Natalee Case Discussion #732 2/15 - 2/17/08

[Ono]

You know, these are the kind of quotes that I would love to see aired on TV:

ANITA VAN DER SLOOT: Including my son, yes. He should have been held. He should have been interrogated from the beginning on. What did you do? Where did you go? Is there anyone you have seen there? But they let the kids go. And he went on with his exams, and he was a normal teenager. He was under pressure. He knew that things were wrong, but — and the girl was missing. But he repeated, She will appear somewhere. And if she does, I'll kick her butt in front of her mom because she brought all of us in trouble. That's what he repeated several times.

And haven't we seen/heard that on one of his websites that he's into/ a big fan of kickboxing?;  Kicking a girl is evil & his saying he would do that is curious.  It doesn't seem to phase his mother, imo.  Odd parenting.

* Edited to add:   "It doesn't seem to FAZE his mother."

[Nut44x4]

Back some time ago I had the Good Housekeeping mag w/ Beth's article in it, but I could not scan it.
It is online now at the GH site if anyone wants to see it. Three pages.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/names/real/natalee-holloway-daughter-beth-holloway

[San]

   Sounds to me like Anita was coached by Paulus Van Der Sloot when she gave this interview. You know he was telling her what to say. Textbook!

   "I told him to tell the truth." B.S. If he tells the truth, he goes to prison. He was under lots of pressure, stress. They probably never put him under any stress.

   "Tell us what you did so we can he you cover your tracks." This is what they told him. COVER UP, COVER UP, COVER UP!!!

   The public must punish Joran, if the Aruban authority wants to protect him. The public will be the worst punishment of all.

   Just wanted to blow some steam. I have only posted a few times, but I have been in the cage since this story got started. I have been consumed by the injustice of Natalee and her family from the first day. I rush to get home to learn what has taken place everyday.

   I have rode the Aruban rollercoaster evertime it started up. From the false arrest to the release to the new information to the confession. I am glad I don't live in a country where injustice is rampant. GOD Bless America! The land of truth, justice and liberty.

   We have a prison system full of Van Der Sloots - they don't run the streets for long here. We certainly don't back killers and murderers. Peace and justice Aruba - read the book.

   Your dirt hill will crumble in the wake of your international crime. And covering up a murder of one from another country is an international crime. You will sink just like your gatekeepers. Aruba will one day be known as the Island formerly known as Aruba. The Island of the Aruba - One Deadly Island!, "Your suicide Vacation!" This is put people like Dr. Jack Kevorkian out of business.

   You get sick or depressed, no need for pill or guns, just take a flight to Aruba and wait. You can pick to be burnt in one of their infamous caves  where your ashes will be mailed back to your family or for financially strapped families, you can just be dumped over the side of a boat ALIVE! They have an experienced cover up team if you want to dispose of a friend or a loved one. No one will ever know! "One Crappy Island" Way to go Aruba!

   I feel a little bit better now, but would have felt much more like running a marathon have Van Der Sh*T been arrested. But the public will place him on trial now. No rules Van Der Sh*t, just like the rules you used when you murdered Natalee Holloway. You will never enjoy a life od peace and success until you confess and make good on you obligations to the law and society. You owe us Van Der Sh*T, now pay up or else the wrath will descend upon you!

   I am done Monkeys, you can have you forum back now.

   I STAND WITH THE GIRL!!!

JusticeDawg





Anita van der Sloot
On the Record w/ Greta
June 23, 2005

ANITA VAN DER SLOOT: No. The first days, when he was at the police office, I could go in sometimes in the morning, see him for five or ten minutes, sometimes at night, and I could hold him. I couldn't talk about the case or anything, just about love from this and this person, friends from Holland called, people who wrote e-mails. So I spoke with him about these things and just told him to stay strong and to tell the truth.

And yesterday, he got transported to the Kia, the correction institute, Kia — that's how we call the prison here — and I could visit him a little bit longer. My husband, Paul, gets no access to him at all, and they refuse his lawyer to get any access to him during interrogation. He could tell me a little bit about his interrogations that were really, really tough. A lot of pressure on him, extreme pressure.

JusticeDawg I understand your frustrations and it is good to let it out because this case would make you crazy if you didn't.

This entire Sloot family is sickening.  Anita was the orchestrator in her home don't let her fool you.  She was never clueless when it came to her son and she knew what he was capable of and she still left him on that island with her perverted husband roaming around free and targeting tourists.

Joran's own words to his mother were if you were here this would not  have happened.  Enough said.

She took the two younger ones with her to Holland because she knew they could be harmed by the father and son tag team Psychos.

[Kat_Gram]

As much As I dislike what BOR said B4, he has a viewership and ppl do listen to him. Millions of them.
And I hope that Beth in her lawsuit for damages or whatever ever it is called in the NL can get financial disclosure. I have a suspicion that there is money from the US Networks and alot of it sitting in a fund waiting for the clock to tick outwhere there could be no criminal charges in the NL or Aruba. We've seen some very large dollar amounts recently mentioned, do you think Fox didn't pay Joran for his interview ? Ans plenty ?
Joran is going to be the next young OJ, except OJ was a talent and known for football first. Joran will be known for only this, always.

