Norway Norway - Arjen Kamphuis, 47, Dutch citizen, Bodø, 20 Aug 2018 - #2

[worldwatcher]

The Search for Arjen Kamphuis continues:

“Forensic Pathologist Frank van de Goot offered to conduct a final search in and around the fjord in Norway.
Van de Goot is well-known when it comes to international searches for missing persons.

We first make a 5-day exploratory trip to check the coastline of the fjord. Frank van de Goot will search the route from Bodo to Rognan for clues. With a specifically designed GPS-floating-system, we figure out the possible locations where belongings and a body might end up.

During a second trip (+- 10 days), we will search the fjord- with two underwater drones (up to 300 meter deep). We attach these drones with a specifically designed light box (395-400nm ALS, ultraviolet light combined with a yellow filter).”
Fundrarz

Frank van de Goot | forensischonderzoeksbureau.nl

Nationaal Forensisch Onderzoeksbureau ; Op het gebied van forensisch onderzoek is pathologie een vak apart. Nederland kent slechts enkele (forensisch) pathologen, van wie dr..

www.forensischonderzoeksbureau.nl

 

[worldwatcher]

NRC :

194 questions​

“If Videoland asks us in 2021 to participate in a series about the disappearance of Arjen, we see that as an encouragement to pull out all the stops one more time.

A friend of his, Helma de Boer, compiles a list with 194 questions to which we have no answers. Arjen already took the train to Fauske and Rognan a week before the disappearance, on August 13, to go back to his hotel in Bodø at the end of the afternoon – why? A tourist outing? An exploration trip? Why did he cancel his hotel reservation in Fauske during that trip? What are those strange holes in the kayak? And how is it possible that the kayak that was found has a different serial number than the kayak that Arjen bought? The kayak seller did not rule out an administrative misunderstanding the day after the discovery. Or is this maybe another kayak? This has never been clarified.”

Hoe verdween privacy-expert Arjen Kamphuis in Noorwegen?

Vermissing: Privacy-expert Arjen Kamphuis verdween in 2018 in Noorwegen. Verdronken in een fjord, vermoedt de Noorse politie. Maar Kamphuis’ vrienden, onder wie onderzoeksjournalist Sanne Terlingen, wantrouwen die lezing. „Wat dééd Arjen in Bodø?”

www.nrc.nl

 

[dotr]

June 10 2022

 

[Chiatos]

NRC :

194 questions​

“If Videoland asks us in 2021 to participate in a series about the disappearance of Arjen, we see that as an encouragement to pull out all the stops one more time.

A friend of his, Helma de Boer, compiles a list with 194 questions to which we have no answers. Arjen already took the train to Fauske and Rognan a week before the disappearance, on August 13, to go back to his hotel in Bodø at the end of the afternoon – why? A tourist outing? An exploration trip? Why did he cancel his hotel reservation in Fauske during that trip? What are those strange holes in the kayak? And how is it possible that the kayak that was found has a different serial number than the kayak that Arjen bought? The kayak seller did not rule out an administrative misunderstanding the day after the discovery. Or is this maybe another kayak? This has never been clarified.”

Hoe verdween privacy-expert Arjen Kamphuis in Noorwegen?

Vermissing: Privacy-expert Arjen Kamphuis verdween in 2018 in Noorwegen. Verdronken in een fjord, vermoedt de Noorse politie. Maar Kamphuis’ vrienden, onder wie onderzoeksjournalist Sanne Terlingen, wantrouwen die lezing. „Wat dééd Arjen in Bodø?”

www.nrc.nl

One of my questions would be: show me the surveillance images of the white vessel passing by the salmon farm. And it goes without saying that deep-fake images would have to be ruled out.

Why haven't those images ever been released by police? Have police ever shown those images to Helma, Cilla or ....?

 

[worldwatcher]

One of my questions would be: show me the surveillance images of the white vessel passing by the salmon farm. And it goes without saying that deep-fake images would have to be ruled out.

Why haven't those images ever been released by police? Have police ever shown those images to Helma, Cilla or ....?

Just like you - many questions,in the article about the time of the surveillance images seems questionable.
- an experienced kayaker peddles 5/km takes more then a hour.
- also states that AK had to walk for a while and would have needed another 15 to 20 minutes to assemble the kayak.

