive at the time the photo was
taken a week had passed between the last photo of Chris crossing the stream and the nighttime images yet Chris's hair
appeared clean and dry nothing in the photos or the backpack presented a single clue as to
what had happened to the women during that unaccounted for chunk of time if they had gotten lost or injured why
suddenly take 90 photos a week later in the middle of the night no less [Music] some of the mysterious nighttime photos
were published in the media prompting a deluge of theories from members of the public as to what they could
mean theories ranged from the Practical to the supernatural with many comparing the images to scenes from the
supernatural horror film The Blair Witch Project some speculated that lisang could have been using the flash of her
camera as a source of light and had simply been taking the photos to get a better view of her surroundings
the problem with this theory was that the images had all been taken from practically the same spot the
photographer didn't seem to be attempting to move or find their way around others speculated that lisan or
Chris could have been using the flash of the camera to signal for help but this didn't explain why the images had been
taken from underneath foliage if the women were trying to grab someone's attention it made sense to
assume that would have moved out into the open if they were physically able to others theorized that Chris and lisan
knew they were about to die and were taking the photos as some kind of message to whoever found the
camera but Lan's camera had plenty of battery life left on it and was also capable of taking
videos if they were on the brink of death why not take a clearer photograph or record a message for their families
explaining what had happened to them with no such message this led to the more Sinister
theories what if it wasn't Lan or Chris who took the photos at all but someone else
entirely with none of the photos providing any definitive answers about what happened to Chris Kramers and Lan
frun all possibilities remained open with the discovery of the backpack at the very least investigators now had a
specific area to hone in on the portion of the serpent river near Alto Romero was particularly difficult
to reach and even harder to navigate while members of cpro were dispatched to join the search a team of
locals from the nor tribe led by tour guide Feliciano Gonzalez also began scouring the area as they knew the
forest better than anyone just days after the backpack was recovered on Wednesday June 18 they were
scaring the riverbank a little further Upstream from where the backpack was found when they were hit with a distinct
smell following the odor behind a tree they found a woman's hiking boot its laces is still tied and the intact
remains of a left foot inside on the other side of the riverbed was the left part of a human pelvis bone
while the bones were taken away for forensic testing a member of the nor search party headed further up the river
back towards the second monkey bridge in the area there they found Chris Kramer's
denim shorts unzipped and unbuttoned reports differ as to where exactly this discovery was made and
whether the shorts were in the water or on the riverbank regardless it led to the
question of how they came to be there had Chris intentionally taken them off for some reason had she Fallen while
attempting to cross the river or had they been forcibly removed DNA testing confirmed that the
foot was lan fres the broken pelvic bone was later confirmed to have come from Chris
Kramer with confirmation that the Joo were deceased but still nothing to clarify what happened to them the
investigation was declared a crime against personal Integrity for the families this news was
met with mixed feelings on one hand they were relieved to finally have some answers about where
the two women had ended up on the other hand they were plagued by questions about how they got there and who or what
caused their deaths the families announced that they intended to continue the search until it
became clear what happened a statement released on their behalf said too many questions remain unanswered for the
families to find peace of mind too little has been uncovered from Chris and alisan to give up the search or to be
able to say their farewells we will focus our attention on two different aspects of the search what
exactly happened to Chris and lisan and what can we recover from them we want to figure out what exactly
happened to them and whether third parties have been involved with poor weather hindering the search
of the already inhospitable area the parents said they were waiting to see what data could be recovered from their
daughter's Electronics they thanked the public media and Panamanian authorities for
their ongoing support but requested that the Press refrain from speculation and stick to the
[Music] facts it took weeks before any usable data could be extracted Ed from the
smartphones belonging to Chris and lissan when it finally was this only raised more
questions the last photo of Chris Kramers which showed her walking onwards down the mountain had been taken at 1:54
p.m. on April 1 2014 call logs revealed that at 4:39 p.m. Chris's iPhone was used to call 112
the international Emergency Services number for the European Union this emergency number was designed to be
accessible even without a SIM card and also worked overseas but the call failed to connect due to lack of
reception 12 minutes later Lan Samsung was also used to call 112 this too was unsuccessful both phones were switched
off shortly after investigators failed to make sense of this the call log indicated that
