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The Mysterious Deaths of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: Welcome back everyone. Today we're diving into a case that
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  just well, it stays with you. It's the disappearance of
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  Chris Kremmer's and lee Zann Frum.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, even years later, it just you know, it grabs you,
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  doesn't it.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely. In twenty fourteen, these two young women vanish while
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  hiking in Panama, and to this day, people are still
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  trying to figure out what happened.
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  Speaker 2: It really is a puzzle. We have evidence, sure, but
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  so many questions still linger.
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  Speaker 1: Right, and we're going to be using a couple sources
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  for this deep dive. We've got excerpts from this this
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  really detailed online article, and then of course the Kudeca's blog.
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  Have you seen that?
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, Kudika is a fantastic, really thorough research.
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  Speaker 1: So Chris and Lezan they were Dutch, twenty one and
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  twenty two years old. They were roommates, worked at a
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  cafe together, right, yeah, and they'd been saving for six months,
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  six months to make this six week trip to Panama happen.
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  A dream trip, a dream trip, and they even wanted
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  to volunteer at a local school during their stay in Bouquette.
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  This wasn't some impulsive thing.
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  Speaker 2: They were organized, planned everything meticulously.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and you can really tell from Lezan's journal entries.
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  I mean, the excitement just jumps off the page.
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  Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely, Yeah. So they land in Panama on March fifteenth,
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  spend a couple of weeks just seeing the sites, you know, being.
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  Speaker 1: Tourists, and then finally they get to Bouquette on March
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  twenty ninth, ready for that month long stay with a
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  host family, and of course all set for that volunteer work.
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  Speaker 2: Right. But here's where things take.
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  Speaker 1: That that first turn ray.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the volunteer placement falls through.
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  Speaker 1: Can you imagine making this huge journey and then boom,
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  that key part of it just gone.
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  Speaker 2: Must have been devastating, Leezianne writes in her journal on
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  March thirty first. She calls it a big disaster.
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  Speaker 1: Oh man, that's just heartbreaking. It seems like they really
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  were passionate about that opportunity.
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  Speaker 2: So they try to make the best of it. They
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  take some local tours, try to work on their Spanish.
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  Speaker 1: But then it comes April first, twenty fourteen.
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  Speaker 2: The day it all changes, The day everything changes.
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  Speaker 1: This is where the mystery really starts to I don't know, thicken,
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  I guess he deepens for sure deepens. Yeah, so christ
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  ly Zen decide to hike the LP and Easter Trail. Now,
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  this trail, it's popular, but it can be tough.
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  Speaker 2: Not a walk in the park, that's for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely not. And it's easy to imagine how someone could,
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  you know, get turned around or lost up there, especially
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  if they weren't really prepared.
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  Speaker 2: And that's what makes what they were wearing kind of strange.
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  Speaker 1: So hold on, let's back up for a sec. What
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  do we know about this day? What time do they
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  set out?
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  Speaker 2: We know they start around eleven am, that's based on
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  the camera time stamps. Yeah, they get in touch with
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  loved ones, let their host family know where they're going,
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  and you know, it all seems pretty normal, typical day
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  hike kind of thing.
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  Speaker 1: But they were wearing what were they wearing again, shorts
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  and tank tops. Shorts and tank tops.
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  Speaker 2: And they had this small backpack, just a water bottle,
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  some money, phones, camera.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so no real hiking gear, very limited supplies. Did
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  they even pack food.
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  Speaker 2: That's a good question. We don't know for sure. They
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  never found any wrappers or anything.
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  Speaker 1: And then there's this detail about the dog blue.
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  Speaker 2: Right, right. They apparently took this dog, a local dog
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  with them.
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  Speaker 1: Took a dog hiking.
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  Speaker 2: But Blue came back to the owners later that day
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  alone alone.
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  Speaker 1: Smookye. See that's what I mean about this case. Hold on,
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  there was something about the timeline, wasn't there.
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  Speaker 2: Ah, Yeah, there's this discrepancy about the hikes start time.
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  The taxi driver who dropped them off says it was
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  closer to one forty fifty pm.
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  Speaker 1: But the camera, the.
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  Speaker 2: Camera timestam says eleven zero am.
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  Speaker 1: So where were they during those few hours? See? These
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  little things right from the start, they make you wonder
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  if there's something we're missing.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and as the day wears on, the host family
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  they start to get worried. Natural They did a quick
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  search when the girls didn't come back, but they didn't find.