The Kayak:
“What are those strange holes in the kayak? And how is it possible that the kayak that was found has a different serial number than the kayak that Arjen bought? The kayak seller did not rule out an administrative misunderstanding the day after the discovery. Or is this maybe another kayak?”

What was the result of the DNA testing from the kayak?

The phones
”We receive a message from the Norwegian police that Arjen had not one, but two telephones with him. One phone was picked up by the Belarusian truck drivers. The other was last on at the cell tower in Tuva—near the Forsvarets stasion—on August 20, at 5:15 p.m.”

From my memory — thought the last ping from AK was around 22.00 /10PM

 

[Chiatos]

Just like you - many questions,in the article about the time of the surveillance images seems questionable.
- an experienced kayaker peddles 5/km takes more then a hour.
- also states that AK had to walk for a while and would have needed another 15 to 20 minutes to assemble the kayak.

The Kayak:
“What are those strange holes in the kayak? And how is it possible that the kayak that was found has a different serial number than the kayak that Arjen bought? The kayak seller did not rule out an administrative misunderstanding the day after the discovery. Or is this maybe another kayak?”

What was the result of the DNA testing from the kayak?

The phones
”We receive a message from the Norwegian police that Arjen had not one, but two telephones with him. One phone was picked up by the Belarusian truck drivers. The other was last on at the cell tower in Tuva—near the Forsvarets stasion—on August 20, at 5:15 p.m.”

From my memory — thought the last ping from AK was around 22.00 /10PM

Yes that 5:15 p.m. is strange.
However, this recent NRC article item doesn't mention that time at all, so we'll have to wait and see what more will come out. NRC

Summarising the most recent info:
- August 13th, AK travels by train to Fauske and Rognan
- During that trip he cancels his hotel reservation for Fauske
- By the end of the day, AK returns to his hotel in Bodø

- August 20th AK checks out from his hotel in Bodø
- At 17:35hrs, Gunnar Jansen sees AK walking at a distance of + 200m from the trainstation
- At 18:40hrs a small white vessel passes by the salmon farm
- Towards 20:00hrs Gunnar sees AK again, this time AK was walking towards the harbour of Rognan
- At about 21:00hrs Gunnar sees AK behind a red building. AK seems to be pulling something.

- The two men who allegedly found Arjen's belongings are Belo-Russian instead of Lithuanian??

So strange ...
A few posts ago you reminded us about that stray boat that had been found.
I also recall that the body of a man was found in the fjord. And it was not Arjen. Who was he?

 

[Cave]

I also recall that the body of a man was found in the fjord. And it was not Arjen. Who was he?

The body that was found was reported not to be the body of Arjen Kamphuis, see Norway - Norway - Arjen Kamphuis, 47, Dutch citizen, Bodø, 20 Aug 2018

Worldwatcher:
”We receive a message from the Norwegian police that Arjen had not one, but two telephones with him. One phone was picked up by the Belarusian truck drivers. The other was last on at the cell tower in Tuva—near the Forsvarets stasion—on August 20, at 5:15 p.m.”

This last statement about the second phone being in an on-state at August 20 at 5.15 PM is a new and stunning revelation that leads to many other options in need for further investigation.

One major thing overlooked by many is the state in which the kayak was found.
Most people assume that the state in which the kayak was, is according to the photo being taken in the police garage.

Source: Fant savnede Arjens kajakk - venner stiller spørsmål ved mystisk telefonbruk

However... the kayak was NOT found in this ready-to-go-kayaking state.
In contrary.

According to a photo taken by the owner of the house where the kayak was found floating this is what the kayak looked like:


Source of picture: Hoe verdween privacy-expert Arjen Kamphuis in Noorwegen?

I compared the picture with a picture taken at September 28, 2018 and the picture matches the actual place where the kayak is said to have been found.

Picture: personal archive Cave/personal source.


My suggestion:
Any Oru kayak that is properly unpacked and setup, will NOT look like the above kayak, even not when floating in the fjord during several days.
This kayak appears to look just like an Oru kayak just taken out of its outer carying bag (and not being installed in water-ready state) and being thrown into the fjord without even caring for appearing as a real kayak.

