Did Pennsylvania Couple Find Natalee Holloway's Remains?

A recent YouTube video is at the center of the latest update about Natalee Holloway, an Alabama student who disappeared almost five years ago. The video, taken by a Pennsylvania man, does show human remains and has been given to the FBI. Will this latest video finally solve the questions about what happened to Holloway's body? The man who took the photo, John Muldowney, instinctively feels that the body in the photo is Natalee Holloway, but human remains found on the ocean floor could be from the death or drowning of someone else while at sea.

Every year, swimmers, snorkelers and others fall prey to danger and drown in the ocean. Their bodies aren't always discovered. So what proof is there that this is Natalie Holloway? The photo does indeed look like a human corpse and did turn up in Aruba, where it was photographed when the Muldowney couple went snorkeling in the area. Even so, until the FBI and others can conduct a forensic exam on the body, it can't be fully determined to be Natalie Holloway.

This hasn't stopped the buzz about this body from building to a fever pitch. Interest in the Holloway case has remained high because the 18-year-old vanished so quickly while on vacation and possibly because parents could relate to the case, feeling sympathy and understanding the concerns of the Holloway family. Natalee Holloway was reported to have been last been seen with a Dutch man, Jordan van Der Sloot (and his companions) but arrests provided no leads about the body's location. Sloot's confession was the subject of controversy and many officials were wary about its truth.

Whether this body turns out to be Natalee Holloway or not, it may help bring closure to some family who wonders what happened to someone they knew, someone who disappeared while on vacation or simply went missing. If it is Holloway, it is likely to bring renewed interest into determining what can be learned from a body which has sat at the bottom of the ocean floor for five years. How much evidence will still remain about the cause of death and what may have happened before then? The body is either a true lead in the Holloway case - or just another disappointing dead end. If so, the only upside would be bringing closure to some other family.

Meanwhile, Nancy Grace isn't waiting for final forensic evidence but is featuring the couple on her show. The photo was taken by the Muldowneys last October but not developed till January. They didn't immediately recognize that one photo showed a possible body on the ocean floor. When they did, they sent the evidence to the FBI. Not content to stop there, they went to their local newspaper and the buzz has been building since then.

Sources:

Youtube video of possible Natalee Holloway remains at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bgPTW3IaVQ
Natalee Holloway Photo: Did Vacationer Snap Photo of Missing Girl's Remains? CBSnews.com, March 18, 2010 here
Snorkeling Couple Says Underwater Photo May Show Natalee Holloway's Remains in Waters Off Aruba, NYDailynews.com, March 19,2010 here
Nancy Grace to Feature Couple Who Say They Photographed Natalee Holloway's Skeleton, Birmingham News, March 19, here