Beth Holloway
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Ann Reynolds "Beth" Holloway, also previously known as Beth Twitty, (born c.
1961) is an American
speech pathologist and motivational speaker
. Holloway specializes in teaching special needs children in public schools. She has been the subject of media coverage for her efforts to locate her daughter Natalee Holloway
, who went missing during a high school graduation trip to Aruba
in 2005.
Following Natalee's disappearance, Holloway has become a speaker on the topic of personal safety. She founded the International Safe Travels Foundation to educate the public to help them travel more safely, and the Natalee Holloway Resource Center to aid families of missing person
s.
, where her parents Paul and Ann Reynolds still reside. She later lived and worked in Tennessee
. She received her Bachelor's degree in speech pathology with a minor in special education
from University of Arkansas at Little Rock
. She continued her studies at Arkansas State University
in Jonesboro
, where she received a Master's degree in speech pathology. She is a member of the Speech and Hearing Association of Alabama.
. They had a daughter Natalee Ann, who was born in Clinton, Mississippi
in 1986, and a younger son Matthew. After they divorced in 1993, she raised the two children on her own. In 2000, Holloway married George "Jug" Twitty, a prominent Alabama businessman, and moved with her children to Mountain Brook, Alabama
. Jug Twitty began divorce proceedings on December 29, 2006, stating the two have "such a complete incompatibility of temperament that the parties can no longer live together."
In October 2007, Holloway said that she was dating John Bennett Ramsey
, the father of JonBenét Ramsey
, who she met at a fundraiser following the death of his wife to ovarian cancer
. However, Ramsey downplayed their relationship, stating that they "developed a friendship of respect and admiration" out of common interests related to their children.
Holloway presently resides in Birmingham, Alabama
with her son Matthew.
on a graduation trip with fellow students from Mountain Brook High School
. Natalee was scheduled to fly home later on May 30, but failed to appear for her flight. She was last seen by her classmates outside Carlos'n Charlie's
, a Caribbean chain restaurant and nightclub in Oranjestad
, in a car with locals Joran van der Sloot
and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe.
with the name and address of Van der Sloot as the person with whom Natalee left the nightclub. Holloway stated that Van der Sloot's full name was given to her by the night manager at the Holiday Inn, who supposedly recognized him on a videotape. The Twittys and their friends, with two Aruban policemen, went to the Van der Sloot home looking for Natalee. Van der Sloot initially denied knowing Natalee's name, but he then told the following story, with which Deepak Kalpoe, who was present, agreed: Van der Sloot related that they drove Natalee to the California Lighthouse
area of Arashi Beach because she wanted to see sharks, before dropping her off at her hotel around 2:00 a.m.
Beth Holloway alleged in televised interviews that Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers know more than they have told, and that at least one of them sexually assaulted or rape
d her daughter. Holloway stated that she received copies of police statements stating that Joran van der Sloot admitted having sex with Natalee at his home and described intimate details of her. She has never released copies of the alleged statement, though she characterizes them as admissions of "sexual assault" However, Vinda de Sousa, former Holloway/Twitty family attorney from Aruba understood that the admission may have been for consensual sex. In addition, former Aruban deputy police commissioner Gerold G. Dompig denied that any such statement was made, stating that Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers consistently denied having sex with Natalee.
On June 12, 2005, three days after the arrest of Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, and in response to a nationally televised address by Aruba Prime Minister Nelson Oduber reaffirming Aruba's commitment to solving the case, Holloway stated, "I'm not getting any answers". She added, "I don't feel any further along than the day I got here". Holloway subsequently stated that her complaints were not addressed specifically at the Aruban government, but arose from frustration at not knowing what happened to her daughter.
On July 5, 2005, following the initial release of the Kalpoes, Holloway alleged, "Two suspects were released yesterday who were involved in a violent crime against my daughter", and referred to the Kalpoes as "criminals". A demonstration involving about two hundred Arubans took place that evening outside the courthouse in Oranjestad in anger over Holloway's remarks, with signs reading "Innocent until proven guilty" and "Respect our Dutch laws or go home". On July 8, 2005, and after Satish Kalpoe's attorney threatened legal action over Holloway's allegations, which he described as "prejudicial, inflammatory, libelous, and totally outrageous", Holloway read a statement that said her remarks were fueled by "despair and frustration" and that she "apologize to the Aruban people and to the Aruban authorities if I or my family offended you in any way".
