Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand Go Missing While on Trip in Peru, Have Not Been Heard From Since January 25, 2013 (Update: Found Safe)

US State Department American joins in the search for the missing San Francisco couple in Peru.

Jamie Neal and her boyfriend Garrett Hand departed the United States in December for an biking adventure through South America. Their biking expedition was to take them through Argentina, Chile and Peru, as the couple chronicled their travels on Facebook.  However, the two were last heard from on January 25, 2013.  Jamie’s last communication with her sister Jennifer was on the 25th , in a Facebook post. Jamie Neal had posted numerous pictures along the way during the couples trip; however, they have suddenly stopped. Another alarming set of events is that Garrett’s cell phone simply goes to a recording.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

KTVU reports, that the couple was last seen on January 26 taking a bus from Cusco to Lima and then getting in a cab. What is most amazing is the following from the KTVU article, “Although miles away from home, they were never more than a computer away from family and friends.” If that is what these two Americans thought or anything, past, present and future, you are delusional.  Trust me from experience, when you are on such a vacation, you are all alone, by yourself. All the internet or cell phone does is chronicle your demise and potential last place you were at because by the time help comes, it is most likely going to be far too late.

 Cycle enthusiasts Garrett Hand and Jamie Neal left the Bay Area in November for an adventure of a lifetime, a bike trek through South America. Although miles away from home, they were never more than a computer away from family and friends. The couple chronicled their travels on Facebook, but the photos and status updates stopped Jan. 25. “It’s upsetting, I’m worried about both of them,” said Jeff Jerge, owner of Pedaler Bike Shop.

FACEBOOK: American Citizen Services – U.S. Embassy Lima, Peru. The U.S. State Department has made a poster of Neal and Hand, while the U.S. Embassy in Peru’s website posted a travel warning for Americans.

February 13, 2013 The U.S. Embassy warns U.S. citizens of a potential kidnapping threat in the Cusco area.  The Embassy has received information that members of a criminal organization may be planning to kidnap U.S. citizen tourists in the Cusco and Machu Picchu area.  Possible targets and methods are not known and the threat is credible at least through the end of February 2013. For the moment, personal travel by U.S. Embassy personnel to the Cusco region, including Machu Picchu, has been prohibited and official travel is severely restricted as a result of this threat.

Facebook Pages of missing Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand

• Jamie Neal
• Garrett Hand 

For more updates, to provide your opinion and analysis, and to read others opinions on this missing persons case, go to Scared Monkeys Missing Persons Forum: Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand.

UPDATE I: US: Kidnap threat for travelers to Machu Picchu

A U.S. Embassy warning to U.S. tourists of a potential kidnapping threat in the Cuzco region, including the famed Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, drew vehement objections from Peruvian officials Friday. But a U.S. Embassy official said credible evidence exists of a threat from a Peruvian terrorist group. The official confirmed a report in the Peruvian newspaper La Republica that said leaders of the cocaine-financed Shining Path outlaw band discussed kidnapping foreigners, principally Americans, in intercepted communications. Tens of thousands of Americans visit Peru each year.

UPDATE II:  Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand Found Safe.

Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand have been found save traveling along the Navos River. They stated that they did not even know their families were looking for them. First let me state, I am glad they have been found safe and there was never any incident. That being said, are you serious! They kept in contact while traveling alone throughout South America on their biking trip constantly posting on Facebook, then go silent and out of contact for a month and they don’t think anyone is concerned or worried? REALLY? How would one not think that people are concerned that they have not heard from you in a month? This speaks volumes, doesn’t it.

A California couple thought to be missing for a month during a trip to Peru have been located aboard a boat  – and they didn’t even know their families had been looking for them.

Jamie Neal, 25, and Garrett Hand, 27, from California’s Bay Area, left for Peru in December for a South America bike trip, and had not been in contact with friends and relatives since late January.

The couple was found on a boat that was traveling along the Navos River.

Joran Van der Sloot to Marry? In Prison for Murder of Stephany Flores in Peru and Prime Suspect in Death & Disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba

Hey Joran, instead of saying “I do,” just admit “You did it”!!!

