Chilling theories about the mysterious photos found on the camera of two young women who vanished while hiking have been circulating social media.
In March 2014, Kris Kremers, 21, and Lisanne Froon, 22 - two students from the Netherlands - decided to embark on a six-month trip to Panama where they planned to explore the country and all it has to offer.
During one part of their trip, the duo planned a five-to-six-hour hike through a forested area near Boquete, close to the Continental Divide of Panama, but little did anyone know that this would be the last time they were seen.
The pair were staying with a host family in the area, who waved them off and expected them to return that night, but when they didn't, they alerted the authorities as they suspected something was wrong.
The authorities launched a full-scale missing persons investigation, sending search parties to look high and low for the students. Both Kremers' and Froon's families also flew out to the area to look for their loved ones.
However, after several weeks of searching, the authorities were still no closer to finding the women, until they received a piece of crucial evidence from a stranger.
In June - ten weeks after the initial searches began - a woman turned in a backpack that contained clues with evidence linking back to the pair.
Inside the bag, there were two pairs of sunglasses, $83 in cash, Lisanne Froon’s passport, a water bottle, and two bras. There were also their cell phones and Lisanne's Canon Powershot SX270 camera, which contained some haunting photos that ended up leading the police to the exact location where the women were before their deaths.
According to All That Is Interesting, over a total of four days, 77 separate attempts had been made to call the police from the phones. Calls were made to both the international emergency number 112 and Panama's national emergency number 911.
Only one of the calls actually went through but cut off after two seconds.
It only got more suspicious as investigators uncovered more evidence.
What confused investigators was the fact Kremers iPhone 4 was turned on and off at times between 5 April and 11 April, but the PIN code was never entered correctly.
On the camera, there were also some mysterious shots taken.
Captured in the dead of night, between the hours of 1:00AM and 4:00AM on April 8, the two young women had taken around 90 photos, with some disturbing shots involving 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.
According to some internet sleuths who have taken to Reddit to discuss the mystery further, it is believed that the women were attempting to use the camera's flash as a source of light, while others suggested that they may have been using it as a signal for help in the pitch black.
Other theories also linked to a potential crime, especially considering the state of the remains when they were eventually found in the area.
Froon's flesh had decayed but was still clinging to her bones while Kremers' were described as being "stark white" as if they had been bleached, per The Mirror.
"Central/South America is extremely dangerous for tourists, especially for white non-Spanish speakers," wrote one person on Reddit. It's incredibly stupid to leave tourist zones down there. They could've died in an accident, or they may have been butchered alive. It's honestly 50/50..."
"It could have been something as simple as seeing a perfect photo spot a little ways off the trail and not thinking it would be a big deal to head over there," another added, stating that the young women probably made some "poor decisions" that led them to "danger."
"I do think it was misadventure- it's so sad and I really feel bad for their families," they added.
A third also recalled: "I remember when this first happened there was discussion about the signage being insufficient to warn anyone that you are going off trail if you hiked past the peak. Obviously, after having two tourists die, you better bet that there are gonna be all new warning signs all over the place."
Due to the level of decay the remains of both women were found, neither the Dutch nor Panamanian forensic teams could provide an accurate cause of death.
Despite theories of foul play, it was ultimately determined that both young women had died as a result of an accident, with their bodies then succumbing to the harsh environment of the jungle.
Until this day, neither family has ever received concrete answers as to what led to the death of the students.
.jpg_jqHCBd?tr=h-40)
.jpg_jqHCBd?tr=h-184)
