*NEWS* What do you think?

[Lisa Denton]

Missing Teen's Mom Calls on U.S. to Help

Updated 9:13 PM ET June 3, 2005


By MICHAEL NORTON

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - The mother of a missing Alabama teenager tearfully called for more help from U.S. authorities Friday in the search for her daughter, who disappeared on the last day of a high school graduation trip to this Caribbean island.

Police and volunteers combed beaches and scrubland for any sign of Natalee Holloway, putting up posters with a photo of the 18-year-old honor student. The wording on the posters was changed Friday to add a photo caption saying: "Kidnapped since 1:30 a.m. May 30."

Authorities say there is no evidence Holloway was abducted, but police commissioner Jan van der Straaten said "after four or five days you are afraid a crime has been committed."

Aruba's coast guard also searched surrounding waters, an indication authorities are considering the possibility she might have been taken off the island with or without her consent. Police found her passport in her hotel room.

Holloway was on a five-day excursion with 124 seniors and several chaperones from Mountain Brook High School, near Birmingham, Ala. The students took a commercial flight, while the chaperones arrived on a private jet, said airport ground handler Albert Groeneveld.



The blonde teenager had just graduated and earned a full scholarship at the University of Alabama, where she planned to study premed, said her uncle Paul Reynolds, who came from Houston to help search.

Aruba police and the Dutch military were leading the effort with assistance from FBI agents.

Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, urged the Dutch government Friday to request more help from the United States.

"We all have a common goal to find Natalee so we can bring her home," Holloway Twitty told a news conference, before choking up and leaving the room in tears.

However, Attorney General Caren Janssen said local authorities did not need more U.S. help. The State Department and the FBI did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Holloway spent the last night of her holiday at Carlos 'N Charlie's bar and restaurant in the capital, eating and dancing with classmates and residents. She was last seen sometime between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Monday, and didn't show up for her flight home hours later.

Police said they questioned and released three Aruban students who said they dropped Holloway off early Monday at the Holiday Inn where she had been staying just outside Oranjestad.

A Vietnam War veteran who was kidnapped two months ago in Trinidad is the only other American known to be missing in the southern Caribbean, the U.S. Embassy in Barbados said. In 2000, a travel writer from New Jersey disappeared while on assignment at a Jamaican resort. She was declared legally dead two years later.

Janssen said police have been receiving tips every hour, but "none has proven to be the golden tip." Hundreds of volunteers, soldiers and police scoured sand dunes, beaches and scrubland, checking each area searched on a map grid.

On an island known for its lack of violent crime, Holloway's disappearance shocked residents, and many said they were optimistic she would be found alive.

"She's not on the island," said Jany Winterdal, a 51-year-old taxi driver who has warned his two daughters, ages 23 and 28, never to accept drinks from strangers. "In Aruba, we don't know what doing bad things to people is. For me, she's alive."

The search has not been extended to Venezuela, 25 miles from Aruba, or the neighboring island of Curacao, van der Straaten said.

Last year, there was one murder and six rapes on Aruba, an island of 72,000 people, compared to two murders and three rapes this year, police said. All the rapes were committed by local men on local women. The two murders involved drug addicts who died in knife fights.

About 13,000 tourists are on Aruba at this time of year, the Tourism Authority said. On average, 54,000 tourists pass through Aruba each month.

Some believe Holloway's disappearance could damage Aruba's idyllic image.

"I think something did happen. For somebody to go missing here, something happened," said Scott Brown, 34, of Pittsburgh, who has vacationed on the island for the past five years with his wife. "It's going to hurt Aruba."

Tourism Authority spokeswoman Gina Lopez acknowledged the possibility of a short-term decrease in tourism.

"(The disappearance) will tarnish the image a little while, but people will realize that it's only an unfortunate incident," she said.

*************************************************************

I don't get it.

(Authorities say there is no evidence Holloway was abducted, but police commissioner Jan van der Straaten said "after four or five days you are afraid a crime has been committed.")


WTF? What do you think? I am afraid this is gonna turn out bad, I just saw it.

I mean, Why does her mom have to ask for help, why aren't US search teams already there?

 

[SeaCat]

According to the article the F.B.I. is already there.

If I recall correctly, and I may be wrong, Aruba is not an American state or protectorate. If this is true then they have to invite our help, we can't just send in teams of investigators.

Cat

 

[Lisa Denton]

According to the article the F.B.I. is already there.

If I recall correctly, and I may be wrong, Aruba is not an American state or protectorate. If this is true then they have to invite our help, we can't just send in teams of investigators.

