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Disappearance of Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway | |
|---|---|
 Senior portrait of Natalee Holloway in 2004 | |
| Born | Natalee Ann Holloway October 21, 1986 |
| Disappeared | May 30, 2005 (aged 18) Oranjestad, Aruba, Netherlands |
| Status | Missing for 19 years, 7 months and 16 days; declared dead on January 12, 2012[2] |
| Education | Mountain Brook High School |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[3] |
| Parents |
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Natalee Ann Holloway (October 21, 1986 – disappeared May 30, 2005; declared dead January 12, 2012) was an 18-year-old American high school graduate from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who disappeared from the Caribbean island of Aruba on May 30, 2005.[4] Her disappearance resulted in an international media sensation, especially in the United States.[5] The prime suspect, Dutch national Joran van der Sloot, has made conflicting statements over the years about his involvement, including a confession to killing her.[6] Holloway's remains have not been found.
Holloway, who had visited Aruba with classmates following her high school graduation, was scheduled to fly home on May 30 but failed to appear for her flight.[7] She was last seen outside Carlos'n Charlie's, a restaurant and nightclub in Oranjestad, entering a car with local residents van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe.[8] When the three men were questioned, they claimed they had dropped off Holloway at her hotel and denied knowing what had become of her.[9] Upon further investigation by authorities, van der Sloot was arrested twice on suspicion of involvement in her disappearance, and the Kalpoe brothers were each arrested three times. Due to lack of evidence, the suspects were released each time without being charged with a crime. Holloway's parents criticized Aruban police for the lack of progress, and called for a boycott of Aruba, which failed to gain widespread backing.[10][11] With the assistance of hundreds of volunteers, Aruban investigators conducted an extensive search operation. FBI agents, Dutch soldiers and aircraft, and ocean divers participated in the search for Holloway's body, but nothing was found.[12] Aruban prosecutors announced in December 2007 that the case would be closed without charging anyone with a crime. Holloway was declared legally dead in January 2012 on her father's request.
Van der Sloot has since made several conflicting statements on Holloway's disappearance. After video footage emerged of him saying that Holloway died on the morning of her disappearance, and that a friend had disposed of her body, the case was reopened in February 2008.[13] Van der Sloot later denied the veracity of these comments and claimed that he had sold Holloway into sexual slavery.[14] He later retracted his comments. In January 2012, van der Sloot was convicted of the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez in Peru. In June 2023, van der Sloot was extradited to the U.S. to face trial for extortion and wire fraud, with both charges linked to Holloway's disappearance.[15] On October 18, van der Sloot pleaded guilty to the extortion charges and confessed to killing Holloway by blunt force trauma after she rejected his sexual advances.[6] He later returned to Peru to continue his sentence for killing Flores.[16]
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BethBookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Natalee Holloway declared dead by judge six years after disappearance". The Guardian. London. January 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
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Fox News 2008-11-24was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Chandler, Berly; Cano, Regina Garcia; Briceno, Franklin (June 8, 2023). "Main suspect in 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway arrives in US from Peru to face charges". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Carol (November 1, 2023). "Joran van der Sloot returns to Peru to serve murder sentence after Natalee Holloway confession". AL. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
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