[caesu]

i've got her e-mailaddresses of newspapers, newsmagazines, newsshows, etc., etc.

the ones on bold are imo very independent, especially critical of the government or have already mentioned something about the justice department on aruba.

if you decide to write them. just keep in mind, if they get overwhelmed by information they mind they it's too bizarre and won't believe it.

ad@ad.nl
centraleredactie@destentor.wegener.nl
eo@omroep.nl
groene@groene.nl
ikon@ikon.nl
kro@omroep.nl
info@vpro.nl
info@sbs6.nl
info@net5.nl
magazine@groenlinks.nl
nieuwsdienst@brabantsdagblad.nl
nps@omroep.nl
nieuwsdienst@telegraaf.nl
nieuwsdienst@anp.nl
ncrv@omroep.nl
nrc@nrc.nl
publiciteit@cnv.nl
redactie@rtlnieuws.nl
redactie@nosjournaal.nl
redactie@tegenlicht.nl
redactie@2vandaag.nl
redactie@netwerk.nl
redactie@telegraaf.nl
redactie@parool.nl
redactie@spits.nl
redactie@metro.nl
redactie@nrc.nl
redactie@ad.nl
redactie@volkskrant.nl
redactie@nova.nl
redactie@eindhovensdagblad.nl
redactie@pzc.nl
redactie@elsevier.nl

[Tamikosmom]

Greta has finally saw the light.  Monkeys have been in the light since the day following Beth and Jug's arrival on the Island.  Why?  Monkeys believed Beth.  Unlike Greta ... who gave Joran the benefit of the doubt ... Monkey's did not required the Devries' recording as confirmation.

Janet

+++++++++

Beth Holloway
On the Record w/ Greta
February 8, 2008

VAN SUSTEREN: It's so interesting, on the tape he fits that description of how he was described to us that first night when the press wasn't around and your friends and Beth met up and Jug met up with him.

And on tape, when he was with us, he had a different — he seemed different.

HOLLOWAY: Yes, he did. And I think you saw the true Joran Van Der Sloot in that tape. And Beth had confirmed it to me that that was the same attitude he had the first night she met him.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329988,00.html

[Tamikosmom]

Greta has finally saw the light.  Monkeys have been in the light since the day following Beth and Jug's arrival on the Island.  Why?  Monkeys believed Beth.  Unlike Greta ... who gave Joran the benefit of the doubt ... Monkey's did not required the Devries' recording as confirmation.

Janet

+++++++++

Dave Holloway
On the Record w/ Greta
February 8, 2008

VAN SUSTEREN: It's so interesting, on the tape he fits that description of how he was described to us that first night when the press wasn't around and your friends and Beth met up and Jug met up with him.

And on tape, when he was with us, he had a different — he seemed different.

HOLLOWAY: Yes, he did. And I think you saw the true Joran Van Der Sloot in that tape. And Beth had confirmed it to me that that was the same attitude he had the first night she met him.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329988,00.html

[Ono]

i've got her e-mailaddresses of newspapers, newsmagazines, newsshows, etc., etc.

the ones on bold are imo very independent, especially critical of the government or have already mentioned something about the justice department on aruba.

if you decide to write them. just keep in mind, if they get overwhelmed by information they mind they it's too bizarre and won't believe it.

ad@ad.nl
centraleredactie@destentor.wegener.nl
eo@omroep.nl
groene@groene.nl
ikon@ikon.nl
kro@omroep.nl
info@vpro.nl
info@sbs6.nl
info@net5.nl
magazine@groenlinks.nl
nieuwsdienst@brabantsdagblad.nl
nps@omroep.nl
nieuwsdienst@telegraaf.nl
nieuwsdienst@anp.nl
ncrv@omroep.nl
nrc@nrc.nl
publiciteit@cnv.nl
redactie@rtlnieuws.nl
redactie@nosjournaal.nl
redactie@tegenlicht.nl
redactie@2vandaag.nl
redactie@netwerk.nl
redactie@telegraaf.nl
redactie@parool.nl
redactie@spits.nl
redactie@metro.nl
redactie@nrc.nl
redactie@ad.nl
redactie@volkskrant.nl
redactie@nova.nl
redactie@eindhovensdagblad.nl
redactie@pzc.nl
redactie@elsevier.nl

Truth is stranger than fiction - and truth has a "ring" to it.   It's up to the individual reader whether or not he/she believes what is written.

This is a bizarre case, no?

[caesu]

i've got her e-mailaddresses of newspapers, newsmagazines, newsshows, etc., etc.

the ones on bold are imo very independent, especially critical of the government or have already mentioned something about the justice department on aruba.

if you decide to write them. just keep in mind, if they get overwhelmed by information they mind they it's too bizarre and won't believe it.

ad@ad.nl
centraleredactie@destentor.wegener.nl
eo@omroep.nl
groene@groene.nl
ikon@ikon.nl
kro@omroep.nl
info@vpro.nl
info@sbs6.nl
info@net5.nl
magazine@groenlinks.nl
nieuwsdienst@brabantsdagblad.nl
nps@omroep.nl
nieuwsdienst@telegraaf.nl
nieuwsdienst@anp.nl
ncrv@omroep.nl
nrc@nrc.nl
publiciteit@cnv.nl
redactie@rtlnieuws.nl
redactie@nosjournaal.nl
redactie@tegenlicht.nl
redactie@2vandaag.nl
redactie@netwerk.nl
redactie@telegraaf.nl
redactie@parool.nl
redactie@spits.nl
redactie@metro.nl
redactie@nrc.nl
redactie@ad.nl
redactie@volkskrant.nl
redactie@nova.nl
redactie@eindhovensdagblad.nl
redactie@pzc.nl
redactie@elsevier.nl

Truth is stranger than fiction - and truth has a "ring" to it.   It's up to the individual reader whether or not he/she believes what is written.