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  Speaker 1: Anything, And what about their families back in the Netherlands.
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  Speaker 2: Nothing. They hadn't heard from Christen ly Zan, which was
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  unusual because they'd been in contact pretty regularly.
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  Speaker 1: So the concern starts to grow.
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  Speaker 2: It grows quickly. By April sixth, their parents they're in
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  Boquette with Dutch detectives and the search. It becomes this
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  huge operation police dog units, you name it international investigators.
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  There was even a reward offered by the families.
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  Speaker 1: And then ten weeks later there's a break in the case,
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  but not the kind everyone was hoping for.
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  Speaker 2: Right a local woman she finds Lezanne's blue backpack. You're
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  a rice patty. But here's the thing. It wasn't just anywhere.
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  It was miles away from both their host families home
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  and the LP and needs to trail.
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  Speaker 1: Ows how did it end up there?
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  Speaker 2: And inside a real mix of things. You had their camera,
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  both their phones, money, sunglasses, even a snail and a seashell.
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  Speaker 1: A snail and a sea sholl doesn't really make sense,
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  doesn't No, it's bizarre. What did forensics say?
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  Speaker 2: Thirty four fingerprints thirteen on the bag itself, but nothing
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  that led to any solid leads.
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  Speaker 1: So the backpack, instead of giving answers, just created more
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  questions exactly.
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  Speaker 2: But here's where it gets really really chilling. The phone data.
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  We know that about six hours into their hike, there
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  were calls made to one to twelve, which is the
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  European emergency number, and nine to one one as well.
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  They were deep in the jungle, no reception, neither call connected.
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  Speaker 1: Oh wow, and these were from both phones.
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  Speaker 2: Both Chris's iPhone and Lesanne's Samsung, And those weren't the
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  only activity. We know that Leezan's phone died on April
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  fourth wasn't used again, but Chris's that was turned on
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  several times between the fifth and the eleventh to make calls, No,
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  not to make calls. They think she was searching for
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  a signal.
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  Speaker 1: So if they were just lost, why all the failed
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  attempts to unlock Chris's phone? I mean we're talking dozens
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  of attempts, Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Dozens, sometimes as many seventy seven in one day.
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  Speaker 1: Seventy seven to suggest.
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  Speaker 2: A level of awareness of desperation.
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  Speaker 1: Doesn't it It does? They knew they needed help, And the
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  phone data also shows.
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  Speaker 2: Something else, right, Oh yeah, on April third, someone used
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  the weather app on Leazane's phone during the night, in
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  the middle.
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  Speaker 1: Of the night, checking the weather. That's when it goes
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  from okay, they're lost to something much more unsettling.
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  Speaker 2: Right then there are the photographs. Oh yeah, they become
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  central to the whole investigation, and for good reason.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk about those.
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  Speaker 2: The first ones. They're pretty normal shots from the airport,
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  you know them in Bocas del Toro. Even some with
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  two Dutch men they met. Those guys were later cleared
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  as suspects, by the way.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so nothing suspicious there. Then what?
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  Speaker 2: Then there are pictures from the hike on April first,
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  right the last daytime photo number five oh eight. It's haunting,
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  just in how normal it is hunting how so it's
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  like everything's about to change. And then on April eighth,
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  between one point zero zero zero zero zero am, ninety
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  photos are taken.
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  Speaker 1: Ninety photos in complete darkness. WHOA, Okay, so we're not
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  talking flash shotows. We're talking pitch black, pitch black. What
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  are they?
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  Speaker 2: Pictures of a lot of them show the same trees
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  and foliage over and over again, which makes you think
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  they weren't moving around much, almost like they were trapped
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  or hiding.
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  Speaker 1: Hiding from what though that's the question right exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And one of the photos and even shows the back
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  of Chris's head, adds to the creepiness, you know. Yeah,
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  And it's after they find the backpack that things take
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  an even darker turn. They find Chris's jean shorts folded
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  neatly on a rock.
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  Speaker 1: Neatly folded.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, that's odd, And then bones and two different shoes
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  scattered along a riverbank.
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  Speaker 1: Bones whose bones.
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  Speaker 2: Well, they found Lizanne's left foot still inside her boot,
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  laced up socks still on. DNA testing confirmed it was hers.
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  Speaker 1: Wait, so her foot was still in her boot, but
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  there were other bones.
