The Mysterious Disappearance & Death of Two Dutch Hiker Girls

[WillBrink]

I have been to Boquete and would not have thought it unsafe, but that was some time ago and things change. For that matter, things can go to hell pretty quick just about anywhere.

It's not unsafe, hence my comments. It's a very safe area in a generally safe country. But, chit can happen anyplace. I lived in the safest city in the US at the time (Newton MA) and i missed the owner of the fish store I liked to visit regularly get shot by about 30 mins. Missed a bank robbery by maybe 45.

[Kyohte]

Appears to be a hiking accident to me. The jungle is a very harsh place that lulls outsiders into a sense of complacency with it’s beauty. There are oddities, but I think they’re overall minor when taken into the bigger picture of amateur hikers in unknown back country. Here is the biggest question. Why the photos at night? The simple explanaition is that by this point, having only a day pack, the surviving girl is delrious. Still, why at night and why only that night? Maybe this was taken shortly after one of the girls suffered a fatal fall and the other was taking note of the location? But why at night? Were they attempting to move at night? If so, this shows their lack of experience in the jungle and may be why one was killed. Again, though, why not wait until morning?

[ALCOAR]

I was fascinated by this case like millions of other Americans, and the photos were at least leaked as I've seen dozens, and dozens of them. They were using the flash as a light at some point, and another picture looks to be of a fallen girl.

I came to the conclusion that is was an accidental if foolhardy incident.

[Business_Casual]

Doc,

With the evidence presented in the video, it is difficult for me to conclude anything other than death by misadventure. What is making you determine otherwise?

b_c

[Doc Safari]

It's not unsafe, hence my comments. It's a very safe area in a generally safe country. But, chit can happen anyplace. I lived in the safest city in the US at the time (Newton MA) and i missed the owner of the fish store I liked to visit regularly get shot by about 30 mins. Missed a bank robbery by maybe 45.

What I find interesting from the standpoint of whether or not there was foul play: There were $83 in the backpack. I assume they must have been US dollars since that's pretty much an international form of currency. Dutch money would have been worthless in Panama. So if it were Panamanian or US dollars surely a perp would have kept the cash, traded the cell phones and the camera for drugs or cigarettes or something. I think this leans strongly toward the "accident" theory.

[Doc Safari]

Doc,

With the evidence presented in the video, it is difficult for me to conclude anything other than death by misadventure. What is making you determine otherwise?

b_c

I agree: It was two inexperienced hikers who had no business being where they were.

[Doc Safari]

Appears to be a hiking accident to me. The jungle is a very harsh place that lulls outsiders into a sense of complacency with it’s beauty. There are oddities, but I think they’re overall minor when taken into the bigger picture of amateur hikers in unknown back country. Here is the biggest question. Why the photos at night? The simple explanaition is that by this point, having only a day pack, the surviving girl is delrious. Still, why at night and why only that night? Maybe this was taken shortly after one of the girls suffered a fatal fall and the other was taking note of the location? But why at night? Were they attempting to move at night? If so, this shows their lack of experience in the jungle and may be why one was killed. Again, though, why not wait until morning?

Here's what I think happened. The first photo in the sequence is the one of the twig with the plastic bags on it. I don't know why that was taken at night unless the two were starving, thirsty, and not thinking clearly. They were doing their best to conserve energy by moving around at night instead of the daytime in the hot, steamy jungle.

I think shortly after that, in the pitch black darkness, Lisanne heard Kris scream because Kris had fallen over the edge of a precipice. Lisanne began frantically snapping photos to use the camera's flash to try to locate where her friend was. The next photo in sequence is the one looking over the precipice where there may be the faint image of a "body" in the upper right hand portion of the photo. I think that's when Lisanne had found Kris at the bottom of a ravine. The next photo in sequence is the bloody head shot of Kris. Lisanne had crawled down the precipice to where Kris's body was, and snapped the photo to document her friend's death. I think somewhere in the darkness Lisanne probably suffered a fatal fall shortly afterword. The two bodies laid there until the torrential rains flooded the area and carried the bodies off. If both bodies had multiple broken bones, as they decomposed they probably would have disarticulated faster than a body that was decomposing without broken bones. Who knows how long the remains were in the river before animals carried off what was left. I do believe the skulls should have been found, though.

Anyway, that's my theory.


I've looked at a gazillion websites concerning this case. If anyone can provide a link to the "unreleased" photos that would be great.

[WillBrink]

What I find interesting from the standpoint of whether or not there was foul play: There were $83 in the backpack. I assume they must have been US dollars since that's pretty much an international form of currency. Dutch money would have been worthless in Panama. So if it were Panamanian or US dollars surely a perp would have kept the cash, traded the cell phones and the camera for drugs or cigarettes or something. I think this leans strongly toward the "accident" theory.

Panama uses the US dollar and Dutch money could simply be exchanged for US dollars. If someone looking to do bad things to them, and kill them, probably robbery as the motive. I assume plenty of killers don't rob their victims if robbery was not the motive. I don't find that telling at all in terms of accident vs foul play.

[Kyohte]

Here's what I think happened. The first photo in the sequence is the one of the twig with the plastic bags on it. I don't know why that was taken at night unless the two were starving, thirsty, and not thinking clearly. They were doing their best to conserve energy by moving around at night instead of the daytime in the hot, steamy jungle.

I think shortly after that, in the pitch black darkness, Lisanne heard Kris scream because Kris had fallen over the edge of a precipice. Lisanne began frantically snapping photos to use the camera's flash to try to locate where her friend was. The next photo in sequence is the one looking over the precipice where there may be the faint image of a "body" in the upper right hand portion of the photo. I think that's when Lisanne had found Kris at the bottom of a ravine. The next photo in sequence is the bloody head shot of Kris. Lisanne had crawled down the precipice to where Kris's body was, and snapped the photo to document her friend's death. I think somewhere in the darkness Lisanne probably suffered a fatal fall shortly afterword. The two bodies laid there until the torrential rains flooded the area and carried the bodies off. If both bodies had multiple broken bones, as they decomposed they probably would have disarticulated faster than a body that was decomposing without broken bones. Who knows how long the remains were in the river before animals carried off what was left. I do believe the skulls should have been found, though.

Anyway, that's my theory.


I've looked at a gazillion websites concerning this case. If anyone can provide a link to the "unreleased" photos that would be great.

Makes some sense. There is one problem. If Lisanne died that night, why was the phone accessed (no pin) days later, but no day time photos taken?

If you like mysterious death stories, check out Colonel Shue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Doc Safari]

Panama uses the US dollar and Dutch money could simply be exchanged for US dollars. If someone looking to do bad things to them, and kill them, probably robbery as the motive. I assume plenty of killers don't rob their victims if robbery was not the motive. I don't find that telling at all in terms of accident vs foul play.

A "prevailing" theory is that they saw someone or something that they shouldn't have seen in a remote part of the jungle and their bodies were chopped up and (in the case of Kris at least) decomposed with quicklime.

https://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2...ogy-quicklime/


I would think in that scenario the perps would have simply made the backpack and its contents disappear forever. It doesn't make sense to "plant it" for easy retrieval in the jungle, since evidently that renewed interest in the case.

As for the deleted photo, I've read varying opinions on whether it could have been deleted and unrecoverable on the phone or if that would have required a computer. Some have stated that certain phone programs will thoroughly delete things so they are unrecoverable, too. I'm not a tech expert so I don't know. But the deleted photo on the phone is one of the things checked off in the "murder" column.