EP. 154: ARUBA - The Disappearance Of Natalee Holloway (PT. 1)
01:26:43 Share

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Do you have a point of sale system you can trust, or is it a real POS? You need Shopify for retail. From accepting payments to managing inventory, Shopify POS has everything you need to sell in person. Go to shopify.com slash system, all lowercase, to take your retail business to the next level today. That's shopify.com slash system.

Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

There is always this rush of anxiety when you can't find something. When you lose your phone or your wallet, you suddenly start retracing your steps, frantically looking everywhere. You may even get others to help you look, and it's hard to really focus on anything else until you find it. Now imagine the anxiety you would feel of having to search for nearly 20 years.

In May of 2005, the Holloway family lost something very important to them. Except the missing thing wasn't a phone or a wallet. It was their 18-year-old daughter, Natalie Holloway. Natalie had just graduated from high school and was on a summer trip to Aruba with a large group from her graduating class. And on the last night of her trip, she vanished.

Soon enough, her family found themselves frantically searching for their daughter. They retraced Natalie's steps. They got everyone they knew to come and help look, but they never got to experience the relief of finally finding her. This May of 2024 will be the 19th anniversary of Natalie's disappearance. And her family still feels that anxiety of not being able to find what they've lost.

They went many years without answers. But in October of 2023, the main suspect in her case would finally confess to her murder, giving her family some of the answers they had been searching for. So this is the case of Natalie Holloway. I'm Courtney Brown. And I'm Colin Brown. And you're listening to our new series, Murdered Americans. ♪♪

Natalie Ann Holloway was born on October 21st, 1986 in Clinton, Mississippi. Dave and Beth Holloway were new parents, but Natalie changed their lives forever. Two years later, their family was complete with the birth of her little brother, Matt. In the first few years of their childhood was nothing short of ideal.

Home videos show Natalie laughing and jumping on her dad's back as he crawled around on the ground. Others show her and Matt smiling ear to ear, opening presents on Christmas morning. Natalie was the kind of girl who loved riding her bicycle around the neighborhood and doing dance routines for her parents. She was an adventurous little girl who was learning the way of life.

In one of her dance routines, she even broke her arm after landing on it wrong. But like with any obstacle, Natalie was able to learn from it and push through. Like with kindergarten, her father Dave vividly remembered driving to school that first day and walking her to class. It was a bittersweet moment watching his firstborn start school all grown up.

But Dave recalled that one day that year, he couldn't walk Natalie to class. So he told her she'd have to walk on her own. And he said he would never forget the sadness in her eyes. He said, quote, she still wanted daddy to walk her to class. I keep thinking back because I'm so afraid that if I don't, the memories will begin to fade. And for now, that's all I have of her to hold on to, end quote.

But Natalie was soon gaining her independence. She was learning how to go about life, even in the hard times.

In 1993, when Natalie was 7 years old and her brother Matt was 5, Dave and Beth decided to divorce. Dave would eventually remarry a woman named Robin, and Natalie's mom Beth would get full custody of the kids. It definitely wasn't easy adjusting to this new life, but they had each other and they were going to make it work.

Luckily for Beth, she too would get her happy ending in the year 2000 when she married an Alabama businessman named Jug Twitty. Now, Jug already had two children from his previous marriage named Megan and George, so Natalie and Matt got to have two extra siblings. And soon after they married, their family would make the move to Mountain Brook, Alabama.

At the time, Natalie was in eighth grade, and believe it or not, she was actually excited to start her new life in Mississippi. It wasn't hard for Natalie to make friends, so she'd fit in well. The hardest part of the move was moving farther away from her dad, but she and Matt still traveled to Mississippi every other weekend to spend time with him.

When they did go to visit Dave, he often filled their weekends with fun events like baseball games. But every single Sunday, without fail, their family went to their Methodist church. Their faith was a very important part of their lives, so no matter what they were going through, they always made time for God.

As Natalie started growing up, she soon found her circle of friends. Two of her best friends were Mally Tucker and Claire Feerman. And like all girls around the early 2000s, they spent a lot of time on AOL Instant Messenger. The girls even had nicknames for themselves. For instance, her friend Claire's username on AOL was PartyGirl600, so they called her Party.

Her friend Mally was called Tuckamata, and everyone called Natalie Hootie. In an interview with Glamour, Claire said, quote, Natalie said back in Mississippi, everyone called her Hootie Who Holloway. We later found out that she completely made that up just to fit in, end quote. However, the nickname stuck, and soon enough, everyone started calling her Hootie.

Here is a little video of Natalie joking around with her friends. Who's our special guest today? It's Hootie. Hootie who, Holloway? Hi, friend. Just, you know, sitting in the back, cruising over to my place, and you're doing an excellent job. And I just want to say happy birthday. You know, you look like a new woman, and I'm sure you feel like one too. And the beach was a blast. I had the best time of my life.

As Natalie entered high school, it was clear that she was a very gifted student. Not only did she maintain a 4.0 grade point average, but she also participated in a ton of extracurricular activities, including the Bible Club, the National Honor Society, the Spanish and Math Honor Societies.

and she danced every year for her school's dance team called the Dorians. Natalie was a popular girl with a bright future. Her friend Mally told journalist Sheila Weller that Natalie always helped her with her AP Environmental Science homework, and she had a fascination with topography, saying, "She loved to study the mountain ranges on maps.

Natalie was also obsessed with the movie The Wizard of Oz. On a tall cabinet next to her bed, she had The Wizard of Oz memorabilia, including a little purse with Dorothy on it. And she once told her mom that if she had to be stuck in an elevator with anyone in the world, she would want it to be Judy Garland. Another obsession of hers was her dog, a Sheltie named Macy. Her friend Mally would later say, "She loved that dog so much, she would color its hair with highlighters and paint its toenails."

Her mom Beth said that Natalie was always hanging out with her friends from dance. They were inseparable. They studied together, danced together, and on most nights of the week they would go to each other's houses and practice their routines for hours on end. But on top of her busy schedule, Natalie also had a weekend job. She and her friend Mally worked at an organic food store called Harvest Glen.

She took this job to make some extra spending money on the side. And one of her favorite things to do with that money was to go shopping with her mom. Beth would later say, quote, "She would appear in the kitchen in a fleece jacket with her hair tied up in a ball, face freshly washed, no makeup. We would head out to spend most of the entire day together.

Those were our bonding times. In the car between stores, we would talk about the important things and silly things. Just anything and everything. Those are the memories I cherish most." Other family memories included going to their lake house and spending the weekend sunbathing and wakeboarding. Natalie had a really good life.

a life that she cherished. And unlike most kids her age, she was extremely cautious of risky situations.

Her best friends, Mally and Claire, reported that Natalie never even had a serious boyfriend. She had seen girls her age get involved with bad guys, and she never wanted that for herself. In fact, she was extremely particular in what she wanted in a partner. Mally said, "I think she was waiting for the perfect boyfriend, a cowboy, a southern gentleman. She was innocent. We all were."

You see, Natalie was also a rule follower. In 2003, when she was 16 years old, she finally got her driver's license and her parents got her a white Volvo. Her friend Claire recalled a moment when she and Natalie were driving around and Claire begged her friend to let her drive. She said,

She was careful, not a rule bender. She turned 16 seven months before I did, and she got a cute little white Volvo. Even though I didn't have a license, I kept begging her, "Just let me drive it, please." She finally said, "Okay, you can move it one spot over in the parking lot." She wasn't someone to take a risk. And that's honestly a parent's dream. A smart kid who makes good, smart choices.

Now, Natalie's father, Dave, said that once his daughter got her license, her trips to Mississippi were less frequent, but he still made sure to attend every football game to watch her dance. Dave was well aware that it would only be a matter of time until his daughter graduated from high school and moved to the next stage of her life, so he made sure to soak up every moment he could.