Is Joran Van der Sloot going to marry while behind bars in Peru and serving a 28 year sentence for the murder of Stephany Flores? Are nuptials in the air for the convicted murderer and the prime suspect in the death and disappearance of Natalee Holloway? Or is this just a PR stunt by his attorney? As Joran Van der Sloot and his attorney attempt to appeal his murder conviction is the “little Dutch Boy” also picking out China patterns? Where would he register?

Do bullet proof vests come in black with matching cumber buns?

The 24-year-old is reportedly planning to marry while serving a 28-year sentence in a Lima prison for the murder of Stephany Flores, according to Peruvian tabloid Peru 21.

Van der Sloot’s defense attorney was named by the paper as a source – but he denied the report.

“As far as I know, he’s not going to get married,” Maximo Altez told the Daily Beast. “They cited me as the source, but I’m just in charge of his legal issues, and I don’t participate in his private life.”

More from the Daily Beast.

And as Van der Sloot tries to squirm his way out of a 28-year sentence, there’s another hot piece of gossip: the possibility of his upcoming nuptials while behind bars. The news broke late last week as local tabloids asserted that he plans to marry and unidentified woman. It’s not the first time Van der Sloot has been branded as a lady’s man—just last year, while he was awaiting trial, a story broke in the local media that a pregnant young woman was carrying his child. She denied it on Peruvian television.

These stories were published through the week, with the information attributed to Altez, who denied he was the source. “I deny all of that,” the lawyer said. “As far as I know, he’s not going to get married. They cited me as the source, but I’m just in charge of his legal issues, and I don’t participate in his private life.”

It is rather sad and quite pathetic that such a news story would be spread by Team Joran Van der Sloot, especially when his victims Natalee Holloway and Stephany Flores will never have the chance to have their wedding day.

Joran Van der Sloot Asks for Forgiveness in Death of Stephany Flores Ahead of Next Months Murder Appeal … But Still No Apology to the family of Natalee Holloway

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT’S NOT SO SINCERE APOLOGY AHEAD OF HIS APPEAL …

Just when you thought that Joran Van der Sloot was no longer in the news and was quietly serving out his 28 year sentence for the murder of Stephany Flores in Peru … He’s back! The narcissist Dutchmen, Joran Van der Sloot, has sent a letter to the Flores family apologizing and asking for forgiveness in the murder of their daughter. What is most amazing is that even in this letter that is supposed to be an apology, he still blames the victim for being on his computer. In his drunken rage, he killed her. Wow, has Joran had a change of heart, has he seen the light, is he a changed “little sporter” and now sincere? Hardly, do not hold your breath.  What is the real reason for the sudden act of compassion? The 24 year old Dutchman is due to appeal against the long prison sentence next month, hoping to knock a couple of years off his sentence.

More from Radio Netherlands Worldwide:

Van der Sloot says in the letter, which has been leaked by his reinstated lawyer Maximo Altez, that he was drunk and killed the 21-year-old in a rage, after finding her looking at documents pertaining to the Natalee Holloway case on his laptop. Natalee Holloway disappeared exactly five years earlier on the Caribbean island of Aruba, she has since been declared dead – Joran van der Sloot is still the prime suspect in her murder.

In the letter, Van der Sloot also claims he suffers from psychological problems. He writes: “I ask God every day if Stephany’s parents can forgive me.” If the appeal court rules that the murder was not premeditated, five years could be knocked off Van der Sloot’s sentence. In which case he could be extradited to the United States earlier, where he faces extortion charges. Van der Sloot is accused of demanding 25,000 dollars from Natalee Holloway’s mother in exchange for revealing the whereabouts of her daughter’s body. How compassionate of him!

By the way, where is the apology for the death of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005? Joran Van der Sloot is a calculating predator to the end. Anything he does has a direct self-gratification for himself. Does any one think that if it were not for the upcoming appeal that Van der Sloot would be writing this letter? Nope! Also, just like he kept twisting the knife with the family of missing and murdered Natalee Holloway, where Joran has yet to apologize, Joran appears to continue interjecting himself in the lives of the Flores family like a cancer that just won’t go away.

However, Joran Van der Sloot may not want to get out of the Peru prison too soon. When he does, his Dutch butt is going to be extradited to the United States and he will face wire fraud and extortion charges.

