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Follow-up story from TVN today.

Following in the footsteps of the American killed in Bocas del Toro

Por Elizabeth González  22/02/2017 - 8:35 PM

The murder of the American tourist Catherine Johannet in Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro not only shocked the world, also changed the island.

Rosendo Grenald, who lives just meters away from the hostel where Johannet stayed, said that now the island is full of policemen. He hoped that the security is maintained.

"A week and a half that the crime occurred. Have gotten more police, which I wish to remain forever," said Grenald.

According to reports, Catherine Johannet, graduated two years ago in literature at the University of Columbia, came to Isla Colon the past 31 january, and stayed at a hotel in the town.

In that the locals feel affected by what happened, they did not want to give interviews. Simply stated that the young tourist arrived with another girl, whom he met in San Blas Islands. The last time she was seen in the hostel, on Thursday, 2 February, left alone in the direction of the Red Frog Beach. Her belongings were left in the room, but she never came back.

When we bought tickets to go by boat to the beach red frog, we found out that there are two ways that used by tourists to arrive.

You can pay $7 on a motorboat to go up to a point called 'shortcut', then pay other $5 to enter through a private trail, but short and well tilled, by which there is a safer and more comfortable access to Red Frog Beach.

However, according to a contributor to a company that offers budget trips by boat to save $, tourists prefer to pay $3 the journey to Bastimentos and from there walk along a wooded path to Playa Wizard. Already in Playa Wizard, there is another trail wooded walking up to Red Frog. This option of $3 was used Catherine, a decision that may have cost her her life.

There are reports that she was filling her water bottle in a local tienda. However, no records show that she was hosted in a hotel of that island.

The representative of sufficiency he is upset because according to him, has not told the truth of where it was found the body.

"This did not occur at Wizard, it was on the path between Red Frog and Second Beach. I don't know what is the intention of harming the image of Wizard, unless it's to protect the big business of Red Frog," said Ashburn Dixon, representative of Bastimentos.

With this observation, we walk toward the Red Frog Beach, from the village of Bastimentos. In fact, it is a wooded path and solitary, a long stretch, in which there are no signs, or vigilantes, or facilities for walking, despite the fact that there are about 100 tourists per day,

It was in one of the trails to Red Frog found on Sunday, 5 February, 3 days after missing, the lifeless body of Catherine was located with a blow to the back of the head, and had been strangled with the pareo that covered her bathing suit.

On the path, we found a surgical glove and needles, so close to the Red Frog beach that from there was heard the sound of the waves. Once on the beach, now yes, there were many policemen caring for tourists.

An official source reported that to date there are still no detainees. The lines have only been made by research. It has not revealed the motive for the crime, but suspicion about a Mexican citizen was ruled out .

Meanwhile, daily searches are performed in Bastamientos.

It is assumed that the murder occurred when she intended to return to the town of Bastimentos to take the boat toward the Colon island.

The owners of Lodgings and Hotels shared that tourism has been severely affected.

Unfortunately this tragedy had to happen to have changes.

"It was almost impossible to get police units," said the mayor of Isla Colon Martin Downer. "But since last Monday, they sent 40 police officers", he said.

Johannet Catherine was the daughter of a diplomat in New York City. She was 23 years old, had already been in 6 continents  several countries, documenting his experiences in his Instagram account. Before coming to Panama, had been in Vietnam, where he worked for more than a year as a teacher.

A girl laughing, that in his innocence, he wanted to see the world, and in this attempt ended strangled in an island with beaches.

His latest picture on Instagram is, ironically, a picture from the Islands of San Blas. In it she said she had found Paradise

 

Edited by Keith Woolford
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The Policia Nacional have announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the killers.

$50,000 is a lot of money in Bocas.

People who didn't know squat about this a month ago may suddenly have vivid memories.

President Varela is over there at his moment.

Edited by Keith Woolford
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$50,000 reward for killer of US tourist

Catherine-620x264.jpg
Catherine Johannet

A $50,000  REWARD    has been offered by Panama   police for the person who can help locate  the murderer of the a 23-year-old American tourist whose strangled body was found in Bocas Del Toro over a month ago.

was found on  Isla Bastimeno on Sunday Feb 5.

The tourist arrived in Isla Colón on February 2 and soon after checking in to her hotel she went walking to Isla Bastimento and did not return to the hotel

Extra police were called in to help in an extensive investigation which has produced no  known results

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/50000-reward-killer-us-tourist

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DNA tests on suspect in US tourist murder

Juan-Carlos-Varela-Bocas-Toro_LPRIMA20170309_0125_35-620x264.jpg

JUST  HOURS  after  the announcement of a $50,000 reward for  information leading to the killer of an American tourist, President , Juan Carlos Varela said that  a suspect has been identified.

Catherine Johannet, 23, was strangled , in Bocas del Toro in early February this year.

A source linked to the investigation of the  murder told La Prensa  the suspect is from the indigenous community and DNA tests are being carried out on residents of the island Bastimentos, where the young woman died.

Varela’s statements came on Thursday Mar. 9 after a meeting with Public Ministry authorities  in Bocas del Toro, during a visit, to Isla Bastimentos where the victim’s body was found.