Cat

Yes SeaCat, I am prolly over-reacting, but reading where it might hurt the tourism industry and stuff gives me little hope those people will accomplish much. I am sure they would not turn away search teams, instead of a few FBI guys standing around drinking coffee. I mean, its been days.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Missing Teen's Mom Calls on U.S. to Help

Updated 9:13 PM ET June 3, 2005


By MICHAEL NORTON

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - The mother of a missing Alabama teenager tearfully called for more help from U.S. authorities Friday in the search for her daughter, who disappeared on the last day of a high school graduation trip to this Caribbean island.

Police and volunteers combed beaches and scrubland for any sign of Natalee Holloway, putting up posters with a photo of the 18-year-old honor student. The wording on the posters was changed Friday to add a photo caption saying: "Kidnapped since 1:30 a.m. May 30."

Authorities say there is no evidence Holloway was abducted, but police commissioner Jan van der Straaten said "after four or five days you are afraid a crime has been committed."

Aruba's coast guard also searched surrounding waters, an indication authorities are considering the possibility she might have been taken off the island with or without her consent. Police found her passport in her hotel room.

Holloway was on a five-day excursion with 124 seniors and several chaperones from Mountain Brook High School, near Birmingham, Ala. The students took a commercial flight, while the chaperones arrived on a private jet, said airport ground handler Albert Groeneveld.



The blonde teenager had just graduated and earned a full scholarship at the University of Alabama, where she planned to study premed, said her uncle Paul Reynolds, who came from Houston to help search.

Aruba police and the Dutch military were leading the effort with assistance from FBI agents.

Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, urged the Dutch government Friday to request more help from the United States.

"We all have a common goal to find Natalee so we can bring her home," Holloway Twitty told a news conference, before choking up and leaving the room in tears.

However, Attorney General Caren Janssen said local authorities did not need more U.S. help. The State Department and the FBI did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Holloway spent the last night of her holiday at Carlos 'N Charlie's bar and restaurant in the capital, eating and dancing with classmates and residents. She was last seen sometime between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Monday, and didn't show up for her flight home hours later.

Police said they questioned and released three Aruban students who said they dropped Holloway off early Monday at the Holiday Inn where she had been staying just outside Oranjestad.

A Vietnam War veteran who was kidnapped two months ago in Trinidad is the only other American known to be missing in the southern Caribbean, the U.S. Embassy in Barbados said. In 2000, a travel writer from New Jersey disappeared while on assignment at a Jamaican resort. She was declared legally dead two years later.

Janssen said police have been receiving tips every hour, but "none has proven to be the golden tip." Hundreds of volunteers, soldiers and police scoured sand dunes, beaches and scrubland, checking each area searched on a map grid.

On an island known for its lack of violent crime, Holloway's disappearance shocked residents, and many said they were optimistic she would be found alive.

"She's not on the island," said Jany Winterdal, a 51-year-old taxi driver who has warned his two daughters, ages 23 and 28, never to accept drinks from strangers. "In Aruba, we don't know what doing bad things to people is. For me, she's alive."

The search has not been extended to Venezuela, 25 miles from Aruba, or the neighboring island of Curacao, van der Straaten said.

Last year, there was one murder and six rapes on Aruba, an island of 72,000 people, compared to two murders and three rapes this year, police said. All the rapes were committed by local men on local women. The two murders involved drug addicts who died in knife fights.

About 13,000 tourists are on Aruba at this time of year, the Tourism Authority said. On average, 54,000 tourists pass through Aruba each month.

Some believe Holloway's disappearance could damage Aruba's idyllic image.

"I think something did happen. For somebody to go missing here, something happened," said Scott Brown, 34, of Pittsburgh, who has vacationed on the island for the past five years with his wife. "It's going to hurt Aruba."

Tourism Authority spokeswoman Gina Lopez acknowledged the possibility of a short-term decrease in tourism.

"(The disappearance) will tarnish the image a little while, but people will realize that it's only an unfortunate incident," she said.

*************************************************************

I don't get it.

(Authorities say there is no evidence Holloway was abducted, but police commissioner Jan van der Straaten said "after four or five days you are afraid a crime has been committed.")


WTF? What do you think? I am afraid this is gonna turn out bad, I just saw it.

I mean, Why does her mom have to ask for help, why aren't US search teams already there?

Aruba isn't a US territory Lisa. You can't just show up and start an investigation. The parents, if they are unsatisfied with the local authorities have the right to ask the US to intervene. The US must work through diplomatic channels, assure themselves there is a likelihood of a crime having been comited, and then work out an accoed with local authorites to allow US investigators into their country with some sort of official investigative authority. It takes time. And it isn't always successful.

