Fred Kirschhoch (left), father of the missing American journalist, denied reports made at yesterday's press conference at the Hilton Kingston Hotel which cast his daughter, Claudia's character in a bad light. At right is Sandals public relation director Leo Lambert, denied withholding information relating to Claudia.
Cover-up accusations at news conference for missing journalist
THE SEARCH for Claudia Kirschhoch, 29, the missing Ameri-can travel writer, who vanished from Beaches Negril hotel, Westmoreland, on May 28, became enveloped in controversy yesterday at a news conference in Kingston.
The joint press conference called by the Sandals hotel chain and Fred Kirschhoch, the father of the missing American journalist, turned contentious with Mr. Kirschhoch charging that the hotel was withholding information relating to his daughter."
In response, Leo Lambert, the Sandals chain's public relations director, said he had been given information which suggested that the woman had been smoking dope (ganja) and fraternising with several local men.
Miss Kirschhoch, who works with Frommers Travel Guide, of New York, went missing on May 28. She was among a group which was refused entry to visit Sandals Resort in Cuba and was put up by Sandals at its Beaches Negril hotel.
Mr. Lambert who had earlier given a chronology of what he said were events from her arrival in the island up to the time she disappeared, stated that he had received information from one of the travel writers -- Tanya Glossinger -- who was in Jamaica at the same time as Miss Kirschhoch.
He said he had declined to make it public taking into consideration the presence of her parents, but that the information had been passed on to the police.
But after a brief speech from Mr. Kirschhoch in which he expressed gratitude to the Jamaican Government and Sandals Resorts International for their assistance, he told reporters there was information that Mr. Lambert was withholding.
This, he said, included the story behind the disappearance of Claudia's cellular phone which had been in her hotel room. Also, a log book which was used to record vehicles arriving and leaving the hotel's property was reported to be missing.
Mr. Kirschhoch said too, that a part of the footage from the surveillance camera at the hotel since the arrival of Claudia was not visible, and film rolls that were found in her room turn out to be blank when they were sent to be processed at a photo studio in Negril.
According to Mr. Lambert, since he had been accused of withholding information he was now forced to reveal what he said had been told to him by Tanya Glossinger, one of Claudia Kirschhoch's colleagues.
Miss Kirschhoch, he said, was reported to have gone out on the first night with one of the bartenders at the main bar at Beaches Negril hotel.
Also, she was reportedly seen in the company of about six men a few nights later. There were further allegations that she had been smoking "dope" which he said he later learnt to be a reference to ganja (marijuana) and that she was visiting night clubs and at times going "skinny dipping" in a lake.
"I know my daughter and the stories that I have been hearing about her are not true", Mr. Kirschhoch said." She is not like this. I think they are being disrespectful to her".
Holding aloft a notepad, Mr. Lambert said the conversations between himself and Tanya Glossinger were recorded by him and he invited journalists to examine them.
He made this comment shortly after Andrew Parker of the United States Embassy in Kingston, said he had made contact with Tanya Glossinger who denied some of what Mr. Lambert had said she told him about Claudia.
In separate radio interviews on RJR and HOT 102, Ms. Glossinger denied the quotes attributed to her by Mr. Lambert.
Supt. Ione Ramsay-Nelson, Police Liason Officer for Tourism, said the police had responded to 377 calls relating to the disappearance of Miss Kirschhoch, but they were still clueless about her whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the reward for information leading to the discovery of the woman has been increased from $500,000 to $1 million.
