The next of kin of deceased Dutch model Ivana Smit have offered a US$50,000 (RM195,000) reward for any credible information that can lead to the arrest of suspects linked to her death.
A poster of the offer is now being circulated on the internet and social media, and a family member has confirmed that the Smit family would reward anyone with information that can help arrest and convict the person or persons responsible for the 18 year-old’s death.
“We truly feel people that have crucial information are now keeping silent, either because they have been paid, or because they are being intimidated,” Fred Agenjo Weihold, a relative to Ms Smit’s family, said in an email reply to Malay Mail.
“Surely the reward will make those people reconsider.”
Smit was believed to have plummeted from the 20th floor of a condominium at the heart of the capital city on December 7, last year.
The night before her body was found sprawled several floors below, the 18-year-old model was believed to have partied at the home of an American man and his Kazakh wife.
Both were charged with drug abuse on December 11 and released the following week on bail.
Argenjo said the family is still waiting for information from the Malaysian authorities five to six months after the investigation was launched, and they have yet to know what had happened to her.
“Right now we are waiting for Malaysia to send their [post-mortem and forensic] reports,” he said, referring to the family and Dutch public ministry.
“We wait since last December. Nothing has been sent As soon as they do we can start shooting holes in the reports,” he said, suggesting that they have their our own post-mortem, investigation, and information.
The poster of the cash reward, was made last week and circulated on social media since.
On the poster, an image of Smit was placed next to captions that sought to highlight what the family thought was the mysterious circumstances surrounding the 18 year old’s death.
“Ivana had significant head bruising and multiple bruises on her arms. The bruising happened before she fell,” read the caption.
In February, a private investigator hired by Smit’s family had urged the authorities to classify the case as murder.
He also claimed local authorities had attempted to cover up the investigation, Dutch online newspaper, the NL Times reported.
Agenjo said the family now hopes the cash reward could help draw witnesses out.
“You’ll understand that we think the information has to come from KL, so it is important to us that all and every media outlet runs this,” he said.