A man accused of violent murder here in the US was living openly in France. No amount of Diplomatic skill would covince the French to let the US arrest him. Joint investigations require an accord between the two countries. There is also a question of jurisdiction, should a crime have been commited and a suspect apprehended.

In general, any such investigation takes time to work out and implement. i know that seems like a hideous waste of time, but it's a neccesary process that has to be observed

 

[SeaCat]

Yes SeaCat, I am prolly over-reacting, but reading where it might hurt the tourism industry and stuff gives me little hope those people will accomplish much. I am sure they would not turn away search teams, instead of a few FBI guys standing around drinking coffee. I mean, its been days.

Lisa,

No it isn't over reacting, it is a common reaction when one wonders why things aren't moving as fast as one wishes. (Can you think what the mother is feeling about now?) Fortunately, or unfortunately these things do take time. Political considerations aside we have to abide by the laws of that country and any and all treaties with that nation. These do take time.

Cat

 

[McKenna]

If I recall correctly, and I may be wrong, Aruba is not an American state or protectorate. If this is true then they have to invite our help, we can't just send in teams of investigators.

It's a Dutch protectorate.

I'm out of my league here, I've no idea if the U.S. authorities are called in to missing persons investigations of U.S. citizens visitng other countries or not.

I am amazed, however, at the relatively low crime rate for a population of 72,000. Would that American cities (or our entire country) could accomplish that.

 

[BigAndTall]

I'm not sure what more the US could do that the Dutch could not.

Its not only a dutch protectorate, I think those living there have the full rights of dutch citizenship?

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Right now [See time/date stamp] we are coming up on five days missing.

Even had Natalee been in the states, the police would not have put down their donuts until first twenty-four hours had passed.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Yes SeaCat, I am prolly over-reacting, but reading where it might hurt the tourism industry and stuff gives me little hope those people will accomplish much. I am sure they would not turn away search teams, instead of a few FBI guys standing around drinking coffee. I mean, its been days.

I know it's frustrating, but there's a limit to what they can do in the absence of clues - and even a limit to how many search details are really going to be of use. Aruba is quite a small island, and it's nearly all desert. There just aren't that many secluded areas to hide things. If they've got multiple search teams out in a coordinated effort and the full attention of the local police, I doubt that there's all the much else US help could achieve - especially when the locals will know the habits of their people and the geography of the island much better. As for the fear of a tourism impact - take heart. That will make the Aruban officials next in line after the young woman's family as the people with the best reason to want to find her as swiftly as possible.

Four to five days is a long time for an adult in her position to go missing, especially on an island where you really can't get more than about half a day's walk from human habitations. My gut instinct, which of course I pray is entirely wrong, is that something serious has happened to her. But I don't think she'll stay missing for lack of effort or competancy on the part of the local officials.

Shanglan

 

[Lisa Denton]

I am sorry everyone, but I feel an 18 yo american "kid" needs help here. They haven't found her body, that to me screams HELP!!!

Yes I think this area has a remarkably low crime rate is doing thier remarkably in-experienced best to find her. They are probably well-intentioned.

She's an american.

I'm not talking about an invasion. Just telling them, we INSIST on helping you, and we have to do it NOW.

 

[Guest]

So, what happened?

 

[Guest]

The Associated Press

Jun 4, 2005 1:32 pm US/Pacific

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) Ten more FBI agents joined an increasingly desperate search Saturday for an Alabama honors high school student, while police investigated the story of three men who said they dropped her off at her hotel the night she vanished on this tranquil Dutch Caribbean island.

Police, Dutch troops and hundreds of volunteers scouring coastline and beaches for six consecutive days have found no trace of Natalee Holloway, 18.

But deputy police chief Gerold Dompig said authorities were investigating the background and story of two Surinamese men and a native of the Netherlands who said they dropped off the teenager at the Holliday Inn before dawn Monday.

Domping declined to call the men suspects, saying they were "persons of interest." But he said the men were "the most important lead."

"We are working diligently," Domping said. "I want everybody to hold their breaths for the next 24 hours. There will be developments after this weekend."

An official close to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the three men--legal Aruban residents between the ages of 18 and 25--told police they had taken Holloway to Arashi beach on the northwestern tip of Aruba before dropping her off at the hotel.

Police, who have said they have found no evidence Holloway was abducted, have been searching Arashi for days.

Ten more FBI agents joined the three who were already on the island, said Attorney General Caren Janssen. "We need more technical assistance," she said, declining to elaborate.

Domping said police had checked out several reported sightings of the 5-foot, 4-inch blonde teenager, all to no avail.

