48 STATEMENTS OVER MODEL’S DEATH
Cops talking to various individuals to shed light on shocking case
POLICE have recorded 48 statements from witnesses in relation to the death of 19-year-old Dutch model Ivana Esther Robert Smit, who was found dead on the sixth floor of a condominium here on Dec 7.
City police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim said the statements were from witnesses at the scene, the pathologist, security guards, condominium’s management, the victim’s family members, her friends, as well as the management of an entertainment outlet.
“Police have also reviewed the CCTV recording at various locations such as the condominium, and where the victim was last seen before the incident,” he said, adding that police had yet to receive the post-mortem report from the hospital.
Mazlan said the case was still classified as sudden death and urged the public not to speculate.
He also told members of the public with any information to contact Assistant Superintendent Faizal Abdullah at 012-4834 439 or 03-2600 2222, or Dang Wangi Criminal Investigation Department chief Deputy Superintendent M. Gunalan at 019-3114 418.
Earlier, it was reported that the victim’s family had requested for a second post-mortem, alleging foul play in her death.
Dang Wangi district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Shaharuddin Abdullah yesterday said the model’s parents, who strongly believed that Smit died under suspicious circumstances, had appealed for approval from the Health Ministry to conduct a second postmortem on their daughter.
“The family has submitted an official request to the ministry to have Ivana’s remains re-examined through a second post-mortem by a foreign pathologist.
“They filed an official request with the Health Ministry through the embassy before they left for The Netherlands,” Shaharuddin said, adding that police would wait for the ministry’s reply.
An online portal reported that investigations had been widened to more than the foreign couple who were with the deceased on the day of her death.
Quoting a source, the portal said at least six people who were allegedly there on that day, had their saliva samples taken to assist police investigation.
Police had also taken swabs and tissue samples to be examined to determine if Smit had had sexual intercourse prior to her death.
Other tests were also carried out, such as residue test from under Smit’s fingernails, and a forensic examination for any defensive wounds on her hands, as well as toxicology tests to find out whether party drugs and alcohol were in her system.
The death of Smit sparked wide-spread interest — both here and abroad — demanding the truth, after her family, who had arrived in Malaysia last Monday to claim Ivana’s remains, expressed doubts that her death was an accident.
The family had claimed that there were bruise marks on her neck. The family, however, was believed to have left Malaysia in haste for unknown reasons on Friday, leaving behind her remains.
A campaign has since been launched on social media, with the hashtag #truthforivana and #justiceforivana by Smit’s close friend, 19-year-old Natalie Woodworth. Checks on social media revealed that a donation page has also been set up to fund a Dutch pathologist to travel here to determine the cause of Smit’s death, whether it was an accident or otherwise.
The crowdfunding initiative started by friends and relatives of Ivana raised €5,730 (RM27,558.15), donated by 172 people around the world.
Last week, Ivana was found dead on the balcony on the sixth floor of an apartment in Jalan Dang Wangi where she had stayed with an American man and his wife from Indonesia on the 20th floor.
Earlier, she was reported to have gone out drinking with the couple. The husband and wife, who were tested positive for drugs, were charged last Monday with drug abuse.
The 44-year-old man, reportedly a cryptocurrency trader, pleaded not guilty to the charges, while his 30-year-old wife pleaded guilty. The duo was held at the Sungai Buloh and Kajang prisons.
The family has submitted an official request to the ministry to have Ivana’s remains reexamined through a second postmortem by a foreign pathologist.
DATUK MAZLAN LAZIM
City police chief