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  Speaker 2: Scattered, scattered, and that's not all. The forensic analysis that
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  gets even stranger. The bone in her foot, it had
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  this clean cut, clean cut, no signs of blood, no
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  signs of a struggle, and the decomposition of the different
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  remains it didn't.
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  Speaker 1: Match up, didn't match up.
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  Speaker 2: How Chris's bones were bleached clean, but Lee'sann's skin that
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  was still in the early stages of decomposition.
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  Speaker 1: It's almost like every piece of evidence just makes things
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  more confusing, it really does.
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  Speaker 2: It leads us with so many questions where they lost,
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  did they run into someone? How do their things end
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  up so far from the trail, And we've only just
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  scratched the surface of this case.
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  Speaker 1: There's so much more to uncover.
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  Speaker 2: Those shorts though right folded so neatly on a rock,
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  it's like someone was trying to leave a message almost.
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  Speaker 1: It is strange, like a breadcrumb, but in this really
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  messed up story. And then you've got the bones by
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  the river, and not just that they're scattered, but the
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  condition they were in too, some bleached clean, others like
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  barely decomposed.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the difference in decomposition is really weird. The pathologist
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  even said someone might have messed with Lee'sanne's skin after death,
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  you know, to explain how it looked compared to the bones.
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  Speaker 1: So we've got these inconsistencies everywhere, the hike timeline, the backpack,
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  phone stuff, those creepy night photos, and now the remains.
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  It's like a puzzle with missing pieces and the ones
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  we do have don't fit.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, a whole jumble of clues that lead nowhere, and
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  that's what keeps people hooked on this case right, trying
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  to make sense of it all. So with all these
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  weird details, what are some of the theories out there?
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  Speaker 1: Well, there's the idea that they just got lost, succumb
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  to the elements, maybe had an accident because of the
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  rough terrain.
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  Speaker 2: It's possible the LP ANDST trail can be dangerous, especially
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  if you're not prepared. They were dressed for a quick walk,
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  barely any supplies.
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  Speaker 1: But does that explain the calls for help? The weather,
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  app the nighttime photos, there's stuff scattered around like that.
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  Speaker 2: That's where the lost and confused idea falls apart. It's
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  too deliberate, you know, it's too sinister. It makes you
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  think about foul play. Could they have been targeted, maybe
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  by someone who knows the area, knows how to.
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  Speaker 1: Disappear, But then why leave the backpack and everything? And
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  what about those nighttime photos? Were they meant to taunt
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  the police or to document, you know, whatever was happening.
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  Speaker 2: Some even think those photos were staged by Chris and Lazanne,
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  like a desperate plea for help, a visual message hoping
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  someone would understand. Yeah, pretty creepy to think.
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  Speaker 1: About, Yeah, really creepy. And then there's the possibility of,
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  I don't know, some natural disaster, a flash, flood, a landslide,
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  maybe they ran into dangerous animals.
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  Speaker 2: Those have come up, but there's no evidence for them,
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  no reports of bad weather or animal attacks in the
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  area back then.
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  Speaker 1: So every answer just leads to more questions. What about
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  the people who lived there, did they have any insights,
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  any suspicions?
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  Speaker 2: The locals they were really involved in the search, and
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  they still care about finding answers. It's important to remember,
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  you know, this was their community too. They lost two
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  young women who were visiting.
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  Speaker 1: So we've got these theories, each with its own problems,
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  unanswered questions. But is there any agreement, like among investigators
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  about what happened.
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  Speaker 2: Nope, the investigation is still open, no real conclusion. Some
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  think it was an accident, others leaned towards foul play,
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  but without solid proof, who knows.
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  Speaker 1: It really shows how even with all the technology and experts,
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  some mysteries just stick around, does it.
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  Speaker 2: It's like we need closure, we need an explanation, and
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  we just don't get it. And maybe that's why this
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  case is so fascinating, so frustrating. It's open to interpretation,
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  you know, it's like a breeding ground for online saluts,
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  everyone with their own theories and interpretations of the clues.
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  Speaker 1: It's a double edged sword. Keep it in the public eye,
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  maybe generate leads, but also avoid you know, all the
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  hype and misinformation.
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  Speaker 2: A tough balance for sure, And we've got to remember
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  to be respectful of the victims and their families. This
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  isn't just some puzzle to solve. It's real. It's tragic,
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  real people at the center of it all.