Holloway was also criticized for making what have been deemed to be inconsistent and contradictory statements (for example, as to whether there were operating security cameras at the Holiday Inn). According to Julia Renfro, U.S.-born editor of the Aruban tourist-oriented newspaper, Aruba Today, who befriended Holloway in the early days of the investigation, Holloway pandered to tabloid television
and her "behavior was odd from the get-go". Renfro noted that "Holloway immediately concluded that her daughter had been kidnapped
and made no effort to check hospitals or police", adding that within a couple of days, after fixing responsibility on Joran van der Sloot, Holloway "was telling TV interviewers that she knew her daughter had been gang-raped and murder
ed".
for an interview with ABC Primetime
, they were served with a lawsuit filed by Holloway and her former husband Dave, alleging personal injury against Holloway and alleging that Van der Sloot's father created a permissive environment. However, the case was dismissed on jurisdiction
al grounds on August 3, 2006.
On February 3, 2008, an undercover exposé produced by crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
aired on Dutch television showing video of Van der Sloot purportedly smoking marijuana and admitting to being present during Holloway's death. The show became the most watched non-sports program in Dutch television history. Following the airing of the program, Beth Holloway, adhering to the position that the tapes represent the way events transpired, believed that Van der Sloot dumped Natalee's body, possibly alive, into the Caribbean
. She told the New York Post
that her daughter would still be alive if Van der Sloot had called for help. On September 22, 2008 in New York, De Vries accepted an International Emmy Award in Current Affairs for his coverage while accompanied by Holloway.
Holloway also alleged that the individual Joran van der Sloot supposedly called that evening was his father Paul, who according to Holloway "orchestrated what to do next". She and Dave Holloway alleged that Joran van der Sloot was receiving "special legal favors". After the court decision not to rearrest Van der Sloot was affirmed, Holloway stated, "I think that what I do take comfort in, his life is a living hell", later adding, "I'd be good with a Midnight Express
prison anywhere for Joran."
, her attorney John Q. Kelly took over the case and she spent the next two years traveling to various high schools and colleges to present messages about personal safety. When she thought about reaching more travelers with her story, Holloway said that her efforts evolved into writing a book.
HarperOne, an imprint
of HarperCollins
published Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith
on October 2, 2007. Written under the name "Beth Holloway" following her divorce from Jug Twitty, the book retells events leading up to the night Natalee Holloway disappeared in 2005, and the ensuing investigation during the aftermath. It then focuses on the obstacles faced in Aruba by the Holloway and Twitty families in their search for Natalee. Holloway recounts her anger at what she felt was a lack of cooperation from local officials such as the Aruban police, including the failure to obtain a warrant to search the home of Van der Sloot. The book was soon on The New York Times best seller list.
announced plans to create a television film based on the book. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post
questioned whether it was too soon for such a film to be made. Holloway said that she was not sure at first that she could take this step, but felt that it was "the right thing to do" after meeting the creative staff in Los Angeles
.
On April 19, 2009, Lifetime aired Natalee Holloway
, starring Tracy Pollan
as Beth Holloway-Twitty, Grant Show
as George "Jug" Twitty, Amy Gumenick as Natalee Holloway and Jacques Strydom as Joran van der Sloot. The film does not solve the case, but stages re-creation
s of various scenarios, based on the testimony of key players and suspects. The broadcast of the film attracted 3.2 million viewers, garnering the highest television ratings
in the network's history at the time. Although it set ratings records for Lifetime, the movie was not received well by critic Alec Harvey of The Birmingham News
. Harvey called the movie "sloppy and uneven, a forgettable look at the tragedy that consumed the nation's attention for months". However, Jake Meaney of PopMatters
found the film to be surprisingly "calm and levelheaded", and praised Tracy Pollan's portrayal of Holloway. Holloway said that she was honored by Pollan's portrayal and that there "could not have been a better choice."
allegedly contacted Holloway's attorney John Q. Kelly with an offer to reveal the location of her daughter's body and the circumstances surrounding her death for an advance of US$
25,000 against a total of $250,000. Kelly said that he secretly went to Aruba in April to meet with Van der Sloot, who was desperate for money, and gave him $100. Kelly notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation
to set up a sting operation
with the Aruban authorities. On May 10, Van der Sloot allegedly accepted the amount of $15,000 by wire transfer
from Birmingham to his account in the Netherlands, following a cash payment of $10,000 that was videotaped by undercover investigators in Aruba. In exchange, Van der Sloot told Kelly that his father buried Natalee's remains in the foundation of a house. Authorities determined that the information that he in return provided was false, because the house had not yet been built at the time of Natalee's disappearance. Van der Sloot later e-mailed Kelly that he lied about the house. Holloway was shocked that the FBI did not promptly file extortion charges against Van der Sloot, allowing him to leave freely with the money to Bogotá
, Colombia
, on his way to Lima
, Peru
. The FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney
contended that the case had not yet been sufficiently developed.
