- [Woman] Suspected human
remains and hiking boots found during the search
for two young Dutch women. - I wish you were here. All the best for the rest
of your lives (mumbles) I'm really going to do miss you. - [Man] What is up, (mumbles) crew? Today we are covering
the mysterious case of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon. In 2014, a pair of young
girls left their home in the Netherlands to travel to Panama. The reason for their trip was twofold: teaching local children and
exploring a new country. They had been in Boquete,
Panama for just over two weeks when they took their host family's dog for a walk near the Baru volcano, they would never be seen again. People go missing in the wilderness, inexperienced hikers
easily become disoriented, even experienced hikers can fall or trip. Anyone familiar with the wilds of Panama will tell you that it can
be a dangerous place to be, but even when most lost hikers are found, it's easy to see what happened. Their injuries can be easily identified, search and rescue can pinpoint
where they left the trail. Kris Kremers and Lisanne
Froon's circumstances are far more confusing. Even six years later, there
are still no clear answers as to what happened and why it happened. Let's jump into it. On March 15th, 2014, Kris, age 21; and Lisanne, age 22, boarded a plane in their native Amsterdam, the plane's destination, Costa Rica. From Costa Rica, the girls would travel on the Bocas del Toro in Panama, and then take a boat to Isla Colon where they spent two weeks
learning a little Spanish and seeing the sights. It was the beginning of their gap year, which they had been planning
and saving for over a year. Though they had attended
the same university, they had actually met while working at a
restaurant in Amersfoort. As they had become friends, Kris had convinced Lisanne to move into the same student residence. Their gap year approached, and Kris having traveled
to South America previously with her family suggested
that they try Panama. Not only would there be
opportunities for backpacking and swimming, two things both
of the girls enjoyed doing, they could learn Spanish and
volunteer at local schools. Their friends and family had
readily donated money for toys and supplies that Kris and
Lisanne planned on bringing to the children in Panama. They were scheduled to start volunteering at a school on April 1st, so they arrived in
their final destination, Boquete, on March 29th. Though they had received
an email on the 26th confirming that they were
supposed to start work on the following Monday, the staff of the school where
they had planned to volunteer told them that they couldn't
accommodate them that week, and they would have to
try again next week. They were deflated, even though their plans had
only been pushed back a week, both of the girls seem to
take this disruption badly. As they were leaving the
school, their plans dashed, Lisanne texted her parents, "I
am really very disappointed." Having been turned away from the school, they made their way to a
suburb of Boquete, Alto Boquete where they met up with her host family. Their host was Miriam Guerra who would frequently host
international students in an adjoining house
with its own entrance. Only days later when
the girls disappeared, she would tell the media that the girls seemed
smart, shy and restless. She reported that even though
they had limited Spanish, they had managed to communicate that their plans had changed, and they had another week
off before they started work. They had asked Miriam what sites and activities she recommended, but had eventually
resorted to asking for help from the Spanish language
school they attended. Together they put together a few days of sightseeing, hikes and fun. By April 1st, the Tuesday of
the following week, however, they had already climbed
the volcano near Boquete and taken a tour of a
nearby coffee plantation and were running out of new
and exciting things to do. They spent most of Tuesday morning trying to decide what to do. Eventually they decided to
hike the Pianista Trail, a popular path frequented by dog walkers. Here is where things get a little fuzzy. Facebook posts from the
morning of April 1st by both Lisanne and Kris
state that they were planning on walking around the city that day. However, Kris sent her
boyfriend a text on Tuesday that said they were
planning on going on a hike. This small inconsistency is
pretty easily explained away, their plans changed. A taxidriver said that
he dropped the girls off at the trailhead sometime after 1:30 p.m. However, pictures on both
of their phones indicated that they had probably started
their hike at around 11 a.m. Again, maybe this is easy to explain, the taxidriver was simply mistaken. In the pictures on their phones, the girls are dressed for a short hike in tank tops and shorts,
both are carrying backpacks, but when those backpacks
were retrieved weeks later, they would be found to contain
only a single water bottle, some snacks, a single passport, their phones and a digital camera. They clearly were not planning to be out for more than a few hours. When the girls did not
return home that evening, their host family was concerned. Miriam reported that they
searched Alto Boquete for Kris and Lisanne, but decided to give them
the benefit of the doubt. They were young, maybe they