He was so proud of Natalie and the person she was growing into. Not only did she have a good head on her shoulders, but she also had the biggest heart. In Natalie's spare time, she volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity, which helps build affordable housing. She also volunteered at the Humane Society, which helps stop animal cruelty.

And she also spent some time at the Hope Lodge, which offers cancer patients a free place to stay when they are doing treatments away from home. It was through that volunteer work where Natalie befriended a 13-year-old cancer patient who she visited regularly. So as you can see, Natalie was a special girl with a big heart for others. She was also fiercely independent.

Her mom Beth said that she was always on top of things without having to be reminded. In fact, Beth never even had to wake her up for school in the mornings. Natalie was the type of teenager who took charge of her own responsibilities.

Towards the end of her high school career, she was the one who applied to colleges and scholarships all on her own. And one of the most exciting times of her life was when she found out she had been accepted into the University of Alabama. She was also awarded the President's Scholarship. But finally, all of Natalie's hard work had paid off and graduation was right around the corner.

But as exciting as that was, she and her friends got a little sad when thinking about how they were all about to go their separate ways. For years, these girls had been right by her side through everything. So around October of 2004, they all started talking about going on a trip that summer after graduation.

In fact, every year, her high school had this tradition where they would all take a senior class trip to the exotic Caribbean island of Aruba. And Natalie and her friends really wanted to go. So it's around this time when she asked her mom about it, and Beth seemed okay with her going. After all, Natalie's stepbrother George had gone on the trip a few years prior, and he loved it.

Plus, Natalie had some step cousins who were also seniors and they would be going on the trip too. So Beth was excited for Natalie to go on this adventure. Throughout high school, she had worked so hard and she deserved to have some fun. A few months later in February of 2005, Natalie placed a call to her dad.

When he answered the phone, she was so excited to tell him about this trip to Aruba. But the only problem was, was that she could only afford to pay for half of it. So part of that call to her father was to ask if he could pay for the other half.

As Dave was listening to Natalie, he started coming up with all of the reasons why he shouldn't let her go. In his book titled, " The Tragic Untold Story of Natalie Holloway and Corruption in Paradise," Dave wrote, "This is apparently a rite of passage for teenagers all over the country. They convince their parents to allow this one-time privilege as a gift for all of their hard work.

and parents often agree even when their instincts tell them otherwise i was apprehensive about natalie taking this type of trip and i tried to talk her out of it i didn't like the idea of her traveling that far away with so many other students and so few chaperones natalie could sense that her dad didn't want her going so she did her best to reassure him saying don't worry dad there will be like 100 other seniors there

Plus, my cousins will be there, and everyone is going. Please?" Dave could tell that Natalie really wanted to go. And at the end of the day, she was a very responsible kid who worked really hard and she never got into any trouble. Maybe he was just having a hard time letting go of his little girl. So by the end of that phone call, Dave agreed to pay for the other half of her trip. A decision he would soon deeply regret.

but in the meantime natalie worked hard to finish her senior year strong she also got her entire trip to aruba booked and was counting down the day until it was finally time to leave as the date neared closer the school organized these meetings where the parents could talk with a travel agent about payments their itineraries roommates chaperones everything

And they did this because a lot of the parents were worried about sending their kid out of the country. The school also made sure to inform the parents that since these students are now adults, the chaperones on this trip are not going to be monitoring their every move. In fact, for the 125 students that had signed up, there were only seven chaperones and they were pretty much there just in case of an emergency.

like if someone lost their passport, missed their flight, or God forbid, got injured. But they also reassured the parents that their kids would be in good hands. Natalie's mom, Beth, actually went to a few of these meetings and she said that they really helped ease her mind about everything.

Plus, Beth found comfort in knowing that Natalie would be with 125 students from her graduating class. There was safety in numbers, and Natalie would be safe, or so she thought.

As the last few weeks of school came to an end, many students began preparing for finals. But because Natalie had a 4.17 grade point average, she was allowed to skip finals that semester. And instead, she could focus on preparing for her Aruba trip.

Her mother Beth said that she and Natalie went clothes and swimsuit shopping for the trip, and Natalie was so excited the whole time, going on and on about how fun it will be. And on top of ordering new clothes for Aruba, she also ordered her cap and gown for graduation that was just days away. At Mountain Brook High School, graduation was a big event, and each graduate could only get eight tickets max.

due to limited seating at a local university theater hall. So Natalie invited her dad, his wife Robin, her grandma, and the other five tickets were for her mom, stepdad, brother, and step siblings, Megan and George.

But Natalie was actually kind of bummed because by then, Dave and her stepmom Robin had had two daughters of their own, and she really wanted them to be there as well. So for days, Natalie asked all around school if anyone had two extra tickets for her two younger sisters. And luckily, she would make it happen. Beth would later say this was going to be her big night, and she wanted all of her loved ones around her.

On graduation day, Dave, Robin and their two daughters arrived at Beth's house and the family spent 45 minutes together before leaving for the ceremony. Dave would later say that at the time, it was kind of awkward hanging out with his ex-wife, but in hindsight, he is so thankful for that moment because it would be the last time Natalie's family would all get to be with her in one room.

Soon enough, Natalie would make her way into the common room, dressed in her white gown and her honor cords around her neck. A blue cord for the Math Honor Society, a gold cord for the National Honor Society, and a red cord for the Spanish Honor Society. This was such a huge day for her, and all of her favorite people were together to celebrate her.

So from there, they all made their way to the theater hall for graduation. As the ceremony began, over 3,000 people sat in the audience, cheering as their student walked across the stage. When it was Natalie's turn, her parents couldn't have been more proud, watching her smile as she accepted her diploma. Natalie had been ranked 25th in her graduating class of 300.

And watching her graduate was a huge milestone. There was their little girl, all grown up, ready to move on to the next chapter of her life. And they were confident that Natalie would be well off.

Dave would later say, "You couldn't ask for a better kid than Natalie. She was my firstborn, always respectful, straight-A student, just one of those model kids." Her mom Beth would say, "She could be tough and very strong-willed. Matt and I always joked with one another about knowing when to stay out of her way.

End quote.

After the ceremony ended, Natalie met back up with her family and took a couple pictures to remember the day. In the picture with her dad, Dave is smiling ear to ear. You can tell he's just beaming with pride. Now, Natalie had plans with her friends afterwards, so she said goodbye to her dad, and with that, she took off. And as Dave watched her leave, he never could have known that that would be the very last time he would ever see or hear from Natalie again.

In the days after graduation, Natalie spent her time relaxing at home and packing up for her trip. She and her friends even made shirts that read "Aruba" and her mother Beth took her out shopping one last time to purchase a sundress. It was during that outing that Beth made sure to have a conversation with Natalie about the potential dangers you can face while traveling.

She said, "Students Natalie's age are somewhat caught between the healthy fear of danger their parents teach them about as they're growing up and complacency. They're too old to be guarded by adults all the time, but too young not to be reminded that there are dangerous people in dangerous places in the world. Natalie was almost grown. She was about to leave home, but I still reminded her to keep her personal safety as her top priority."

The legal drinking age in Aruba was also just 18. And Beth was not naive to the fact that her daughter would likely be drinking. So she made sure to tell her, "When you go out to the bars, you need to keep an eye on your drink at all times."

There are going to be men that find you attractive. And there are horror stories of people who go around spiking women's drinks. You know, people usually go on these trips to have fun. But there are also people out there that have other agendas. And you could be their target. They might try to get you drunk and take advantage of the situation. So you need to be on your guard at all times and always stay with people you know.

But Natalie was smart. She already knew everything her mom was saying. So like any teenage girl, she responded with, "Mom, I know, I know. I promise I will be careful. But that's the thing about being young. Of course you know that there is danger out there, but you never think it will happen to you." So Natalie continued preparing for her trip.

