MYSTERIOUS DEATH: The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway

Summary

---

MYSTERIOUS DEATH: The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway

Podcast: Murder: True Crime Stories
Host: Carter Roy
Date: April 24, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, host Carter Roy revisits one of true crime’s most haunting cases—the disappearance and presumed murder of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway. Carter traces the fateful events during Natalee’s 2005 graduation trip to Aruba, spotlights the chaotic investigation that followed, and details the decades-long pursuit of truth by Natalee’s devoted family. The episode culminates with shocking later developments, including Joran van der Sloot’s final confession and its devastating impact on all involved.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Natalee’s Final Days and Disappearance

[05:53 – 13:00]

• Background on Natalee Holloway: Graduated high school with honors from Mountain Brook, Alabama; had a full scholarship to the University of Alabama; traveled to Aruba for an unofficial graduation trip with 124 classmates and 7 chaperones.
• The Last Night in Aruba:
  • Attended a beach concert, casino, and the bar Carlos’n Charlie’s.
  • Last seen leaving the bar area, tipsy, getting into a white or silver car with a “tall Dutch guy” (later identified as Joran van der Sloot) and two men.
  • Initially, classmates weren’t alarmed; party culture had led to students crashing in different rooms and staying out late.
• Discovery of Disappearance: Next morning, Natalee is missing; her suitcase and passport are at the hotel, but she’s gone. Immediate calls to authorities, and her family flies to Aruba within hours.

Memorable moment:

"They left the remaining seat on the jet open for Natalee." —Carter Roy [08:50]

The Investigation Begins

[13:00 – 21:00]

• Early Friction with Aruban Police:
  • Beth and Jug Twitty (Natalee’s mom and stepfather) are frustrated by authorities’ indifference and slow response.
  • Reports of a detective eating cereal before taking a statement; apparent lack of urgency infuriates the family.

Quote:

"Beth even recalled that local detective Dennis Jacobs insisted on having a bowl of Frosted Flakes before he took her statement." —Carter Roy [12:45]

• Identifying the Suspects:
  • Through word of mouth, the family tracks down Joran van der Sloot, a 17-year-old local with a bad reputation for preying on female tourists.
  • Joran’s shifting stories raise suspicion—he first denies knowing Natalee, then admits to seeing her, then changes the story again.

Police Handling and Early Suspects

[21:16 – 31:00]

• Initial Police Focus:
  • Arrest of two local security guards perceived as scapegoating; both released due to lack of evidence.
  • Joran and Kalpoe brothers become the focus, but police have insufficient evidence to press charges under Aruban law, which allows for long holds without charge.
• Reward Offered & Lead Dead Ends:
  • Holloway family offers up to $1 million reward; a gardener leads police to a possible burial site—a red herring.

Quote:

"Carlos led police to a vacant lot near the Marriott where he said he’d seen Joran, the Kalpoes, and two large mounds of dirt... but there was nothing but trash at the bottom." —Carter Roy [27:20]

• Civil Lawsuit Efforts:
  • Beth and Dave Holloway sue Joran and Paulus van der Sloot in New York; ultimately dismissed due to jurisdiction.
• Family Strain & Boycott Efforts:
  • Beth calls for an Aruban tourism boycott, straining both her marriage and relations with local authorities.

The Sting, Undercover Footage, and Case Closure

[31:00 – 38:00]

• Media Stings and False Confessions:

  • 2008: Undercover Dutch TV footage shows Joran, high, describing disposing of Natalee’s body, but no corroborating evidence leads to new charges.

• Paulus van der Sloot’s Death:

  • Joran’s father dies in 2010, closing off further leverage against the van der Sloot family.

• Joran’s Extortion Attempt:

  • Joran attempts to extort $250,000 from Beth Holloway in exchange for details of Natalee’s remains; it's a lie, and he keeps $25,000.

Quote:

"Yoran eventually confirmed in an email that he knew the information he provided was, ‘worthless,’ but he kept Beth’s $25,000 anyway." —Carter Roy [39:28]

Joran van der Sloot’s Downfall in Peru

[42:08 – 47:45]

• Murder of Stephanie Flores:
  • Joran, now in Peru, kills 21-year-old Stephanie Flores in his Lima hotel room, fleeing before being caught and extradited back to Peru.

Quote:

"[Stephanie] was face down with a broken neck and bruising on her body. Her credit cards were missing, along with the 5,000 soles she won playing poker. This time, the evidence against Yoran was overwhelming." —Carter Roy [43:00]

• Trial and Sentence:

  • Joran confesses (possibly seeking a reduced charge), is ultimately sentenced to 28 years for murder and ordered to compensate Flores’ family.

• Natalee Declared Dead:

  • 2012: Alabama judge declares Natalee legally dead at her father’s request, against Beth’s wishes, for practical and emotional closure.

Civil Litigation and Media Exploitation

[47:45 – 50:20]

• Beth sues Oxygen Media for a documentary she alleges deceived her; lawsuit later dropped.
• The fissure between Natalee’s parents grows, highlighted by their separate and sometimes competing efforts to keep the case in the public eye.