Consider what this might mean for all the scenarios that are based on a kayak accident...

 

[Cave]

Just like you - many questions,in the article about the time of the surveillance images seems questionable.
- an experienced kayaker peddles 5/km takes more then a hour.
- also states that AK had to walk for a while and would have needed another 15 to 20 minutes to assemble the kayak.

The Kayak:
“What are those strange holes in the kayak? And how is it possible that the kayak that was found has a different serial number than the kayak that Arjen bought? The kayak seller did not rule out an administrative misunderstanding the day after the discovery. Or is this maybe another kayak?”

What was the result of the DNA testing from the kayak?

The phones
”We receive a message from the Norwegian police that Arjen had not one, but two telephones with him. One phone was picked up by the Belarusian truck drivers. The other was last on at the cell tower in Tuva—near the Forsvarets stasion—on August 20, at 5:15 p.m.”

From my memory — thought the last ping from AK was around 22.00 /10PM

See the photo of the state in which the kayak was found (see previous post)
To me this does not look like a kayak that of which we must assume that it was being used as a kayak (not mounted/installed).

In case the kayak WOULD have been in a kayak-ready state, please consider that anyone starting at Rognan would have to travel at least 3500 meter in order to start even consider being seen from any surveillance camera from the salmon factory.

The salmonfactory:

Imagedate: July, 1, 2018
Source: Norge i bilder

Website of the salmon factory: https://www.fish-tales.com/fishery/salmon/rognan-norway/
Image from salmon factory:

Source: https://www.fish-tales.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/noorse_zalmkwekerij_rognan-1600x739.jpg


Distance from supposed entrypoint kayak in Rognan:


Source: Cave

 

[Cave]

In addition to my previous post.
This is what the approx. view would be from the salmon factory.
Any vessel or object coming from Rognan would first appear on the salmon factory camera when it reaches the red box and the object will only be visible going from the redbox towards the left (=going north).



Source Google maps.

The fact that the above images nearly matches the possible image from the camera from the salmon factory gains credibility because we can clearly see a CCTV camera mounted at the east side of the factorybuilding, facing the direction of the salmon 'circles' in the fjord.



Source: Google maps

 

[Cave]

Regarding the state of the kayak at the moment it was found.

This is what it looked like:

Source: NRC

Note: the black bag visible in the photo above is likely NOT the bumbag/wastebeltbag of Arjen, but is part of the kayak design. We can see the black bag as part of the kayak design as shown on the photo below:

Source: Web

In a not-assembled state, the kayak would look something like this:


Source: Web

This design makes the kayak easy to carry or transport:

Source: Web



Source: Web

If you just unbuckle the straps that holds the kayak together, the kayak would not retain the rectangle/carrying shape anymore, but the kayak would expand towards this (if wind or water or both would be involved):




Source: Web

If someone would release the buckles of the kayak to see what the inside contents of the kayak were, the same results happens:

Source: Web



Source: Web

To me, the state in which the kayak was found looks exactly like the above scenario where someone unbuckled the kayak, but dit not fully assemble the kayak to be ready for actual water deployment.

If the kayak was indeed assembled to be ready for water deployement, the chances of the kayak ending up looking like the picture of the kayak found are very low IMO.

Question: Anybody any thoughts on how this would definity change the likelyhood of a 'kayak-incident' as theory?

 

[Chiatos]

In addition to my previous post.
This is what the approx. view would be from the salmon factory.
Any vessel or object coming from Rognan would first appear on the salmon factory camera when it reaches the red box and the object will only be visible going from the redbox towards the left (=going north).

View attachment 353173

Source Google maps.

The fact that the above images nearly matches the possible image from the camera from the salmon factory gains credibility because we can clearly see a CCTV camera mounted at the east side of the factorybuilding, facing the direction of the salmon 'circles' in the fjord.

View attachment 353174

Source: Google maps

What if: AK did not depart from Rognan, but from Vik instead?
One needs to have some fantasy here: what if AK got off the train at Rognan station and then got a lift overland to Vik or Kalvika or Tangen? His departure point would have been more nearby the salmon farm.