This is a bizarre case, no?

very bizarre indeed.

[Kat_Gram]

The Dateline NBC story is coming which will help give this thing legs.

Bladerunner, when it gets closer, could you give us an advance heads up ?
I usually check in daily . Been busy lately, but kiddo can PDR or whatever it is and then we watch together. I can vcr it too. Kiddo is taking a big interest ever since she read Dave's book. If there are any programs about the seach also, heads up , pretty please ? Kiddo's DH does the GIS for a living and we find the tech. stuff with the sonar and the mapping quite interesting and amazing. 
   

[Buckeye]

Back some time ago I had the Good Housekeeping mag w/ Beth's article in it, but I could not scan it.
It is online now at the GH site if anyone wants to see it. Three pages.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/names/real/natalee-holloway-daughter-beth-holloway

Thanks Nut

One thing I read:

Frantically, I ask the pit bosses if they've seen Joran. There's no sign of him. I turn and see Paulus on his cell phone again. He reports to us that his son is back at their house now with a friend, Deepak Kalpoe, the owner of the silver Honda.

Meanwhile, two Wyndham Hotel security guards report that they saw two dark-skinned males and a tall white male with a blond girl out by the beach a few hours ago. The men in our group split up to search the beach area. I remain with Paulus and the police, still clutching Natalee's portrait. I hope our men will walk back in with her. But they don't.

Wyndham security guards saw them a few hours before Beth arrived?  On the night that the guys weren't dressed for casinos?? 

[Slogger]

Tower capture of cellphone transmissions (May 30, 2005)

I'd like to see an inspection of the paper produced regarding the cell towers and cellphone information discussed during a meeting in which Jan vdS explained the data on transmission(s) on the evening of May 30, 2005.  The explanation appeared to cause a progression toward California Lighthouse to turn into a walk to the casinos.

There was at least one printed page of data, and possibly some handwritten notations.  The explanation appears to contribute to our compilation on coverup.

[Blonde]

Back some time ago I had the Good Housekeeping mag w/ Beth's article in it, but I could not scan it.
It is online now at the GH site if anyone wants to see it. Three pages.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/names/real/natalee-holloway-daughter-beth-holloway

My Daughter Disappeared"
What made her say yes to the trip? For the first time, the mother of Natalee Holloway tells the inside story of the search — and how she finally found peace of mind.

By Beth Holloway

 
Photo by: Philip Friedman
January 2007
I'm the parent who got the dreaded call — the one whose phone rang out of the blue in the middle of the day, who heard a voice at the other end saying, "Your daughter is missing."


 

 Now the day has come when I must pack up Natalee's belongings, which have remained untouched since she left on her senior class trip to Aruba on May 26, 2005. My son, Matt, and I are moving to a new house.

Everything in the room represents Natalee. Light purple (her favorite color) and delicate greens predominate. In one corner, a purple curio cabinet holds her Wizard of Oz memorabilia. Her graduation robe hangs outside the closet door, the honors cords still around the neck. She was full of life, smart, gutsy, determined, and dependable. And so independent that I used to joke, "Natalee, just ask me some questions so I can feel like I'm your parent. Humor me."

Thank goodness there was something she needed me for: her clothes. Almost every Saturday morning, she'd appear in the kitchen in a fleece jacket with her hair tied up, face freshly washed. We'd head out for a day of shopping together at our favorite stores near our suburb outside Birmingham, AL. In the car, between stops, we'd talk about anything and everything. Those are the memories I cherish most.

In October 2004, Natalee asked me if she could go on the senior class trip, an exotic four-night stay on the island of Aruba. The trip was a Mountain Brook High School tradition. Her stepbrother, George, had gone two years before, and if I could swing it financially, I wanted Natalee to have the experience.

In the weeks before her graduation, I attended two parent meetings hosted by Jodi, the travel agent who handled the Aruba trips and whose own daughter was scheduled to go that year. We discussed payment, roommates, and other details. The position of the chaperones was made clear: They'd be there for emergencies such as lost passports, but they wouldn't be conducting bed checks or roll call. In addition to the seven adults, more than a hundred of Natalee's senior classmates were booked to go. It was comforting to know there'd be safety in numbers.