The Final Confession and Closure

[50:20 – 54:00]

• 2023 Breakthrough:
  • Joran is extradited to the U.S. from Peru for the 2010 extortion case.
  • In exchange for a plea deal, Joran provides a recorded confession detailing Natalee’s murder, confirming her death at his hands after she fought off his sexual advance.

Quote:

“Natalie fought back, kneeing Joran in the crotch as hard as she could. Outraged at being rejected, Euron kicked Natalie in the face hard enough to knock her unconscious...he grabbed [a] cinder block and used it to smash her head in.” —Carter Roy [53:00]

• Statute of Limitations:

  • Despite the confession, Joran cannot be charged with homicide in Aruba; the statute has expired.

• Beth Holloway’s Response:

  • Beth issues a public statement:

    “Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder. He is the killer.” [54:00]

• Reflections on Beth’s Determination:

  • Carter Roy praises Beth Holloway’s relentless commitment and the impact she made in the pursuit of justice.

Quote:

"Beth is the epitome of the saying, a mother’s love knows no bounds. She moved mountains to ensure that Natalie wasn’t forgotten." —Carter Roy [54:10]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the impact Natalee’s case had:

“In Dave’s words, 'Natalie had become everybody’s child.'” [16:15]

• Frustration with police:

"Beth thought that was pretty suspicious, but there wasn’t much she could do." [11:40]

• Assessment of Joran van der Sloot (FBI profiler):

“I saw that cold bloodedness about him. He did have some traits that I’m used to...very glib and charming. He was an extroverted person and he could turn on the charm.” —FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole [24:45]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:53–13:00 – Timeline of Natalee’s disappearance and first investigation efforts
• 13:00–21:00 – Friction with police, initial suspect interviews
• 21:16–31:00 – Rewards, public furor, and legal deadlocks
• 31:00–38:00 – Stings, false confessions, and case closure
• 42:08–47:45 – The murder of Stephanie Flores in Peru and Joran’s imprisonment
• 50:20–54:00 – Joran’s extradition, confession, and Beth Holloway’s reaction

---

Summary & Takeaway

Carter Roy’s episode provides a comprehensive, empathetic, and critical look at the Natalee Holloway case—one that became a global fixation, strained families and governments, and ultimately led to a tragic, but hard-won, sliver of closure. While justice in a legal sense remains incomplete, the case leaves a legacy of a mother’s relentless fight and a cautionary tale about the limitations of criminal justice across borders.

---

For the full emotional impact and finer details—including archival interviews, dramatizations, and poignant reflections—listen to the episode on your favorite podcast platform.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, listeners, it's Carter Roy. Real quick. Before today's episode of Murder True Crime Stories, I want to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's Most Infamous Crimes. Hosted by Katie Ring. Each week, Katie takes on one of the most notorious criminal cases in American history. Serial killers who terrorized cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night, and investigations that change the way we think about justice. Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This his crime house. Hidden camera footage, explosive interviews, a teenager who got away with murder and a young woman who never came home. High school is tough for so many different reasons. There's the social dynamics, academic pressures, extracurriculars. Throw puberty into the mix, and it can be all out chaos. Some people sink in the face of those challenges, but others seem to thrive under pressure. Natalee Holloway was one of those people. In the spring of 2005, she'd just graduated with a stellar GPA and a full ride to college. She'd more than earned her spot on the senior trip to Aruba. But what should have been a chance to celebrate with her best friends turned into a nightmare when she met a local boy named Joran Van Der Sloot. What came next changed the island of Aruba forever and became one of the most notorious cases in true crime history. This is the murder of Natalee Holloway. People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy and this is True Crime Stories, a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. New episodes come out every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Thank you for being part of the Crime House community. Please rate, review and follow the show and for ad free access to every episode. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. Welcome back to another episode of Murder Mystery Fridays where I'm covering cases with questions that I can't get out of my head. The ones where the evidence points in multiple directions and every theory feels like a possibility. Remember, these episodes are also on YouTube with full video to search for murder true crime stories and be sure to like and subscribe. Today, I'm talking about one of the most well known true crime cases in modern history, the murder of Natalee Holloway. It's one of those cases that you can't help but follow when it's happening and still sticks with you all these years later. Today I'll explain how the 18 year old mysteriously disappeared during her high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005. The investigation that followed was one of the biggest news stories of 2005, garnering worldwide attention and sparking plenty of controversy. Over 20 years later, shocking developments brought Natalie's name back into the headlines while leaving some of the case's biggest questions still unanswered. All that and more coming up. You know that moment in spring when you open your closet and you think, do I really need all this? I do. Lately I've been trying to keep fewer pieces, but ones that actually feel special and wear well every day. And that is why I keep coming back to Quints. Their linen pants and shirts are lightweight, breathable and comfortable. I literally have one on right now. The kind of pieces that make spring mornings effortless and their flit activewear. Oh soft moisture wicking anti odor. Honestly, I want to live in it. The best part is the value. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen so you're getting premium quality at prices 50 to 60% lower than similar brands. Everything is made to last and simplifies getting dressed. Refresh your wardrobe with quince. Go to quince.com crimehouse for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. Go to q U-N-C-E.com crimehouse for free shipping AND 365 day returns. Quince.com crimehouse there's never been a better

[B]

time to get outside and experience the benefits of nature. Discover nearby trails and explore. Explore the outdoors with alltrails. Download the free app today and find your outside.