were just out late having fun. The alarm was not raised until April 2nd when they failed to show up for an appointment with the tour guide. The tour guide contacted the host family who confirmed that the
girls appeared to have never made it home the previous night. The guide then reached out to
the Spanish language school and it was the school that
finally contacted Lisanne and Kris's parents and the police. The search for the missing students did not begin until April 3rd. By April 6th, there had been
no sign of either of the girls. Their parents enlisted
detectives in the Netherlands and together they flew to Panama. Despite a $30,000 reward
and a 10-day search, it would be months before any sign of the girls was seen again. They were just gone, vanished without a trace
in a foreign country. Their parents were despondent. Had they just gotten lost? Had they encountered a dangerous animal? Most frightening of all, had they encountered a dangerous person? 10 weeks after they set out
on their ill-fated hike, a local woman appeared at
the Boquete police station with reports of a
mysterious blue backpack. She said she had found it on the bank of a river near Alto Romero. This was nearly five miles
from the Pianista Trail, and over 10 miles from where
they were staying on Boquete. It was quickly identified
as Lisanne's backpack. The woman had been to that same location near the river only a single day prior and had not seen the backpack, leading investigators to believe that it had washed up the night prior. However, when they arrived on the scene and actually looked at the backpack, they had found it and
its contents to be dry despite the fact that it had
been raining heavily for weeks. And the assumption that
it had been carried so far from the girls' last known
location by the river, not only was it not wet,
it looked brand-new. This seemed impossible considering that it had
ostensibly been sitting out in the humid Panamanian rainforest for more than 70 days. The contents appeared to be untouched though the items offered few
clues as to what happened. The backpack contained two bras, two pairs of sunglasses, a water bottle, two cell phones, a digital camera, a medical insurance card belonging to Kris and a passport belonging to Lisanne. There was also a small amount of money. Why had they bothered to
bring one person's passport and one person's insurance card? Why were their bras neatly
folded at the top of the pack? What the backpack did not
contain was just as confusing. They had a compass, a solar
power bank and a knife. None of these items made it into either of the girl's backpacks. Police also noted that there
didn't seem to be a key either. Surely they have to have been carrying the key to their room. As the police plugged in the phones and downloaded the images
from the digital camera, they began to realize that a dry backpack found on the bank of a river was the least confusing
piece of this case. The emergency services calls
started just after 4:30 p.m. First, someone tried
to place a call to 112, this is the Dutch version of 911. Outside of the Netherlands, it should divert you to the
local emergency services. Lisanne and Kris could not get reception, so the call never connected. They next tried calling 911, which also should have diverted them to the local emergency services. Again, the call could not go through. Data taken from the phones shows that they were then turned off and remained off for more than 14 hours. On April 2nd, the calls began again. Every one to two hours, a
call was placed to either 112 or 911 using either
Kris's or Lisanne's phone. None of them connected
except for the first call that morning placed just before 7 a.m. The sun would have just
been cresting the mountains when they connected to
112 for just a moment before the call was dropped and they turned the phone off again. When Kris's phone was used to
call 112 again at 8:14 a.m., whoever was dialing the
number took a screenshot. Investigators believe this was an accident caused by someone with
shaky panicked hands trying to dial the number. The phones are again switched off this time for more than 19 hours. On day three, they go live again, following that same pattern
of trying to call for help every one to two hours. There were no successful
attempts to reach 112 or 911 other than that early morning
call on the second day. In total they made nearly 80 calls. By day four, the calls are
fewer and farther between. On day five, Lisanne's phone died; Kris's phone, however, continued to be turned on
and off until April 11, even though the data mining
shows that her battery was at 50% when they left Boquete. Between April 7th and April 10th, Kris's phone was completely dark. It blipped on again at
10:51 a.m. on April 11th and was turned off again at 11:51 a.m. It was never turned on again. It's hard to know which of the girls were
making these calls, if in fact it was either of them. There was a detail, however, that made investigators blood run cold. Lisanne's phone died on the fifth, the next time a phone was used, it was, of course, Kris's phone. However, whoever was trying to use Kris's phone did not know the PIN. Up until April 5th, whoever
had been using Kris's phone knew the correct code
and entered it correctly each time the phone was turned on, and was used to attempt to
reach emergency services. Suddenly on April 6th, there were several attempts
to enter an incorrect code. A correct code would
never again be entered until the phone was switched