Natalee was 18, almost grown. But I still reminded her to make personal safety her first priority, and to stay with people she knew. She hadn't had a real boyfriend, and confided to me that she was a virgin. I let her know I was glad about that, and mentioned my worries about what she might encounter in Aruba's clubs and casinos. When a former Mountain Brook student came back from his class trip, he'd told us about a chilling incident at a nightspot called Carlos'n Charlie's. Some locals had tried to get a couple of girls in his class to leave with them. This young man stepped in to help defuse a potentially dangerous situation. "I know when you're there you're of legal age," I said. "But someone might try to take advantage of the situation — or even put something in your drink. You need to be on your guard." Natalee acknowledged my warning with the typical teen reply, "Mom, I know. I'll be careful." I felt better after reminding her again about possible dangers she could face. She'd proven to be responsible all her life. I trusted her to be able to take care of herself.

In the wee hours on Thursday, May 26, I dropped Natalee at a friend's house for the ride to the airport. As she gathered her things from the car, she looked up long enough for me to kiss her on the cheek. "I love you! Have a great time!" I told her. She replied, "Bye, Mom! Love you!" She slung her purple duffel bag over her shoulder and made her way to the front door. As I turned the car around to leave, I caught a glimpse of her entering the house, not knowing it would be the last time I would ever see Natalee. By Monday morning, she was missing.
 
May 2005
With Natalee away in Aruba, I decide to drive down to Hot Springs, AR, for the weekend with a couple of friends to pay a long overdue visit to my family's lake house. Somewhere amid the chuckles and small talk on our drive home on Monday, my cell phone rings.


 "Mrs. Twitty?" a young girl's voice says, addressing me by my husband's name. "My mom...um...she wants to talk to you." It's the daughter of Jodi the travel agent. She'd developed appendicitis before the trip, so she and Jodi hadn't gone to Aruba.

It's an eternity before Jodi takes the phone. She simply says, "Natalee didn't show up this morning to get on the plane." And instantly I know. Something bad has happened.

When the other Mountain Brook students met in the Holiday Inn lobby to board buses for the airport, Natalee's roommates notified the chaperones that she hadn't returned to the room the previous night. No one knows where she is.

After sharing this frightening news with my friends, I call my husband, Jug, and ask him to see about getting transportation to Aruba. He hesitates, saying maybe she just missed her flight. "C'mon, Jug," I say. "Natalee might be early for something, but never late. Please see what you can do!"

My mind goes into overdrive. Think! Think! I remember that my friend Martee knows a private pilot, and phone her to ask for a number. "Is this how it happens, Martee?" I hear myself say. "You just get a call?" We hang up and I pray the first of a million prayers. I ask God to give Natalee the strength to endure, until I can get to her.

Natalee's 16-year-old brother, Matt, calls. "Mom, this is serious," he says. "You gotta call the FBI." I try. But it's a holiday, and no one is on duty in the Birmingham office. One of the chaperones, a coach, is staying behind in Aruba in case Natalee returns to the hotel. When I get him on the phone, I ask him to stick to the hotel lobby, so Natalee will see him when she comes in.

Natalee and I haven't talked since she left. She doesn't have international calling on her cell phone. I feel such regret about that. And sadness. She may have been in a bad situation and couldn't call anyone. Though it's pointless, I leave her a voice message. "Natalee, hang in there. Help is on the way. Please call me. I love you."

Trading phone calls with the Mountain Brook students who are waiting to fly out of Aruba, I get the tip we need. The students, including Natalee's group, were at Carlos'n Charlie's on their last night on the island. Dear God. Carlos'n Charlie's. The students say Natalee got into a silver or gray Honda with a young man who befriended some of her classmates. Jug's nephew Thomas, who was also on the trip, says he played cards with him at the casino. His name is "Gerran or Juran or something like that." Thomas doesn't think this man would harm Natalee. "He just seemed like, y'know...a regular guy. Like me." Apparently, this Gerran/Juran fellow is a tourist from Holland and is staying at their hotel.

At home in Birmingham, I clutch Natalee's senior portrait as Jug and I drive to the airport. On the way, I contact the cell phone company and have international calling activated on Natalee's cell phone and mine. Why, Lord, didn't we do this before she left? Jodi and two other parents have volunteered to accompany us to Aruba. No one says much during the four-hour flight. We can do this, I think. We can find this guy and we can find Natalee. But first, we have to find the right authorities. How hard can that be?

It's 11 p.m. on Memorial Monday when Aruba comes into full view. I'm shocked by its size. I'd imagined a small island with a few tiki huts bordered by beautiful beaches. It looks like we're approaching Atlanta at night. I realize I know nothing whatsoever about this island. How will we ever find her down there?

The owner of the plane arranged for "handlers" to meet us at the airport and assist with customs and ground transportation, a common practice. Two men, Alberto and Claudio, are assigned to us. They seem genuinely interested in our plight. An official in the processing area draws my attention. Her badge identifies her as a U.S. Homeland Security representative — our first sign of real hope. I have to restrain myself from hugging her. Talking a mile a minute, I explain about Nat's disappearance and ask for her help in figuring out where to start. She says very little; she has no special authority, and cannot do a single thing to help Natalee.

As we head for the hotel, our handlers offer comforting words. "Don't worry," they tell us. "Everyone knows everyone in Aruba. She'll be found." I try to feel encouraged, but reports of drug cartels and human trafficking coming out of Venezuela, 12 miles offshore, give me cause for concern.

