Hollywoodlife In 2005, Alabama teen Natalee Holloway disappeared during her graduation trip in the Carribean island of Aruba. 12 years since Natalee went missing, the crime still remains unsolved. However, recent developments that have surfaced may offer new clues regarding her disappearance. Will this case full of mystery and intrigue finally be solved soon?
An Alabama Girl
Hollywoodlife In 1986, Natalee was born in Clinton, Mississippi to David and Beth Holloway. Her parents divorced in 1993; in 2000, Natalee moved to Alabama after her mother married a prominent businessman.
A Bright Student, Too
Hollywoodlife Natalie was a member of the National Honor Society and had a very bright future ahead of her. She earned a full scholarship to the University of Alabama and intended to become a pre-med major.
The Graduation Trip
Today.com On May 26, 2005, Natalee began her senior class trip with about 130 other students from Mountain Brook High School. Four chaperones were sent along with the students to supervise the trip. Read on to find out what the chaperones did when Natalee disappeared…
Fun And Games
Westernjournalism Natalee stayed at the Aruba Holiday Inn, sharing a hotel room with other students. The senior spent her time partying, drinking, and snorkeling with her friends.
Excessive Drinking
Daily Mail According to authorities, Natalee drank all the time during her stay in Aruba. Some of her classmates even agreed that her drinking “was kind of excessive.”
Last Night In Aruba
cnn On the last night of her senior class trip, Natalee headed to the local night club Carlos’n Charlie’s to celebrate and drink with her classmates.
Meeting Joran van der Sloot
Wikimedia At Carlos’n Charlies that same night, Natalee met 17-year-old Joran van der Sloot, an honors student studying at the International School of Aruba.
Carlos’n Charlie’s
cnn Natalee and Joran left the bar at 1:30 A.M. on May 30. She got in the backseat of a car with Joran and his friends Deepak and Satish Kaploe.
Missed Flight
Hollywoodlife The next morning, Natalie’s classmates noticed that she was not at the airport. At that point, none of them were aware the worst was yet to come…
Natalie Goes Missing
CNN When Natalee’s friends found out that their classmate did not even return to her hotel room the previous night, they began to worry that their friend could be missing.
Chaperones Start Looking For Natalee
YouTube The chaperones returned to the hotel and began their search for Natalee. They found her packed luggage and passport, but Natalee was nowhere to be found.
Authorities Were Notified
Flickr When the chaperones realized that Natalee was indeed missing, they notified Aruba Police. The authorities conducted a search throughout the island but returned empty handed.
Natalee’s Parents Arrive In Aruba
YouTube After finding out that Natalee was missing, Natalee’s mother and stepdad immediately flew to Aruba to help the search for their beloved daughter. Keep reading to see what Natalee’s parents found out about her disappearance…
Natalee’s Mom Goes To Joran’s House
AL Beth, Natalee’s mom, found Joran’s address and decided to visit him. However, she was ignored by the van der Sloots when she reached the residence.
Frantic Search
Hollywoodlife The Aruban Government gave their employees a day off to help with the search for Natalee. 50 Dutch Marines also took part in the search, along with hundreds of volunteers. Here’s what they found…
Authorities Question Joran van der Sloot
YouTube Joran van der Sloot told the police that he dropped Natalie off at 2 a.m. He also mentioned that before they left, he saw a man in a black shirt approach Natalee, but assumed that he was simply the hotel security guard.
News Frenzy
YouTube Natalee’s disappearance became an international news frenzy just two days after she was reported missing. Even big time hosts like Dan Abrams, Bill O’ Reilly, and Nancy Grace picked up Natalee’s story.
First Suspects
YouTube On June 5, 2005, Aruban authorities arrested Nick John and Abraham Jones, former security guards from a hotel nearby. The two suspects were released due to lack of evidence. Who is the real suspect? Keep reading for possible clues…
van der Sloot Arrested
YouTube On June 9, 2005, Joran van der Sloot and his two friends, brothers Deepak and Satish Kaploe, were arrested for suspicion of kidnapping and murder.
Charges Dropped
YouTube Although Aruban police suspected that van der Sloot and his friends had something to do with Natalee’s disappearance, the Combined Appeals Court of Netherlands Antilles and Aruba dropped the charges against the suspects.
Natalee’s Father and Joran Write Their Books
YouTube Natalee’s father, David, published a book about the disappearance of his daughter in April 2006. In June 2007, Joran van der Sloot published his own book to air his side of the story. So who is telling the truth? More clues when you click the next slide.
Joran van der Sloot and Friends Rearrested
YouTube Joran and the Kaploe brothers were rearrested when an incriminating chat log was found. Due to lack of hard evidence, the three suspects were once again released.
Joran Confesses
YouTube In 2008, an undercover journalist recorded Joran confessing to disposing of Natalee’s body. However, the video couldn’t be used as evidence since it was illegally obtained.
Joran Changes Stories Several Times
YouTube What makes Joran so unusual is how he changes his stories a lot—more than 20 times. In an interview with Fox News, he even said that he sold Natalee into slavery for $10,000.
Joran Charged With Extortion
YouTube In 2010, Joran told Beth Halloway he was going to reveal where her daughter was buried for $250,000. Joran was charged with extortion but was able to escape to Peru. Did Joran really know where Natalee’s body was? There are more twists…
Joran Commits Murder In Peru
YouTube On May 30, 2010, exactly five years since Natalee disappeared, Joran killed a female student in Peru. He escaped to Chile but was extradited to Peru and sentenced to 28 years in jail.
A New Eyewitness
YouTube Jurrien de Jong, a man formerly involved in the drug trade, went to authorities in May 2015 as a witness. He said he saw Joran carrying Natalee’s body through a locked construction site.
No Construction Site
YouTube After investigating de Jong’s claims, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office said that there was no construction at that location on May 30, 2005. The statement effectively disproved de Jong’s testimony.
Natalee’s Father Believes There Was Construction
YouTube Dave Holloway said he remembered the site mentioned by de Jong. He even argued that a satellite image taken in June 2005 from Google Earth showed an outline that could very well be the construction site.
Case Remains Unsolved
YouTube The mysteries surrounding Natalee’s disappearance remain. Still, new details about her case continue to appear. Perhaps in time, we will find out exactly what happened to her.