Peru’s Supreme Court OK’s Joran Vander Sloot’s Extradition to US for Extortion in Connection with the Death of Natalee Holloway

Joran Van der Sloot is back in the news …

Peru’s Supreme Court has ok’d Joran Van der Sloot’s  extradition to the United States to face extortion charges in connection with the death of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005 by attempting to extort Beth Holloway. It was long suspected that Peru’s court would approve the extradition.  Peru’s top court stipulated, however, that Joran Van der Sloot can only be extradited to the United States after serving his sentence. The Little Dutch boy is presently serving a 28 year sentence in prison in Peru for the murder of Stephany Flores.

Joran van der Sloot may, in due course, be extradited to the United States, Peru’s Supreme Court has ruled.

Mr Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for the murder of Stephany Flores, though an appeal against the ruling is still pending. He is wanted in the United States in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, who went missing in Aruba in 2005, and alleged attempts by the Dutchman to extort her mother.

Van der Sloot was indicted in Alabama on wire fraud and extortion charges. Hopefully the Peru government can interject itself and have Van der Sloot face the American music sooner rather than later.

Count One

That on or about May 10, 2010, the defendant, Joran van der Sloot, did obstruct, delay, and affect commerce and the movement of any article or commodity in commerce, by extortion and attempts to do so, in that, the defendant did knowingly and willfully cause another person to wire transfer a partial payment of money ($15,000) from a financial institution in Birmingham, Alabama, to a financial institution in the Netherlands, after representing to the other person that he would provide the location of Natalee Holloway’s remains in Aruba and information regarding the circumstances of her death, upon receipt of $250,000 from the other person, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a).

Count Two

That on or about May 10, 2010, the defendant, Joran van der Sloot, having devised or intending to devise any scheme and artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, did knowingly and with intent to defraud did knowingly and willfully cause to be transmitted by means of wire communication in interstate and foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds, that being, a wire transfer in the amount of $15,000, from Birmingham, Alabama, to the Netherlands for the purpose of executing and attempting to execute such scheme and artifice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

Suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance Joran Van der Sloot Being Evaluated for Extradition to US from Peru for Extortion Charges

HEY JORAN, YOU’RE NOT IN ARUBA ANYMORE …

Just when Joran Van der Sloot thought it was safe to go back in the Aruba water … well, he won’t be doing that for some time as he faces a 28 year sentence in a Peruvian prison for the murder of Stephany Flores, Van der Sloot faces new issues.

According to Maximo Altez, Joran van der Sloot’s Peruvian attorney, Van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the death and disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruna in 2005 now faces possible extradition to the United States. Joran Van der Sloot was charged  with extortion in Alabama for allegedly receiving $25,000 from Beth Holloway in order to tell her where to find the remains of Natalee Holloway. Needless to say, after Van der Sloot had received the monies, he lied to Beth Holloway as to the location where her daughter could be found.

A lawyer for Joran van der Sloot says Peru is evaluating a request by the United States to extradite the jailed Dutchman, who is the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

The 24-year-old also faces extortion charges in Alabama for allegedly receiving $25,000 from Holloway’s mother to tell her where to find the remains of her daughter, who was 18 when she disappeared while on vacation.

CNN is reporting, the extradition process could be completed in the next three months.

Read more

Joran Van der Sloot’s Lawyer Whines that His Client Removed from Castro Castro Prison and Put in More Strick Piedras Gordas

Attorney Jiménez cry me a river, “how about some cheese with that “whine” …

According to Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Joran Van der Sloot has been removed from solitary confinement at Piedras Gordas prison and now back in a cell shared with another con.  However, Van der Sloot’s attorney is whining over the fact that the “Sperter” has been transferred from Castro Castro prison in the Peruvian capital of Lima to Piedras Gordas in the desert outside the city. Piedras Gordas  is considered a more harsh and strict prison. Jimenez is appealing the transfer and says that it was uncalled for, because Van der Sloot had not misbehaved and the image that his cell was luxurious was incorrect. Attorney Jiménez, ask us if we care?

The VIDEO of Joran Van der Sloot’s sentencing that we never get tired of

“He is no longer in a mediation cell as they call it, but he now has more room and shares his cell with another detainee.”