Inside the lobby of the hotel, I spot the coach standing with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. But my eye is drawn to Natalee's purple duffel bag on the table next to him. My knees weaken as I walk toward it. Immediately, her things become sacred to me. The coach was uncomfortable leaving her bag in the room unattended and brought it to the lobby.

After telling the DEA agent what I know, we rush to the desk to ask about a tourist named Gerran or Juran who plays in the casino here and might be staying at the hotel. The night manager, Brenda, knows him by name. "Oh! Yes...Joran. He gambles in the casino. He likes to prey on young female tourists," she volunteers. "Especially the blonds." My mouth drops open. "He is tall. Good-looking boy. Like a Dutch marine."

"Where's he from?" I ask her.

She replies, "He lives in Aruba."

I stutter, "He's...he's not a tourist just here for the summer? He isn't staying at this hotel?"

"Oh, non! Non," she says. I know that we've got to find him.

Jug's nephew says he played cards with Joran in the casino. We ask if there are videotapes of the blackjack tables. Brenda explains that it will be difficult to locate someone at this hour to show us the footage from the previous night. "Maybe tomorrow." I ask for the records that show who entered Natalee's hotel room last night. Those will have to be pulled for us.
We return to the coach. Apparently, the beach patrol he has been dealing with since that morning aren't actual police, nor did they think the matter urgent enough to file a missing persons report. "Just wait for her," the locals said. "She will come back." Natalee has been missing for close to 22 hours now. A crime may have been committed, though it has not been reported or documented. All of us are dumbfounded by this blasé attitude. But I'm not about to let this get swept under the rug.

The DEA agent asks about Natalee's cell phone and passport. I discover them in a little carry-on purse attached to the side of her duffel. After the agent looks at them, I return Natalee's things to her hotel room. Seeing her passport gives me hope. At least she hasn't left this island. She's here somewhere. We can find her. When I return to the lobby, the DEA agent suggests we go to Carlos'n Charlie's to ask questions and show her picture around.

Carlos'n Charlie's is very close to where the cruise ships dock. Another wave of concern takes my breath away: Has my daughter been taken away on one of these ships? Dumped at sea? Taken as a slave to another country? I try to control my horrible rushing thoughts.

Making their way inside the bar, the men in our group dodge a couple of fistfights and dope-smoking patrons, trying to find someone with information. They don't learn anything, so we all drive back to the hotel. We again ask to watch the video of the blackjack tables. This time, the hotel manager finds someone to show us the tapes. We get Jug's nephew back on the phone while we view the footage. Thomas describes where Joran was sitting. Bingo. There he is. We have a picture of him and a confirmed first name.
Excited, Jug and I run down the stairs from the casino toward the lobby and almost collide with the handlers, who've volunteered to hit the streets to see what they can learn. Alberto is waving a piece of paper. They have Joran's last name — Van der Sloot — and his address.

It takes almost half an hour to get uniformed officers to accompany us to the Van der Sloot home. The police sound their horns and sirens for about five minutes before a man answers the door. He has a cell phone in his hand. He is Joran's father, Paulus van der Sloot. On the phone, the DEA advises me to remain in the rental van. I don't want to impede the police work by flying off the handle.

The police ask to see Joran. Paulus says he isn't home and calls his son to find out where he is. He tells the police that Joran says he's in a poker tournament at the Wyndham Hotel. On the way to the Wyndham, I decide that I am going to nail this kid right there in the casino and confront him about my daughter's whereabouts. Ask him why he lied to the Mountain Brook students about being a tourist. The car barely stops rolling before I jump out, running past the police officers and Paulus to be the first in the casino.

Frantically, I ask the pit bosses if they've seen Joran. There's no sign of him. I turn and see Paulus on his cell phone again. He reports to us that his son is back at their house now with a friend, Deepak Kalpoe, the owner of the silver Honda.

Meanwhile, two Wyndham Hotel security guards report that they saw two dark-skinned males and a tall white male with a blond girl out by the beach a few hours ago. The men in our group split up to search the beach area. I remain with Paulus and the police, still clutching Natalee's portrait. I hope our men will walk back in with her. But they don't.

Tempers get hotter. We're instructed by the police to go back to the Van der Sloot residence, where Joran is now waiting. We arrive to see Joran and Deepak Kalpoe standing in front of the house. Everyone waits for the DEA agent to arrive. I remain in the car. Natalee's friends from home are on speakerphone, guiding me with information.

One boy describes Deepak's car and the people in it to a tee. It was chaotic, he says, because the bar closes earlier on Sunday nights and everyone was scattering to find a cab. Most taxis in Aruba are unmarked privately owned vehicles. Natalee's friends wonder if she thought she was getting into a cab with Joran. "I'm going to ride back to the Holiday Inn," she'd called out to those still waiting in the parking lot. Then she shouted, "Aruba!" It was the last time anyone saw her.

By the time the DEA agent arrives, it's 3 in the morning. The police leaning against their squad car are several feet behind Joran. It's a school night. The boys aren't dressed as if they've returned from a night of casino gambling. They're in grubby T-shirts and shorts. I make a mental note to ask to see the casino footage from the Wyndham later on. Alberto and Claudio come back and forth between the circle of men and my car to update me on the conversation.