[A]

In May of 2005, 18 year old Natalie Holloway was on the trip of a lifetime. She just graduated from Mountain Brook High school in Birmingham, Alabama with a 4.15 GPA and full scholarship to the University of of Alabama where she planned to study Pre med. All to say, Natalie had worked extremely hard the last four years and was more than ready to let loose. And that's exactly what she did when she arrived on the island of Aruba on May 26. She was there on her high school's unofficial graduation trip, accompanied by 124 fellow graduating seniors and seven adult chaperones. Natalie and her classmates spent the first three days mostly at the beach, the pool and hanging out at the hotel casino. The legal age for drinking and gambling in Aruba is 18 and the students were taking full advantage. Sunday, May 29 was Natalie's last day in paradise. It started with a concert on the beach featuring Lauryn Hill and Boys to Men. After that, the party moved to the casino and finally a bar called Carlos and Charlie's that was about a 5 to 10 minute drive from the hotel. After the bar closed, Natalie and a friend named Jessica Caiola grabbed some street food outside before heading back to their hotel, the Holiday Inn. They were both tipsy from a night of partying and when Jessica turned around, she saw Natalie darting off away from the food truck. She got into what Jessica described as a white car, which was later identified as either a gray Honda or a silver Nissan. At the time, Jessica assumed Natalie must have found someone to give her a ride back to their hotel. Over the course of their trip, they'd learned that taxis were hard to come by in Aruba, especially after the bars closed. Plus, Natalie was known to be responsible and reliable, so Jessyca wasn't worried about her. She figured she'd just see her back at the hotel. Even when Natalie didn't show up, her roommates weren't too concerned. The students had been sleeping over in each other's rooms the whole trip, keeping the party going after the bars closed. In fact, the group had been having such a good time the hotel already decided their school would was not welcomed back the next year. So Natalie's absence didn't really sound any alarms until the following morning when it was time to head to the airport. The plan was for everyone to meet in the lobby before 10am so all the students could head back to the airport for their flight. But Natalie was nowhere to be seen. When the chaperones checked her room, her suitcase and passport were there, but Natalie wasn't. At that point, the chaperones called her mother, Beth back in the States. And as soon as Beth heard that Natalie was missing, she sprang into action. Beth was in Hot Springs, Arkansas when she got the news, so the first thing she did was call 911 and later the FBI. The next thing she wanted to do was get to Aruba asap. There weren't any commercial flights that could get her there fast enough, but luckily there was. Beth knew who to call. She and Natalie's father had divorced a long time ago, and in the year 2000, Beth had married a man named George Jug Twitty. He was a big wig in the Birmingham, Alabama metals industry, so the family had some pretty solid connections. One of those connections was able to arrange a private jet for Beth And Jug. They took along two of their friends who they thought might be helpful in the search. They left the remaining seat on the jet open for Natalie. They landed in Aruba around 10pm that night on May 30, 2005, just about 12 hours after everyone realized Natalie was missing. Beth's plan was to get whatever information they could from the local authorities. She and Jug did speak with the Aruban police that night, but they definitely weren't happy with what they heard. The police didn't seem as concerned as the Twitties were. So Beth and Jug decided to do their own digging. And almost right away, they learned about the last time anyone saw Natalie. Some of her classmates, who are now back home in Alabama, told the family that they saw Natalie talking to a cute, tall Dutch guy before her disappearance. For some context, Aruba used to be a Dutch colony. And even though it's now a separate country, it's still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the island has a big Dutch population. All to say, the mystery guy talking to Natalie wasn't necessarily a tourist. And luckily, Jug had a nephew on the trip who remembered him introducing himself is Yoron. During a game of poker at the hotel casino. Yoron was around the same age as the Mountain Brook students and had apparently been hanging around the group all week. In fact, they'd all been gossiping about who might hook up with him. But not everyone was impressed. One student, Brian Reynolds, remembered Joran nearly getting into a fight with one of his friends and Brian had to break it up. This was just a few hours before Natalie vanished. Brian also remembered that before the fight almost started, Yoron was talking to Natalie. Not only that, but some of Natalie's classmates said they spotted Lloron in the white car that Natalie got into, the one outside of Carlos and Charlie's. And he wasn't alone. There were also two other guys they didn't recognize. Beth and Jug knew they needed to find this mystery guy right away. So Beth asked a hotel employee if she knew a tall Dutch teenager named Joran who hung around the casino. Not only did the employee recognize the description, she knew his full name. Joran Van Der Sloot. He was a 17 year old local, and according to the hotel employee, he, quote, tends to prey upon young female tourists. Which made Beth and Jug wonder, could he have hurt Natalie? After learning about Joran, Beth and Jug tracked down his address. He lived in the nearby town of Nord. And that night they, along with the Aruban police, paid him a Visit. Joran's father, 53 year old Paulus Van Der Sloot answered the door. Paulus was an