On the morning of Thursday, May 26th, 2005, Natalie woke her mother up at 3am and told her it was time to go. The plan was for everyone to meet at her friend's house, and then they would all go to the airport together.

Beth was given the task of picking the girls up when they came back home on Monday, May 30th. So, early that morning, Natalie placed her purple duffle bag in the trunk of the car and hopped in the front seat next to her mother, who was barely awake. But not Natalie. She was so excited for the trip, she had a lot of energy. And before pulling out of their driveway, she went over everything she needed to make sure she didn't forget anything. Her passport, sunscreen, camera, and money. She had everything in order.

From there, Beth and Natalie would drive to her friend's house, and all of the girls were packing up the car, so excited for the journey ahead. Beth parked, turned to her daughter, and gave her a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "'I love you. I hope you have a wonderful time,' she said."

Natalie flashed her mom a smile and replied, "Bye mom, love you." After grabbing her bags, Beth watched as Natalie made her way inside the home. She would later say, quote,

I saw her silhouette in the beam of light that shone from inside. The light narrowed as the door closed, then disappeared completely. It was pitch black again. I drove away not knowing that would be the very last time I would ever see Natalie." End quote.

By the time the sun was peeking over the horizon, the 125 students from Mountain Brook High School were boarding onto the two airplanes bound for Aruba. The flight overtook about six hours, but soon enough, as the students looked out their window, they could see the crystal blue waters and white sand beaches. Now, once they landed and all the students grabbed their bags, Natalie, her best friend Claire, and a few other girls would make their way over to the Aruba Holiday Inn.

A lot of parents actually felt relief that their kids were staying there because the Holiday Inn is an American chain, so they trusted that they would be in good hands. The hotel was also right along the beach, so the students were very excited about having 24/7 beach access throughout their trip. But after unpacking their things, Natalie and her friends quickly changed into their swimsuits and spent the day sunbathing and snorkeling.

After a few hours, the girls went back to their hotel room to get ready for the fun night ahead. And like we mentioned, the legal drinking age in Aruba is 18. So after getting dressed, they all went out to the local nightclubs. Now, one of the main clubs they went to was one called Carlos and Charlie's. This club was a known hangout spot for both American tourists and locals, so you'd get a mix of both.

And that first night, everyone had the best time. There were drinks, dancing, boys, and Natalie was so happy that she made the decision to go on the trip.

Now, the next few days of the trip ended up being pretty repetitive. Everyone would wake up, go to the beach to sunbathe, they'd swim in the ocean, play some volleyball, drink some fruity cocktails, and then at night, they'd hang out at the club before going to bed and doing it all over again the next day. And normally, Natalie wasn't a huge drinker, but she decided to let loose. Her drink of choice on this trip was Diet Coke with Bacardi 151.

On Saturday, May 29th, Natalie and her friends went snorkeling to see the Antilles shipwreck. Then afterwards, they spent the night bar hopping. Natalie admitted that she definitely had too much to drink that night. So much so, her friend had to help her get back to the hotel room. But that's pretty normal on vacations with young adults.

Natalie was really enjoying her time, making the most of it. So when that next morning came around, Sunday, May 30th, the very last day of their trip, everyone was kind of sad. Soon enough, they'd all be on a plane going back to Alabama. So Natalie decided that she was going to make the most of her last day.

After dinner, she and her friends decided that they were going to visit the Excelsior Casino, which was actually on the second floor of their hotel. And while they were there, sitting at the blackjack table, Natalie would meet one of the casino's regulars, a 17-year-old local named Joran Vandersloot.

and he and Natalie seemed to have hit it off. She thought he was handsome. He was also 6'4", muscular, and he spoke English with a Dutch accent.

Now their group had lost some money while playing blackjack and Joran even gave them some pointers, which helped them win their money back. He seemed to fit right in with their group. And since it was the last night of the trip, Natalie and some other people from the group were wanting to go back to that club, Carlos and Charlie's.

So they invited Joran to come with them. Now, Natalie's best friend Claire was exhausted after the long week. So going to the club did not sound appealing. She wanted to stay back at the hotel. So Natalie told her that she and the other girls were going to go to the club, but she would be back later. And from there, the group all made their way to Carlos and Charlie's.

Once they arrived, everyone got their drinks and made their way to the dance floor. Natalie was having the time of her life. She even continued hanging out with that local, Joran van der Sloot. The two were seen laughing, having a drink at the bar, and they danced together all night long. Some people even saw Joran take a body shot off Natalie. They were clearly having a lot of fun, but soon enough, the night was coming to an end.

Knowing the majority of the people at the club were the Mountain Brook High School students, the DJ even played "Sweet Home Alabama" as the final song of the night. And then at around 1:30 a.m., everyone paid their tabs and made their way outside.

Now, Joran was actually there with two friends of his. They were brothers named Deepak and Satish Kalpo, and they had taken their own car there. So as everyone was standing outside trying to find rides back to the hotel, Joran approached Natalie and asked if she wanted to ride with them. And he said he didn't mind taking her back to the Holiday Inn.

Now, Natalie had been hanging out with Joran all night, and from what she could tell, he seemed like a decent guy. So why not spend a little extra time with the cute guy she met? After all, this was her last night, and she would probably never see him again. So, she agrees. From there, Natalie gets into a gray Honda with Joran and those two brothers, Deepak and Satish.

A few of the people from her group actually see Natalie get into the car and they try to get her to come with them instead. But from the car window, she yells out to her friends, "I'm going to ride back to the Holiday Inn." And with that, at 1:30 a.m., they are seen leaving Carlos and Charlie's in that gray Honda. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Natalie rolled down her window and yelled out to her friends, "Aruba!"

And they all laughed, but unbeknownst to everyone, this would be the very last time Natalie Holloway would ever be seen again. The next morning, everyone woke up and began packing their bags to go home, which is the worst part about a vacation, especially when you were drinking the night before. Everyone's a little hungover, chugging water, and haphazardly throwing your things into your suitcase.

But in the midst of the chaos, Natalie's roommates noticed that her bed was empty. Her passport and phone were still sitting on her bed. She had left her phone there because she didn't have any service on the island.

But that meant they had no way of contacting her and asking where she is. So her friends quickly run downstairs and tell the chaperone that Natalie never made it home last night. And the chaperone was very concerned, especially since they had to leave for the airport soon.

So they ended up going to the Aruban police station, but they were told that they couldn't report her missing until she had been missing for 24 hours. And the police assured them that she probably just met a boy and would be back soon. But soon enough, the buses that were supposed to take the students to the airport pulled up to the hotel. And one by one, the tired students from Mountain Brook High School filled up the hotel lobby ready to go back home.

But Natalie still wasn't there. So it's here where the chaperone had to make the difficult phone call to Natalie's mom. - At the time, Beth was in her car driving back to Alabama from Hot Springs, Arkansas when her phone rang. The call was coming from an unknown number and normally she wouldn't answer it, but this time she did. On the other end of the line was a travel agent named Jody who delivered the horrible news. Beth would later say,

Jodi explains that the students were to meet in the hotel lobby this morning to board the buses for the airport. At that time, Natalie's roommates notified the chaperones that she didn't return last night. There's no sign of her. Her three hotel roommates have not seen her since their outing last night. No one knows where she is.

Like any parent, Beth immediately started to panic. She knew deep down that something was horribly wrong. There was just no way that Natalie, her responsible and intelligent daughter, would just stay out in Aruba all night and not come back to the hotel. Unless something sinister had happened.

Now I'm sure everyone on the trip was hoping that maybe Natalie would make her flight. Maybe she spent the night somewhere, woke up late, and would somehow find a way to the airport. But at 11 a.m., everyone would board the flight and Natalie's seat was empty. Soon enough, the plane would take off, making its way down the runway. And everyone in her group felt very uneasy knowing she wasn't with them.