 
How Much Do You Know About Your Daughter's Boyfriend?
 Joran says that he and Natalee met at the hotel blackjack table on Sunday evening. Her friends were making plans to go to Carlos'n Charlie's later that night. He met up with her again there. Natalee was dancing when he walked into the bar. He says he did Jell-O shooters off her stomach and bought her a shot of 151-proof rum — a potent liquor. This is frightening to hear. I am sure Natalee did not know the strength of this drink. When the bar closed, Joran says, Natalee wanted to go with him. So they got into De's car along with his brother, Satish. She yelled "Aruba" to her friends, Joran says, and her friends yelled to her to get out of the car.

Before continuing, Joran asks that anyone related to Natalee walk away so he can finish telling about the encounter. Jug leaves the circle and Joran resumes his story.

According to Joran, after they left Carlos'n Charlie's, Natalee asked to see sharks. He told her there were no sharks, but she insisted. So they drove to the lighthouse. On the way over, Joran says he and Natalee made out in the backseat, but she was "so drunk," she kept falling asleep and waking up.

Joran relates some crazy things Natalee supposedly said — that she's a lesbian, that she's related to Hitler. My heart sinks when I hear Joran's description of Natalee's underwear with the dark-blue embroidery and the flowers. Dear God. He has been with her. It's excruciating to imagine what my daughter endured on this car ride, if indeed she was even conscious. He says Natalee was a willing participant. But he decided she was too drunk to continue and returned her to the Holiday Inn. I'm sickened by his explicit account.

Paulus interrupts his son, telling him not to say anything else. Two of the men from our group become agitated, saying they doubt Joran's motives were so noble. Paulus begins to shout, "You have no jurisdiction! No manners!" The Aruban police, who've stayed out of this ring of fire, tell us to disperse.

Alberto, our handler, reports that Joran and Deepak both insist they dropped Natalee off at the Holiday Inn, that she stumbled and bumped her head getting out of the car.

I relate this to the students on the speakerphone. They shout back, "They're lying!" and urge us to search the house. Paulus, a judge-in-training, knows he doesn't have to let us in. And he refuses.

We drive back to the Holiday Inn, so Joran and Deepak can show us where they claim they left Natalee. In the parking lot, Paulus passes my rental car. He gives me a cold, hard stare and I give it right back to him. Next, his son approaches and squats down by the slightly open door. I hold up Natalee's picture and say: "Give her back!" Slapping his chest with his open palm, he answers, "What do you want me to do?" He never once says "I don't know what happened to her" or "I'm so sorry."

Jug goes up to the room to rest, and I stay in the lobby to wait for the local police detective Dennis Jacobs. Jacobs arrives and pulls his notebook and a pen out of his pocket. This is a welcome sight. Maybe we'll finally get somewhere.

He asks to see Natalee's passport and her driver's license. I show him the passport and explain that since her license is not in her bag, we assume she has it. He asks if she has a debit card. I explain that it's at home, but for some reason, he doesn't believe me. He asks me to come to the police station in about an hour to give our statement.

Jug and I arrive at the station at 8 a.m. sharp. One of the first things I notice is Deepak's car, parked in the back. I mentally prepare myself for an encounter with Joran and Deepak. And maybe I'll get to see the other guy, Satish. Inside, Jacobs is sitting in a reclining swivel office chair. As we move toward him, he leans back in his chair and says, "I'll have to eat my Frosted Flakes first" — he runs a hand across his jaw—line "and get a shave before I can deal with you."
And with that he gets up from the chair, exits through the swinging door, and disappears. I'm speechless. I wish there was an American law-enforcement contact here to help us. Despair is weighing on me. I was told that the DEA agent was here "on vacation," but considering his line of work, I have to wonder. I'm just thankful he was there to help us get the ball rolling. There's no U.S. consulate here. No State Department representative. No FBI agent. We're on our own and will have to rely on local authorities until help arrives.

After almost three hours, Jacobs comes back into the waiting area and tells me he won't take our statements today. Maybe tomorrow. Numb, I walk out of the police station. We're in serious trouble, I think.

Alberto waits by the van. There's a cameraman and a reporter with him from the local Aruban television station. Leading me to the camera, he says, "You need to go on TV." I'm a preschool teacher of special-needs children. I don't have a clue how to do this. But a prayer is answered as I open my mouth and begin to speak.

The words just come as I tell the reporter how uncharacteristic it is of my daughter not to be on time for her flight. I describe what she was wearing when she disappeared, and where she was last seen. I hold up two cell phones and speak directly to the camera, to her, "Natalee, I have my cell phone and yours. I have international calling on both of them now. Please call me."

Later that day, we drive to the print shop and place an order for 100 "missing" posters. In the midst of all this running around, Matt calls from Birmingham. I tell him what we're doing to broadcast Natalee's disappearance. He says he will contact CNN. God bless him. A short while later he text-messages me: "Mom, I called CNN in Atlanta and told them about Natalee. Now the whole world knows."