attorney and aspiring judge in Aruba, while Joran's mother Anita was an art teacher. According to Paulus, Joran wasn't home, but he brought the group to where they might be able to find him at the nearby Wyndham casino. Oddly enough, Joran wasn't there either, so the group headed back to the Van Der Sloot house where Joran had mysteriously appeared. He was there with a friend, 21 year old Deepak Calpo. At first Yoron denied knowing Natalie or even recognizing her name, but after some questioning he changed his tune and admitted that he was with Natalie on Sunday night when she was last seen. According to him, here's what happened. After they met at the hotel casino where Natalie was staying, Natalie invited him to Carlos and Charlie's. Later he got a ride there from Deepak and Deepak's 18 year old brother Satish Kalpo. Euron said Natalie had too much to drink and was aggressively coming onto him after the bar closed. She wasn't ready to go back to her hotel and wanted to drive around with Lloron, so they all piled into the Kalpoe brothers car. They ended up parking at a nearby lighthouse where the local teens liked to hang out. Yoron said Natalie performed oral sex on him in the car. After that, Yoron insisted he took Natalie back to her hotel. He even watched as she fell over drunk, stumbling back into the lobby. Yuron said he saw a security guard and helping her out, so he left. Euron even agreed to go to the Holiday Inn with Beth and Jug to point out the security guard who'd helped Natalie. But when they got there, Euron couldn't find him. Beth thought that was pretty suspicious, but there wasn't much she could do. She needed the police to officially open an investigation. But the next day Euron still wasn't questioned by police. The Twitty said the police initially didn't seem to care very much about finding Natalie. Beth even recalled that local detective Dennis Jacobs insisted on having a bowl of frosted Flakes before he took her statement. Natalie's dad Dave, who arrived on the island on the morning of June 1, two days after Natalie went missing, had a similar experience. He said that when he went to the police to ask about Natalie, that same detective asked, quote, how much money do you have? Beth and Dave agreed that the police seemed to think Natalie was just off partying somewhere. But the authorities told a very different version of the story. They said they agreed with the Holloways from the beginning that Euron and the Kalpos were suspects. But they were just trying to wait for them to slip up. And instead of arresting them right away, they hoped this would help lead them to Natalie. The Aruban police claim that starting on the third day of Natalie's disappearance, Yoron and the Kalpos phones were tapped, their emails were monitored, and they were surveilled everywhere they went. Multiple sources close to this case, including members of law enforcement, confirmed that the Aruban police did not open a missing persons investigation until three days after Natalie disappeared. Either way, on June 2, the police officially opened an investigation and announced a $55,000 reward for information leading to Natalie's return. Meanwhile, her photo was plastered all over the news in Aruba and all around the world. In Dave's words, quote, Natalie had become everybody's child. And just a few days later, it seemed like the police finally got their first lead. On Sunday, June 5, 2005, nearly a week after Natalie was last seen, Police picked up 30 year old Nick John and 28 year old Abraham Jones. The two men had worked as security guards for a hotel near the Holiday Inn where Natalie stayed. But their contracts ended the day before Natalie vanished and they denied that they'd ever seen her. In Aruba, suspects don't have to be charged with a crime until 116 days after their arrest, unless a judge finds that there isn't enough evidence to hold them longer without charges. So the two security guards, while arrested, weren't officially charged with a crime. And the police didn't reveal exactly why they arrested them either. Their lawyer told the media that the arrests seem to be based on vague witness statements about seeing Natalie get helped by two security guards at her hotel. But these two guys didn't even work at the Holiday Inn. This made Beth furious. She felt like the police were looking in all the wrong places and she wanted to let the world know how she felt. So Beth started giving TV interviews, openly accusing the Aruban government of covering for the van der Sloot family because Paulus was a high ranking lawyer on the island. Not only that, but it seemed like Joran got away with a lot of troublemaking. At 17, he wasn't old enough to legally drink or gamble. And yet everyone in Nord, police included, seemed to know he was a regular at the bars and casinos. Even more concerning, Yoron had a history of violence. In his early teen years, Yoron became aggressive towards his two younger brothers, hitting them and even destroying one of their cell phones. At that point, Joran also started lying to his parents. Whenever they caught him, he'd spin more lies to get out of it. Instead of punishing him, Yoron's parents sent him to therapy. But it didn't seem to work. And before long, it got to a point where he wasn't just lashing out at his brothers anymore. Once, Euron got into a fight with an unhoused man and threw him off a low bridge into the water below. Another time, he allegedly pushed a classmate through a glass display case at a movie theater. Eventually, Yoron got so bad that his parents moved him into a detached apartment behind their house. While this made things more peaceful at home, it also had a big unintended side effect. Euron now had unchecked freedom to come and go as he pleased. And it seemed like no one had the power to stop him. What they did to your family. You're lucky to make it out alive. Streaming on Peacock.

