Clint Van Zandt; Father (Papa Van der Sloot) Knows Best

Clint Van Zandt has done some great investigative reporting in Aruba and has written an even finer piece today summarizing the events of the recent past regarding the investigation of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Van Zandt tells a grim story of what he learned while in Aruba of the predatorial game played on young women who are spending their last night on such an island paradise.

While recently in Aruba, I spoke to people who told me about predators on certain exotic islands who look for young and not so young women that are spending their last night on such an island paradise. The game plan, so I’m told, is to find an intoxicated woman, or get a woman drunk, or to drug the woman. Then while intoxicated, drugged, or both; the victim, with little or no strength or ability to resist, is next taken to a lonely location, possibly gang raped, and then dumped back at or near her hotel. Were such a victim to report that she had been assaulted, local authorities would then tell her that the investigation would require her to miss her plane ride home or her cruise ship away from the island. Further, the victim is told that her life will be turned upside down by the subsequent investigation. Most women get the message — accept your fate and move on with your life. Score: predators 1, victim 0.

Van Zandt goes on to discuss the many different confession that Joran van der Sloot had allegedly made.

In the case of Natalee Holloway, I saw a confession that Joran van der Sloot had allegedly given to four Aruban police officers, one of many of the so called confessions or different versions of his story, concerning the night Natalee disappeared. In this statement van der Sloot said Deepak Kalpoe sexually assaulted, murdered, and buried Natalee.

In another statement Joran allegedly said that he took Natalee to his house (he lives in an apartment detached from his parent’s residence in a middle class area of Aruba) where he had sex with the teenage girl while she was semiconscious. Joran then said he took Natalee to a beach close to her hotel, near the so-called “fisherman’s hut,” where he allegedly left her passed out or asleep on the sand.

Then he discusses Deepak’s admission and his referral to Natalee as “a slut”.

We now know that Deepak, who referred to Natalee Holloway as “a slut” in a recent tape recorded interview, also allegedly stated on tape that he, his brother Satish and Joran van der Sloot all had sex with Natalee the night she disappeared. Deepak also acknowledged that Ecstasy is used to drug women in Aruba.

Then Van Zandt then raises the issues that many of us have already and continue to sit back in amazement and just ponder. If the Prosecutor’s do not have enough evidence for a murder why are they not going after charges that they can prosecute for?

But what about Joran confessing to having sex with someone under the influence who couldn’t refuse his approach? Joran also said he left Natalee on the beach and that she was either passed out or asleep, hence unable to care for herself. These are, in fact, criminal misdemeanors in Aruba, but Joran is none-the-less off to college and far away from the investigation. Will he ever be prosecuted for even the crimes to which he has confessed, depending, that is, on which confession you consider? The Kalpoes and Joran van der Sloot have allegedly implicated each other in crimes against Natalee. Can these allegations be substantiated by police investigation? The answer rests with the Aruban authorities and the Dutch government that also has investigative responsibility in this matter.