Natalee Holloway Investigation: Back To the Sand Dunes … Finally

So Aruban officials are finally going to search the sand dunes. What exactly has taken them this long? Unfortunately the discussion of searching the dunes has become nothing more than a joke. One wonders what issues does Aruba and the ALE have in searching this area. They were first offered help from the FBI. Then they were offered help from Texas EquuSearch. They turned down TES and made it impossible for the FBI to help.

Lets look at the time line of events with the sand dunes and the lack of any progress or desperation to search this area in any timely manner, even though they claim they have credible information. Does everyone realize it has been since January 17 since the ALE searched this area?

January 14, 2006: Tim Miller and Jim Whitaker.go to Aruba to discuss water search

January 16, 2006: Tim Miller get green light from Dompig to resume search for Natalee Holloway in the water.

Jannuary 17, 2006: New search at sand dunes begin near the California Lighthouse

The policemen used sticks with an iron ends to prick the sand, hoping in vain to stumble across something.

More than 50 police officers began searching a 1-square-mile area on Monday, said Gerold Dompig, Aruba’s chief of police. The search was suspended Tuesday.

January 19, 2006: Rita Cosby ‘Live & Direct’, New leads discovered bring ALE back to the Sand Dunes.

The island’s deputy police chief now says credible information lead to this latest hunt for clues. These sand dunes could be the very last place where Natalee Holloway was seen alive by three young men previously held by Aruban authorities in her disappearance.

JOSSY MANSUR, “DIARIO” NEWSPAPER: The tip hasn’t been revealed to us. There is a tip that one witness gave to the police that started this whole search at the area of the dunes. They have been searching yesterday. I think they were searching today. They still have about 20 more hours of searches to do.

January 22, 2006: FBI not bringing Search Dogs to Aruba

The reason for the FBI refuses because “the Aruban police won’t say who tipped them off to start searching the dune two weeks ago“.

The roller-coaster ride that is the Natalee Holloway investigation continues. As reported last night on ‘Rita Cosby, ‘Live & Direct’, in an interview with Beth Twitty and Tim Miller of Texas EquuSearch; the FBI is refusing to send cadaver dogs to Aruban to help in the latest search of the sand dunes.

Read more

Diario: Gerold Dompig left for Holland along with Public Prosecutor’s PR (public rep)

What ever happened to the sand dune search?

Diario:

March 11, 2006

Awor ta Mariaine Croes ta encabeza caso Natalee Holloway GEROLD DOMPIG TA SALI PA HULANDA HUNTO CU PR DI MINISTERIO PUBLICO

Now it’s Mariaine Croes who is heading the Natalee Holloway case
Gerold Dompig left for Holland along with Public Prosecutor’s PR (public rep)

ORANJESTAD (AAN): Information we have received indicates that this weekend, Gerold Dompig along with the public representative from the Public Prosecutor, Mariaine Croes left for Holland.

The reason is the case of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway where they will go look for and bring some data that finally Holland will send a Dutch ground with some more specialized dogs than Equusearch has to Aruba to look for some trace of the body of Natalee Holloway.

This means that police believe that Natalee Holloway died in Aruba.
Read more

GretaWire: Dompig on Greta’s Interview, “these things don’t mean anything to us.”

From todays GretaWire comes the following disturbing and puzzling statements from Gerald Dompig. As Greta Van Susteren states, I to can only hope this was misquoted. If not this just proves what has been the problem with this investigation from the outset. There is no shame in asking for help when one is not experienced in handling a situation. It is better than the alternative and that is what exists today and what is described as the Natalee Holloway investigation.

So now direct statements of a suspect when answering questions in an interview whereas the individual most likely, or we should say hopefully, has been interrogated with the same cannot be used. Seems that the ALE wants to use nothing derogatory to Joran Van der Sloot in this investigation. “We have a serious investigation.” If you had searched the Van der Sloot property one might have been able to have said this. At this point I am not so sure.

However, we to like Greta have to believe that Gerald Dompig did watch and has looked at the interviews. If not, all, both Americans and Arubans should be scratching their heads.

If I were the Aruban police, I would take our two-hour plus interview and compare it to all the other statements given in the case by Joran and others. I would look for inconsistencies — not insignificant ones due to time and memory issues, but big ones that undermine credibility. Likewise I would look for consistences and evidence which might corroborate what Joran said to us in the unedited interview. My goal would be to determine if Joran was lying or telling the truth.

I received an e-mail over the weekend from a known and reliable source who said that Aruban Deputy Police Chief Dompig said he had not watched Joran’s unedited interview with us and said, [lifted quote from the e-mail to me] “these things don’t mean anything to us. We have a serious investigation. We wouldn’t use it in the investigation. Aruban courts will not use it.” If this is indeed Dompig’s view, it is a flawed investigative one and should alarm Arubans and anyone else interested in finding out what happened to Natalee. Our interview should be important to Dompig — it will tell him for certain whether Joran is lying (if it establishes inconsistencies with previous Joran declarations and evidence in police custody) or telling the truth (in which case they need to change the direction of their investigation.)

I hope the e-mail I received with Dompig’s quote is wrong — a misquote. If not, this is serious. It would suggest to me that ego is getting in the way. I hope I am dead wrong on this. This is an important investigation. I am hoping that Dompig is just making those statements publicly to distract (in other words for a good investigative reason) but behind the scenes is studying the Joran interview carefully. My guess is that he IS studying the interview. This would be extremely basic investigation — Investigation 101.
(GretaWire)

AM Digital: Clash Between Gerold Dompig and Texas EquuSearch

I sincerely hope this article was done responsibly. The following was published in today’s, Friday March 3, 2005 AM Digital. One would think that searching for Natalee Holloway and providing searchers and equipment at no cost to Aruba would not have a downside. Frankly, it is amazing that it does at all.

Bickering about a search organization that wishes to only find Natalee Holloway and in the process close a chapter that one would assume Aruba desperately wants.

(Click picture to enlarge)

Dompig Says No To Texas EquuSearch’s Plan to Search Dunes

According to sources Texas EquuSearch has been trying to get permission to search the area of the sand dunes prior to any costly deep water search. Tim Miller and Texas EquuSearch a long with Tim Whittaker have already been given Aruba’s blessing to conduct a search of the water. However, one would assume that searches would be done of the sand dunes first where there was supposed information from a credible witness.

A search of the water is much more costly and common sense would say that since there was a lead to search the dunes, they should be done first. Originally the FBI was going to help search them with radar equipment and cadaver dogs. However, that ended when Aruba would not divulged where the tip came from.

According to sources, Tim Miller has offered to search the dunes bringing in their own highly sophisticated ground penetration units at no cost to the Aruban people or government. Aruba has cited in the past that much of its budget has gone toward the Natalee Holloway investigation.

“The Arubans assured us the case is going forward with 14 investigators presently assigned. They also advised us that 40 percent of their annual law enforcement budget has been spent on this case.

There was a supposed credible witness with a tip to search the sand dunes, TES is offering to get the job done immediately and either find Natalee or rule out the area and do the search of the water if still necessary. All at no cost to Aruba. Sources say, their offer denied.

Why? With the Aruban PR nightmare that is the Natalee Holloway investigation, who turns down free help and the appearance of the US and Aruba working together for a common goal? Especially when there is a credible lead.