[B]

These men are going to come after me. Taking them out. It's my only chance.

[A]

Put a bullet in her head. From the co Creator of Ozark.

[B]

Looks like a family was running drugs.

[A]

Execution style. Killing. It's rare for the Keys. Any leads on who they might have been running for?

[B]

The cartel. Killed myself.

[A]

Family.

[B]

I'm gonna kill them. All of them.

[A]

MIA Streaming now only on Peacock.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by Prime Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories. And the book to screen favorites you've already read twice off campus. Elle Every year after the Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point and more. Slow burns, second chances chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime.

[A]

On June 5, 2005, the same day the two security guards were arrested, the Aruban government requested help from FBI diving teams to search for Natalie offshore. They thought that maybe something had happened and her body was left out at sea. The Aruban government also announced thousands of civil service workers would be let off work early on Monday, June 6 to join in a massive search for Natalie. All that momentum finally seemed to move the needle forward. On Wednesday, June 9, 2005, 10 days after Natalie vanished, all three of the prime suspects, 17 year old Joran van der Sloot, 21 year old Deepak Kalpo and 18 year old Satish Kalpo were arrested. But there was a problem. The police didn't have enough evidence to charge any of them with Natalie's disappearance. Which meant that 116 day clock was ticking. Another issue was that plea bargains don't exist under the Aruban legal system, so trying to get one of them to take a deal in exchange for turning on the others wasn't an option either. At that point, the only thing detectives could do was question them repeatedly, hoping to get something incriminating out of them. Eventually, all three suspects did change their story about what happened that night with Natalie. But they all changed it to the same news story. Like the way Yoron first told it. He and Natalie danced together at Carlos and Charlie's until it closed, then got a ride from the Kalpo brothers. This time, the boys said the Kalpos dropped Yoron and Natalie off at a beach half a mile north of Natalie's hotel. Then the Kalpos went home, leaving Yoron and Natalie alone. Natalie was extremely drunk, passing out repeatedly on the beach, but didn't want to go back to her hotel. So Joran eventually left her there and just walked home. Now, that would have been just about two miles, so it definitely wasn't out of the question. But the police weren't so sure about it, especially because nobody came forward to say they'd seen Yoron walking on that route in the middle of the night. In fact, Euron's parents couldn't confirm what time he got home either. But at this point, the police felt like they weren't going to get anything else out of Yoron. So eventually they brought in the FBI to consult on the interrogation and create a psychological profile of the suspects. That's when they got some chilling insights into Yoron mind. According to the FBI, Euron had a lot of superficial charm, but they believed he could be explosive if rejected or told no. He dominated his parents, who treated him like the boss of their household and never corrected his behavior. And not only did he go to casinos before he was legally allowed, but on at least one occasion, Paulus even gave his son money for his underage gambling. FBI profiler Mary Ellen o' Toole later recalled some more disturbing traits. She said, quote, I saw that cold bloodedness about him. He did have some traits that I'm used to that I've worked with before. He was very glib and charming. He was an extroverted person and he could turn on the charm. To be clear, when Mary mentioned traits she's worked with before, she was referencing her past work on high profile cases involving mass murderers and serial killers. And that profile was extremely concerning. But it still didn't provide any clear evidence against Euron or the Kalpos. However, one thing was obvious by then. Those Security guards weren't involved. On June 13, two weeks after Natalie vanished, both of them were released without ever being charged with a crime. And five days later, the police were onto another person of interest, one they thought may have helped Joran cover up what he'd done. On June 18, the police spent five hours questioning Eron's father, Paulus van der Sloot. Five days after that, on June 23, they took him into custody too. The authorities didn't explain why Paulus was arrested, but they did confirm he would be held separately from Joran in jail. But it didn't lead to any charges. Three days later, on June 26th, Paulus was released. But even then, Beth was sure Paulus had something to do with Natalie's disappearance. Once Paulus got out, Beth confronted him as well as Joran's mother Anita at the family's home, accusing them of covering for their son. Although they admitted that Joran was a troubled teen and that they hadn't been able to stop him from drinking and gambling. The Van der Sloot said they had no idea what happened to Natalie. But Beth noticed that Paulus was sweating so heavily during this conversation that Anita had to wipe him down with a kitchen towel. Beth took it as clear evidence that he was lying still. Paulus stood by his son's story. And there was more bad news coming for the Holloways. On July 4, a judge ordered the Kalpoe brothers to be released after deciding there just wasn't enough evidence to keep them locked up. The judge did allow prosecutors to continue holding Joran, but only for 60 more days unless they could charge him. The pressure was on. But as the weeks ticked by and Joran's interrogations continued, nothing new emerged. So Natalie's parents tried an old fashioned way of loosening lips. Money. On July 25, they announced they were raising the reward for Natalie's case to $1 million. That was life changing money in the United States and even more so in Aruba. And the very next day, it looked like someone might actually get that reward. On July 26, a gardener named Carlos came forward claiming he saw you were unblocking the road near the Marriott Hotel. A little before 3am the night Natalie disappeared. Carlos led police to a vacant lot near the Marriott where he said he'd seen Yoron, the Kalpos and two large mounds of dirt. And by the time police arrived, the mounds of dirt were gone. But there was a pond there, so the authorities decided to drain it. Unfortunately, the lead went nowhere. There was nothing but trash at the bottom. Chances were the tip was made up in hopes of claiming the reward. There were a few more dead end leads over the summer and by mid August the police were getting desperate. Time was running out to hold Euron without charging him. But Euron did offer up some information that got the Kalpoe brothers rearrested on August 26, 2005. During his time behind bars, llran admitted that Natalie had passed out multiple times while he was fondling her, which could be charged as sexual assault. If that was true, the Kalpos could be charged as accessories to sexual assault for being in the car while it happened. It was enough for the police to take the brothers back into custody. They were hoping this would get the Kalpos to confess, to finally tell them what what happened the night Natalie disappeared. It didn't work. Not only did neither of the Kalpo brothers turn on Yoran, but a judge ordered that they and Yoran were to be released on September 3, 2005. They had to remain available to police, meaning they could be arrested if they went anywhere outside the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And that suited Joran just fine because that meant he could just go back to his homeland. On September 6, Joran left Aruba to start college in the Netherlands. Then on September 14th an appeals court removed the restrictions altogether, allowing the suspects to travel as they pleased. Beth and Dave were furious, but they