something bad must have happened in the 2 and 1/ half hours between the last photo being taken and the first
emergency call being placed but nothing on the camera or the phones indicated what that could have
been this raised the question what could be serious enough to Warrant calling emergency services waiting 12 minutes
before trying again and then giving up entirely the following morning on April 2 both phones were powered back on and
used to call both 112 and the local emergency number 911 again the calls failed due to lack
of reception and were switched back off Lan's phone was switched on that evening and left on overnight but no
further calls were made from this device it was turned on and off intermittently the following day before
the battery went flat on the morning of April 4 Chris's iPhone made its last attempt
to call 911 on the morning of April 3 after that it was switched on and off a few times each day presumably seeking
a signal but no calls were made and at no point did it connect with a local cell phone
tower a pin code was needed to access Chris's iPhone on the morning of April 5 the PIN code was entered correctly for
the last time that night and the following day of April 6 the iPhone was turned on and off
but the correct pin code was never punched in again the phone remained off for the
next 5 days including on April 8th the date The Unexplained night photos were taken on April 11 the iPhone was
switched back on at 10:50 a.m. without the PIN code being entered an hour later at 11:50 a.m. the
iPhone was turned on off for good despite still having battery power neither of the phones contained
any clues such as goodbye messages unsent texts or voice memos to explain what had happened after the women
crossed the mirror door investigators couldn't figure out why the attempts to use the phones had
been so sporadic had Chris and lisan been in genuine trouble one would assume there would have been more attempts to
get service and call for help earlier on and why all of a sudden was Chris's pin code no longer entered
correctly was this simply because she switched the phone on and then off again upon realizing she couldn't get a signal
or was it because Chris herself was no longer in possession of the phone if Chris had perished and Lan was
in fact the one trying to use the iPhone how did that explain photos of the back
of Chris's head Taken 3 days later it wasn't just the phone data that had investigators scratching their heads as
the Dutch team scrutinized the data from Lan's camera they realized that one image was missing from the
sequence the image of Chris crossing the stream on the afternoon of April 1 had been labeled as photo number
508 photo number 510 was the first of the nighttime shots taken on April 8 Photo 5 9 the image that bridged the
gap between the normal daytime photos and the Mysterious nighttime photos was [Music]
missing when a photo is manually deleted off a digital camera the file can usually be restored using special
software when connected to a computer despite significant efforts the Dutch experts were unable to restore
deleted image 509 analysis of Lan's camera determined she wasn't in the habit of deleting
photos herself even if they weren't the best shots so it seemed unlikely that she had deleted it on
purpose speaking to the AOSS TV network one Dutch investigator said photo 509 could give us a clue as
to what happened and it is a real shame that we have not been able to retrieve anything from this photo we do not know
when this photo was taken whether on April 1st or at another moment moment in time or why it was
deleted a glitch in the system seemed unlikely as experts could typically restore at least a fraction of a deleted
photo this led to speculation that it could have been permanently deleted by Panamanian investigators who first had
access to the camera either by accident or on purpose B's economy relied on tourism if
the pitcher captured something incriminating that could deter people from visiting the area some believed the
authorities had a good reason to want to keep it quiet by late August 2014 several more
bones were found scattered further Downstream of the serpent River one was confirmed to have come from Chris
Kramer's right rib while two others were identified as Lan fr's femur and tiia no official reports have ever been
released regarding the autopsies but some of the information has been laked to the media by Anonymous
sources Dutch author Jurgen snorin was given access to the full case File while researching the story for a book he coo
called Lost In the Jungle according to Jurgen Lan's metat tasal Bones the small bones at the
Forefront of her foot were fractured in three places signs of healing indicated these
fractures had occurred while Lan was still alive both of her leg bones showed signs
of perotis this condition is caused by repetitive stress and it results in inflammation of the tissue surrounding
the tibia symptoms include intense pain limited Mobility fever and chills combined with the broken bones in
her feet this meant Lan wouldn't have been able to walk very far after sustaining the
injuries but what caused those injuries and when remained up for speculation the marrow in Lan's leg
bones was still intact indicating the bones were only in the early stage of decomposition this was in stark contrast
to the condition of Chris's rib bone which was pale white or what some describe as being
bleached bone bleaching can be caused by two things extended exposure to sunlight or
exposure to a chemical such as lime lime can occur naturally in the environment and is a key ingredient in
fertilizer but it can also be used in criminal cases to speed up human decomposition none of the bones provided
