I've taken care of ALL my chores so I can settle in and watch Greta again. I want to hear once more what Jossy says about the search........I thought I heard him say it was completed, but maybe he was just talking about for today.
Partial Transcript
Greta:
Jossy, what happened today in Aruba in this investigation?
Jossy:
Today the Dutch team that came to Aruba about a week ago went at full force at Paul van der Sloot's house. They set up a tent there, they brought 3 dogs, they brought specific search equipment, they brought a judge and a Prosecutor with them and the began to search the premises of Paul's house.
Greta:
Have the premises ever been searched before Jossy?
Jossy:
No, not the house itself or the property but they did search Joran's apartment which is on the premises but not attached to the house itself. From there they took many black bags with them plastic bags with a lot of material which they sent to Holland
Greta:
Today, was anything seized?
Jossy:
We don't know that for certain because they kept a distance between our reporters and themselves. They went inside the property and did their searches and I know they dug up some holes and some holes somewhere on the property but we don't know what else they did. These people are very secretive.
Greta:
One of the things they had was a metal rod; we're looking at a picture right now that looks like that metal rod that's been reported. They had metal rods and shovels; any clue as to what they might have been looking for with those metal rods and shovels. I hate to be graphic, but are they looking for a body or something else?
Jossy:
I don't think they were looking for a body; I think they were looking for something else. They came down here with some specific idea of something to search for on that property. I don't think they would have moved so much human and financial resources just to put out a show for the press. I don't either think this search is based on a hunch or a rumor or some unspecific lead. Something brought them to Aruba and something took them directly to Paul van der Sloot's house and property.
Greta:
Is the search still under way or have they completed their work and they're gone now?
Jossy:
Their work is completed and they've retired to wherever they're staying in Aruba. They stayed there for about 8 hours from about 9:00 or 9:30 and they finished at about 5:30 in the afternoon
Greta:
No arrests right?
Jossy:
No arrests
Greta:
They didn't as far as we know go to the Kalpoe residence did they?
Jossy:
No, the Kalpoe brothers were not part of this specific search
Greta:
Jossy do you have the sense that they are simply being complete and going back and finishing something they didn't do two years ago or do you have the sense that they are on to something?
Jossy:
I have the sense that they are on to something because as I said before, I don't think they would have moved so many people to Aruba with so much expense involved, so much energy and all this equipment and dogs; I don't think they came here for an unspecific reason. They must have had some leads and today the Ministry of Justice put out a Press Release in which they justified this, tying it to something that came up during their review of all these tons of documents and tapes that they took with them to Holland awhile back.
Greta:
Where is Joran van der Sloot? Is he in Aruba or in Holland?
Jossy:
Joran is still in school in the Netherlands. He's busy with his book over there.
Greta:
And Paul and Anita his parents, were they home at the time of this search?
Jossy:
No they weren't but they did go and inform Paul van der Sloot at the courthouse, he is a practicing lawyer now. He was at the courthouse and they went to inform him that they were going to perform this search and he went to his home and then he left after about 15 or 20 minutes and he hasn't been back by 6 o'clock.
Greta:
The fact that a Judge and Prosecutor were on the scene as the search warrant was being executed, is that peculiar or is that procedure?
Jossy:
That's normal procedure here.
Greta:
Karin Janssen who was the Prosecutor is no longer in Aruba, she's been removed, she's completed her term. She's not the one running this right?
Jossy:
No she's not, she's in Holland. She has another task over there. She's completely removed from this as far as officially is concerned.
Greta:
Who is in charge of this investigation?
Jossy:
This investigation is in charge by the people from Holland because remember that the Minister of Justice, Rudy Croes requested the intervention of the Dutch investigators in this case. These people belong to the forensic institute of Holland.
Greta:
Jossy, thank you sir.
What were the investigators looking for and what are the prosecutors hoping to prove. Our producer on the ground in Aruba caught up with the spokesperson for the Prosecutor's office earlier
** I'm not transcribing this short portion. The producer spoke to Vivian
van der Biezen from the Prosecutor's Office on a videophone, and both the video and audio were just terrible.
Greta:
What does Joran have to say about today's events? His american lawyer Joe Tacopina spoke with Joran earlier today. Joe Tacopina joins us.
What does your client say about this search at his home in Aruba?