Perhaps getting the word out everywhere is a good idea. I call the only person I know who is in television — my friend Sunny in Birmingham. Apparently, there's been chatter in local newsrooms about the Alabama girl missing in Aruba, but none of the reporters knows any details — not even Natalee's name. At my request, Sunny arranges for me to do a phone interview to air on our local news channel. Sunny expresses concern about the effect this could have on anyone who wants to make a deal for Natalee's return. But the word is out already. "Let's do it," I say.

Before the interview, I ask to be driven out to the lighthouse where Joran and Deepak claim to have taken Natalee. It sits on a cliff at the northern tip of the island. As we approach, the roadside view becomes scant, just hot sand over rocks. I see the lighthouse but don't look beyond it to the water.

First thing next morning, I go back to the police station to give my statement about Natalee and what we've learned from Joran and the others. Afterward, Detective Jacobs makes a feeble attempt to comfort me. "You know," he says, "she'll show up. You should just go to Carlos'n Charlie's and a crack addict will bring her back."
Shocked, I reply, "Wait a minute. The two young men who were last seen with her told us they left her at the hotel." Shaking now, I suddenly realize that the police want me to believe their island crackheads have my daughter.
Dear God, I pray, I need you now, and so does Natalee.

Tips come in all day Wednesday. Natalee was supposedly seen at a pizza place, a gas station, on the street with two crack addicts, and in a jeep owned by a drug dealer. We spend hours following leads, chasing lies.

Wednesday rolls into Thursday when a tip comes in at 1 a.m. from an island newspaper reporter. She has a lead that Natalee is being held at a crack house on the other side of the island. The reporter says we should meet her at a restaurant called the Buccaneer to figure out how to buy Natalee back from the crack dealers. Buy Natalee back. Convinced this tip is solid, we call Detective Jacobs, who meets us at the crack house.

With Jacobs standing by, the men search inside and after a few minutes, come out. I run to them. Natalee isn't there. So much anticipation was expended on this search that there isn't an ounce of hope left in me.

From this point on, the days and nights blend together. More reported "sightings" of Natalee prove to be dead ends. I cling to the theory that somebody must know something.

At 4 a.m. on the fourth day after we arrive, Jug and I finally get to see video footage of the hotel lobby. As I sit down to watch the tapes, I'm handed the records I've been asking for that show the key entries to Natalee's room on May 30. Three keys were used. Three of the four girls entered the room. One did not.

The black-and-white footage plays. Suddenly, a blond crosses the lobby threshold. The video is grainy; it's hard to tell who she is. I ask to see it again. More than 10 times they rewind to the spot on the tape that shows this young woman entering the hotel. I want it to be Natalee. But it's not. She's the daughter of one of the other parents.

There is silence in the little room where we watch the video. The police witness the same evidence we do. Everyone sees that Joran and Deepak never brought Natalee back to the hotel. Their story is all concocted. My soul is barren. Empty. My work is finished. It's up to the police to take it from here.

Feet dragging, I enter Natalee's hotel room and see her purple duffel bag on her bed. I tell her I'm sorry. I tell her how hard we have worked to find her. Suddenly, it feels like I may not be able to take another breath. And I know what I have to do. Grabbing one of the Natalee posters, I hail a cab and tell the driver to take me "somewhere I can pray."

Traveling through the predawn darkness, the driver makes a couple of turns, then pulls over. He points to the side of the road and tells me to walk in that direction.

So I do, and come across a beautiful white cross. Beyond it, I see other crosses leading up a hillside. I start to pray. At the fifth cross, peace blankets me. I don't know if Natalee is alive or not, but I know she is with God. From the time she got into Deepak Kalpoe's car, her heavenly Father wrapped His loving arms around her and held her through whatever ordeal she encountered that night. He entrusted me with her care for 18 years. Now I must trust Him to care for her.


October 2007

Nothing from my life before Natalee disappeared has stayed intact — not my career, not my home, not my marriage. At the same time, a lot of healing has taken place. I began to share Nat's story with tens of thousands of high school and college students, law-enforcement officials, and faith groups, so they can learn from it. A curriculum on safe travel is being developed (for details, go to safetravelsfoundation.org). I want change to come from our ordeal.

I have received the two things I needed most to survive this crisis: hope and prayers. With hope and faith, a human being can endure almost anything. I'm proof of that. I never imagined I would be "that parent," the one no one wants to be. But I was, and I still am. I will forever be Natalee's mom.

From Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith. Copyright (c) 2007 by Beth Holloway. Published by HarperCollins.

[texasmom]

Back some time ago I had the Good Housekeeping mag w/ Beth's article in it, but I could not scan it.
It is online now at the GH site if anyone wants to see it. Three pages.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/names/real/natalee-holloway-daughter-beth-holloway

My mother in law just sent me her copy of the magazine with this story in it.  She knew that I was following the case and it is a good read.  It is in the November 2007 issue with Meredith Vieira on the cover.

[Katysmom]

OMG! I want to vomit!! I just saw this on Tacopina's site. It's PDF. Click on the link on the right where it says "Featured in GQ magazine". Someone, please tell me this is a sick joke!

http://www.tacopinalaw.com/

That is really funny...though I believe it is dead serious. In reading the short article, just that vision of Tacky walking the beaches of aruba looking for a drug dealer named "Booty" , Tacky with all that hair grease and sweat must closely resemble a jellyfish......

