Kris Kremers

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Panama National Police Criminal Investigation Branch Under The Public Prosecutors (OFFICE)

Death Location:

Boquete, Panama

Summary:

Kris Kremers, 21, was a Dutch university student who disappeared on April 1, 2014, while hiking the El Pianista trail near Boquete, Panama, along with her friend Lisanne Froon. Partial human remains were discovered in June 2014 along the Culebra River. The cause of death was never definitively determined, though authorities ruled it an accidental fall, while some evidence and family investigators suggested possible foul play.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Death:

On 1 April around 11 am, they went hiking near the clouded forests that surrounded the Baru volcano, on the El Pianista trail, not far from Boquete. Kris and Lisanne laced their boots, grabbed two bottles of water and took Blue, their host family's dog, for company on the hike. At 11 am, a local restaurant owner near the trail's base spotted the women as they began their hike. They were wearing light summer clothes and had a single blue backpack, indicating they had only planned on a short hour walk. The girls had told their host family they would be back by evening. On the night of April 1, the host family noticed something was wrong. Their dog had returned, safe and sound, but alone — the girls were nowhere to be found. The following morning, April 2, 2014, Lisanne and Kris missed an appointment with a local tour guide. Once the host family learned about the missed appointment, they reported the girls missing to the National System of Civil Protection. For 10 days, phone data showed Froon's Samsung Galaxy S III and Kremers' iPhone 4 were powered on and off, along with attempts to call emergency numbers to no avail with no reception. On Day 8, the PowerShot camera revealed 99 strange photos taken between 1 and 3 a.m., mostly of the black night sky, a rock with a stick that appears to have red bags tied to it and one bizarre photo of hair.

Additional Details:

On June 14, their blue backpack with a Canon PowerShot camera inside was discovered on a riverbank by a local from the village of Alto Romero. The backpack appeared clean and dry, containing $88 in cash, sunglasses, both women's bras, their phones, and Froon's camera. The bone remains were found on June 19 behind a tree in the vicinity of Alto Romero and away from the river. Two months later, closer to where the backpack was discovered, a pelvis and a boot with a foot inside were found. Soon, at least 33 widely scattered bones were discovered along the same river bank. DNA testing confirmed they belonged to Kremers and Froon. In total only around 10% of Froon's and 5% of Kremers' bones were found. One half of a pelvic bone, part broken, was also found, and it was identified as being from Kris. Later, Kris's no.10 right rib bone was also found, as well as a femur upper leg bone from Lisanne and possibly her tibia bone. Kris Kremers' bones were stark white and looked as if they were bleached. On September 24, 2014 forensic experts found traces of phosphorus on the bones of Kris's remains. The Chiriquí Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMELCF) confirmed in a private forensic report that lime was probably used in the deconstruction of Kris's body. By March 2015, the case was formally closed with the conclusion that both women perished in a hiking accident. Forensic pathologist Frank van der Goot, leader of a research team investigating the deaths with the Kremers family, was quoted in Dutch media as believing violence or foul play was implausible, and the most likely explanation was Kremers and Froon became lost or disoriented while hiking and fell from one of the many cliffs in the area. However, some of the Panamanian police and Dutch private investigators strongly believed that the deaths could have been foul play given some of the strange evidence found. In September 2014, Kris and Lisanne's remains were brought home and buried in the Netherlands.

Case Last Updated:

Jul 29, 2026