weren't giving up on finding their daughter. Dave hired a PI to keep looking for Natalie while Beth took a more hands on approach. She thought that punishing Aruba's tourism industry was the only way to keep Natalie's case from being forgotten. So In November of 2005 she joined Governor Bob Riley of Alabama in calling for the entire United States to boycott Aruba. After nearly six months of living in an Aruban hotel while bashing the country on American tv, Beth wasn't very popular on the island anymore. She'd even fallen out with her most loyal Aruban allies. But she didn't really care if everyone hated her as long as they kept looking for her daughter. Her husband seemed to feel differently though. In a letter to Alabama's Governor, Jug Twitty advised against a boycott, thinking it would only make things worse with Arubin officials. It seemed like the investigation was pulling Jug and Beth apart. At the same time. It forced her and Dave to work together, which they continued to do in February 2006 when they tried a new way of holding the van der sloots accountable. On February 17, Beth and Dave sued Paulus and Joran van der Sloot in civil court seeking unspecified damages. At first it seemed like this was just symbolic. After all, the Vandersloots were still in Aruba. But here's the thing. Beth and Dave knew Paulus and Joran were going to New York. Turned out Joran was doing an interview with Fox News's Greta Van Susteren, which aired from March 1 to March 3, 2006. Beth had been on Gretchen Greta's show On the Record a bunch of times. But now Joran, who had turned 18 since Natalie's disappearance, was getting a chance to tell his side of the story. And he went through with it even after he and his father got served after landing in New York. During that tell all, Euron stuck pretty close to the story he told while in custody about going with Natalie to the beach, then leaving her there. But now Yoron said Satish picked him up in Deepak's car and drove him home. Meaning Yoron had lied about walking the two miles back from the beach in the middle of the night. As for why Yoron would leave a drunk foreign teenager alone on a beach in the middle of the night, well, he had an explanation for that too. According to to Yoran, he repeatedly tried to take Natalie back to her hotel, but she refused, saying she wanted Joran to stay with her on the beach all night. Joran claimed he didn't know anything bad had happened to her until he got a call from his father the following night. At that point, Deepak, Satish and Joran agreed to lie and say they'd taken her back to the Holiday Inn. Throughout the three part interview, Yoron seemed to go out of his way to criticize the Holloways, Natalie and their supporters. Yaran even accused the Aruban police of hitting him during one of his interrogations. And for a while, that was it. Over the next few months, the Aruban police got new tips, but none led to any arrests or meaningful leads. So once again, the case went cold. And it only got colder as time went on. In August 2006, the Holloway Civil suit against Joran and his father was dismissed. Beth seemed to think an American court would be more favorable in pursuing justice and damages. But the judge ruled that there wasn't a good reason for the suit to proceed in New York rather than Aruba. By December, the case had worn the family so thin that Beth holloway and her second husband, Jug Twitty, officially separated and divorced in 2007. At that point, it seemed like Joran was feeling pretty confident that he'd never face official charges in the case, because that's when he made a shocking decision. In April 2007, Yoran published a book about the case, and it was something else. Although Yoron stuck to his new story about leaving Natalie alone on the beach, there was an interesting wrinkle because he also referred to himself as a, quote, pathological liar. Surprise, surprise. Later that month, on April 20, 2007, the Yoruban Police searched the van der Sloots home again. They didn't really explain why, but they were extremely thorough, even digging up the family's backyard. Inside the house, they seized diaries and a computer. Less than a month later, on May 12, 2007, almost two years after Natalie disappeared, the Calpo residence was also searched again. No big announcements were made at the time. The but the authorities must have gotten something new, because on November 21, 2007, Joran was arrested a third time. While in the Netherlands, the Kalpo brothers, who were in Aruba, were also arrested again. All three men were suspected of sexual assault and murder. But apparently the authorities didn't have much evidence. And on December 1, the Kalpos were released again. Yoran followed on December 7. Then on December 18, the authorities gave up and officially ordered the investigation closed. But the story wasn't over, not even close. A few Months later, in February 2008, a Dutch news program aired some hidden camera footage that appeared to show Juran confessing to disposing of not Natalie's body. It was all part of a sting by a Dutch crime reporter who was convinced that Joran was guilty. He'd gotten close to Yoran by pretending to be a friendly drug dealer. In the video, Joran was smoking weed in his new friend's car. And while he still insisted that he hadn't killed Natalie, he admitted that she died while he was with her. He said that after they had sex on the beach, she started shaking and suddenly died. Then Joran said he panicked and called a friend for help. They loaded Natalie onto the friend's boat and dumped her body in the ocean without even making sure she was actually dead. The video was incredibly incriminating, but according to Yuron, he was just high and and telling his friend what he wanted to hear. The Dutch court seemed to agree. A judge ruled that the hidden camera footage wasn't enough to justify a new arrest, especially in the absence of any corroborating evidence. But there was one silver lining for the Holloways. After the sting operation aired, Euron reportedly went into hiding. He was supposedly afraid for his life. And after people all around the world saw his recorded confession. After that, the case went quiet for a while, until there was another unexpected twist. On February 10, 2010, Paulus van der Sloot died of a heart attack while playing tennis in aruba. He was 57 years old. Joran went back to the island for the funeral. While he was there, he apparently thought up another way to profit from his notoriety. In March 2010, he contacted Beth Holloway's lawyer and offered to tell the truth about what happened to Natalee once and for all. In exchange for $250,000. Beth made a smart move. She went to the FBI. They encouraged her to go forward with the deal in case Joran actually revealed something real. Beth's representative told Yuron that he'd get a 10% down payment on the $250,000 and the rest would be delivered after he revealed the location of Natalie's body. Yoron agreed. On May 10, 2010, he received $10,000 in cash, along with a $15,000 wire transfer to his Dutch bank account. The FBI didn't provide that money. Beth was on the hook for it. Yoron led Beth's representative to a house in Aruba, where he said he'd concealed Natalie's remains in the foundation while it was being built. He even managed to blame his recently deceased father, saying Paulus helped him bury Natalie. But records and satellite images proved that workers didn't even break ground on the house until way after Natalie vanished. So this was obviously yet another lie. Yoran eventually confirmed in an email that he knew the information he provided was, quote, worthless, but he kept Beth's $25,000 anyway. At this point, Euron had committed extortion. Theoretically, he could be arrested for that in Aruba, then extradited to the United States to face trial. But according to the FBI, they weren't ready to bring charges yet. So they decided to bide their time. With $25,000 burning a hole in his pocket, 22 year old Yoron left Aruba and headed to Peru, where another tragedy was right around the corner.

