Family of teen model found dead under mysterious circumstances turns to crowdfunding to bring in investigators

Family and friends of Ivana Smit, the teen model who was found dead after a night of drinking with an expat couple, have turned to crowdfunding to bring in Dutch and American investigators to look into the incident.

There was widespread shock when Malaysian police initially classified the case as “sudden death.” However, after family of the girl alleged that foul play could have led to her naked body being found 14 stories below the apartment where she had been previously drinking in, authorities agreed to re-examine their conclusions after post-mortem results are in.

Ivana’s family are now looking to raise €5,000 (RM24,113, US$5,900) to bring in a Dutch pathologist and an American investigator (Olivia Benson would solve this) to determine her cause of death, if the tragic accident were in fact, a crime.

They have raised over €4,000 so far.

Information on the crowdsourcing site asks the public: “Please help the Smit family to find out the true facts about the tragic death of their daughter, sister, and niece, Ivana Smit.”

Police believe that Ivana was intoxicated at the time of her death. Reports in the Dutch press have alleged that police found traces of alcohol, ecstasy and amphetamines in the nineteen-year-old’s system.

Questions have been raised after Dutch reporters unveiled the teen’s final hours, stating that CCTV shows her arriving at the apartment at 5:00am, sending info regarding her whereabouts at 7:25am to her boyfriend, only to then fall from the balcony less than three hours later. Her body was only discovered on the sixth-floor balcony later that afternoon. The couple allege they had no idea that she had jumped, despite at least one of them being present in the unit while Ivana was there.

Adding more mystery to the case is the fact that her shoes and underwear have yet to be recovered.

The victim’s father claims neighbors allege there was shouting and arguing coming from the expat couple’s apartment that morning.

If you would like to donate, please do so here.



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