Case around Dutch model reopened; police now speak of 'murder investigation'

The Malaysian police are looking for the American couple with whom the Dutch model Ivana Smit had contact just before her death, at the end of 2017. This is stated in a procedural document in the case that Smit's family started against the police, her Dutch lawyer reports.

The document states that the police contacted Interpol to find out the whereabouts of the couple. According to the family, serious mistakes were made in the police investigation into the cause of death of Smit at the time, so they started proceedings against the Malaysian police.

The young woman died after falling from the 20th floor of a Kuala Lumpur flat after spending the evening with American couple Alex and Luna Johnson. In an interview, the two argue their innocence. "Even if we showed a video of Ivana jumping, the family would not change their minds," said Alex Johnson at the time.

Her family does not believe there was an accident, which the court previously ruled. At the end of 2019, the court ruled that the 18-year-old Smit "died as a result of the actions of third parties". The investigation was then reopened, the police now speak of a "murder investigation".