But back in the States, her mom Beth and two of her friends were flying down the highway at 110 miles an hour, trying to get back to Alabama as soon as possible. After making a couple phone calls, Beth learned that Natalie's friends Liz and Francis, and a coach who was the chaperone on the trip, had stayed behind in Aruba just in case Natalie returned to the hotel.

Beth even tried calling the FBI office in Birmingham, but because it was Memorial Day, no one could help her. And more than anything, she just wanted to get to Aruba as soon as possible so she could find her daughter.

As Beth was speeding home, she even got pulled over and frantically told the officer that her daughter had been abducted in Aruba. Of course, no one knew that for sure, but to Beth, that's the only thing that made sense. So the trooper actually gave her the phone number for the FBI office in Washington, DC, and he let her go. And once back on the road, Beth started making more phone calls.

One of the calls was to her nephew named Thomas. Like we mentioned earlier, Thomas was Natalie's cousin and he too had been on the trip to Aruba. While speaking with Beth, Thomas was able to paint a picture of the last person Natalie was seen with. He said that she was last seen at Carlos and Charlie's getting into a silver or gray Honda with a young man that had been hanging out with them.

Thomas said that he actually played poker with the guy, but he couldn't remember his name. It was either Jaron or Jaron. He couldn't remember, but he added, quote, he just seemed like one of us, you know, a regular guy like me, end quote.

Natalie's father, Dave, had also been doing some research of his own. Once he learned of Natalie's disappearance, he was devastated, but he immediately went to work calling around. One of the first calls Dave made was to the chaperone named Matt, who had stayed behind just in case Natalie showed back up. And based on the information Matt had gathered from the other students, Natalie was last seen with a nice young man who played soccer.

But without physically being in Aruba, getting information was difficult. So Dave and Beth immediately flew out on the first flight to Aruba, which was on May 31st, the day after Natalie disappeared.

As soon as Dave got to the island, he secured a rental car and headed straight to the police station. And he figured that when he got there, the officers would already be working on his daughter's case. However, he couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, Dave quickly learned that there were only four police officers on the island, and two of them didn't even know who Natalie Holloway was. After speaking to a third officer, a man named Detective Dennis Jacobs, one of the first things out of his mouth was, "How much money do you have?"

it was clear to dave that the investigators were not taking natalie's case seriously they even told him that things like this happen all the time natalie would probably just show back up in a couple of days but dave knew that that wasn't the case natalie was not the kind of girl that would just miss her flight back home because she was having fun on the island plus she didn't have a lot of money with her

She had left her credit cards back in the United States, so Natalie wouldn't have left when she couldn't pay for anything. Something was terribly wrong here. But again, the detective dismissed his concerns, and he even told Dave to go to a bar and have a beer to relax.

Dave would later say, quote, "It was June 1st, 2005, our first evening in Aruba. My daughter was missing and a detective is telling us to go to a local bar and have a beer. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He said it was a hotspot for vacationing kids. He was so confident that she was just partying it up or on drugs that he told us this particular bar would be the best place to find her.

And the bar he recommended to Dave was Carlos and Charlie's, the very bar where Natalie was last seen. So Dave and Beth knew that the police were not going to be much help. So they started driving around doing what they could to find Natalie.

As they drove around, they couldn't help but notice the relaxing vibe of Aruba. Its slogan was "One Happy Island." A stark dichotomy to the anxieties they were facing, not knowing where their daughter was. But soon enough, the two would make their way to the Holiday Inn, where they found the chaperone next to a DEA agent.

And on the table next to them was Natalie's purple duffel bag. Inside of it, they found all of Natalie's stuff, including her passport, which meant she was still on the island. But from here, Beth and Dave told the agent that according to Natalie's friends,

She was last seen with a man named Jaren or Jaron. And as soon as they said this, the receptionist chimed in saying, "Oh, you mean Jaren. He lives in Aruba and gambles here at the Holiday Inn. He likes to prey on young female tourists, especially the blondes. He's a tall, good-looking boy, like a Dutch marine."

Now with this new information, it finally felt like they were making progress. And from here, they decided to visit the last place Natalie was seen, Carlos and Charlie's. However, when they did, their worry only got stronger. The scene at this bar was messy and chaotic. Outside, there were people fighting and smoking marijuana.

And as Dave stood outside, he said he had a handful of people come up and try to sell him drugs. So the fact that Natalie was last seen here didn't sit right with them. But after talking to the locals, asking everyone if they had seen their daughter, they came up empty handed. And it was very disheartening to know that they were having to do all of this investigating on their own. It seemed like no one even cared about their missing daughter.

But the Holloways were finally getting some more information about the man Natalie was last seen with. The receptionist had given the name Yorin, and after looking at the hotel's security footage, they also saw a video of him playing poker at the casino. So now they had his first name and physical description. Beth and her husband Jug took this information to the streets of Aruba, and it wouldn't take them long to find out the man's name. The last person Natalie was seen with was 17-year-old Yorin Vandersloot,

They also learned that on the night of her disappearance, Yorin was with two brothers, Deepak and Satish Kalpo. So they were finally getting somewhere. Even more promising was that the locals had even given them an address of where Yorin lived. So from there, Beth and her husband Jug drove to the police station and told them about all of the information they had. And they wanted the police to go with them to Yorin's home so they could ask him about Natalie's last known whereabouts. But of course, the police were hesitant to help.

They practically spent half an hour convincing the officers to join them, and finally, they agreed to go. Once they arrived at Yorin's house, Beth's husband, Jug, knocked on the front door with the officers for several minutes, while Beth stayed back in the car. She would later say, "...staying in the car will keep my temper in check."

If I get face to face with this young man, I will lose it. Anger will dominate me. I don't want to hamper the police work by flying off the handle. End quote. But Jug knocked and knocked for about five minutes. And finally, a middle-aged man opened the door. His name was Paulus van der Sloot, and he was Joran's father.

Paulus told the officers that Joran wasn't home, but after calling him, he learned that his son was at a hotel playing in a poker tournament, but they would quickly be on their way over. Soon enough, Joran and his friend Deepak pulled up to the house in the same gray Honda that Natalie was last seen in. And outside of the home, the officers speak with the young men. But when they ask Joran what happened,

He essentially tells the officers that after leaving the club that night, Natalie didn't want to go home yet. In fact, she suggested that they drive around a little bit. So from there, he and Natalie hang out in the backseat while Deepak and Satish drive by the lighthouse located on the beach, which is a popular tourist attraction. He said that the two made out in the backseat for a while

but it was clear Natalie was really drunk. So from there, he said they dropped her back off at the Holiday Inn at around 2:00 AM. At this point, the officers asked Deepak what happened and he too confirms this story. Now after this, the officers start to ask them some questions.

But it's here where Joran's father steps in. Paulus Vandersloot tells the officers that his son doesn't have to talk with them and that this questioning is over. For a minute, it got kind of heated, but it seemed as if Joran wanted to de-escalate things. He even offered to drive back to the Holiday Inn to show them where he dropped Natalie off. And so that's what they did.

Once they got to the hotel, Yoran pointed to the officers where they drove the Honda that night, and he even said that when Natalie got out of the car, she bumped her head on the door because she was so drunk. To the officers, it seemed as if he was telling the truth, but Beth knew deep down that he knew more than he was letting on. So it's here where she actually approaches Yoran and says, quote, "'Please tell us what happened.'

I want my daughter back." And within seconds, Yorin seemed to have flipped a switch. At first, he played the part of a concerned citizen wanting to help. But now, he seemed angry. He even snapped at Beth, saying, "What do you want me to do? What do you want me to do?"

Beth would later say, quote, End quote.

But to the Aruban officers, they technically don't have anything to prove that Joran knows otherwise. So with that, he and his dad leave the Holiday Inn. Seeing him walk away, knowing deep down he had something to do with Natalie's disappearance, was upsetting to say the least. And the Holloways wanted to know everything they could about Joran Vandersloot. So they start asking the locals...

