For those of you following the Natalee Holloway case

[SillyMe]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news...20ARU101&ewp=ewp_news_0705aruba_investigation

Holloway Family: New Witnesses in Aruba

By MARGARET WEVER

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - Natalee Holloway's stepfather said Tuesday that two new witnesses have come forward with information about the night nearly two months ago that the Alabama teenager disappeared on this Dutch Caribbean island.

One witness told investigators that he saw Joran van der Sloot, a 17-year-old Dutch youth who has been detained as the main suspect, driving to a nightclub across the road from the Marriott Hotel around 2:30 a.m. on May 30, when Holloway disappeared, said George Twitty.

According to Twitty, the witness said van der Sloot tried to hide his face with his hands as he drove to the Racquet Club with two Surinamese brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe. The brothers were detained as suspects and later released.

The stepfather said the account is significant because it places the three individuals near the hotel beach where van der Sloot says he left Holloway alone the last night she was seen in public.

``What's interesting is the time - 2:30 a.m. - when the three were supposedly on their way home,'' Twitty said, referring to their previous accounts to investigators.

The witness, a gardener whose name was not disclosed, gave his account to investigators Friday, Twitty said.

The Kalpoe brothers first told police that they and van der Sloot dropped Holloway off at her hotel around 2 a.m. on May 30. Later, they said they had lied to protect their friend and that they had dropped him and Holloway at a beach near the hotel.


A second new witness told a private investigator hired by Holloway's family that she saw van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers drive into the Racquet Club three times that same night. The woman, who lives near the nightclub, has not yet spoken with investigators, he said.


Aruban authorities did not comment on the stepfather's statements.


Van der Sloot's lawyer said he had not received any information about it from authorities, and the attorneys for the Kalpoes were not immediately available for comment.


The family on Monday increased the reward for information leading to the young woman's safe return to $1 million, from $200,000.


No one has been charged in the case, and van der Sloot is the only suspect still detained.


Holloway, 18, vanished after an evening of eating, drinking and dancing at a nightclub that she left with the three, hours before she was to catch a flight home to Mountain Brook, Ala., at the end of a graduation trip with 124 classmates.

All along, I've been thinking he killed her accidentally, called his dad and they disposed of her body. This and the piece of duct tape they found (if proven to be her hair) could put a new twist on the case. If the duct tape/hair is proven to be Natalee's, could that end the theory of it being an accidental death?

My next question is...would he have really gone back to a nightclub after just killing a girl (if these new witnesses are credible)?

I'm beginning to wonder if there could be some truth to the slavery/prostitution theory and that Natalee could possibly still be alive somewhere. Any thoughts?

 

[LoraJ]

I had heard that they had some sort of something scan the whole water area looking for a body and nothing came about. I have been leaning towards being sold into prostitution. But I just don't know. You would think she would be able to tell someone who she is to contact home.

It's all very sad.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I do keep up with the case. Thanks for posting this.

I think they will get to the bottom of it with the reward being $1 million.
Such a small island. I wonder who else saw something. Or heard something.

Why did it take so long for those two people to come forward with their information?

That poor girl. I hope they nail everyone involved.

 

[ktink]

I do keep up with the case. Thanks for posting this.

I think they will get to the bottom of it with the reward being $1 million.
Such a small island. I wonder who else saw something. Or heard something.

Why did it take so long for those two people to come forward with their information?

That poor girl. I hope they nail everyone involved.

ITA!! I believe tha with the money at hand for reward that people will begin to come forward. Someone has to know something. I hope for the families sake that they are able to solve this case.

 

[Pugdog007]

I'm beginning to wonder if there could be some truth to the slavery/prostitution theory and that Natalee could possibly still be alive somewhere. Any thoughts?

I think this is wishful thinking at this point. I think everyone here (in B'ham) is convinced she is gone. I just hope they are able to get some answers so that the family can have closure. Her Mom... I've never seen a more devoted woman in my life. I have such admiration for her. God Bless Natalee's family. Clearly they love her very, very much.

 

[Conversationist]

While the situation is sad, it is hardly the type of news that deserves so much coverage on TV news. There are so many other more important issues that should be discussed on the TV news shows.

 

[OceanAnnie]

While the situation is sad, it is hardly the type of news that deserves so much coverage on TV news. There are so many other more important issues that should be discussed on the TV news shows.

 

[ckay87]

While the situation is sad, it is hardly the type of news that deserves so much coverage on TV news. There are so many other more important issues that should be discussed on the TV news shows.

Geez, you must have gone insane during the Peterson trial

The press does certainly take it upon themselves to decide exactly what is important news.

This whole case just struck a chord with a lot of people, I'm sure.

 

[C.Ann]

I think it takes a lot of commitment on the part of the parents to make sure that Natalie's plight remains in the public eye in order to "bring her home" - one way or another..

I think the "not knowing" has to be unbearable..

 

[tiffsix]

While the situation is sad, it is hardly the type of news that deserves so much coverage on TV news. There are so many other more important issues that should be discussed on the TV news shows.

HUH??? I think the press is doing a good job of covering this so as to keep the pressure on the idiot authorities in Aruba.