[B]

Girl, winter is so last season. And now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders that perfect hang on the patio sundress those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done. Hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear open that envelope. It's time for a little in person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross, work your magic With Plan B Emergency contraception, we're in control of our future. It's backup birth control you take after unprotected sex that helps prevent pregnancy before it starts. It works by temporarily delaying ovulation, and it won't impact your future fertility. Plan B is available in all 50 US states at all major retailers near you, with no ID, prescription or age requirement needed. Together we've got this. Follow Plan B on Insta at Plan B One step to learn more use as directed in the suburbs of D.C. a woman fails to show up for work and is found brutally murdered.

[A]

911 what's your emergency? We just walked in the door and there's blood in the foyer.

[B]

For the next two decades, the case remained unsolved until New Testament technology allowed investigators to do what had once been impossible. A new series from ABC audio in 2020 blood and water. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

In 2010, 22 year old Joran van der Sloot left Aruba and headed to Peru. According to his mother, he was supposed to return to the Netherlands for inpatient mental health treatment, but went to South America instead. Sure enough, he quickly lost the $25,000 he just extorted from Beth Natalee, Holloway's mother. And by May 30, 2010, the fifth anniversary of Natalee's disappearance, he was pretty broke. But he was still hanging around the poker tables looking for a chance to buy back in. But before he could get back to the cards, Yoran left a casino in Lima, Peru, with a 21 year old woman named Stephanie Flores Ramirez, who he'd met just a few hours earlier. Stephanie was a promising young poker player, and she'd reportedly just won 5,000 Peruvian Solas, which is a little under US$2,000, in a tournament. Still, she wasn't ready to go all in as a professional poker player yet. She was in her junior year at the University of Lima, studying business administration. In her free time, she loved to play soccer and honed her business skills by helping her four brothers run their event planning business. It's not clear why she left the casino with Joran, but she followed him into his hotel room at about 5am A little after 7am, Joran briefly left, then came back with bread and two cups of coffee. But at 8:36am he had left the hotel for good after telling the staff not to bother his girl in the room. In fact, he told them not to go into his room at all. It wasn't until three days later, on June 2, that hotel staff finally went inside and found Stephanie's dead body. She was face down with a broken neck and bruised bruising on her body. Her credit cards were missing, along with the 5,000 soles she won playing poker. This time, the evidence against Yoron was overwhelming. There was surveillance footage of him and Stephanie at the hotel, witnesses and a body in the hotel room he booked. More than that. Stephanie's father was a retired race car driver who'd run for president in Peru, so the family was well known with high level connections to the government and law enforcement. Police immediately launched a manhunt across South America with every expectation of locating Yuran, especially because they already knew which way he'd gone. He'd tricked two Peruvian taxi drivers into taking him across the border into Chile, then cheated them out of payment. Now they were cooperating with the police. One day after Stephanie was found dead, Joran was arrested about 2,000 miles away in Chile. A police convoy transferred him back to Peru, where He arrived on June 5. Yoran confessed to killing Stephanie, claiming he did it in a rage because she'd used his laptop without his permission and discovered information about his connection to the Natalee Holloway case. While that confession was reported as fact in US tabloids, it raised eyebrows in Peru. Killing in a sudden fit of rage carried only a three to five year sentence there, while premeditated murder could bring up to 35 years. So it seemed like Euron came up with his confession. Confession specifically to get a shorter sentence. Plus, according to the police, a search of Euron's laptop proved there was nothing on it about his connection to Natalie. What's more, they knew that Joran wasn't exactly shy about his connection to Natalie. So even if Stephanie did find something, why would that make him angry enough to kill her? So they took his confession with a grain of salt instead. They believed Joran planned the murder to steal Stephanie's poker winnings. And everyone else in Peru seemed to agree with that theory. On his way to be arraigned for first degree murder and robbery, Joran was briefly marched past members of the public, who pelted him with rotten vegetables. By June 10, Yoran was so desperate to get out of Peru that he offered to trade information on the location of Natalie's body for extradition to Aruba. But neither the Peruvian nor the Aruban authorities were interested in this deal. They didn't trust Joran to tell the truth, which meant he would stay in Peru and be tried there. It took 18 months, but on January 11, 2012, Yor Yuron pleaded guilty to charges of murder and robbery. He received a 28 year sentence, close to the maximum, and was ordered to pay 200,000 soles of restitution to Stephanie's family. At the time, that was about US$75,000. Accounting for time served while awaiting trial, that meant Joran could be extradited