a clear indication as to what caused Chris or Lan's death Lan's autopsy determined that her broken metattoo
bones were likely caused by a fall from a high place but this couldn't be said with
certainty such injuries can also result from repeated stress or by being crushed
with a hard object breaks like the one in Chris's pelvis could also be attributed to a
fall from a great height but this bone showed no signs of healing indicating she was likely already dead when this
injury occurred ultimately none of the bones showed any signs of violence this detail combined with the
data from the camera and phones gave the Panamanian authorities enough information to release an official
ruling they determined that Chris and Lan had likely gotten lost after venturing onwards past the peak of the
panista at some point they either fell to their deaths or succumbed to a combination of injuries hunger
exhaustion and the elements had they died near the riverbank their remains could have
started to decompose before the rising water levels caused by heavy rainfall eventually reached them and carried them
away in the river contact with rocks Boulders and scavengers eventually led to their bodies breaking into pieces and
being scattered throughout the majority of the remains likely flowed into the larger tribues of
the changala river never to be recovered the Kramers family wouldn't accept this
explanation there were simply too many unanswered questions if the pair got lost why
didn't they leave anything to mark their presence on the trail how could they have been out there for so long without
crossing paths with at least one of the 20 or so locals cattle ranchers or tour guides who passed through the area each
week while also going undetected by search parties Chris's parents Hans and Ry hired a local team and set out on a hike
over the pianista to see it with their own eyes They concluded there was no way Chris and Lan could have gotten lost
that first day even if they'd ventured a few hours Beyond The Summit to them the trail was clear the
entire way and there was nowhere one could sustain an immobilizing fall in a time frame consistent with the emergency
calls they didn't discount the possibility that Chris and lisan had first Emergency Services because they'd
crossed paths with someone with Criminal Intent a forensic anthropologist who worked on the investigation also
disagreed with the official ruling speaking anonymously to The Daily Beast they said that the bones showed no
signs of animal Scavenging or any marks to indicate they'd been broken up by River
Rocks they didn't believe it was possible that the bodies could have become completely detached within just
seven or8 weeks or that Chris's remains had been exposed to sunlight long enough
for bleaching to have occurred naturally as another forensic expert told The Daily Beast an American hiker
who died in the same Forest under similar circumstances was found 2 years after going missing his skeleton was
still 90% intact and none of his bones showed any signs of bleaching the only explanation some
argued was human intervention the Kramers urged the Panamanian authorities to hold on to
Chris's remains and keep the case open until more thorough conclusions could be drawn meanwhile lisan fr's remains were
returned to the Netherlands and she was forly laid to rest with her family saying it was with great pain in their
hearts that they had to let Lan go the Kramers felt that enough of Chris's remains hadn't yet been found to
warrant to burial with her mother telling Dutch reporters it is very difficult to say
goodbye when you have so little of your daughter and when you have the feeling that more is to be
found in January 2015 a Dutch forensic team traveled to Panama at the request of the kramis
family aided by local guides and sniffer dogs they followed the trail Chris and Lan were known to have walked and they
too concluded it was highly unlikely the pair had gotten lost lead investigator Frank vanderhart
said the area where this is supposed to have taken place simply does not lend itself to getting lost anyone who
suggests getting lost as a real possibility can be said with certainty that they have never physically crossed
the route in question yet the team also ruled out Foul Play concluding the geographic
conditions the social conditions and the technical facts as emerged from the forensic investigation make a crime in
the form of a robbery sex crime violent crime or kidnapping very unlikely they determined the most
probable explanation was that lisan and Chris had slipped somewhere towards the end of the Mountain's descent landing
near the riverbed where the night photos were later Taken according to the Dutch team quote
in the event of a fall at this location there is a huge height difference of 30 to 40 m which makes the risk of injury
very likely moreover the stream is surrounded on both sides by waterfalls and the bed
is surrounded by a steeper rock wall of several meters they concluded that climbing out
would have been near impossible without the proper tools leading to eventual death given the changing water level and
the amount of time that had passed since the two friends disappeared the Dutch team deemed it unlikely that any more of
their remains would ever be uncovered seemingly satisfied with this explanation Chris's family announced
they would finally arrange a funeral in a statement released on their website they
said as a family we are relieved that we now finally have a possible and plausible explanation for all the
questions we had surrounding ing Chris's death we would like to thank everyone who has worked to find an answer to the