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  Speaker 1: So where does all this leave us? After the evidence, the theories,
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  all those questions, what's the takeaway from this deep dive
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  into Chris and le Zan's disappearance.
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  Speaker 2: I think it tells us that sometimes there just aren't
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  easy answers. This case shows us how complicated human behavior
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  can be, how unpredictable things are, and how much we
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  just don't understand.
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  Speaker 1: It also reminds us to be safe, especially when traveling
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  in unfamiliar places. Be aware, have a plan, pack rate.
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  It can make a huge difference.
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  Speaker 2: And maybe on a deeper level, this case makes us
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  face our own vulnerability. How fragile we are when faced
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  with the unknown.
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  Speaker 1: That's a chilling thought hard to ignore. After going through
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  all this, we've talked about the timeline, the evidence, different theories,
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  But there's one piece we haven't mentioned yet. The deleted
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  photo number five oh nine.
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  Speaker 2: Ah. Yes, the deleted photo, the big mystery within the mystery,
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  the missing piece that could unlock the truth about what
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  happened to Christen lee Zam.
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  Speaker 1: It's the ultimate cliffhanger, isn't it. We've got lost phones,
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  those creepy night photos remains miles from where they were
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  last seen, and then photo five oh nine, the one
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  they deleted like a ghost in this whole story.
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  Speaker 2: And that's what's so strange, right, It wasn't just an accident.
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  Experts think someone chose to delete it, which is weird
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  when you think about it totally.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, if you accidentally delete a photo, usually you
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  can get it back, right, But five oh nine it's
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  just gone, like someone wanted to make sure no one
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  ever saw it exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And remember this photo was taken during the day before
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  all those nighttime shots, so whatever's in it, it could
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  show us what was happening before things went so dark.
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  Speaker 1: It be a moment of panic, a struggle, maybe a
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  clue about where they were, or even who else was
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  with them.
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  Speaker 2: It's all guessing, of course. But not having that photo,
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  it leaves this hole in the story, this gap that
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  we just can't fill.
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  Speaker 1: Like a blank page and a mystery. Right, you just
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  start imagining things, and that's when all the theories and
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  what ifs run wild.
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  Speaker 2: And that's the problem, isn't it. We get so focused
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  on guessing we forget about the real evidence we do have.
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  Speaker 1: So even with this missing piece, what can we learn
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  from what we know? What stands out to you as
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  the most I don't know, interesting or maybe the most
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  confusing part of all this.
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  Speaker 2: For me, it's the difference between how the trip started
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  and what happened after that hike. You see these two
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  young women so excited taking pictures, having fun, and then bam,
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  everything goes dark like a switch flips, and we're left
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  wondering how they went from touristy photos to those creepy
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  ones at night.
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  Speaker 1: I know what you mean. It's like two different stories.
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  And those nighttime pictures, as disturbing as they are, they
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  do tell us something about what was going on in
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  their minds. Where they signaling for help, trying to document
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  their surroundings, maybe leaving a trail for someone to find, or.
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  Speaker 2: Were they being forced to take them by someone else.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, scary thought.
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  Speaker 2: And then you've got the phone data, those attempts to
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  unlock the phone, the weather app. It all points to
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  them knowing something was wrong, being desperate, not just lost.
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  Speaker 1: So, after almost ten years, all this information, theories, unanswered questions,
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  what do we take away from christ and lee Sand's story.
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  What can we learn?
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  Speaker 2: It's a warning I think even the best planned trips
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  can go wrong. It shows us how powerful nature is.
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  How unpredictable life can be.
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  Speaker 1: And how little we really understand. Sometimes we may never
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  know for sure what happens to them, But maybe that's okay.
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  Maybe some mysteries are just meant to stay unsolved.
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  Speaker 2: Maybe the real lesson isn't about finding a perfect answer,
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  but about accepting that we don't know that sometimes even
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  when we try our hardest, the truth stays hidden.
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  Speaker 1: It's a humbling thought, for sure. It leaves you with this,
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  this feeling of unease, you know, a question mark hanging
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  over the whole thing. Their story stays with you, and
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  we hope it stays with you too.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: If you want to dig deeper, The Kadika's blog is
• 15:08
  amazing and there are articles, documentaries, all sorts of stuff
• 15:11
  out there that go into this case.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. Until next time,
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  Keep exploring, keep asking questions, and never stop searching for
• 15:19
  the truth, even when it seems impossible to find