Soon enough, they learned that Joran was born in 1987 in Arnhem, Netherlands, to Paul Vandersloot, a prominent attorney, and Anita Vandersloot, an art teacher. By all accounts, Joran lived a privileged life, and the family moved to Aruba when Joran was 10 years old.

Yorin, like Natalie, was described as a bright, intelligent honor student at the International School of Aruba. He also participated and excelled in sports, including soccer and tennis. However, as he grew older, he started getting into trouble. His mom would later say that Yorin began sneaking out of the house and exploring the Aruba nightlife at a young age. You see, at the age of 16, Yorin's girlfriend ended their relationship, and after that, he turned to gambling and alcohol.

Soon enough, he moved out of his parents' house and at the time of our story, he was staying at the family guest house on the property where he continued to spiral into a web of addiction.

The more Natalie's family learned about Yorin, the more concerned they became. They knew he had the answers to Natalie's whereabouts, but the Aruban police didn't seem to share these concerns. In fact, they felt like they didn't even care that their daughter was missing. The DEA agent there, who had helped them in the beginning, quickly lost interest, as well as all of the other officers. Sadly, they also didn't get much help from the FBI, the U.S. Embassy, or anyone else, for that matter.

Beth would later say, "As Americans, we have faith in the police process. When something goes wrong and we're in trouble, we pick up the phone and call 911. We're confident that someone on the other end of the line will come help us. We rarely think twice about where anyone will show up because we know someone will. We're spoiled with the expectations that we'll be treated with fairness and respect by law enforcement authorities and that justice will prevail. But expecting it to be like this everywhere around the world is terribly naive.

And I'm about to find out what it means to be involved in a crisis about the United States. It's just as Dorothy said to Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.

The morning after Beth came face to face with Joran Vandersloot, she and the rest of her family went back to the police station to turn up the pressure. And while there, they were connected with Detective Jacobs. But before he agreed to speak with Natalie's family, he said he needed to eat breakfast and shave before he could, quote, deal with them.

Then after waiting around for about three hours, Detective Jacobs told them that he didn't actually want to speak with them that day and that they would have to come back another day, which was such a huge slap in the face. To Natalie's family, it felt like no one was interested in finding her and they knew exactly why.

Natalie's disappearance was not a good look for the island of Aruba, so they tried to sweep it under the rug. Beth said, quote, End quote.

And that's exactly what was going on here. The fact that an American girl had gone missing on the island was not a good look. This news would surely slow down tourism, so the people in charge did their best to sweep it under the rug.

but Natalie's family was not going to let that happen. Soon enough, the media would pick up her story and it spread like wildfire. A beautiful 18 year old American girl missing in a foreign country. And before long, everyone would know of the name, Natalie Holloway.

18-year-old Natalie Holloway was with about 125 graduating seniors and adults on a five-day trip. Family members are helping in the search. Suspicions fall on three young men she seemed leaving a nightclub with, two brothers, and a Dutch national, the son of a judge, 17-year-old Jeroen Van der Sloot.

While the police in Aruba continued to run with the narrative that Natalie had run off on her own free will, her family decided to make use of their time and try to find her. They printed out missing person flyers with her picture and hung them up all over town. They spent hours driving up and down the island looking for her and speaking with locals. They even searched local drug houses, also known as Chawler houses, after someone had said that all missing girls end up at Chawler house. But they came up with nothing.

David later say that during this time, he thought back to Natalie's high school yearbook, where she had put one of her favorite quotes from Lynyrd Skynyrd's song "Freebird." It said, "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on now, 'cause there's too many places I've got to see." But one thought continued to haunt him. Would Natalie ever be found? Would she one day leave Aruba and look back at this horrible memory? Or was his daughter gone?

But there was still some hope at that time that Natalie would still come home. Her mom Beth even spoke to a reporter and ended the interview by holding up her and Natalie's cell phone. She then pleaded with her daughter, even using her nickname. Beth said, Natalie, I have my cell phone and yours. There is international calling on both of them now. Please call me, Hootie. I miss you and love you. Mommy is here in Aruba and I really want to talk to you.

They also got connected with the island's newspaper called the Diario, who agreed to share her story. The newspaper wanted to share the last known pictures of Natalie, so all of her friends sent Beth pictures that they had taken of her while on the trip. And in every one, she looked so happy. But eerily enough, the last picture ever taken of her was just hours before she disappeared.

In it, Natalie is in a big crowd of people at Carlos and Charlie's. She's wearing a denim skirt, a teal and green top, and she has her hair tied back in a bun. There's a smile on her face, and a man has his arms wrapped around her, although you can't see his face. But Beth immediately sent these pictures in, in hopes that someone on the island would recognize her and help find her.

But again, days would pass and there was still no sign of Natalie Holloway.

It's around this point in the investigation when a tip line was set up, and soon enough, hundreds of people began calling in with possible sightings. People were calling in, saying they saw a blonde American at a nearby gas station, or saw Natalie with a homeless couple in town. But every time the tips were looked into, it ended up being a dead end. In one of the tips, someone even claimed to have seen some men dumping a girl's body into a landfill just two days after Natalie's disappearance.

So Natalie's family and the search teams immediately head out there and start looking through it. Dave would later say, But again...

After the search, Natalie still wasn't found. - Teams of searchers have come down here to spend long days working at the local landfill. - Another really upsetting part about the early stages of this investigation was that the three suspects, Yoran, Deepak and Satish would end up giving their official statements, but there were a lot of inconsistencies in their stories.

So taking matters into their own hands, Natalie's family decided to pay a visit to Joran's school, the International School of Aruba. While there, they ended up speaking to the school's headmaster, who told them that Joran's father, Paulus, had already called and explained the entire story to them. It seemed as though he saw Natalie's story was getting a lot of attention.

So he wanted to get ahead of the curve and defend his son. So Paulus apparently went to the school and said that his son had nothing to do with Natalie's disappearance. He said that Joran dropped her off at the hotel and that he's not sure what happened after that. And interestingly enough, Paulus told the headmaster that the hotel security cameras weren't working at the time. So they weren't able to confirm Joran's story.

And that's why all of the heat has been on his son. But he was adamant that Joran was innocent. Now, as the headmaster is telling Beth this, she's pretty confused. She would later say, quote, "How would this father and son already know whether or not the cameras at the hotel were working the night Natalie disappeared? We've been asking for days to see the security footage of the hotel's entrance.

Perhaps Paulus has too. And why would this father and son go through all of the trouble to meet with the school's headmaster to offer this detailed story?" So following this, Beth goes back to the Holiday Inn. And what do you know? They do have the footage from that night.

So why would Joran's father lie and tell the school they didn't? But nonetheless, Natalie's family wants to watch that footage immediately. And just as they suspected, there is absolutely no sign of the silver Honda dropping Natalie off. Beth would later say, quote, "'This must be why Paulus is telling people, like the headmaster, that the outside hotel cameras are broken.'"

so no one would find out the truth." After watching those tapes, Natalie's family had more questions than answers. But one thing they knew for sure was that Joran van der Sloot, Deepak and Satish, and Joran's father, Paulus, had all lied, which left everyone wondering, what were they hiding?

Investigators also spoke to the security guard who was at the lighthouse, where the young men claimed to have taken Natalie that night, but he was positive that a gray Honda had never been in the area during those early morning hours. Phone records also showed that Yorin and Deepak had spent a lot of time calling each other in the days after Natalie's disappearance. In fact, on the day of Natalie's disappearance, Deepak sent Yorin a text that read, "I'll wait until you get home and then I'll go to sleep. Give me a missed call when you arrive, okay?"

Then at 3:13 AM, Yoran messages Deepak and says, "Hey, thanks mate. Trust all is well. I'm home." Which is definitely suspicious. And the fact that they were going through all this trouble and lying to investigators left her family with a sinking feeling. You only lie if you have something horrible to hide.