off for good on April 11th despite wrong codes being entered dozens of times in the intervening days. Even in 2014 all
smartphones had a function that allows someone to
make an emergency call, even if they do not know the phone's PIN. If it'd just been Lisanne trying desperately to call for help, even though Kris had already expired, she would not have needed to
unlock the phone to do it. Someone was desperate
to unlock Chris's phone and investigators concluded that was unlikely to have been Lisanne. The call logs were not the
only concerning piece of data, the investigators gleaned from the technology in the backpack. When they turned on the Canon
SX270 HS digital camera, they found a series of 133 pictures taken starting on April 1st. The first set of photos
is completely innocuous, they are extremely typical photos for a pair of young adults to have taken. Lisanne posing at the hike's summit, Kris posing at the hike's summit, there are a series of selfies. They snap a few pictures of waterfalls and other particularly pretty
scenery along the path. Being a digital camera, every single picture they took is carefully labeled and timestamped, all of these pictures of two smiling girls are taken before 1:30 p.m. It appears as though
they did not turn around and head back down the trail when they were finished taking pictures. Even though this is
what signs on the trail and online guides recommend. Instead they forged ahead having read that there
were a few waterfalls on the other side of the summit. The last picture taken on
April 1st before 2 p.m. is of Kris in a small gulley surrounded by moss covered rocks and thick vegetation. What follows are a series of pictures that become more mysterious, the farther the investigator
scrolled into the camera roll. First, there is a picture
of Kris taken from behind at a considerable distance. She is looking back towards
whoever has the camera and her face looks worried. There are a few similar shots of Kris, nothing looks particularly amiss, but in comparison to the wide smiles captured earlier in the
day, she looks serious. Her expression looks
strained, her pose is awkward. In the middle of these pictures, there is evidence that one or more of the photos was
deleted from the camera. None of the other pictures
the girls had taken with this camera during
their trip had been deleted. This might not seem that strange, but in light of what
the police found next, it indicates that there was
something seriously wrong. After 2 p.m. on April 1st, it appears that no one used
the camera for seven days. Suddenly on the 8th of April, the camera was powered on again and someone took more than 90 photos over the course of three hours, those hours being 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. There is something haunting
about these photos, none of them seem to be
of anything specific. It was as if in a daze, someone was snapping
pictures of the darkness. Maybe they were trying
to capture the image of someone stalking them, maybe they were simply trying
to use the flash as a light. No theory completely
explains this set of photos. In the pictures you can see
jungle, a dirt path or rocks illuminated by the camera's flash. Some maybe an attempt
at illuminating a path, though it seems unlikely. A camera flash in the pitch darkness would probably blind someone
rather than help them see. Other images are much harder to parse, some seem to be pictures of the sky or of a plant sticking out of a rock. One particularly disturbing
image appears to be just the back of Kris's head with just a hint of blood in her hair. Several of the pictures
appear to have light orbs and other light artifacts. None seem to have been taken while moving. Almost all have a
disorienting perspective. It's impossible to tell
if the person taking them was standing up or sitting down, much less in what direction
they were pointing the camera. Even those familiar with the trail and the surrounding area have
had difficulty locating areas where the girls or whoever had the camera could've taken these pictures. There is something simply not right about all of these shots. Pictures taken at night are
naturally unsettling, yes, but the odd angles and
unrecognizable terrain make these photos especially troubling. After the backpack was found, locals were able to quickly
locate a set of remains. By June 19th, 2014, all that would ever be found of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon was located along the same river where Lisanne's backpack was found. In total 33 bones would be discovered along with a pair of jeans shorts and one shoe from each of the students. The most chilling finding
was Lisanne's left foot, it was discovered still inside her boot, the boots laces still cinched tight. Investigators noted that the cut that had severed the ankle
from the leg was clean. Because of the lack of blood it was likely that it had happened after
Lisanne was already dead. Nearby the shoe, a piece of Lisanne's skin was found rolled into a ball. The other notable discovery
was half of a pelvic bone. It would be identified
as Kris's pelvic bone. While all of Kris's bones seemed to have been picked clean and bleached by the hot sun, Lisanne's remains showed
less decomposition. - We want you to know that that I really like you to ask. - [Man] None of the remains
provided much information about what happened to the pair, especially because the bones
