Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon were two Dutch college students who had decided to take a gap year from their studies at University of Utrecht, travelling around South America. On April 1, 2014, they arrived in Boquete, Panama, eager to explore and experience all that the jungle had to offer. Little did they know that this would be their last journey, as they would never be seen alive again.
The unsolved Mystery begins
Kris and Lisanne had booked a day-long tour with a local guide to explore the jungle of Alto Chiquero. That morning, the two students set off with their guide full of excitement for the adventure ahead. However, shortly into the trip Kris and Lisanne decided to go off-trail and explore on their own. The guide began to worry when the students failed to return in the evening and reported them missing at 8:30pm.
Rescue teams were dispatched from all over Panama to search for the missing girls. Over 150 people searched through dense jungles, swamps and rivers for days on end but still no trace of Kris or Lisanne could be found. The only clues that could be found were Kris’s backpack which contained her phone and camera with some photos still intact. The photos showed that the girls had gone further into the jungle than expected and had most likely gotten lost in a remote area without cellphone service or access to food or water. Some of these photos showed the girls standing against trees looking disorientated while others featured strange shapes looming in the background that could not be identified by rescuers.
The unsettling photos
One thing that has always left investigators baffled is why Kris took pictures during her last moments alive? Was it an instinctive reaction or was she trying to send out an SOS?
The photos taken by Kris have been scrutinized for years, with many speculating that the strange shapes appearing in the background might have been a sign of someone or something stalking the girls. Even more mysterious are the pictures of Kris and Lisanne standing against trees looking disoriented. What happened to them that made them so distressed?
So far there has been no answer for this question.
The discovery of their remains
On June 19th, 2014, nearly three months after Kris and Lisanne had gone missing, their remains were discovered by an elderly couple walking near Pianista Creek which was several miles away from where they were last seen. Kris’s body was found first followed by Lisanne’s which was recovered two days later. It is believed that they had drowned while attempting to cross the river during their desperate attempt to escape the jungle.
The cause of death could not be determined due to heavy decomposition but it is thought that dehydration and exposure might have been factors due to their lack of survival supplies. There was also evidence of animal activity suggesting that wild animals may have contributed to their deaths as well. Autopsy reports revealed that Kris’s body showed signs of defensive wounds suggesting she had put up a fight before succumbing to her fate while there was no sign of struggle found on Lisanne’s body indicating she may have died first in an effort to protect her friend.
Conspiracy theories abound
With no clear answer as to what happened that fateful day in April, many theories began circulating around regarding what could have happened in those fateful hours leading up to Kris and Lisanne’s disappearance. Some speculated that they were kidnapped by drug traffickers while others believed they were attacked by a wild animal or even a serial killer operating in the area at the time. However, none of these theories could ever be proven and remain mere speculation at best leaving us with more questions than answers surrounding this tragic story.
The mystery surrounding what happened that fateful day in April remains unsolved but one thing is certain; Kris and Lisanne will never be forgotten by those who love them.
The case will remain open until the truth is revealed, if it ever is.