He says Van der Sloot is still annoyed that he has been transferred from the Castro Castro prison in the Peruvian capital Lima to Piedras Gordas in the desert outside the city. The prison is notorious for its strict regime. Mr Jiménez says the authorities have not responded to a request to be transferred back.

One might want to ask Attorney Jiménez a question … do either Stephany Flores or Natalee Holloway have the choice of where they want to live? I didn’t think so.

Meanwhile, Beth Holloway continues to inform other and honor the memory of Natalee Holloway so that others may learn from what tragically happened to her daughter.

Nearly seven years later, Beth Holloway continues to honor Natalee’s memory by speaking out about travel safety, while promoting organizations to aid families whose loved ones are missing and educating those who travel abroad. On Thursday night at the Bristol Public Library, she held a group of more than 100 spellbound while describing her journey through tragedy.

She recounted the nightmarish search for her missing daughter, the indifference and lack of cooperation from foreign law enforcement and the encounters with prime suspect Joran van der Sloot.

Joran Van der Sloot Trial in Murder of Stephany Flores in Peru Begins Today … Then Extortion Charges in US?

Finally, two murders later … Joran Van der Sloot will be tried in a court of law, it’s been a long time in coming.

Joran Van der Sloot murder trial of 21 year old Stephany Flores begins in Peru today. Van der Sloot is accused of murdering Stephany Flores on May 30, 2010, five years to the day of the disappearance and  presumed death of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. Joran Van der Sloot admits to killing Stephany Flores; however, he claims, as per his attorney  Luis Jimenez Navarro, that the murder was not premeditated. Joran Van der Sloot was charged last year with “qualified murder” and simple robbery, that  together could carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Joran van der Sloot goes on trial Friday in Peru, ready to admit to killing a 21-year-old woman while planning to fight more stringent charges that could land him more time in prison, his lawyer said.

About six and a half years ago, the Dutch national was considered the prime suspect in the case of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, who vanished while on a graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba. He was arrested twice but never charged in connection with Holloway’s disappearance, which is still unsolved.

Yet van der Sloot’s trial in another high-profile case, which his lawyer said has a tenuous connection with the Holloway story, is set to go forward Friday.

The 24-year-old is accused of killing Stephany Flores in his Lima hotel room in May 2010. Police say that he took money and bank cards from her wallet and fled to Chile, where he was arrested a few days later.

According to Radio Netherlands, United States authorities are currently involved in negotiations with the Peruvian government to have Van der Sloot extradited to the US for trial immediately after his trial in Peru ends to face trial and extortion charges as he tried to extort $250,000 from Beth Holloway, mom of missing Natalee Holloway.

One thing is for certain, Peru has an opportunity to do what Aruba refused to do … provide justice for a murder victim. This time Joran Van der Sloot does not have pappa Sloot and his connections to get him out of this one. Joran, its time to face the music for the first time in your life.

For more updates and discussion, go to Scared Monkeys Forum: Natalee Holloway/Stephany Flores Case Discussion threads.

Joran Van der Sloot’s Peru Murder Trail Set for January 2012 in Death of Stephany Flores

It’s been a long time in coming, but finally the little Dutch boy Joran Van der Sloot’s murder trial is set for January 2012.

Joran Van der Sloot, the main suspect in the 2005 death and disappearance of Natlee Holloway in Aruba, will finally face justice for his involvement in the murder of 21 year old Stephany Flores in Peru. Van der Sloot’s murder trial will begin on January 6, 2011. Van der Sloot is being tried with a “qualified murder” and simple robbery, which carry sentences of 28 years and two years. However, the family of Stephany Flores is still holding out for aggravated murder against Joran Van der Sloot, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Van der Sloot is accused of killing Stephany Flores five years to the day that he was also accused of killing Natalee Holloway.  Of course there is no coincidence there. Van der Sloot had initially confessed to killing Flores, but following his same MO as with the Natalee Holloway case, Joran retracted his confession. Van der Sloot had also confessed and implicated himself in the death and disappearance of Natalee Holloway; however, Aruba authorities let his go free. Thank you Aruba for allowing this predator to go free and kill again.