question of what could happen to Chris and lisan since their disappearance on April 1 last year for their dedication
and commitment to achieving this result together with us despite this conclusion the
mysterious disappearance of Chris Kramers and Lan frun remains a hotly debated topic among reporters amateur
sleuths and forensic professionals even the lawyer hired by the Kramers family Enrique oroa believed
something more suspicious was a play in 2016 he told The Daily Beast the official version of the story
makes no sense the evidence seems to have been manipulated in order to hide something at the very least there should
have been a criminal investigation Enrique wanted to take the case to the international Court of
justice but the cram is firmly declined countless online message boards are dedicated to a wide array of
theories with individuals putting hours of their own time into conducting their own detailed Research into various
elements of the case every facet has been thoroughly pulled apart and examined by online sleuths with
suspicion cast on certain individuals who cropped up during the course of the investigation allegations that lisan and
Chris were killed by locals and the crime was then covered up by various towns folk have been fueled by such
events as the taxi driver who claimed to have dropped the duo at the trail also dying under suspicious circumstances
just a year later almost every possibility has been speculated and debated including
far-fetched Supernatural theories and the outlandish possibility that the pair crossed paths with
cannibals proponents of the the fa playay Theory cite various unusual elements for why they didn't accept that
Chris and lisan died as a result of accident or misadventure at the core is the belief
that the Joo wouldn't have wandered so far down the other side of the mountain at their own free
will many believe the women were ordered down were running away from someone or were captured and held captive somewhere
before being murdered others believe they left the panista and were then met with fou play
but as Skeptics to this Theory argue what was the motive no Ransom was ever demanded and
Lan's backpack still contained electronics and $83 in cash ruling out theft or financial gain if the crime was
sexually motivated why would a violent perpetrator let them keep possession of their
phones why didn't they destroy the camera and how could a killer have navigated the treacherous Forest while
also maintaining control over two grown women and avoiding detection by the search
parties to many if the deaths really were an accident it simply didn't make sense that Chris and Lan had been found
in pieces that so few of their remains had been recovered and that they were in such varying stages of
Decay how could their remains be so damaged while the possessions in their backpack were perfectly
intact several forensic professionals journalists and survival experts have voiced their skepticism about these
facts yet in direct contrast others in the same Fields have said the different rates of decomposition are to be
expected talking to the Daily Beast forensic anthropologist Dr Kathy Rex explained that the rainforest Chris and
Lan perished in had many micro environments there differences in river currents Flora growth animal Scavenging and sun
exposure could result in body parts decomposing at different rates some resources also say that the
bones did show signs of animal Scavenging and that Chris's bone bleaching was well within expected
natural parameters either way the question remains as to why neither of the women
left behind a photo video message or clue to explain what happened to them especially as the days progressed and
their situation became more dire in a case where every detail leads to more questions many agree that the
Panamanian authorities poorly handled the case from the outset one of the biggest issues is that
a proper chain of custody was never established and adequate care wasn't taken to protect the forensic Integrity
of the evidence for example it has been reported that as many his 30 foreign fingerprints were found on Lan's
backpack and belongings that were never recorded or tested these failures along with the
lack of transparency has led to ongoing accusations of corruption and a criminal
cover up Adela corat a journalist for leading Panamanian newspaper La estraya told The
Daily Beast quote it's a sad fact but serious investigation was never done by the
public min Ministry everything had to be hushed up to protect tourism the victims deserve justice and
the families deserve to know what really [Music] happened another of the major problems
with this case is that over the years many details have been either lost or misinterpreted in Translation as
information Cycles between Dutch Spanish and English this coupled with the lack of
official information that has been released has led to incorrect details being continuously
regurgitated as fact resulting in widespread misinformation one such example is that
in October 2014 an article published by lraa claimed that when Lan's thigh bones
were recovered a ball of her skin was also found which barely showed any signs of
decomposition however the skin was later determined to have come from an animal La australa updated their original
article but this myth about Lan's so-called ball of skin continues to be regurgitated and used to propel
speculation another widely misconstrued detail is that Chris's denim shorts were
found zipped and neatly folded on a rock Dutch correspondent Mark bessam was living in Panama when Chris and lissan
first went missing he explained to the Dutch broadcasting Foundation that many of the
rumors circulating around bokete were picked up in the Netherlands and reported by the press as proper
