Natalee Holloway was an 18 year old out of Alabama. She had a promising future and a bright personality. She had a full ride scholarship to the University of Alabama that she never got to use. She was last seen on the Carribean island of Aruba on May 29, 2005. She was last seen wearing a denim mini skirt, a rainbow halter top, and black thong flip flops. The biggest suspect in her case is Joran Van Der Sloot.
Van Der Sloot’s Dark Past
Van Der Sloot is known to be a gambler and to be friends with a rougher crowd. One of his friends, John Ludwick, made statements against Natalee such as, “I hope she rots in her grave for what she did to my boy,” and “I want to stomp on her grave for putting him in prison.” Both of these statements come across especially suspicious and heartless because Natalee’s Remains were never found. Ludwick also claimed in 2010 that he helped Van Der Sloot dispose of Natalee’s remains. Van Der Sloot’s father was a judge in the Aruban legal system who may well have helped his son illegally cover up Natalee’s death. Van Der Sloot was known to go to clubs with friends to look for girls. Two of those friends are the Kalpoe Brothers. Deepak and Satish Kalpoe were with Joran Van Der Sloot and Natalee Holloway the night she disappeared. They all have been arrested multiple times for the crime but are always released for lack of evidence. If you would like to hear the evidence that poits to the involvement you can listen to the podcast Momma Kirby’s Murder Mysteries, Episode 4, ‘Natalee Holloway: Taken on Vacation.’
False Confessions
Over the years Van Der Sloot has confessed to the crimes a few times to different people. He always ends up recanting his statements and saying he was lying. He has told people she died accidentally and he buried her, she died on the beach and they got rid of her in the ocean, and she was killed and hidden in the foundation of a house. These claims have proven to be lies. It is obvious he knows the truth and will go to any length to keep that truth concealed. He even gave investigators false information after he was captured for another crime and attempted to exchange that false information for being moved to an Aruban prison.
Van Der Sloot Charged with Murder
Natalee Holloway has not gotten justice but Van Der Sloot has been charged with murder. He murdered Stephany Flores in 2010. They were playing online poker when an instant message popped up about the Holloway case. After asking him questions about the case, he claimed she became angry and hit him first causing him to black out and kill her. He told the police he killed her so she wouldn’t go to the police over him hitting her. It seems easier to believe that Van Der Sloot told her information about the case and then she threatened to go to the police and he murdered her to conceal his dark past. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison the day after Natalee Holloway was pronounced dead on January 12, 2012.
Natalee deserves justice and her family deserves to have answers. This case has so many questions and mysteries around it. It is very hard to discern exactly what happened which makes it impossible to charge anyone. If someone involved would come forward and give the authorities what they knew a lot of questions could be answered and Natalee’s family could have the answers they desperately want and need. Until that day comes we can only hope that one day Joran Van Der Sloot will finally tell the truth about what really happened to Natalee Ann Holloway.
Written by: Erinn Malloy
