Marcel Smit, the father of Ivana Esther Robert Smit, the Dutch model found dead on the sixth floor of a condominium in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 7, has been hospitalised in the Netherlands.
- Smit family left Malaysia in haste
- Statements of 48 people recorded
- Crowdfunding initiative reached its target
- Condo couple held in prison
A close friend of the family, who only wanted to be known as Bart, told the New Straits Times that Marcel, 55, had experienced pressure on his chest and pain on his left arm and shoulder area. His blood pressure was also high.
The family was waiting for his x-ray and electrocardiography result, to determine if he had suffered a heart attack.
Marcel had been under immense stress over his daughter’s death.
Accompanied by his wife and son, Marcel had arrived in Malaysia on Dec 11 to claim Ivana’s remains, and had expressed doubts that her death was an accident. The family had claimed that there were bruise marks on her neck.
Police have since recorded statements from 48 people, including the operating pathologist, management of the condominium, security guards, witnesses, entertainment outlet owners, friends and family members.
Police say they were still waiting for a detailed post-mortem result from Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).
“The case is still being classified as a Sudden Death Report and those who have information should inform the police,” city police chief commissioner Datuk Mazlan Lazim said in a statement.
The Smit family left Malaysia in haste for unknown reasons on Dec 15, leaving behind the remains of Ivana which are at HKL’s mortuary.
A crowdfunding initiative started by friends and relatives of Ivana had since raised €5,730 (RM27,558.15), donated from 172 people around the world. The fund was set up to bring a Dutch pathologist to Malaysia to ascertain the cause of Ivana’s death, whether it was an accident or otherwise, and also to have an American private investigator work on the case.
Meanwhile, the American man and his Indonesian wife who brought Ivana back to their apartment where she allegedly fell to her death, are being held at the Sungei Buloh prison and Kajang prison, respectively.
The couple, who tested positive for drug use, was charged in court for that offence.
They had told police that they had only known Ivana for about two months and had met her for the second time the day before she died, The Sun reported.
Apparently, the pair also told investigators that they had allowed Ivana to stay with them as she was highly intoxicated, and were unaware that she had fallen from the balcony of their home.
The American is the co-founder and a chief financial officer of a locally-registered cryptocurrency company. His wife is said to be a lecturer at a local higher education institution and a part-time model.
Though initially released on bail, the couple were detained when discrepancies were found in their passports.
Earlier reports:
Dec 15, Seeking Justice for Dutch Model and the Truth of Her Death
Dec 12, Father of Dutch Model Suspects Foul Play in Her Death, Interpol to Investigate