It would be interesting to see whether the "white vessel" passed by from behind the peninsula or in front.

Is Rognan's harbour (where Gunnar claims to have seen AK walking towards 20:00) located along Vikveien road? It would be interesting to know from what direction AK was coming and in what direction he was heading when walking towards the harbour.

 

[worldwatcher]

BNR Nieuwsradio

BNR.nl houdt ondernemend Nederland op de hoogte via live nieuwsradio, de beste artikelen, app en podcasts.

www.bnr.nl

Podcast

 

[worldwatcher]

BNR Nieuwsradio

BNR.nl houdt ondernemend Nederland op de hoogte via live nieuwsradio, de beste artikelen, app en podcasts.

www.bnr.nl

Podcast

Short summary of the podcast:

- no DNA of AK was found on the kayak.
- the red life line that AK had,wasn’t found.
- the hard disk & phone,is lost.

Its quite interesting and worth a listen.

At the same time,it raises more questions,then answers.

Hopefully, family,friends and colleagues will be provided with answers.

Next month, it is 4 years - that Arjen Kamphuis disappeared...

 

[Cave]

- no DNA of AK was found on the kayak.

This would be consisted with the hypothesis that the yayak was NOT assembled, but that the kayak was just 'unfolded' by itself (or rather: by outside forces of wind and water) after the buckles that keep the kayak together were released, as shown in the picture that shows the state the kayak was in when it was found.

 

[Cave]

What if: AK did not depart from Rognan, but from Vik instead?
One needs to have some fantasy here: what if AK got off the train at Rognan station and then got a lift overland to Vik or Kalvika or Tangen? His departure point would have been more nearby the salmon farm.

It would be interesting to see whether the "white vessel" passed by from behind the peninsula or in front.

Is Rognan's harbour (where Gunnar claims to have seen AK walking towards 20:00) located along Vikveien road? It would be interesting to know from what direction AK was coming and in what direction he was heading when walking towards the harbour.

All your above questions are relevant, but as counterargument: all these questions are only valid for a scenario in which the kayak was indeed assembled in a ready-to-enter-water-and-go-kayaking state. Based on the photographic evidence of the state in which the kayak was found I would personally NOT vote for such a scenario being the most likely.
Counterargument for discussion argument: Therefore any white object being seen on the salmon camera could not have been the kayak of Arjen, since it was not in an assembled and waterproof state.

If for the sake of argument we skip the Gunnar testimony, we could theorize about the following thoughts.

• In a theoretic scenario we place Arjen at the parking near Tussvika.
  (No speculation on how he would get there or what his purpose would have been, for this scenario we just place him there... From the podcast and media reports we know Arjen brought along several powerbanks and a weeks supply of MRE/outdoor food. It would not be unlogical to assume that he eventually would be in a place where he could use all of this stuff)
• The parking near Tussvika is within reach of the Tuva cell tower.
• One cellphone of Arjen is last connected to the Tuva cell tower 20/8 at 5.15
• The other cell phone of Arjen is also connected to the same Tuva cell tower 20/8 near 22.00
• From the aerial footage and streetview footage, a logical path from the parking towards the fjord would be along the green arrow.
  (It would be less logical from a social perspective to go and sit and enter the fjord from a position closer to the houses)
• If the kayak of Arjen would be unbuckled at this particular 'shore' (within green box), the kayak could very easily end up washing ashore at the given 'finding' location of the kayak (= float along the orange arrow for about 300 mtr). The unassembled kayak would just float near the shoreline and end up at the shoreline.
• The bum bag if Arjen is also found within 300 meter of this green box.
• The truck drivers claim to have found the items of Arjen when making a stop some days AFTER the mysterious disappearance of Arjen. For the sake of arguments we assume that this testimony is true and we assume that this stop is being made at the same parking near Tussvika.
• Again: most logical way for them is also to walk to the fjord via de green arrow route.
• The truck drivers find the stuff of Arjen unattended and decide to take the stuff.
• Note: on the aerial picture a small white boat can be seen. This boat appears on several aerial pictures. For example, see the norgeibilder link and see google satellite here.
  This seems to be a place where this boats resides/is fixed when not in use. When starting to use the boat the owner would have to drag the boat towards him (releasing the shoreline). Seeing any not-logical objects like a bumbag is perhaps more likely when still in the stage of starting or ending your boat journey. If this is the boat the fisher was using when picking up the bum bag/waiste bag from the water, this hypothetical scenario may get extra 'points' for credibility .