Before arriving on the island, the president visited the communities where the victims of the bus crash in Antón, Coclé on Sunday, Mar 5.

19 people died in the crash and 37 were injured, one ow whom remains in intensive care.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/dna-tests-suspect-us-tourist-murder

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14 hours ago, Thunder said:

I really hope they find the killer soon. I dont know why the killer would kill her for no reason.

Only 3 reasons I can think of for killing someone: war, self defense, and sadism.  Obviously the killer's reason was the third one.

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Senior Prosecutor of Bocas del Toro Announces Arrest in Death of American Catherine Johannet

image.png.2605cb9161d09e19e266cdd7314387fe.png

After several days of diligence the Public Ministry in the province of Bocas del Toro, managed to capture a person under age, allegedly linked to the events that caused the death of the American citizen Catherine Johannet of 24 years, whose body was found on 5 February of this year on a trail located in Isla Bastimentos.

The investigations of the Prosecutor Second Superior Emeldo Márquez Pitti, thanks to scientific evidence, testimony, and evidence collected during the investigations to find the location of the person, who was found on the Island Cayo de Agua in the province of Bocas del Toro.

After the research and the compilation of the arrest order had been issued since the 21st of October of this month by the Prosecutor of Adolescents.

The prosecutor stated that this operation was coordinated from the 20th of October by the Office of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor of Bocas del Toro, Emeldo Márquez, was held for several days, and it was supported by the National Police under the direction of Commissioner Sisinio Núñez, Panel of the National Border Service UTOA SENAFRONT, the working group of the National Police, Police Investigation, National Service and Juvenile Police.

The investigation will be forwarded to the Office of the Special Prosecutor of Adolescents, in order to be able to carry out investigations to determine the facts.

http://ministeriopublico.gob.pa/fiscalia-superior-bocas-del-toro-logra-aprehension-presunto-responsable-crimen-norteamericana/

Fiscalía Superior de Bocas del Toro logra aprehensión de presunto responsable de crimen de norteamericana

Tras varios días de diligencia el Ministerio Público en la provincia de Bocas del Toro, logró la captura de una persona menor de edad, presuntamente vinculada con los hechos que le causaron la muerte a la ciudadana norteamericana Catherine Johannet de 24 años, cuyo cuerpo fue encontrado el 5 de febrero del presente año en un sendero ubicado en Isla Bastimentos.

Las investigaciones a cargo del Fiscal Segundo Superior Emeldo Marquez Pittí, permitieron gracias a pruebas científicas realizadas, testimonios e indicios recolectados, durante las investigaciones dar con la ubicación de dicha persona, la cual fue encontrada en Isla Cayo de Agua en la provincia de Bocas del Toro.

Luego de las investigaciones y la recopilación de elementos la orden de aprehensión se había girado desde el 21 de octubre del presente mes por parte de la Fiscalía Especializada de Adolescentes.

El fiscal manifestó que en esta operación fue coordinada desde el 20 de octubre por la Procuraduría General de la Nación y el fiscal Superior de Bocas del Toro, Emeldo Marquez, se realizó por varios días y la misma estuvo respaldada por la Policial Nacional a cargo del comisionado Sisinio Núñez, grupo especial del Servicio Nacional de Fronteras SENAFRONT, el grupo UTOA de la Policía Nacional, Dirección de Investigación Policial, Servicio Nacional Aeronaval y Policía de Menores.

La investigación será remitida a la Fiscalía Especializada de Adolescentes, a fin de poder realizar las investigaciones que permitan determinar cómo se dieron los hechos.

Edited by Keith Woolford
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4 hours ago, TwoSailors said:

Seems like a long time. Hopefully, this is legit. Seems a bit odd.

I think scientific evidence in this case translates to DNA testing which wouldn’t necessarily have been processed quickly. Police took hundreds of samples from people after the crime that might be matched later to evidence found at the crime scene. Looks like they were successful.

Edited by Keith Woolford
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Suspect in murder of American girl tourist arrested

gringa-620x264.jpg 
murdered girl had "found Paradise"
 

Her strangled body was found on February 5 on a wooded path of in Bastimentos.

Her last  Instagram message was an image of the San Blas Islands and a note saying that she had found paradise.

A $50,000 reward was offered for leads to her killer.

The suspect was arrested after several days of intense search by units of the National Border Service (SENAFRONT), the National Police, the National Naval Service, and the Juvenile Police led by the  Emeldo Marquez of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP).

“The search was initiated  “thanks to scientific evidence, testimonies and indications of the location of the said person,” said an MP statement.

The case will now be referred to the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Adolescents reports TVN.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/suspect-murder-american-girl-tourist-arrested

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1 hour ago, Thunder said:

If anyone had to guess do you he was born in 1999 or 2000? They confirmed he is 17. And will we get to see a pic of him and his name I wonder?

It’s my understanding that pics of suspects aren’t allowed so as not to prejudice a case. I seem to recall charges being dismissed because a photo of the main suspect appeared in a newspaper or a news outlet online.

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