Her mother and stepfather rushed to a police station late Friday night when police thought they might have found the teen in a car with some Arubans. Police said they detained a young blonde American woman who presented what they suspected was false identification. The parents said she was not their daughter.

"We will do whatever it takes," said Beth Holloway Twitty, the teenager's mother. "I'm not leaving Aruba without Natalee. She is an amazing 18-year-old girl. She is truly an angel."

Hundreds of Arubans and American residents have joined the hunt, upset about their peaceful island's marred image, said Aruban Prime Minister Nelson Oduber. About 500,000 Americans visited Aruba last year, lured by turquoise beaches and people brimming with smiles and helpful tips for foreigners.

Posters with Holloway's photo, reading "kidnapped," have gone up across the tiny island.

"Learning the news of Natalee's disappearance on our island left us all in a state of shock and disbelief," Oduber said. "We will not tolerate any activities that harm our American friends or tarnishes Aruba's reputation."

The Aruban government and local tourism organizations have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Holloway's rescue. Her family and benefactors in Alabama have offered another $30,000.

The coast guard in Aruba and nearby Dutch territories was searching surrounding waters, said Janssen. But the search has not been extended to Venezuela, whose coastline is less than 20 miles from Aruba at the nearest point, or the neighboring Dutch island of Curacao.

Holloway was on a five-day excursion with 124 seniors and several chaperones from Mountain Brook High School, near Birmingham, Ala. She spent the last night of her holiday at Carlos 'N Charlie's bar and restaurant in the capital, eating and dancing with classmates and residents.

She didn't show up for her return flight. Police found her passport in her hotel room, and mother said her bags had been packed.

"Natalee's bags were packed and she's ready to go home," her mother told a news conference. "Please help bring her home."

Holloway, a straight-A student who won awards for volunteering, had earned a full scholarship at the University of Alabama and planned to study premed, said her maternal uncle, Paul Reynolds. He described his niece as a levelheaded girl who would not have done anything rash.

"Natalee is the perfect teenager, on the perfect vacation on a perfect island," he said. "If something terrible can happen to somebody like Natalee where does that leave the rest of us?"

Holloway's disappearance has shaken a sense of safety many Arubans long took for granted in an island of 72,000 people that saw one murder and six rapes last year. This year, there have been two murders and three rapes, police said.

"We are upset. We have felt so very safe all the time. Now we are afraid," said Betty Verbal, a 42-year-old waitress and mother of two. "In all churches, Catholic and Protestant, people are praying for her."

 

[EnglishMuffin]

i think natalee is a stupid spelling.

 

[oggbashan]

...
She's an american.

I'm not talking about an invasion. Just telling them, we INSIST on helping you, and we have to do it NOW.

Unfortunately, that's the sort of response that pisses off most of the rest of the world. The assumption that only US agencies can do anything is arrogant. The assumption that an american is worth more than any number of locals adds to it.

We British had that attitude when we had the Empire. It took a long time to grow out of it. It was known as 'send a gunboat' diplomacy.

Most countries take a very dim view of tourists disappearing or being attacked and will do all they can to find out what has happened without the need for US intervention.

How many US teenagers disappear in the US each year? In a community of 150,000 near me, recent figures showed that 400 teenagers 'vanished' in one year. All were found and most were runaways from children's homes who had overstayed their leave by a minimum of 12 hours. Some were repeat 'vanishers' who increased the incidence.

This story does not sound good, but blaming the locals and suggesting they aren't doing all they can pisses them off when their cooperation is essential.

Og

 

[Lisa Denton]

Unfortunately, that's the sort of response that pisses off most of the rest of the world. The assumption that only US agencies can do anything is arrogant. The assumption that an american is worth more than any number of locals adds to it.

We British had that attitude when we had the Empire. It took a long time to grow out of it. It was known as 'send a gunboat' diplomacy.

Most countries take a very dim view of tourists disappearing or being attacked and will do all they can to find out what has happened without the need for US intervention.

How many US teenagers disappear in the US each year? In a community of 150,000 near me, recent figures showed that 400 teenagers 'vanished' in one year. All were found and most were runaways from children's homes who had overstayed their leave by a minimum of 12 hours. Some were repeat 'vanishers' who increased the incidence.

This story does not sound good, but blaming the locals and suggesting they aren't doing all they can pisses them off when their cooperation is essential.

Og

Og, I said I thought they was well-intentioned and just had little experience in the same post as what you were replying to. You know I didn't mean gunboat diplomacy. Them big shot ambassadors and stuff know how to do these things. With a few bribes and compliments, I also thought a local police agency which handles little serious crime would appreciate investigative help even if it came
from the US.