Source: Web maps norgeibiler.no



Distances would not seem illogical here:




Any comments on the above hypothesis?

 

[Cave]

Personal opinion
I do understand the Norway police has concluded that a tragic kayak accident is most likely.

Personally I cannot understand how any competent police researcher can come to a conclusion that an kayak accident is the most likely scenario when it is cleary visible that the kayak was not assembled at all.
If you add the fact that no life vest has been discovered (and certainly not a body wearing a life vest), I really think police has not done all they could in order to solve the case.

In defense to what may have happened during the investigation:
Some local police officer has tried to assemble the kayak to see if any parts are missing... What if all later arriving police inspectors/researchers were simply not told that the kayak was assembled by a police officer and everybody assumes that the assembled kayak was the state the kayak was found.
That would explain why this important fact may have been overlooked during the investigation.

To me any presumption about this kayak having been used to actually float in the fjord by a human is not yet supported by facts. A kayak incident is the LEAST possible scenario IMO.

(Disclaimer: Just talking of actually kayaking IN the kayak and getting an accident while floaring. I am not talking of an accident where Arjen may have been busy assembling the kayak, loosing his balance or having a heart attack and drowning, leaving all gear at the shore, where the gear later is submerged to the water due to tide changing and waves. Such a tragic event would not be called a kayak accident.)

 

[Cave]

With regards to the salmon factory, there is now an extra question which arises from the tweet from Helma:


Source: Tweet

The above screenshot of Helma shows a second salmonfactory which is based further north in the fjord.
So there seem to be two salmon factories.



The existance of a second salmon factory is confirmed by looking at the sea charts for the specific region:



An aerial view by google maps of the north salmon factory:



Source: Google

For the more northern factory there are no houses or buildings on the direct shore. However, there is a floating structure that seems to be the base of operation for this northern salmon factory.



Source: Web

Rectification of previous posts
Since Helma is closely involved in the investigation, I assume that she will likely know which is the correct salmon factory.
Therefore pointing to the previous salmon factory I mentioned (a bit more to the south) could be wrong, despite the fact that that salmon factory clearly has a camera pointed towards the see.

PS: Even IF the southern salmon factory is not the one showing the CCTV footage, one would assume that the police would at least have asked for their footage as well. This is another question friends and family can add to their list.

 

[Cave]

Assuming that the salmon factory from the Tweet from Helma is the correct one, the distance from Rognan to be able to show up on the CCTV camera of this north salman factory is about 8 km.

(Again: for this to be true you must discard the fact that the kayak was NOT assembled and was NOT in a water-ready state, so the below mentioned distance for travelling with the kayak is for theorerical argument purposes only... )

 

[Cave]

The image of the tweet of Helma contains some other interesting info.

The map shows places where Arjan 'has been'.
I assume that all the locations mentioned on this map were the result of family or relatives confirming sightings/whereabouts of Arjen based on credit card receipts or other credible info (Rognan is likely part of this set as result of the sighting by witnesses).

For clarity purposes I have repeated the locations as mentioned by Helma on the map below. The yellow kayak marker is placed for reference purposes only, since we do not have confirmation of Arjen ever having been there.

 

[Lorrie]

The image of the tweet of Helma contains some other interesting info.

The map shows places where Arjan 'has been'.
I assume that all the locations mentioned on this map were the result of family or relatives confirming sightings/whereabouts of Arjen based on credit card receipts or other credible info (Rognan is likely part of this set as result of the sighting by witnesses).

For clarity purposes I have repeated the locations as mentioned by Helma on the map below. The yellow kayak marker is placed for reference purposes only, since we do not have confirmation of Arjen ever having been there.

View attachment 353800

Do you mean he would have been at these places named at the map? Wonder what he has done in Hopen.. Not a place I would think people goes to without porpouses, and quite a long walk from Tverlandet trainstation or busstasjon.