A disturbing theory has emerged about what happened to two friends who vanished shortly after taking a chilling photo while on vacation.
Kris Kremers, 21, and Lisanne Froon, 22, from Amersfoort in the Netherlands, embarked on a six-month journey in Panama, per All That's Interesting.
Their itinerary included hiking, volunteering with local children, teaching English and the arts, and learning Spanish. After two weeks trekking through the jungle near the Baru volcano, they planned to spend another month with a host family in the Chiriquí province.
On April 1, 2014, around 11:00AM, they left their residence to walk the family dog near the Continental Divide. When the dog returned alone, the host family raised the alarm. Despite exhaustive local searches and an international response, both girls remained missing.
Ten weeks later, a local woman turned in a blue backpack found floating in a rice paddy by the river. Inside were Froon’s passport, two bras, cash, sunglasses, a water bottle, Kremers’ camera, and both their mobile phones.
Investigators discovered the phones were active in the days following their disappearance, with 77 calls made to emergency numbers, including 112 and 911.
Only one call connected, ending after two seconds. The phones were left on until April 11, and logs showed repeated incorrect PIN entries on Kremers’ phone on April 6.
Analysis of the Canon camera revealed nearly 90 photos taken between 1:00AM and 4:00AM on April 8.
Captured in the dead of night, some disturbing shots involved the women's belongings spread out on rocks, plastic bags, candy wrappers, oddly piled mounds of dirt, a mirror, and perhaps the most concerning - the back of Kremers’ head with blood pouring out.
Social media sleuths have theorised that the women may have been using their camera flashes as light sources or distress signals in the jungle’s pitch darkness.
Months after the backpack was handed over, authorities located scattered human bones in the area where the girl’s last known path lay.
Froon’s remains appeared to have decomposed naturally, though some flesh remained. Kremers’ bones were stark white - described as “bleached” - raising further questions.
Dutch authors Marja West and Jurgen Snoeren - who chronicled the case in Lost in the Jungle - concluded that the most plausible explanation was an accidental death caused by flash floods.
As they told The Daily Beast: “It actually came as a surprise to us too, but our conclusion had to be that it was an accident. It took us quite some time to get there.”
Despite numerous investigations and public interest, answers remain elusive. The unsettling photos, strange phone activity, and eerie condition of Kremers' bones continue to haunt the unresolved case.