The Disappearance and Water Search for Natalee Holloway in Aruba Discussed on Dateline NBC, Part 1

The disappearance and search for Natalee Holloway in Aruba

It was the beginning of a quest that would transform two parents from small town America into international investigators, who even today are trying to answer the question: what happened to Natalee?

Part 1 – FULL TRANSCRIPT

Beth Holloway: I was excited the Mountain Brook students had been there the previous two years. Even my step-son — the year 2003. And there were going to be over 150 plus classmates. So, we felt like, you know, there’s safety in numbers.

She felt good about it except for one troubling piece of information about a nightspot down there, a bar called Carlos ‘n Charlie’s.

Beth Holloway: My step-son had had an encounter at Carlos ‘n Charlie’s during 2003.

Chris Hansen: During his senior class trip?

Beth Holloway: Yes– yeah. Tere were some locals there. And they had coaxed some young females into leaving the establishment with them… and he stepped in at the last minute because just didn’t feel good about the situation, you know, with them–

….

Beth Holloway: I knew instantly when I received that call that just from Natalee’s history and character and just her record, I– I knew instantly that she’d either been kidnapped or murdered. There was no hesitation. Absolutely none– absolutely none.

She raced towards home and frantically called 911.

Beth Holloway: I’m saying, “My daughter’s been kidnapped or murdered in Aruba. Help me. I need some help, you know?” And then the calls turned into I’m calling 911 and I’m telling them I’m driving a 120 miles an hour down the interstate and don’t anybody stop me.

She finally did get pulled over — and a state trooper got her in touch with the FBI.

Back at his home in Mississippi, Dave Holloway also got the frightening news:

 PART II

And the lead detective, he told me that he would have to have a shave. And he rubbed his cheeks, and his stretched his arms down to his large stomach and said he would have to have his Frosted Flakes first before he could deal with me.

And then, after two hours, he came out and said that he’d changed his mind. That he didn’t need to meet with us after all. (Beth Holloway)

 

Beth Holloway: So, all I did was give this little bit of information to the nighttime manager and she knew instantly who he was.

 

Chris Hansen: And who was he?

 

Beth Holloway: She said, “Oh, that’s Joran Van der Sloot and he’s — 17. No, he’s a local here. No, he hangs out here.

 

Now that they knew his full name Beth wanted to put a face on it.

She asked to see the casino security videotape.

And as she watched it play, she was on the phone with her step-nephew, who had been on the trip, and had sat next to Joran in the casino the night before.

 

…

 

“We’ve got the car. And we’ve got the address.”

Joran Van der Sloot’s address.

Minutes later the group from Alabama was arriving at his family’s home.

While Beth sat in the car her friends from home grilled Joran, pressing him for details about what happened after he and Natalee left the bar.

 

Beth Holloway: The words that he uses are sexually explicit and graphically detailed of what he is engaging in. The conduct he’s engaging in with Natalee in the backseat of the car.

 

…

Dave Holloway: On June 1.

 

Chris Hansen: From the get go.

 

Dave Holloway: He said “A lot of these girls come to the island, they miss their flights. She’ll show up in a few days.”

 

Chris Hansen: In a few days.

 

Dave Holloway: Yeah. Says, “She’s probably out just partying. A lot of them will come here and get hooked up with a drug dealer. They’ll be under drugs for awhile.”

 

Chris Hansen: How did you respond to that?

 

Dave Holloway: I said, “that’s not my daughter.”

Both parents felt nearly paralyzed with fear, but they did keep moving.

The next day Beth was back at the police station and this time the detective had questions for her.

  

Beth Holloway: He asked me if Natalee ever had a history of seizures or epilepsy? And I said, “No.”

 

Chris Hansen: Did you think that was odd? At the time?

 

Beth Holloway: No, I just thought, “Why are you asking that?”

 

Beth Holloway Twitty says she didn’t understand the significance of that question at the time and wouldn’t for more than two years. But soon after that question was posed to her, there were arrests in the case. Just not who she thought.

 

A week after Natalee’s disappearance, two Holiday Inn security guards were taken into custody. (Security guards arrested)