That's like Saturday i am sitting on the beach w/my aunt and were talking about it and she says something to the effect of that it is the girls fault for putting herself in that position. I almost fell over. She is EIGHTEEN!! I think all of us at age 18 wanted to drink and hang out and have fun, it doesn't mean she deserved to be murdered. I don't care what the situation is. God Bless her poor family- i can't even imagine.


John

 

[bumcat]

I don't think the reward is going to help since it states "for her safe return". If she is dead there is no reward.
I think he raped her and she threatened to tell someone. I think he killed her and his father helped bury her.
He probably went back to the club so he would have an alibi, just in case one was needed.

 

[DebbieB]

I heard on Nancy Grace tonight that they were going to search a pond in an area where a witness said he saw the 3 suspects parked that night.

 

[Joan Rivers]

According to the transcripts of Larry King last night. Beth Holloway Twitty said the following:

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, now, it's $1 million for her safe return, then, $100,000 for her whereabouts.

KING: ...remain with whoever has put it up or be returned to people if it was donated. And if you have information leading to what might be tragically, the death of Natalee, that's $100,000, right?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, now, the $100,000 is just for the whereabouts of Natalee.

KING: Just the whereabouts?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: ...they know where she is. Exactly, if somebody know -- maybe -- may know where she's being held and may be not able to physically -- to get her or to return her. So I mean, you know, it's just leading to the whereabouts of Natalee, is how we're looking at.

 

[Tinkerbelles]

I to believe ...that what ever happened was a accident also. I always felt that. He got scared and called the Dad...I always felt thou they disposed of her body in the water...
she is not alive

 

[Imzadi]

I think it stikes a chord because if any of us were lost or killed on foreign soil, we'd hope they'd come looking for us.

Conversationist, we'd probably still come & look for you too.

 

[4nana]

I cannot imagine what Natalee's parents must be going through and their heartbreak. I see Natalee as America's daughter - could be yours or mine. I feel any parent with teenagers can relate and sympathize. So terribly sad and I pray for an answer soon, so her parents can have closure. I admire her mother's fight, courage, hope and strength.

Hopefully, the new team of investigators will crack the possible coverup and the truth will finally be known to all.

 

[momsgonwild]

I guess I can sympathize with the Holloway case because I have 20 and 16 year old boys. The first thing my oldest DS wanted to do with his friends to celebrate graduation was to go to Cancun. Most of the parents, including myself, put our foots down, and the kids went to South Padre Island for a week. Now that being said, this whole horrible ordeal could have just as easily happened here in the U.S as it did in Aruba. We were just really lucky that our kids came home safe. I feel for her family. I can't imagine the feeling of not knowing. I don't care what race, class, etc., all parents deserve to know what has happened to their child. If I was the Holloway's, I would do the same thing they are. I too would hound every news agency, and law agency. No, the news is not fair and unbiased in reporting these cases, but that is not the family's fault. This is societies fault for letting the news agencies get by with it.

 

[N.Bailey]

I've heard it rumored that the hair on the duct tape came back not belonging to Natalee. When asked tonight, Beth answered nothing conclusive has been stated and Jug just gave her a really strange look. That sort of confirmed for me that they have heard it's a negative match (though not 100% conclusive).

EquuSearch was really interested in draining that pond/lake (whatever you wish to call it) when they were searching that area earlier. Tim Miller was told that there was nowhere to drain the water to. He knew that wasn't truthful and he's back in Aruba now with some new equipment and plans on totally covering the site of that water area. It was stated that on the night of Natalee's disappearance that it was filled with water (it's all rain water so sometimes it is a dry area), so my guess is, no one buried her there. Perhaps they're looking for other types of evidence though?

Joran apparently stated that Deepak did indeed rape/murder and bury Natalee's body, so I do think something is up with these 3. Not that I buy into that story, but it is nice to know that the 3 are against one another now, so who knows who's talking? Maybe the boys can be shaken if some evidence is found?

It's also nice to know (via Beth and Jug) that there is other evidence that we're unaware of. They just might get a conviction yet. It's also comforting that the FBI has been brought in on more.

I hear they're expecting this to wrap up in the next week or two. Let's hope! This family is going thru pure hell.

 

[Conversationist]

FOX NEWS has pretty much devoted all its evening programming to the story. How about some special interest stories on the people killed by the London bombing. Or time devoted to the thousands of kids dying in Africa?

The only reason this story has so much time on the news programs is that Natalie was/is young, blond and pretty. (What if she was overweight, plain looking and black?)

 

[lillygator]

While the situation is sad, it is hardly the type of news that deserves so much coverage on TV news. There are so many other more important issues that should be discussed on the TV news shows.

The more posts I read by you - well I guess I shouldn't be shocked anymore. If it were you or someone in your family I guess you would be ok with NO coverage.....and if it were my child - there would be NOTHING more important than finding her, sorry if that seems selfish but I could care less what was going on in the world if one of my children were missing.

I feel that all this coverage is deserved as with any missing person...unfortunatley it seems that it takes determination and money to keep the case in the public eye.