Lost In Panama Part 2

Ten arduous weeks brought no success until two members of the Ngobe-Bugle Tribe were working hard, planting rice (as is common for the area). At the tail end of summer, the work was hard, and they decided to dip in the river for a swim. This is when they found something extraordinary hidden amongst the reeds. Fifteen hours away from Boquete, and even further from the bustling town the girls had stayed in, was Lisanne Froon's

backpack. According to the local woman, who immediately handed it into the police, it had not been there the day before. Police shouted "miracle" with what they found inside In pristine condition, neither damaged by exposure to the weather, nor the water they had been submerged in was $53 (USD), two pairs of sunglasses, Froon's passport and camera, a water bottle, two bras and both women's phones. Nobody expected the secrets these items could reveal, not after weeks of bobbing in the torrents of the river. However, both phones and the camera were working more than fine and told the story of the last few hours before the two girls disappeared/ The phones showed various attempts to call emergency services both national (911, for Panama) and international (112). The first distress calls were made at 16:39 on April 1 by Kris and just 12 minutes later by Lisanne. Neither of these two calls was successful due to the poor reception within the forest.

What was considered shocking and eerie about these calls is that it would've still been daylight when they were made (with the sun setting at around 7 pm this time of year). And of course, it is entirely possible the girls got lost or injured during the day, but the trail is marked out and going off the path is relatively difficult without machetes due to the thick shrubs and trees. Only one call made that day was successful; however, it broke up seconds into the call, and no help was asked for nor dispatched. 4 days later, Froons phone ran out of battery. Although Kremer's phone was intermittently turned on, it remained off for the majority of the time. Police had no idea what path or route the girls could've taken, and the mystery of where they (or their bodies) were continued.

he secrets within the phone didn't end there- on April 6, multiple unsuccessful attempts to unlock the phone were made, which caught the public's eye. Many theorists believe this disproves they got lost or were unable to leave the jungle. They believe that being stuck together for such an extended period, desperate for help, they would've learnt each other's passwords just in case. These girls were both incredibly intelligent and resourceful, leading many to doubt they would've had such a huge oversight. Finally, from the phone, police discovered a further 77 emergency calls made between April 7–10, furthering raising the fears that foul play had occurred or that this investigation's outcomes would be anything but good. The camera found in the bag also revealed much about the girls' final steps, and although no conclusive evidence could be found, it shows that for a while, at least they remained in the forest. With a quick google search, these can be found online; however, I will not be sharing them out of respect for both girls. Of course, there were many normal pictures, expected of two friends on a long trip abroad. There were even pictures of the day they disappeared, showing them hiking through the forest. The next pictures were taken on April 8, 90 photos were taken with flash and believed to have been between 1–4 am. Nobody is sure what the pictures are of. However, they appear to be either at the top of the bottom of a ravine. The public interested in the case has since spotted a shadowy figure which could potentially be another person. However, this has neither been confirmed nor denied by officials. Other pictures found showed everyday items such as sweet wrappers and plastic bags; another showed a mirror and toilet paper, and one even showed the back of Kris' head. Some sources online have reported 500 pictures appeared to have been deleted, and even police were unable to access them despite their advanced technology leading more to believe the instances of foul play. However, this did not feature in all sources, and I have so far been unable to find any reports of this in official documents. After discovering the backpacks, searches began in this area and immediately raked in more successes.

Kris' shorts were found neatly folded on a rock, again untouched by the harsh conditions they would've faced exposed for over a month. Many sources report that, in reality, the shorts were found in the river. However, this is largely disputed. 2 months after their disappearance, close to the backpack location, a pelvis and a boot (containing the remains of a human foot) were found. Around this area, 22 other bones were found, scattered and many broken. DNA tests conclusively proved that these were the remains of Kris Kremer and Lisanne Froon. While Lisanne's bones appeared to have remnants of flesh (as is expected with decomposition), Kremer's bones appeared to have been bleached clean, and some say had traces of phosphorous on them. However, no signs of damage were found on them, discarding that an animal picked them clean. As no major bones were found and the bodies were, of course, severely decomposed, no definitive cause of death could be determined, and officials have since said they believe an accident hiking caused the death of the girls. This answer has left many unconvinced. Three months after the original bodies were discovered, a ball of Lisanne's skin was reportedly found, not matching the five months of decomposition expected. These girls' deaths are tragic, they had so much life left to live, and amazing things left unachieved. They were taken from their families and this world too soon, and many were left truly unsettled with the conclusions drawn. Although far from easy, the trial should not have led to the deaths of two girls, and as with any case, rumours and reports have since been released.