Natalee Holloway, Joran Van der Sloot, Stephany Flores

The timetable from the Superior Court of Lima came days after a panel of judges ruled against having the Dutch national face an even more stringent slate of charges, as the victim’s family members had requested. Instead, he will face the original charges levied against him — which, if he is convicted on all counts, could lead to a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Van der Sloot is accused of killing Stephany Flores in his Lima hotel room last year. Police say he took money and bank cards from her wallet and fled to Chile, where he was arrested a few days later.

He was charged in September with “qualified murder” and simple robbery, which carry sentences of 28 years and two years, respectively.

However, this is not the end of the justice line for Joran Van der Sloot. The sporter also faces extradition charges to the United States in connection with the wire fraud and extortion indictments from a federal grand jury in Alabama in 2010. Joran Van der Sloot attempted to extort $250,000 from Natalee Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway.

Will there finally be Justice for Stephany? Joran Van der Sloot is finally getting what should have come to him years ago. Just say Karma, baby.

A Tale of Two Murders: Joran Van der Sloot Charged with Murder of Stephany Flores … Beth Holloway Says, “God bless the Peru authorities for handling this thoroughly and professionally”

Call it a tale of two crimes and the tale of how two countries handled the same crime in complete contrast manners. One country lets a sociopath loose on the rest if society to kill again, the other one rightfully charges him with murder and cages the criminal protecting society.

“It was the best of times (Peru), it was the worst of times (Aruba), it was the age of wisdom (Peru), it was the age of foolishness (Aruba), it was the epoch of belief (Peru), it was the epoch of incredulity (Aruba), it was the season of Light (Peru), it was the season of Darkness (Aruba), it was the spring of hope (Peru), it was the winter of despair (Aruba), we had everything before us (Peru), we had nothing before us (Aruba), we were all going direct to Heaven (Peru), we were all going direct the other way (Aruba) –in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good (Peru) or for evil (Aruba), in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

What Aruba could not, would not and never intended to do, Peru saw fit to accomplish at all cost. In Aruba they death with the death and disappearance of an American tourist Natalee Holloway where one of the suspects was a “little Dutch boy” of privilege. In Peru they dealt with the death of a 21 year old local from a prominent family. The common denominator … Joran Van der Sloot. Aruba has never charged Joran Van der Sloot with murder. Conversely, Peru has properly pursued Van der Sloot and charged the “Sporter” with murder. Sadly, had Aruba done their job, charged and convicted Joran Van der Sloot instead of enabling him,  Joran would never have been able to travel to Peru and kill again.

In a People magazine interview, Beth Holloway, the mother of Natalee Holloway, who has dealt with endless frustration, cronyism and corruption in Aruba said about the murder charges against Van der  Sloot by Peru authorities, “God bless the Peru authorities for handling this thoroughly and professionally.”

With no justice yet for her own daughter, Beth Holloway cautiously cheered yesterday’s decision by authorities in Peru to bring murder charges against Joran van der Sloot – long suspected in Natalee Holloway’s disappearance – for the murder last year of a young woman in Peru.

Read more

Joran Van der Sloot Officially Charged with Murder of Stephany Flores in Peru

Joran Van der Sloot has been officially charged with murder in Peru in the death of 21 year old Stephany Flores.  Van der Sloot is also be charged with theft. Peru prosecutors are asking for a 30 year prison sentence. Too bad its not life. Van der Sloot was accused of murder after Flores’ lifeless body was found in Joran’s hotel room as he fled the scene. Unlike Aruba, Peru will convict this murdering, sociopath as there is much evidence pointing to his guilt. Joran Van der Sloot killed Flores on May 30, 2010, five years to the day of the death and disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

Van der Sloot was arrested in June of last year, but was not formally charged until Thursday.

Prosecutors are asking for a 30-year prison sentence and a restitution payment of $73,000 to the family of Stephany Flores. They also charged van der Sloot with theft.

Charged alongside van der Sloot were three Peruvian drivers who allegedly helped him flee into Chile. Prosecutors want five-year prison sentences for them and fines of about $1,800.

According to reports, the trial is supposed to begin in October, 2011. Hopefully Joran will get exactly what he has coming to him. It is really too bad that Aruba never locked up this SOB and took him out of the public. By playing games, corruption and cover up in the death of Natalee Holloway, Joran was allowed and emboldened to kill again.