Two friends who mysteriously vanished while hiking left haunting photos on their digital camera -- with their story continuing to haunt people to this day.
Kris Kremers, 21, and Lisanne Froon, 22 - two students from Amersfoort in the Netherlands - set off on a six-month trip to Panama back in March 2014.
It was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, with the friends taking part in some charity work and exploring the country from its busy cities to its quiet, rural borders.
During the trip, the two friends embarked on what was supposed to be a simple five-to-six-hour hike through a forested area near Boquete, close to the Continental Divide of Panama.
At the time, they were scheduled to be staying with a host family in the area, but they never returned. In a concerning development, their pet dog returned safe and sound, leaving the family wondering where the two girls were.
The next morning, the girls were still nowhere to be seen, so the family alerted the authorities, who subsequently launched an investigation into their disappearance.
Both Kremers' and Froon's families also flew out to the area, bringing their own investigators. A 10-day search of the extensive jungle then unfolded.
Days quickly turned into weeks, but there were still no signs of either Kremers or Froon.
However, 10 weeks later in June 2014, the police were alerted to some evidence after a woman turned in a backpack that contained clues linking to the two girls. Inside, there was two pairs of sunglasses, $83 in cash, Lisanne Froon’s passport, a water bottle, and two bras.
There was also their cell phones and Lisanne's Canon Powershot SX270 camera, which contained some haunting photos.
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.
Using the call logs, police were able to come up with an outline of the time the girls spent missing in the forests. Only one of the calls went through.
The battery of Froon's Samsung Galaxy S III died on April 4.
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 suspicious 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 captured around 90 images.
The photos showed the girls' belongings spread out on rocks, plastic bags and candy wrappers, oddly piled mounds of dirt, a mirror, and - most concerning - the back of Kris Kremers’ head with blood leaking from her temple.
Per StrangeOutdoors.com, some internet sleuths believe the friends were attempting to use the camera's flash as a source of light or to signal for help in the pitch black.
Police used the evidence to investigate the area and soon discovered the remains of both women.
Police questioned the locals, tour guides, and other hikers who had been in the area at the time, but nothing besides the photos and call logs provided them with evidence as to what had happened.
Following the backpack's discovery, a pair of jean shorts, two different shoes, and several bone remains were discovered on shortly before June 19, 2014. Throughout the following weeks, more partial remains were found - such as one half of a pelvic bone and a single rib.
Due to the level of decay, neither the Dutch nor Panamanian forensic teams could provide an accurate cause of death. Despite theories of foul play, it was ultimately determined that the two young women had died as a result of an accident - most likely from a fall - with their bodies then succumbing to the harsh environment of the jungle.
Until this day, their families have still had no definitive answers as to what led to their loved one's deaths.
