The family of dead Dutch-Belgian teen model Ivana Smit have issued a petition via the Dutch foreign ministry asking for her body’s release.
The Smit family lawyer, Sebas Diekstra, wrote that the family had been living a nightmare since the teen’s death, with the cause of her fall still unknown “and a thorough investigation appears to be lacking in the incident.”
The added that the body has yet to be released, despite the fact that the incident occurred two weeks ago, and that the situation had become “unbearable” for the family.
The Dutch are direct, aren’t they?
The subsequent investigation, or lack thereof as the family alleges, has resulted in immeasurable stress on the family. Their lawyer reports that the girl’s father, Marcel Smit, collapsed from a heart attack over the weekend after returning from Malaysia, and is currently under medical supervision.
Ivana’s family left Malaysia suddenly over the weekend, shortly after arriving and alleging that police had been too hasty to classify the teenager’s case as “sudden death.”
The 19-year-old model’s body was found December 7 on a sixth-floor balcony, after a night of revelry and drinking with an expat couple. It appeared that Ivana fell from the couple’s 20th-floor apartment, though no reason for her fall has been established.
Police have recorded statements from 48 people to facilitate investigations into the incident and the incident remains classified as a sudden death.