But hey, a few gunboats could search the coastline.

Anywho, here is what I saw today.

********************************************************


SAN NICOLAS, Aruba (AP) - Authorities detained two men Sunday in connection with the disappearance of an Alabama teenager, who went missing nearly a week ago in Aruba while on a high school graduation trip, the attorney general said.

Caren Janssen called the men "suspects" in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, 18, but declined to provide further details. The men were not among the three described Saturday by police as "persons of interest."

Police officers and three FBI agents, who are playing a supportive role in the investigation, took the two men into custody at two different houses in the southeastern town of San Nicolas, according to an AP photographer at the scene. More than a dozen FBI agents were on the island assisting in the investigation.

Police knocked on the door of one house, put the suspect on the floor and handcuffed him. Officers later detained a second man. They both were led to an unmarked police car and taken away.

Neighbors described the men as security guards who worked at a hotel closed down for renovation near where the teen was staying at the Holiday Inn. Police and FBI agents searched the hotel Saturday.

Holloway was on a five-day excursion with 124 seniors and several chaperones from Mountain Brook High School, near Birmingham, Ala. She spent the last night of her vacation eating and dancing at Carlos 'N Charlie's bar and restaurant on this Dutch Caribbean island. Holloway was last seen early May 30.

She did not show up for her return flight, and police found her passport in her hotel room with her packed bags.

Holloway, a straight-A student, had earned a full scholarship at the University of Alabama and planned to study premed, according to her uncle, Paul Reynolds. He described his niece as a levelheaded girl who would not have done anything rash, although he also said she had an almost childlike side, too.

On Saturday, police said three men _ two Surinamese and a native of the Netherlands _ who claimed they dropped off Holloway at her hotel had emerged as "the most important lead" in her disappearance.

An official close to the investigation said the three men _ legal Aruban residents between the ages of 18 and 25 _ told police they took Holloway to a beach at the northwestern tip of Aruba before dropping her off at the hotel.

But Reynolds said he was told security cameras did not show Holloway returning to the hotel that night.

Deputy police chief Gerold Dompig said the men were "the most important lead," but he did not elaborate.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

When I first saw this thread, it made me think of the old joke where a teenage girl went missing, and was found weeks later living with a native tribe in the jungle. That girl couldn't explain how she disappeared, because she suffered from a locked jaw, but she was healthy and content, and refused to leave her new-found love, an extremely well-hung man...

I kept looking for the pic that usually illustrates that joke, until I realized this was a real story, and probably not one with a similarly happy ending.

Well, we can always hope...

 

[Lisa Denton]

When I first saw this thread, it made me think of the old joke where a teenage girl went missing, and was found weeks later living with a native tribe in the jungle. That girl couldn't explain how she disappeared, because she suffered from a locked jaw, but she was healthy and content, and refused to leave her new-found love, an extremely well-hung man...

I kept looking for the pic that usually illustrates that joke, until I realized this was a real story, and probably not one with a similarly happy ending.

Well, we can always hope...

Yes, I usually joke and stuff, but this one is real and serious. There is another report but it basically says the same thing. That the two men are being questioned and may be charged later today.

Maybe after they are charged the authorities will release some more details.

The additional ten FBI agents which arrived were really what I was suggesting from the beginning, knowing that in a case like this if she was alive she would need to be found fast, and that the local police, while probably competent, could use any and all assistance.

The chance of her being alive now is quite slim, but perhaps her parents can at least bring her home if the suspects talk.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

There's a big difference between a person turning up missing for 5 days and evidence of a crime.

Think of the Runaway Bride. I wouldn't be surprised if it were something like that.

On the other hand, if Aruba is on the drug-smuggling route, she might have gotten mixed up with some nasty characters or stumbled into someplace she shouldn't have been.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Was she pretty? Was she young? Was she female?

She's dead. Or a hooker. They usually don't live more than 48 hours unless they're sold into the prostitution biz.

 

[Lisa Denton]

There's a big difference between a person turning up missing for 5 days and evidence of a crime.

Think of the Runaway Bride. I wouldn't be surprised if it were something like that.

On the other hand, if Aruba is on the drug-smuggling route, she might have gotten mixed up with some nasty characters or stumbled into someplace she shouldn't have been.

Yea Dr. M, but the more I hear about that run-a-way bride the more I think she has some major mental issues, I mean, it would have been a lot easier for her to just say she wanted to cancel or postpone the wedding because she wasn't sure she wanted to get married.

In this case, she is a high school student, probably living at home, and close with Mom, who is worried. Also her bags was packed and her passport was in her room.