WILLEMSTAD — The Spanish Water is currently being searched thoroughly for evidence of the missing American vice-consul James Hogan. Certain parts of the Spanish Water were closed off today. Baya Beach was once again accessible, but the gate at the road leading to the Quarantine building was still closed.
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As of Wednesday morning, an underwater search is being carried out in the Spanish Water and at the entrance of the Spanish Water leading to the open sea. The searches, which are being carried out by Antillean, Dutch, and American defense personnel, occur daily, and start amongst others at the boathouse of the rescue organization Citro at the Caracas Bay.
Everyone had already left around nine o’clock this morning, apart from two Americans who were about to launch their kayak and search the surrounding. Unfortunately, they were not very talkative. One of them just barely nodded his confirmation that the team had experience in searching for missing people elsewhere in the world. However, for the sake of the search, they are not allowed to talk to the press.
Two small boats can be seen with men in camouflage clothing searching the water just further on the Spanish water, near the inlet at the Curaçao Yacht Club. However, they are too far out to ask them whether they had found anything important.
The coastguard requests users of the Spanish Water to act upon indications that sailing movements are limited and when certain parts are temporarily closed off. This search will continue until further notice. A kind of underwater robot is used to search the bottom.
Blood trails
Based on DNA-research, the Dutch Forensic Institute (NFI) confirms that the blood on the found clothing, the clothing itself, and the blood trails on the soil at the peninsula of the Caracas Bay, belongs to the missing American vice-consul James Hogan.
Hogan was last seen on Thursday evening of last week. He had left his residence at Toni Kunchi just before ten PM for a walk. His clothes and a few objects were found during the afternoon of the following day. Furthermore, the Public Prosecutor confirms that Hogan’s mobile telephone was found last Wednesday within the searching area at sea. This is currently being investigated.
Possible lift
Investigation has revealed that the vice-consul had first remained in the neighborhood, and afterwards, between eleven and twelve PM, had apparently first visited Bapor Kibrá and then Baya Beach. Therefore, the police are requesting witnesses who had perhaps offered Hogan a lift, whether or not in the company of others, to specifically report this to the police. "We are still missing a whole lot of pieces of the puzzle", says spokesperson Reginald Huggins. Hogan’s family is being kept out of this as much as possible. It is not known whether things have been confiscated from his residence in the framework of the investigation.
A briefing is held every afternoon. Police spokesperson Huggins expected to release more information possibly this afternoon.
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