to the US in 2038. At that point, he would face the extortion charges that he'd finally received after what happened with Beth. It offered some sense of closure to see Joran behind bars. Not only that, but the day before Joran's sentencing, an Alabama judge declared Natalie dead. Dave had requested this, while Beth objected. Dave wanted Natalie's little brother to be able to use her college fund and. And he wanted to be able to take Natalie off his family health insurance plan. Constantly having to see little reminders like that was agonizing for Dave. And he still had his two little girls with his second wife, Robyn, to think about. The one thing that he and Beth did agree on was that this wasn't the end of the search. Unfortunately, it ended up pushing them even further apart. In 2018, Beth sued Oxygen Media for $35 million over a docuseries called the Disappearance of Natalee Holloway. She claimed she was tricked into providing a DNA sample for comparison with remains found in Aruba without telling her it was for a television show. She also claimed the show raised her hopes under false pretenses by letting her believe they might have found Natalie's remains. In reality, the series was scripted and the producers knew the bones they were testing weren't her daughters. According to the lawsuit, the producers knew the bones weren't even human, and they turned out to be pieces of a wild boar skull allegedly planted by a supposed witness who appeared in the documentary. And the stars of that documentary were were Dave and his private investigator. Clearly, Natalie's parents were no longer on the same page at this point, to say the least. But on January 10, 2020, some sources claimed both parties agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it can't be filed again. And that's where things stood until 2023, when the case took a final, surprising turn. That May, the new president of Peru agreed to temporarily extradite Joran Van Der Sloot to the United States. Although he would have to return to finish his sentence in Peru. Joran arrived in the US in June 2023. Finally, American prosecutors had some leverage over him. There were mountains of evidence in the extortion case, so if Yoran wanted any kind of leniency, he was going to have to give them something in return. On October 18, 2023, as part of a plea agreement, 36 year old Joran pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud charges. He was sentenced to 20 years, to be served concurrently with his 28 year sentence for killing Stephanie Flores. That meant he'd be adding just seven years to his true total sentence and be set for release in 2045 at the age of 58. The US could have insisted on a consecutive sentence, but Yoron gave prosecutors what they really wanted, his formal confession to murdering Natalie in recorded form. So here's the final story for now. Joran claimed that the Kalpoe brothers left him in and Natalie alone on the beach near the Marriott Hotel. Natalie rejected Joran's attempts to have sex with her, so he then attempted to sexually assault her. Natalie fought back, kneeing Joran in the crotch as hard as she could. Outraged at being rejected, Euron kicked Natalie in the face hard enough to knock her unconscious. At that point, Euron said he noticed a cinder block nearby, grabbed it and used it to smash her head in. Although it was dark on the beach, he said he could see that her face was caved in. After that, he dragged her body into the ocean and pushed her in. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations for homicide in Aruba has since expired, so Euron will never be charged with Natalie's murder. But ultimately, both of Natalie's parents believe Joran is guilty and that his final confession most accurately describes the murder itself. Beth issued a statement right after Euron's confession. She said, quote, euron van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter's murder. He is the killer. For Beth, reaching the end of this nightmare was kind of closure. There was nothing she could do to bring Natalie back, but she did everything to make sure she got justice. Beth is the epitome of the saying, a mother's love knows no bounds. She moved mountains to ensure that Natalie wasn't forgotten. And thanks to her perseverance, she never will be. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy and this is True Crime Stories. Come back next time for the story of another murderer and all the people it affected. True Crime Stories is a Crime House original Powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media crime house on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference difference and to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free. We'll be back on Tuesday. True Crime Stories is hosted by me, Carter Roy and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Murder True Crime Stories team members Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benidon, Natalie Pertzofsky, Lori Marinelli, Cassidy Dillon and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.

[B]

I'm Katie Ring, host of America's Most Infamous Crimes. Each week I take on one of the most notorious criminal cases in in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most infamous Crimes. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

Thanks for listening to today's episode of Murder True Crime Stories. Not sure what to listen to next? Check out America's Most Infamous Crimes hosted by Katie Ring. From serial killers to unsolved mysteries and game changing investigations, each week Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history. Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes now wherever you listen to podcasts.