What Happened in
Natalee Holloway’s Disappearance and Investigation
In May 2005, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished during a graduation trip to Aruba.
She was last seen leaving a nightclub with Joran van der Sloot.
Despite intense media coverage and ongoing investigations, her body was never found, and she was declared legally dead in 2012.
Extortion and Confession
In 2010, van der Sloot tried to extort Natalee’s mother for $250,000 in exchange for her location, leading to U.S. charges.
In a 2023 plea deal, he confessed to killing Natalee,
saying he struck her with a cinder block and dumped her body in the ocean.
Legal Consequences
Due to Aruba’s statute of limitations, he can’t be tried there for murder.
He is serving 28 years in Peru for another murder and 20 years in the U.S. for extortion.
Family’s Response
Beth Holloway said, “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.
Joran van der Sloot… is the killer.”
