Did anyone else watch this? As someone who lives literally 3.5 miles from their home, this has been a huge story the past two and a half years. I was shocked watching this, and it will be interesting to see what happens moving forward. The definition of douche bag is Joran Vandersloot, IMO.
I am from L.A. (Lower Alabama, aka- the Wiregrass) myself and the whole damn thing makes me sad. Those Aruban cops make Clouseau look like Moriarity, Helen Keller could have found clues ten times faster, and in the end, a country so small being allowed to treat an American, to treat America with such disrespect is an insult. No - 2005 Staff i hope that video tape helps the family to find peace now. but since that bastard confessed, i hope they introduce him to some good ol' boys from around here. sorry about the rant. i just pray for justice to be done and the family to heal.
I will remind everyone to keep a cool head when discussing this, and that certain attitudes are not welcome here. Oh and put me down as someone who had to Google this.
Oh, sorry guys. Basically, Natalee Holloway was a high school senior from Mountain Brook, Alabama (suburb of Birmingham). nearly three years ago she went on a senior trip to Aruba, went drinking at Carlos and Charlies, and was never seen again. Her friends saw her leave with this Dutch kid named Joran Vandersloot and these two Suranimese brothers. Basically, she was wasted and was making very poor choices, but she did not deserve what she got. Anyway, months and months go by, search and rescue teams cover the entire island with no trace of her. The Joran kid was arrested twice, most recently this past December, but they had no eveidence to hold him - supposedly. It was a really jacked up investigation. So this guy gets back to Holland and befriends who he thinks is a drug dealer, but is actually a PI working with this Dutch crime investigator who has his own TV show. He hangs out with Joran in this brand new range rover that is tricked out with several hidden cameras and mics. Last night, ABC broke the special and showed the hidden camera work, and it was very shocking at what this guy basically confessed to, and how cold he was in doing so. Very sad situation. I hope that summary helps. It will be interesting to see what actions, if any, the Aruban government takes. They have not shown alot of promise throughout the investigation, so I hope this changes things. Also, if you could care less about this case, feel free to NOT post. I posted this to discuss it with others who may be interested in the outcome of said case, not as bait for unnecessary flaming. Thanks!
Missing White Woman Syndrome at its finest. That said, Joran Vandersloot does certainly come off as incredibly cold. He seems sociopath-tastic.
Everything I have read, he still doesn't confess to killing her and there is still a lack of evidence of him killing her. And it looks like they can't realistically get a conviction for anything but ILLEGAL DISPOSAL OF A CORPSE or MISDEMEANOR CHARGE FOR NOT GIVING HELP TO SOMEONE IN NEED. While the dude is a douchebag, it doesn't sound like he intended to kidnap, rape and murder her like has been suggested for years now. And I think there does need to be some personal responsibility on her part. SHE was drinking and who knows what else and by time she ended up with him, something bad happened. There is a really high chance she would have died regardless and she just happened to be with a douchebag. Considering the media hype, if he did the right thing and sought the authorities, why do I think the parents probably would have still made his life hell? And horrible things like this happen to actual good people doing no wrong all over the nation. Murders, Kidnappings, human trafficking. And the news doesn't care. Drunk white girl gone wild Dies on the beach from Overdose? Now that is news.
Too true about him killing her. But as for what he did do that can be proven. Your assuming that the Netherlands legal system has laws like your talking about. Some sort of law against body disposal they probably do but the other one, couldn't say. Well IF he had and the Aruban government declared it an accident they might have. Well what makes it national news is that it happened in a foregin land, and involved foregin nationals. The extraordinary circumstances of an ordinary event.
If you listen to him, you hear him talk about what appeared to be an epileptic seizure she had, which probably had a lot to do with her massive amounts of drinking. However, he clearly stated he was not sure she was dead but wanted the body disposed of. That leaves, by his own account, the door open that she may not have died with or without help. He wanted to make sure she was dead so it would not affect him. And while I agree with your sentiments that people go missing all over the world all the time, this was different for a couple of reasons. First, she was in Aruba, which unlike most places where people are abducted or killed (think Burma, Iraq, or Uganda), is known as a vacation hotspot and has always had a good reputation. Secondly, she was young and, more dramatically, on her senior trip. I also don't completely buy into the rich white girl conspiracy that some seem to dream up. I think it has more to do with economic status than race, IMO.
There is no doubt his judgement is under suspect, but poor judgement doesn't prove murder. Not to mention we don't know what was in her system. She may have been severely overdosing on something, we don't know. She may have just had bad gas. We don't know. But if they can't prove what happened with a 3rd party witness, they really have no case. Well Aruba has a problem then. Underage high school girls going to Aruba and drinking themselves to death is a problem. It took a rich girl doing it before someone realized these high school vacations are more sinister than parents think they are. This case has been every conspiracy from "she was human Trafficked" to "he is a serial murder/rapist" to "He drugged her and killed her." All put forward by the media and the family. They sensationalized this case before even attempting to investigate it. With all these accusations no wonder he tight-lipped and hid. People were out to get him when it possibly appears like he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I hope they *DO* go to trial and have a jury so they can present the evidence they have collected and the guy can have his day in court. He may have been scum and murdered her, but the problem is, they decided first and investigated second. This case is everything that is wrong with the judicial process. And the "missing white girl" phenomenon is part of our media.
I actually did not say he murdered her, I said it the door was wide open to the possibility. I certainly understand they would need evidence, maybe even witnesses - that is the backbone of the judicial system, so I get that. This case was extremely sensationalized but a large part of that was due to the incredible incompetence of the Aruban authorities. How many random people did they arrest just to have someone in custody? A lot. I actually think you are getting it backwards. True, the MWP is part of our media; but the judicial process did not decide first and investigate second - that was the media. So saying there is something wrong with the process is inaccurate. There is something wrong with the way in which media covers big cases to improve ratings. As far as I know, the judicial process did not convict anyone, thus how could that be a "decide first, investigate later" event?
I went to Carlos & Charlie's in Aruba. Really fun place. Did the guy give any clues as to where her body might be?
Went to Carlos and Charlie's in Cozumel, Mexico. Had way too much fun. All he said was that a 25 yr old friend of his named Daury who owned a boat took her less than 2 kilometers out to sea and dumped her body. ABC interviewed the only 25 yr old boat owner named Daury they could find, and, of course, he had no clue.
Yup, been to the Cozumel one too. So he claimed they dumped her body out at sea? They probably weighed her down too. And after three years it will be hard to go search a 2 klik perimeter around the island.
