Family wonders what happened to missing boyBy VALERIE WEST
Of The Oakland Press
A black scrapbook with a dried rose encased inside the cover holds photos, cards and memories of Max DeVries, a 14-year-old boy who was lost at sea in Aruba on May 12, 2004, one year before Natalee Holloway went missing. Nearly four years later, his mother, Yvonne DeVries of Brighton, still wonders what really happened to her son. "In the beginning, you want to believe it's an acci- dent," Yvonne said. "But then you think the worst."
Yvonne's husband died of a heart attack 18 months before Max's death. Still feeling the loss of her husband, the family - Yvonne, Max, daughter Dominique and Yvonne's sister-in-law - went to Aruba for a vacation. While at the hotel, they were befriended by a man and his adopted adult son.
On the day of Max's death, the father had invited Max to go out on personal watercraft with him. Yvonne, who said she was hesitant at first, gave in to Max's pleading.
The ride was supposed to last only 45 minutes, but when the two didn't show up after an hour, Yvonne knew something was wrong.
A few hours later, a rescue boat found the man floating without the watercraft four miles from shore, but not Max.
A three-day search ensued - with help from the Aruban Coast Guard, helicopters and a marine plane - but was eventually called off when nothing was found, according to police reports.
Both Yvonne and the man were questioned by the Dutch police in Aruba, but the man was never considered a suspect, according to transcribed reports.
The man told police that the two went for a ride on the personal watercraft and stopped at a sandbar. Max turned off his machine and dived into the water. He could not get the machine to start again. They made several attempts to tow the watercraft, but to no avail. There were, however, inconsistencies in the man's statements. On May 12, he stated that the two had agreed to float while holding onto their own craft with rope, and that Max let go and floated away. In a May 15 report, he said Max was sitting on the watercraft and, when he looked up, Max had jumped off and was swimming to shore.
Yvonne requested a polygraph and offered to pay, but the police did not find it necessary, she said.
Looking back, Yvonne believes they were targeted by the men, who she said had told her earlier in the week, "ÔWe were looking out of our bedroom window and we saw you playing with your kid and thought we had to meet you at the waterslide.'
"That's where it started. They stalked us out there," Yvonne said, adding that the police looked for the man's son, who did not show up until 10 minutes before he was brought to shore.
"At first you get these red flags, and these signals and instincts everyone talks about," she said. "And I ignored them."
Yvonne recalled that the men told her different stories of why they were in Aruba. Originally they said that the son's mother had died a year ago, but during a pool game, the son said his mother died when he was a baby.
"It was like they were trying to mirror our tragedy, so that I would believe and feel sorry for them and catch me off guard," she said, adding that they succeeded.
Yvonne was also disturbed that the man said he did not try to talk to Max as he floated out of sight, saying that they had made an agreement not to speak.
"When I saw Max for the last time, he was floating very calmly, moved now and then, but did not try to swim. We did not have any eye contact and we had not said anything to each other," he said in his statement.
It wasn't until 2005 that Yvonne found someone interested in her case.
Believing that the police in Aruba had not investigated thoroughly, she spoke with Lt. Cory Williams of the Livonia Police Department, who looked over the reports.
He believes the evidence suggests there is more to the story, he said.
"The first time I saw it, some of the things jumped out to me that didn't make sense," Williams said. "Based on what I found, they weren't being truthful or giving the full story."
Williams looked up information on the men, which he declined to comment on, but said if the police in Aruba had looked into their backgrounds, it would have prompted further investigation, he said.
Williams took the file to the FBI, which would not comment on the record. The case is still open, and Yvonne continues to hope that she will find an answer to her son's disappearance.
Through everything, Yvonne said traveling out of the country should still be a fun experience, but that travelers should not be naive and think they are as safe as they are in their own back yards.
"You just have to be always aware of your surroundings and who you're with. It's OK to be afraid. It's OK not to be friendly, not to be outgoing," she said. "And you know, you get lost, you want to have fun, and that's where we were. You want to not always have your guard up, and I should've, I should've."
Yvonne has taken her grief and made a positive contribution to the lives of families in need. She started fundraising in her husband's and son's memory, Max to the Millions. Each year, she plans at least one event and to give the proceeds to a family in need. The first year, the event aided a family who had two prematurely born boys. On March 15, a Sweet Sixteen Goes Mardi Gras event is planned at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi. Dancing, snacks and a silent auction will be featured at 7 p.m.
Contact staff writer Valerie West at (248) 745-4633 or
valerie.west@oakpress.com.
Case is similar to Holloway disappearance A little more than a week ago, Aruban prosecutors said they were reopening the investigation into the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway after seeing secretly taped material from a Dutch journalist of a confession by Joran Van der Sloot, one of the men last seen with Holloway. An Aruban judge denied a prosecution request to detain Van der Sloot. Aruban authorities have appealed that decision and expect a decision next week. - The Associated Press
