Serial killer speculation denied
SPECULATION that there is a serial killer in Bocas Del Toro has been denied by Panama’s Security Minister Alexis Bethancourt.
Meanwhile the FBI is assisting local investigations into the murder of 23-year-old, American tourist Catherine Johannet whose strangled body was found in a wooded area on Sunday, February 5
Panama America reports that according to a source who works as a criminologist for a state institution, there are similarities in the cases of the American and the young Dutch women Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers whose remains were found in Bocas del Toro in 2014.
Bpth cases are being closely followed by FBI agents who are in Panama says Panama America.
The criminologist source says a serial killer could be a man between 25 and 35 years of age, and a man with strength since the three victims were women weighing more than 120 pounds.
In addition, says Panama America investigators suspect the existence of one or more persons engaged in the murder of foreign visitors alone.
“The ages of the three victims are almost similar. Lissane Froon was 22, Kris Kremers 21; Catherine Johannet was 23 years old. They were young white women on vacation in Panama.
“Our source assured that the possible serial killer either lives in the area or arrives in Panama every summer. This hypothesis coincides with the time of the year in which both events were reported. The deaths of the Dutch young womwn happened in April of 2014; That of the American in January 2017.
The source said that the FBI asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) for a list of people who enter the country as tourists in the dry season or whose name appears more than twice in the checks of clients of hostels in Bocas del Toro sice 2014.
Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro have been scenes of murders, kidnappings and disappearances, that the authorities do very little investigate says Panama America.
