The Mysterious Disappearance of Natalee Holloway

After Natalee Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a senior class trip on the island of Aruba, at least seven young men along with the father of one, Paul Van Der Sloot, were detained and/or arrested in connection with her disappearance. A judge in training, Paul Van der Sloot was soon released due to insufficient evidence. Two others, security guards Antonius "Mickey" John, 30, and Abraham Jones, 28, were released when the police said they had nothing to do with Holloway's disappearance. Steven Gregory Croes, 26, was released due to insufficient evidence. The other three, Joran van der Sloot, 17, and two Surinamese brothers, Satish Kalpoe, 18, and Deepak Kalpoe, 21, were also eventually released for the same reason.

Later, in May 2006, yet another young man, Guido Weaver, 18, and a casino worker and self-proclaimed friend of Joran Van der Sloot, was indicted for the murder of Natalee Holloway. A week later, Weaver was released - again for insufficient evidence to hold him. In November 2007, authorities re-arrested Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers. This time they were charged with "involvement in the voluntary manslaughter of Natalee Holloway or causing serious bodily harm to Natalee Holloway, resulting in her death". Once more, all three were released due to insufficient evidence.

What is evident is that if you were a young man who was near where Holloway was last seen, it automatically made you a viable suspect and subject to being arrested or indicted with no evidence otherwise. Although this is a pursuable reason, it does become convoluted with each new rumor attributed as being fact even without actual corroboration. Each and every one of these men can be repeatedly arrested, only to be once more released for lack of evidence. In the meantime, how many more "suspects" will be identified while the Aruba police sift through their grab bag of possibilities?

After multiple arrests and even an attempt to be sued by Holloway's parents, Joran Van der Sloot has been the number one suspect. Dutch journalist Peter De Vries videotaped an interview with Van der Sloot on two different occasions where Van der Sloot made statements that he had help disposing of Holloway's body. The second interview, again set up by De Vries, shows Van der Sloot supposedly making arrangements to supply women for a sex industry. Nevertheless, the comments he has made has led many to believe he knows what happened to Natalee Holloway and he does admit to being one of the last to see her the night she went missing.

If the statements were provable that he was telling the truth about what happened or admitting he had anything to do with her alleged death and disappearance, it would give the Aruba officials and Holloway's family a legal stance to try and get a conviction. So far, there is no legal evidence that will hold up in court. It is more likely that Van der Sloot has a bigger problem with making up stories and embellishing them with each telling - depending on who his audience is. Whether or not these evolving tales will be proven true are still subject to debate; however, it does appear that Joran Van der Sloot has a problem keeping his mouth shut or he has a death wish of some kind. These statements have been categorized as being his "confession" for causing the death of Natalee Holloway; instead, they just seem to be an integral part of the imaginary world in which Van der Sloot resides.

Other witnesses have come forward claiming they saw these people with Natalee near a pond and near a landfill, yet investigation never turned up any evidence of Natalee or her body. Another witness has come forward two years later with yet another story of how Van der Sloot indicated he had done something to Holloway and then hid her body. Obviously, these so-called witnesses had no valid information to share and all appear to have been solely looking for their "fifteen minutes of fame". The problem has been that with all these witnesses and all the stories that have been put forward, there has not been a single statement that has generated a single real and verifiable clue as to what happened to Natalee Holloway.

Nonetheless, even if one of these men or any other person did admit to killing Natalee Holloway and also had disposed of her body in some manner, what are the chances of a conviction? Where is the physical evidence? There is no body and no evidence of a crime other than the fact that she is missing. There is no crime scene or forensic evidence connecting any person with her death. There is no evidence that she was sexually abused or is actually dead. No burial location has been found nor a single bone or piece of clothing. Until then, the disappearance of Natalee Holloway will remain a mystery. Without some evidence that points to any person being the cause of Holloway's disappearance, it is unlikely anyone will ever be convicted.

Sources:

Tips renew hopes of solving Holloway case

Aruba police pursue new evidence in Holloway case