themselves were so scattered. The official story is that Kris Kremers and and Lisanne Froon fell to their death crossing a monkey bridge
during their hike. A monkey bridge is a flimsy
bridge made of three wires that does admittedly look
very easy to fall from, but there is no evidence
that the girls ever made it to this dangerous part of the trail. Investigators have since
modified this story claiming that maybe Kris
fell either from the bridge or while trying to climb
the wall of the gulley captured in their pictures. This would have happened in
the mid-afternoon on April 1st. Kris held on until April 5th or 6th, both girls calling for help to no avail. Kris either passed away
or sank into a coma. By the 8th Lisanne was
disoriented and desperate, there were only a few hours of battery life left on Kris's phone. She didn't know the code, all she could do was take a
picture of Kris dead or dying and the surrounding area
hoping to be able to lead search and rescue back to her body and hike until she could
get better reception. It was simply a hiking accident, largely the fault of the girls themselves who went past the safe part of the trail and into the jungle of Panama. This theory doesn't explain
the sheer glut of pictures taken in between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Locals also claim that it is
very difficult to get lost in this area as there is a
network of well-marked trails. Many who knew the girls also claim that they would never be stupid enough to attempt to cross the
monkey bridge on their own. The explanation spurs more
questions than it answers. How did Lisanne's backpack turn up dry and perfectly preserved on the bank of a river 10 miles away. More chillingly who erased
the picture on their camera, and who was trying to unlock Kris's phone relentlessly for five days. Why did they stop taking
pictures for seven days? Why didn't they attempt
to send any text messages? Why did they only ever try
to call emergency services and not their parents,
boyfriends or host family? Dick Steffens, a criminalist, hired by the Kremers and Froons guessed that the pictures
might have actually been an attempt to signal someone, perhaps the girls were stuck, either immobilized by
injuries or subdued by someone and were trying to use
the flash of the camera to signal passing planes
or vehicles for help. He also noted that the
remains found along the river seemed to be far too clean
to have decomposed naturally. And why were some pieces
of Lisanne found intact like the rolled up strip of skin? Why were their bras folded up and stuffed in the backpack? To this day no one has
been able to offer a theory that comprehensively explains the evidence gathered by police. Some have claimed that the orbs in many
of the nighttime photos indicate the presence of ghosts. This is a huge catchall
bucket that could explain the erratic behavior of
taking the photographs. A much more likely, but
still frightening possibility is that the girls wandered off the trail and into someone who
recognized them as vulnerable. They were clearly not from Panama, and while they were both fit, were small and could have been easily overpowered, maybe this attacker let
them keep their phones knowing they wouldn't be
able to get reception. Maybe they ferreted them away and hid them when he was around. Perhaps Kris expired first and it was Lisanne
desperately trying to open her friend's phone to
call someone, anyone. Maybe they've gotten a picture
of him on their camera, which he deleted. The reason Kris began to look concerned was that they had just encountered
a frightening individual. He might have even been the
person taking the photos forcing them to pose as
if nothing was wrong. And all those pictures taken in the early
morning hours of April 8th where Lisanne trying to
signal into the darkness that she was alive and needed help. After she died, probably on the 11th, after Kris's phone was switched on and off for the last time, their killer stripped
and scattered their bones and possessions hoping
no one would ever find enough of either girl to identify them or at the very least identify
what happened to them. No matter what happened, whether the girls were stalked
by a supernatural entity or attacked by a wild animal, hunted by a human monster or
simply got lost or injured and could not call for help, the image painted of their
last days is terrifying. Alone in the wilderness,
their clean water running low, food in short supply, knowing
that they were going to die, knowing no help was coming. Imagine having your phone and trying desperately to call for help, knowing that each time you switch it on and the call does not connect is another precious bit
of battery you've wasted. You can't save your friend,
you have to watch her die, you can't even unlock her phone
to try to call your parents, all you can do is dial
emergency services over and over knowing the call will never
go through until you too die. It must have been a
special kind of torture. - I want you to know that that I really like you to ask.
No real new info, just a new video to add to the ever-growing list.
Okay, this is a little bit childish of me, but I'm very pissed about the wrong informations circulating about the dog.
It was NOT the host family's dog, Blu is the dog of the restaurant owner that's at the start of the Pianista trail.
People take hours & hours to make a video, do the bare minimum and check your facts before doing so.
Okay, done with the ranting now :) .