facts Mark said for the first time in my career I was in the middle of a media storm in
practice this means that you have to correct incorrect messages from the Netherlands very often the truth is that
we know few facts as difficult as it is to accept we simply did not know and to this day we simply do not know exactly
what happened opinions on Panama's handling of this case differ as widely as the
theories about what happened to the Dutch women lead prosecutor bider pity has come under Fire for what many view as a
botched investigation While others praise investigators in what's been called one of the biggest search and
rescue missions ever undertaken in Panama the Kramers have voiced a disappointment
with both sides of the investigation in 2019 Chris's father Hans told Dutch magazine PR that he
could write an encyclopedia about all the mistakes that were made saying there were many loose ends in my
opinion and that of many others many mistakes have been made I can still get very mad about it but what's the point
there's no point in talking in hindsight we have to live with the fact that our daughter is no longer
here there is still some debate about the area where the nighttime photos were taken if the location designated by both
the Dutch and Panamanian forensic teams is correct it raises The Haunting possibility that a search team passed by
Chris and lissan a few days after they disappeared at a time they phone activity indicates at least one of them
was still alive in 2017 Peter frun told BNN documentary Break Free that rescue dog
signified that they sensed something at the time but it wasn't a strong enough indication for their handlers to pursue
it Chris's brother publicly shut this possibility down saying the search team were only in the area weeks later at a
time when Chris and lisan were no longer alive it is understood that the Kramers and fr
families have differing opinions about the case and have parted ways regardless neither of them
supported A Renewed investigation with both families choosing to move on and accept the fact that Chris and lissan
are no longer here when the pair were still missing the kramis family kept a small Shrine
for Chris adorned with photos candles and a postcard she sent from pan which they called the table of
Hope after it was confirmed that Chris was no longer alive they maintained to the shrine but renamed it Chris's little
place Chris's father told pre magazine we picked life back up and will think about our dear daughter every day
no matter what nobody can take that feeling away from us Lan's family accept C the theory that
the girls died by accident as Lan's Brother Martin told the hosts of The Dutch talk show
pal if there is anything positive that I can take from this whole story it is that they died a natural
death I do not want to think about a scenario where they ended up in prostitution or in the hands of human
traffickers or something back when Chris and Lan first went missing there was nothing at the
top of the panista summit to Mark the peak of the trail a sign has since been erected warning tourists not to go any
further alongside it sits a memorial for Lan frun and Chris Kramers which lists the date of their deaths as April 1 the
day they went missing over the years some of criticized Lan and Chris for making a
naive decision to venture Into the Wilderness without taking the right precautions the FR family rejects this
notion instead praising The Bravery the pair showed when the odds were stacked against
them Chris's Brother Martin told the breakf free documentary things are said so easily
without thinking when someone gets his wallet stolen in the center of Amsterdam you can't say that that person probably
deserved it because he hadn't been more careful or naive or dumb for keeping his
wallet in his pocket such things just happen and a big fat bad luck when you look closely at Chris and
Lan's nature and in which manner they made choices in life then I just know that they made the right
decision by deciding to take the step and to go and do something beautiful [Music]
e

Case 283: Kris Kremers & Lisanne Froon

When Dutch friends Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon set out for a six-week adventure in Panama in 2014, they were ready for the trip of a lifetime. But after failing to show up for a planned tour in the mountain town of Boquete, search parties sprung into action.

Had the two young women gotten lost while hiking the popular Pianista trail, or was something more sinister at play?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-283-kris-kremers-lisanne-froon

Brief Summary

The episode details the mysterious disappearance of Chris Kramers and Lan Frun in Panama during a hiking trip in 2014.

Key points

The Trip Takes a Turn. Lan's plans change unexpectedly, leading her to Panama with her friend Chris.
Lan's Journey Begins. 22-year-old Lan Frun prepares for her first big trip outside Europe, facing her fears.
The Disappearance. Lan and Chris go missing after a day of hiking, sparking a frantic search.
Search Efforts Intensify. As days pass without leads, families ramp up search efforts, hiring private investigators and raising rewards.
Mysterious Nighttime Photos. A series of nighttime photos taken by Chris's camera raises questions about their circumstances.
Discovery of Human Remains. Searchers find a woman's hiking boot and human bones, confirming the worst fears.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Our first day was a disaster.

Lan's disappointment about their first day at the daycare.

9:24WatchMay 11, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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