So the reality of the situation slowly started to sink in. Their daughter, 18-year-old Natalie Holloway, was probably dead. But her family refused to give up, so that next morning, they planned a massive land search. And luckily for them, they had a lot of people in Aruba who were willing to help, including over 700 volunteers from the Aruban Red Cross, the Aruba Search and Rescue Team, International Friends of Aruba, and Aruba Child Protective Services.

Back in Mountain Brook, Alabama, friends, family, and the entire community rallied behind Beth and Dave, painting storefronts, mailboxes, doors, and fences all yellow to honor Natalie and let everyone know, "We are missing a loved one." Daily prayer services were held at the Mountain Brook Community Church to pray for her safe return, and a Wall of Hope was constructed in nearby Gardendale for members of the community to leave messages and prayers for Natalie and her family.

And by now, Natalie's story was huge. In fact, producers from all of the major news outlets were now flooding the streets of Aruba, trying to spread the word about her disappearance. And for the first time, Dave and Beth had hope. They knew they couldn't rely on the Aruban authorities, but the United States had shown up in a big way. Now they tried to get the FBI involved.

but they told the family that they wouldn't be allowed to investigate until Aruba officially invited them, which luckily was just around the corner.

But in addition to this, the Holloways also had the help of their loved ones. Beth said that nearly all of her friends and family members flew out to Aruba to help in the search and to help with the media. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Dave and his brother Phil assisted in the land searches.

and they had a lot of miles to cover. In fact, the island where she went missing was nearly 20 miles long and six miles wide, and they were determined to scour every inch. Natalie's stepdad, Jug, and his crew were in charge of walking the streets at night and searching through the drug houses and the place that sex workers frequented. All hands were on deck.

They are just going door to door, handing out posters, going to anybody and everybody that they can talk to to see if they have seen this young lady. Beth's friends Carla and Sue handled the media frenzy. By then, big shows like Nancy Grace and Larry King were picking up the story. And soon enough, the reward money in the case grew to $50,000. Everyone was hopeful that the money would get the locals talking.

But day after day, all tips led to nowhere and the searches of the island came up empty. But interestingly enough, early on in the investigation, Deepak Kalpoe, who was one of the brothers last seen with Natalie,

actually pointed investigators towards these two Aruban security guards. He said that after dropping Natalie off at the hotel, he saw a dark-skinned man in a black t-shirt holding a walkie-talkie

And after Natalie stepped out of the car, the security guard helped her into the hotel. And so these security guards were actually arrested. Their clothes were taken in, their cars were impounded, and their homes were raided. All because of what Deepak claimed to have seen that night. But we know that the young men never even dropped Natalie off at the hotel that night. So the fact that these men were targeted is pretty crazy.

And Beth's family knew that they were not responsible for Natalie's disappearance. She would later say, quote, "These security guards are labeled on the news as suspects in Natalie's disappearance.

Apparently, it's not difficult to get a search warrant for these two, but one certainly could not be obtained last week as we stood in the front yard of Joran van der Sloot's house. His father, Paulus, refused to let anyone inside their house, including the police. End quote.

It was obvious to everyone that the two security guards had nothing to do with Natalie's disappearance. Aruba locals and the Holloway family were outraged when it was announced they were suspects and arrested. There was nothing more than discrimination. And luckily, they would eventually be released.

But Dave, Beth, and the rest of the group couldn't believe that Yoran and Deepak, the two young men who had blatantly lied to the police about bringing Natalie back to the hotel, still had not been heavily investigated by the police. And keep in mind, Yoran's father was training to be a judge at the time, so he was very knowledgeable about the justice system. And everyone couldn't help but wonder if he was helping his son cover up a murder.

To complicate the case even further, Jorn's godfather was Aruba's police commissioner, so they had deep ties to Aruba's law enforcement. But luckily for the Holloways, it seemed like the public pressure started to work. Because finally, 10 days into the investigation, on June 9th, 2005, news broke that Jorn Vandersloot, Deepak Kalpoe, and Satish Kalpoe were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murder. Now,

Now, obviously, this is a win for Natalie's family, but they also couldn't help but think of what they lost within those 10 days. Beth would later say, the suspects had 10 days to cover their tracks, 10 days to corroborate their stories, and 10 days to lawyer up.

Following their arrest, Deepak and Satish's home was searched and the silver Honda was seized. Yoran's apartment on his family's property was also searched and investigators collected bags of evidence. But there wasn't a lot of hope that they would be able to find anything.

considering they had 10 days to destroy any evidence. It was even reported by one of Yorin's neighbors that after the police questioned the young men, Yorin, Deepak and Satish were seen scrubbing down the interior of the Honda. But as frustrating as that was, the men were now in custody. Finally, they were getting somewhere. Now, while in prison, the men would start talking and turning on each other.

At first, Yoran said that he left Natalie on the beach and he didn't know what happened to her. But then he switched his story up. In his next statement, he told investigators that Deepak and Satish dropped him off at home and that they were the ones who dropped Natalie off. He even told the officers that the brothers had this warehouse across town and that if Natalie had been met with foul play,

The brothers had likely done it there, but everyone knew that's not where Natalie was. So the officers approached the Kalpo brothers and tell them about Yorin's new story. And of course they too are now ready to come clean. In this new statement, Deepak said that he drove to the lighthouse that night, but Natalie and Yorin were still making out in the back seat. So he kept driving.

They ended up driving by the Marriott Hotel, and it's here where Joran told them to stop. He and Natalie were going to go to the beach, and afterwards, Joran said he would walk her back to her hotel. So from there, Joran and Natalie get out of the car, and the brothers leave, which seemed like the most likely story.

But why would the brothers lie to the police? They would later admit that it's because Joran told them to. He and his father Paulus made it seem like they were all going to get in trouble if they didn't.

So, they lied. During one of Yorin's interviews, he even stated, quote, First, all three of us have to agree on the story and stick to it.

If we keep calm and our stories match, they will let us go in 10 days. My father said to me, quote, I hope she is alive, but not a big chance for that, end quote. It would later be reported by the Associated Press that Paulus offered legal advice to Yorin, Deepak, and Satish the day after Natalie disappeared.

And he reiterated to the boys, "When there is no body, you don't have a case." Then in one of Deepak's interviews, he stated, "Joran's father asked me if I had a lawyer. He is getting worried because the case is getting serious. He told me not to worry that he will look for a lawyer for me. He is hiring one for me.

My brother Satish and I went to Joran's house to talk to his father there. He told us what to do." End quote. - Dave would later say, "The boys' stories kept changing and the prosecutors in Aruba do not release information the way they do in the United States. All we know for sure was that the last person to be with Natalie, Joran van der Sloot, had changed his story.

First, he said he left her at the hotel. Then he said he left her at the beach because she wanted to stay there and that she was fine. Somehow, he expected people to believe that she asked to be left alone on a deserted beach in a foreign country in the middle of the night. How could anyone accept what he was saying as truth? How many more versions of the truth would he come up with before this ordeal was finally resolved?

During the search of the Honda, the Dutch Forensic Institute did a luminol test and they weren't able to find any blood, but they did find cleaning fluid and there was no evidence inside from Natalie Holloway. On June 18th, Jorn's father was brought in for questioning, but nothing seemed to come from it. But then on June 23rd, the Holloways were shocked to learn that the police actually had a warrant to arrest Paulus for "suspicion of complicity to premeditated murder and complicity to kidnapping."