The last thing I would want is my lawyer useing my misfortune as an ad for his business.  Does this man have any class?

[crazybabyborg]

JUST MY OPINION, and it's no more weighty than anyone elses, but...................

Some of us thought it would be a good idea to bring some of the evidence well known here to the attention of MSM. Art Wood was very effective last night on The Line-Up, with info we've had here for a long time.

I think that the reason Art was so effective is because he was building on what is already accepted by the public and relates specifically to Joran's confession. What he added was a few tidbits that fit the scenario Joran laid out and is easily verified by sources that Kimberly and the media have access to and have interviewed many times. Art, Dave, Beth, Jug, Jossy, Paul, Linda, Van Zandt, all qualify for that. Paulus' computer records "fit" Joran's story, as does Michael Dompig's statement that Paulus borrowed a boat.

If we are to be effective in feeding MSM information that has a chance to be aired, I think we should use the same standard and think small and well verified by official records or sources they know. Corruption within the investigation has already been alluded to and I think that the relationship between the parties in this case is a good direction. The chart that Klaas made is great...........it's visual incest! It also lends itself to what is already known and is a partial answer to how Joran's story could have flown for so long despite his ever changing stories. At one time, we discussed the possibility that Van der Stratten was Joran's godfather............if we can site a source for that, it would be a good addition.

For right now, I don't think we should be anxious to make the case of anything that strays too far from Joran's story other than to further implicate Paulus as Daury because even the news shows have connected that dot. Evidence of whose boat was used is also good, IMO. Those who suddenly left the island or had unusual reactions that might have had their boat involved, etc. is also persuasive.

That's just my opinion. What do you guys think?

[dennisintn]

OMG! I want to vomit!! I just saw this on Tacopina's site. It's PDF. Click on the link on the right where it says "Featured in GQ magazine". Someone, please tell me this is a sick joke!

http://www.tacopinalaw.com/

roflmfao, enough to make you regurgitate last months meals.  did you read the small print at the bottom?  "prior results do not guarantee

That is really funny...though I believe it is dead serious. In reading the short article, just that vision of Tacky walking the beaches of aruba looking for a drug dealer named "Booty" , Tacky with all that hair grease and sweat must closely resemble a jellyfish......

Oh, I believe it's dead serious too....You'd have to be the scumbag he is to defend the undefendable I guess.  I bet his favorite soccer shirt is two sizes too small too so I'm sure he looked like an overstuffed jellyfish....
    

roflmao, did you read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page?  "prior results do not guarantee future outcomes".  if you followed all his claims about the sporter and his family, how could anyone ever believe anything he says.  maybe he needs to switch over to representing public relations firms.
dennisintn

[dennisintn]

http://www.tacopinalaw.com/
[/quote]

That is really funny...though I believe it is dead serious. In reading the short article, just that vision of Tacky walking the beaches of aruba looking for a drug dealer named "Booty" , Tacky with all that hair grease and sweat must closely resemble a jellyfish......
[/quote]

The last thing I would want is my lawyer useing my misfortune as an ad for his business.  Does this man have any class?
[/quote]

lol, not a form of class anyone should ever want to emulate.
dennisintn

[bleachedblack]

Was Joran aware that he was being taped ... was he forewarned by the "powers that be"?  To appease Beth ... to  make her back off ... did Joran have a plan to implicate himself ... to some extent ... in the disappearance of Natalee but ... distance his father and ... the Kalpoes who had the ability to implicate Paulus in the the event encompassing the morning of May 30, 2005?

Contrary to his attorney's claim ... Joran publicly concedes to P&W  that he did not trust Patrick Van der Eem.

Janet

+++++++++++

Rosemarie Arnold - Joran's attorney
The Big Story w/ Gibson and Nauert
Tuesday, February 05, 2008

GIBSON: Rosemarie, but you're in a strange position for an attorney representing a client to now have to go out and prove your own client lied, and at the same time say, your own client tells summary truth when he says he didn't kill her, so which is it? When is he lying? When is he telling the truth? When he said he didn't kill her or when he says he did kill her?

ARNOLD: Well, the things on the tape are provably wrong. It's clear on the tape that he is just trying to gain the affection of this man who, who in our opinion is a criminal, and in Joran's opinion, that's who he wants to be with.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,328468,00.html


Joran Van der Sloot
Pauw & Witteman
(Phone Interview/Grandma's house)
February 4, 2008

Question: How did you know what he wanted to hear?

Joran: Well I had my suspicion a little bit, because he talked to other friends of mine, I did not have a super good feeling towards him,


AMIGOE
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Joran and OM talk tomorrow in the Netherlands

ORANJESTAD – ... According to Van der Eem, Joran continued to bombard him with email and sms until the day of the disclosure.

After he had met Joran in a poker game in the casino, Van der Eem had approached the Dutch police last year with the suggestion to unmask him.

I feel confident despite the quotes that joran did not know that he was being tapped. If he did know, he never would have admitted to his being there when Natalee had the seizure. He may have had a degree of doubt about the interest Peter was showing towards him,hence the Daury reference.

[Kat_Gram]

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/dutroux/evil_1.html

Here is one where public outrage of the Begium poplulation forced the LE in Belguim to take action.