Behind Lost In Panama: Q&A with Jeremy Kryt
Jeremy Kryt, investigative reporter and writer for Lost In Panama, answers listener questions about the hit podcast.
The following are answers to questions, drawn primarily from reviews and listener questions, from Kast’s investigative series Lost In Panama:
What drew you to this case the first time you heard about it?
JK: Kris and Lisanne were so young, so full of life, and they met with a truly horrific fate. The hope of trying to resolve the case and bring closure to the families was and is a powerful motivation.
And it’s just so hard to understand exactly what in God’s name happened to them out there. The Pianista Trail is a straight shot and easy to follow—so what could have caused them to lose their way? What kind of accident could befall two healthy young people and prevent them from returning to the nearby town? But if it was foul play, how do you explain the evidence found on the phones and the camera?
These are the unanswered questions that keep me coming back to the case.
What was the status of the case at that time?
I first heard about the case in the summer of 2014, shortly after their remains were found along the banks of the Culebra River. At that time the case was under active investigation, and the prosecutor, Bethsaida Pitti, still considered homicide a potential explanation. Later Pitti would change her mind and unequivocally rule that the women were “dragged to death” in the Culebra River. That might be true, yet the fact that a serious and officially sanctioned homicide investigation was never undertaken baffles people to this day, including the cops who worked the case and still suspect foul play might have occurred. They wanted to dig more, but claim they were blocked by Pitti and her staff.
Why retell this story when there are so many others that have not received as much media attention?
The podcast was much more than a mere retelling. We spent a little over eight weeks in Boquete engaged in an active investigation during which we broke new ground and advanced the case considerably over what was known before. Because of its unique blend of tragedy, mystery, and exotic locale, the Kremers-Froon story has captivated people all over the world for nearly a decade. We sought to use the platform provided by this well-known case to speak out about the issue of rampant femicides, often committed with impunity, currently plaguing Latin America.
Why did you decide not to hide the identities of the locals who spoke with you?
This question was all up to the local sources themselves. Some of them asked to remain anonymous, and of course we obliged. For example, the police officers who spoke to us absolutely did not want to be identified for fear they would lose their jobs for speaking out about the incompetence or possible corruption of the state prosecutor’s office. And we were glad to honor their wishes.
Some have called the theories presented here, speculative or overreaching – what would you say to that?
The case remains unsolved in spite of our best efforts so far, and it is clear that more work needs to be done. We tried to be objective in reporting what our sources told us, and not take an editorial stance or pretend that we had definitively solved the case. As I mentioned above, there are holes in the Accident Theory that remain unexplained. And there are pieces of the puzzle that don’t seem to quite fit together concerning the Foul Play Scenario that our sources evinced. I hope our team will get to return to Panama in the near future to try to answer these questions once and for all.
Have you spoken to anyone you interviewed for the podcast since it aired? How has their life been impacted?
Yes, I have spoken to several sources in Boquete since the podcast came out. They are well and safe and so far there has not been a backlash. Some of our fixers continue to advance the cause and follow new leads for us to explore upon our return.
Did you ever hear from the victims’ families after the podcast aired?
No, unfortunately we did not. I think about them very often and I hope they were not unhappy in any way with our project.
If either victim’s family had participated, what would you like to have asked them?
So many questions. About what doubts or concerns might still linger in their minds. Also about their satisfaction with the way Dutch and Panamanian officials handled the case. But above all we would have liked to paint a more nuanced portrait of Kris and Lisanne in the podcast. To know more about them, their dreams and passions. So that they were not just defined by their status as victims, and that the unique details of their personalities might have shone through more brightly. Without access to the families that was a considerable challenge for us.
What do you think is the single most important detail that has been overlooked by Dutch and/or Panamanian authorities in this case?
It’s clear that the federal police officers who initially worked the case are concerned the girls’ deaths might well have been the result of a double murder committed by a small group of young men from Boquete. They also suspect that at least three other people were killed to keep them from talking to the authorities about the deaths of Kris and Lisanne. Those officers independently identified the same alleged suspects our other sources pointed to—they’re even mentioned in the original police report—but for unknown reasons, the prosecutor at the time (Pitti) never followed up on this nor interrogated the young men in question.
An authorized investigation into the suspects might very well clear up the mystery. For example, they could be found to have iron-clad alibis that would rule them innocent—and thus indicate the women were more likely to have died in an accident. On the other hand, a confession, subpoena-ed cell phone records, and/or contradictory testimony from individual members of the group could bring their guilt to light.
Did you have any concerns about releasing the podcast?
Yes, I had two primary concerns. The first was that there might be blowback for our fixers and guides in Boquete for having assisted us. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to have happened. My other concern was that the families might resent our attempt to understand what happened to their beloved children. This question remains unresolved, although I hope someday I might have the honor of meeting the Kremers and Froon families so as to consult with them on this issue.
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