Tacopina:
Not much, I mean he was surprised, did not know about it. He's pretty much accustomed to this sort of routine going on at this point, so nothing surprises Joran or the family. They're a little distressed, this is 2 years later and they're being placed back in the eye of the storm. We've been there before and this is going to be another scenario where they do a search, do a dig and come up with nothing because Natalee Holloway was never at that house.
I think this is a positive turn of events for the van der Sloots. I believe this could be the beginning of the end. The Aruban authorities I've been told today want to close this case. The Dutch authorities who oversee the Aruban authorities basically said that until they have all their questions answered, they're not going to do that. The first time the van der Sloot residence was searched, it wasn't searched thoroughly, it wasn't search completely because the warrant that was executed at the time, limited them to certain parts of the house and property. This warrant does not do that, it's letting them excavate, dig and do all these things. I think this will put to rest any notion
Greta:
And Joe, how stupid was it that first warrant was so limited? Here's the thing that I don't understand: I've done this timeline with you, with Beth with Joran, I do not understand today if they're being so thorough today, why they didn't go over to the Kalpoe brothers' home and go through their yard, do everything over there. Do you have any information at all that they're going to do that?
Tacopina:
I have no information and in fact I don't believe they're going to do that. If they were going to do that, certainly the element of surprise would be gone. I know they didn't do a forensic sweep on that car
Greta:
They had the car
Tacopina:
This is a different squad Greta, these are forensic professionals here. We had not had this before. These are people who came with the appropriate forensic equipment, modern day science, stuff that wasn't used early on in this investigation. I wish quite frankly it was but I have no information that they will be doing anything with the Kalpoes.
There have been some rumors, some leads you know. We heard at one point one of these advocates if you will, for the anti Joran movement that she's buried underneath the pool or something. So I don't know if they're following up on rumors, I don't know if they're looking to close up all the loose ends. I don't know if they're trying to make sense out of the inconsistencies in the stories initially told but look, I think quite frankly, once this investigation is done, when this search is completed, the forensic analysis is completed, I think this will prove once and for all that Joran had nothing to do with this and I hope it's the beginning of the end.
Greta:
If you're telling me that the forensic investigation done by Holland is profoundly more professional than the one that was done almost two years ago, I'm stunned especially in light of the fact that in March of last year the car was returned to the Kalpoes, the car we know that Natalee was in. Are you telling me that that analysis of the Kalpoe car was done by basically, amateurs, people who don't know how to investigate a scene; whether there's any sign of bodily injury in a car?
Tacopina:
That's right, my understanding is they didn't use any of the forensic tools available. They did a search: they looked for hairs for obvious things that are visible to the naked eye. My understanding is they never luminoled that car, they never did the things that would uncover trace evidence that's not detectable by the naked eye.
What you're seeing now with this Dutch team is a different level of forensic analysis. it's my understanding that these techniques were never employed and quite frankly I don't even know whether they were available.
Greta:
If that indeed is true, let me re-use a word I used moments ago: that is really stupid and I'll add that it's completely unjust and unfair to everybody involved.
Doing a forensic examination of a car is not that sophisticated in this day and age.
Tacopina:
Greta, the search of Paul's house early on was done by police officers who went there looking for things like clothes and shoes. They never went in with a forensic team like this. By the way, we're two years down the road now so I don't know what sort of value they expect to find but hopefully they get their answers, they satisfy themselves and hopefully the people I spoke to in Aruba are right in the suspicion that this may be the beginning of the end.
Greta:
I think they need to go to everybody's house as well as talk to a bunch of people on the beach that they never bothered to talk to including some who may have had connection with others on the island. Joe thank you.
What are the Dutch investigators looking for. Let's bring in former LAPD homicide detective Mark Fuhrman. Mark your hair must be standing on end in the fact they had a limited warrant after she disappeared and 2 years later now they're going around the yard and apparently now wanting to do a more thorough job.
Fuhrman:
Of course it drives me crazy, certainly with the evidence they had that we just knew almost 2 years ago, it seemed to be enough to get a search warrant for the complete premises but we have to look at this too: Paul could have said of course you can search everything, I have nothing to hide, my son is innocent, I'm innocent and we welcome you to do this.
Greta:
Maybe they didn't bother to ask them
Fuhrman:
Perhaps he should have offered but, let's look at the other side of the coin here. The Netherlands sent this group of detectives, forensic scientists and they're actually trying to do the job that should have been done then. We also have to consider that they could have gotten new information that went just a little bit further than probably cause, information that might lead them to start looking for what I assume is decomposing human matter, a decomposing corpse.