When they arrived at his house to arrest him, his wife Anita got really upset and called the police chief. And on that call, he told her he was under immense pressure to make the arrest and there was nothing he could do. And believe it or not, Paulus refused to get into the police car and was instead allowed to drive himself to the station with the police escort. Dave would later say, I cannot even begin to imagine anyone in the United States, especially an attorney, refusing to go with the police during an arrest and getting away with it.

but unfortunately after being held at the jail for two days on june 25th paulus was released due to lack of evidence now it's around this time when beth actually went by the vander sloot's home to put a prayer card in their mailbox and believe it or not paulus saw her doing this and invited beth inside soon enough she was being led to an enclosed back porch area and joran's mother started talking with her anita told beth that her son was a good boy but could sometimes be defiant and disrespectful

She added that he was currently in therapy and seeking the help of a psychologist for his behavior.

But Beth wanted to ask the important questions like, how did Joran get home that night? And did he go to school the next day? However, in response, Paulus just put his head down and said that he didn't know. She also noted that he was sweating profusely, even though it wasn't hot out at the time. When Beth went to leave, she gave Paulus a Hope for Natalie bracelet that she had been handing out to people. And when he went to grab it, she said his hands were trembling, something that didn't sit right with her.

But from here, Beth left the house with no real answers. As the weeks passed, investigators in Aruba continued interviewing the three suspects. They even brought them to the beach where they said they took Natalie that night.

During this trip to the beach, Joran and Deepak would see each other for the first time since their arrest, and they were overheard saying some interesting things. For example, Joran turned to Deepak and said, "Why are you saying we drove to the lighthouse when he absolutely did not do that?" Deepak replied, "We did drive by the lighthouse." Next, Joran brought up this instance where Deepak allegedly said he wanted to rape someone.

To which Deepak said, who's going to believe you now? You lie so much. Hearing this, investigators could tell that the men were hiding something. And the whole purpose of taking them to the beach was to see if their stories would match up. But of course they didn't. And in a couple of days, a judge would rule whether to keep the men in jail or let them go free. You see, once you are arrested, it's the prosecutor's job to gather up all the evidence they can find to try and convict you.

But sadly, in this case, they didn't really have a lot. All they knew for sure was that the men were hiding something and that their stories kept changing. But other than that, they had nothing. So on July 4th, the two brothers, Deepak and Satish, were released from jail due to lack of evidence. The next day, Beth would speak at a press conference and say, quote,

"Two suspects were released yesterday who were involved in a violent crime against my daughter. I am asking mothers and fathers in all nations to hear my plea.

End quote.

Throughout those grueling 36 days, Natalie's family never stopped looking for her. They searched every bit of that island. Dave said that while he was there, he would think of Natalie, and he would just start frantically digging up a sand dune. And deep down, he knew that she wouldn't be there, but it just gave him a little peace of mind knowing he was doing everything he could. Tim Miller from the Texas EquiSearch even came to the island to help the Holloways search the waters of Aruba. But once again, they came up with nothing.

Meanwhile, new rumors swirled around the idea that it was possible Natalie was kidnapped and forced into sex slavery. Dave Holloway heard numerous stories about women who were drugged and forced to work as prostitutes on different islands that surrounded Aruba, and the thought of that was equally terrifying. And that's the thing about not getting any answers. It gives your mind an opportunity to consider all of the horrifying options.

But the Holloway stated that it's around this time when the locals started treating them poorly. It seemed as if the constant media coverage was really affecting the tourism in town, and everyone just wanted them to go home. In fact, on July 5th, hundreds of locals surrounded the courthouse with signs that read, "Respect our laws or go home," and,

innocent until proven guilty. Beth and her husband, Jug, were even forced out of Natalie's room at the Holiday Inn. Up until that point, Beth had been sleeping in her daughter's bed, and every night she would lay there, clutching one of Natalie's shirts so she could feel closer to her. But now they had to pack up and move somewhere else. But as much as they didn't feel welcomed in Aruba, they weren't going to leave. Beth felt like if they did, her daughter's case would disappear, just like Natalie had.

And although tips had slowed down, they did receive a few that they looked into. For instance, one person called in and said they saw Deepak's Honda near a body of water on the night Natalie disappeared. So they searched the area and they ended up finding this piece of duct tape with a blonde hair attached to it.

Dutch authorities and the FBI are testing a shred of duct tape with long blonde hairs attached, found along a remote beach in a national park. DNA test results show that blonde hair did not come from Natalie Holloway. Once that lead ran dry, a team of divers pulled out a barrel that was found in the water. They thought that maybe Natalie's body would be inside. Every single tip or lead they had led them to a dead end.

By early August of 2005, Natalie's parents were feeling so discouraged, especially when the University of Alabama's fall semester started. Natalie was supposed to be starting her pre-med classes there. She was supposed to be joining a sorority, but all of that had been taken from her. Her roommate at college even kept her bed unoccupied just in case Natalie returned home. But as each day passed,

that outcome seemed more unlikely. And more than anything, her parents felt angry

It's around this time when Beth learned that Deepak had returned to his job at the internet cafe in town, so she decided to pay him a visit. A cameraman actually recorded the interaction, and Beth was heard saying, quote, Did you try and help her, Deepak? Or did you just watch? I love the statement you gave to the police at 10.30 in the morning on June 13th.

Isn't that great the way Paulus helped you? Wow, you guys planned this whole thing. What to say, how to keep your story straight, and nail your alibi by emails. End quote. A few days later, Beth received a letter from Deepak's attorney saying that she had harassed him and he told her if it happened again, they would take legal action against her.

But to make matters even worse, the Holloways were shocked when on September 3rd, 2005, the main suspect in their daughter's disappearance was released from jail for lack of evidence. That afternoon, Yorin Vandersloo confidently walked out of the police station a free man.

According to Beth, the Aruban officials had planned the release strategically as Hurricane Katrina had just devastated the United States and the media had been solely focused on that instead of Natalie's case.

But from there, Yorin was able to move on with his life. He even went back to school, and before long, he was back to his normal ways of partying and gambling. On September 26th, 2005, a reporter from a current affair approached Yorin at his college campus, and here's what he had to say. What are your memories of Natalie like? I don't really have that many memories. I mean...

I knew her for one night. I feel horrible that I even went out that night without my father knowing. I should have just stayed home and this wouldn't have happened to me. It would have happened to another person. I just tried to look at it that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, maybe even with the wrong people. And I just hope that the truth comes out, that there comes some clarity in this case. But do you understand, I mean, how can a girl just disappear? I don't know. I think that's the million-dollar question now.

So if you could do it over again, what would you do now? I would have just stayed home that night. I wouldn't have even gone out. It was Natalie who asked me to go out with her. It was her that asked me to come to the club. It was her that was yelling at me to go dance with her. And I went to go drink something with my friends. Are you that irresistible? No, I don't know. That's absolutely not what it's about. I don't know. When her parents showed up at my door with her picture, I didn't even know who Natalie Holloway was. I didn't even know her name.

Well, how can you not know her name if you just saw her the night before? Well, I saw her the night before, but it's not like I had a conversation with her for three hours. I mean, we barely talked. She told me a couple things about herself, where she was going to school, where she was from. How attractive did you think she was? I thought she was attractive. What kind of feelings did you have for her? I didn't have any feelings for her because I didn't know her at all. I just, the feelings I had for her were because she was attractive. So you were hot for her, you mean?

I wouldn't say that. I just thought she was attractive. I thought she was very outgoing. She came to me. She was the one that talked to me. She asked for me to dance with her, which I didn't even do. And she wanted to come with us. It was probably a bad choice. We probably should have...

told her she had to get out of the car when her friend told her to get out of the car and then you never know what would have happened how drunk was she she had a lot of drinks um at carson charlie she grabbed my hand and took me with her for me to take jelly shots off her and afterwards she asked me to buy a shot for her first buy her something to drink earlier when i was with her friends um at the excelsior casino at the holiday inn and

The whole group was already drinking from 5 in the afternoon and I didn't really see her at that moment. I didn't even really notice her at that moment. But I guess they came here to have a good time, to celebrate and their graduation also.

