Family hires lawyer to get to bottom of Dutch model's death in Malaysia; father hospitalized

The family of Dutch model Ivana Smit hired lawyer Sebas Diekstra to help them find out exactly how their 18-year-old daughter died in Malaysia nearly two weeks ago. The family is struggling to get any information from the Malaysian authorities about the investigation, and this is causing them acute stress. The young woman's father, Marcel, was hospitalized on Monday for heart- and blood pressure problems, shortly after telling the Telegraaf that they need help, according to the newspaper.

Ivana Smit died in Kuala Lumpur twelve days ago. After a night out with an American couple, she fell from the 20th floor of an apartment building. Her naked body was found on a balcony on the 6th floor. The American couple, businessman Alexander Johnson and his wife Luna, were arrested - not on suspicion of murder, but for drug use, which is illegal in Malaysia. Ivana's family is convinced that the couple was involved in her death.

Diekstra is known to regularly assist the families of people who died under suspicious circumstances, according to the Telegraaf. His first order of business is to get Ivana's body back to the Netherlands. After that he will try to improve the contact with the local authorities in Malaysia.

Ivana's family has no idea what is going on with the investigation. Her parents traveled to Malaysia immediately after hearing about their daughter's death. They wanted to find out what happened to her, but without success. This weekend they returned to the Netherlands, because they felt intimidated by the local authorities. 

The American couple were released on bail on Tuesday morning, without the Dutch family beng informed, the newspaper reports.