They might have also all gone a little too far. She grabbed my hand and took me with her and asked me if I wanted to take jelly shots off her. And how does it work? I don't understand. And she climbed on the bar, she laid down on the bar, and she called the bartender by name, and he got a jelly shot for her, and then I took a jelly shot off her. I don't understand. Is it on her belly? On her belly, yes. Her belly button? Yes. And then what do you do? And then you basically lick it off. It's all her? I'm not saying it's all her. I like her. I...

I thought she was very attractive and I went out with her. How do you leave a girl on the beach?

very irresponsible. I know that's the one thing I would like to take back, but at the time it just didn't seem wrong. And then what happened? You just said, "Oh, I've got to go home and study. I've got to go home because I've got to get up for class tomorrow." I told her I had to go home. I had school the next day and I thought maybe she'd understand. She told me no, she wanted me to stay there with her because the next day she was leaving and she wanted to stay there the whole night. I told her no, I had to go. I even lifted her up.

to carry her back to her hotel and she told me to put her down. I left her there, sat down next to her, talked to her a while and I called Deepak to ask him if he could come pick me up which Deepak didn't do. Was she angry? She wasn't angry. If it's anything, she was probably more upset that I was leaving her there and I don't know what reaction she had. I don't know. How did you feel when you left her? Well, at the time, I didn't feel it was a bad idea. At the time, I really didn't

It didn't seem wrong, it didn't seem... Of course now I look back at it and I think, I'm an ass, what did I do? But there's nothing I can do about it now. If I'd have that moment back, I would have made sure she got back to her hotel safely. But I can't change that now. Did you have sex with her that night? First of all, that's none of your business.

It's just a question. Yes, but it's absolutely none of your business. Well, what, I mean, did anything else happen that night? No. Well, yes, I kissed with her, but neither me, Deepak, or Satish ever had sex with her, and no one ever said otherwise. And that's the last thing that happened? Yes. And what was the last thing that she said to you? She didn't say any last thing to me. The last thing I said to her was bye. You said bye? Yes.

Where's the body? I don't know what happened. I don't know where she is. I mean, where do you think she is? I told you, I'm not going to speculate because that's all other people have been doing is speculating. And there's been so much that people have talked on TV. People have come forward and said things, things that make no sense and things that, that's just sad what some people do.

But I mean, you're from the island, you know how things work there. You're not like some guy that's a tourist that doesn't know what's going on. That's why in the beginning I thought she probably ran away with someone on the island. She ran away with a beach bum. I don't know, someone on the island that she might have met before. That was my first reaction. I mean, I've heard things like an international hit squad.

I don't know, it's probably all speculations too. I heard stories that she was in Venezuela sold into slave slavery or sex slavery, I don't know. People are just trying to make up stories to find out what happened and it's all sad. But you're the last guy that was with her. I was the last guy that admitted to be with her, but okay. Okay. What is the worst thing you think you've done?

The worst thing I did was leaving her there at the beach. That was the worst possible thing I could have done and then lie about it to try and make myself not look bad, I guess. So was Joran Vandersloot telling the truth? Did he really leave Natalie alone on that beach? Or was he responsible for her disappearance?

With him and the Kalpoe brothers being released from prison, Natalie's family had no other choice but to go back home to Alabama. And every night before they went to bed, their minds would race with questions.

Would Natalie's killer walk free? Would Joran be able to move on with his life like nothing ever happened? What did his future look like? Well, unbeknownst to the Holloways, this chapter of their lives was far from over and Joran Vandersloot would soon catapult himself into the spotlight once again, this time with crimes of extortion, wire fraud, and even another murder.

So join us next week as we walk you through part two of The Disappearance of Natalie Holloway.

As a lot of you probably know, Courtney and I's time is already really stretched thin. We have multiple projects that we're working on. I'm working on a documentary. We're posting a video every week on YouTube, a podcast, a second podcast. So we don't have a lot of extra time in our lives, especially when it comes to cooking. I know that for myself at the end of a long workday, the last thing that I want to do is get in the kitchen and cook myself something. And meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking can be a huge hassle.

But Hungry Root makes it possible to spend less time doing all of that and more time doing what you love. Hungry Root is simply the easiest way to eat healthy. They send you fresh, high-quality groceries, simple, delicious recipes, and essential supplements.

It's like having someone else do all the planning and shopping so you don't even have to think about it. And something that Courtney and I love is that Hungry Root gets to know your personal health goals, dietary restrictions, favorite foods, how much time you want to spend cooking, and more. Then they build you a personalized cart with all your grocery needs for the week, including easy four-ingredient recipes to put those groceries to use. Each order is free,

fully customizable so you can take their suggestions or just choose anything you want. They've got fresh produce, high quality meat and seafood, healthy snacks, smoothies, sweets, ready to eat meals, kids snacks and meals, vitamins and supplements, and much more. The groceries that Courtney and I received from Hungry Root were of the highest quality and the meals that we made from them not only were quick and easy, but they were delicious to boot. And that's because everything from Hungry Root follows a simple standard.

It's got to taste good, be quick to make, and contain whole trusted ingredients. Right now, Hungry Root is offering Murder in America listeners 40% off your first delivery and free veggies for life. Just go to HungryRoot.com slash MIA to get 40% off your first delivery and get your free veggies. That's HungryRoot.com slash MIA. Don't forget to use our link so they know we sent you. Anyways, let's get back to today's episode.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Do you have a point of sale system you can trust, or is it a real POS? You need Shopify for retail. From accepting payments to managing inventory, Shopify POS has everything you need to sell in person. Go to shopify.com slash system, all lowercase, to take your retail business to the next level today. That's shopify.com slash system.

Go to your happy place for a happy price. Go to your happy price, Priceline.

So

Hey everyone! I'm Joe. And I'm Trace. And we're the HorrorQueers. Every week we do a deep dive into a different horror film and look at it through a queer lens. This could mean pointing out queer creatives that worked on the film. Or applying a queer reading to some of your favorite horror movie characters. Episodes can be serious and academic. Or fun and frivolous. It depends on the movie! And no movie is off limits. The film could have explicit queer themes. A high camp quotient. Or both. Or not at all!

We believe that representation matters, and since queer folks haven't always had the best representation, we're here to help fix that. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to start getting your weekly dose of queer horror. Horror Queers, available wherever you get your podcasts. Or find us online at bloody.fm.

Welcome to the All 80s Movies Podcast. I'm Bill. And I'm Jason. And this is the podcast where we talk about the blockbusters, the flops, and everything in between from one of the freshest decades for movies, the 1980s. So whether you're a brain, a jock,

a valley girl, or a Jedi, we've got some 80s classics for you. Do these movies stand the test of time? Are we discovering something new? Is there an 80s movie we are finally watching for the first time? Join us each week as we dive into the cinematic nostalgia that inspired and influenced a generation. From the hits to the cult classics, we'll discuss our earliest memories, favorite scenes, fun facts, and our not-so-favorite movie moments, too. You can find the All 80s Movies Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Please follow, and happy listening. Hey there, are you in need of a new weekly fix of horror gaming discussions? Then look no further than Saferoom, Bloody FM's horror video gaming podcast. I'm your host Jay Krieger, and I am the other one, Neil Boe. And every week, Neil, myself, and the occasional guest get together to chat about classic and contemporary horror games, and the elements that make them a standout amongst the hordes of horror games being released seemingly every day now.

In addition to celebrating anniversaries and new releases, we also interview influential horror developers such as Amnesia the Bunker's creative lead, Frederick Olsen, and even the maestro of lo-fi horror, Erdorf, the developer behind the Faith trilogy. And finally, on Thursdays, we release episodes of Horror Bytes, our bite-sized indie horror showcase in which Neil and I share a game that we discovered on Itch.io from an up-and-coming developer.

So if this sounds like the podcast for you, please consider checking out Safe Room on your preferred podcast platform and be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at Safe Room Pod for show updates.