On June 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court of Northern Alabama
charged Van der Sloot with extortion
and wire fraud
. On June 30, 2010, a federal grand jury formally indicted Van der Sloot of the two charges. The indictment filed with the U.S. District Court seeks the forfeiture of the $25,100 that had been paid to Van der Sloot from Holloway's private funds. Van der Sloot was apprehended on June 3 in Chile
and is presently being held at Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison in Lima
, Peru
, where he is charged with the first-degree murder
and robbery
of Stephany Flores Ramírez. Though Holloway made television appearances as new developments arose, she was directed by the FBI not to discuss her daughter's case or that of Flores Ramírez.
was discovered by the guards. Representatives for Holloway and De Vries denied that a hidden camera was involved nor was anything seized. Colonel Abel Gamarra of the Peruvian National Police stated that no arrests had been made. Holloway's attorney John Q. Kelly commented, "I know she didn't tell me ahead of time because I would have asked her to exercise a little more caution." While in Peru, Holloway spoke with Flores Ramírez's brother Enrique on camera. On September 17, Holloway and the group left the country for Panama
and arrived in Aruba on the same day. Holloway spent a few days in Aruba working with De Vries on a documentary
about her missing daughter to be run on Dutch television, reportedly with the cooperation of prosecutors who had been investigating Van der Sloot. The video premiered in November 2010 on SBS6
in the Netherlands and CBS
in the United States, resulting in the suspension of Miguel Castro Castro prison warden Alex Samamé Peña.
In response to Natalee's disappearance, Holloway founded the International Safe Travels Foundation, a non-profit organization
designed "to inform and educate the public to help them travel more safely as they travel internationally". She is represented by the Nashville Speakers Bureau as a paid motivational speaker
on the topic of personal safety.
In May 2009, before the fourth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance, Holloway was accompanied by America's Most Wanted
host John Walsh
as Natalee's case was added to the cold case exhibit on display at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment
in Washington, D.C.
In April 2010, Holloway announced plans for a service called "Mayday 360," to intervene immediately when young people get into trouble overseas. She stated that if necessary, former federal agents with specific knowledge of a country could be dispatched there. On June 8, 2010, the Natalee Holloway Resource Center opened at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment to aid families of missing persons.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1961) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
speech pathologist and motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
. Holloway specializes in teaching special needs children in public schools. She has been the subject of media coverage for her efforts to locate her daughter Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip...
, who went missing during a high school graduation trip to Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
in 2005.
Following Natalee's disappearance, Holloway has become a speaker on the topic of personal safety. She founded the International Safe Travels Foundation to educate the public to help them travel more safely, and the Natalee Holloway Resource Center to aid families of missing person
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
s.
Early life and education
Elizabeth Ann Reynolds was born and raised in the town of Pine Bluff, ArkansasPine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, where her parents Paul and Ann Reynolds still reside. She later lived and worked in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. She received her Bachelor's degree in speech pathology with a minor in special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
from University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....
. She continued her studies at Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
, where she received a Master's degree in speech pathology. She is a member of the Speech and Hearing Association of Alabama.
Personal life
Beth Holloway married college classmate David Edward "Dave" Holloway and settled in Jackson, MississippiJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. They had a daughter Natalee Ann, who was born in Clinton, Mississippi
Clinton, Mississippi
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 23,347 at the 2000 United States Census.-History:...
in 1986, and a younger son Matthew. After they divorced in 1993, she raised the two children on her own. In 2000, Holloway married George "Jug" Twitty, a prominent Alabama businessman, and moved with her children to Mountain Brook, Alabama
Mountain Brook, Alabama
Mountain Brook is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, and a suburb of Birmingham. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,821. Mountain Brook is a particularly affluent city within the Birmingham metropolitan area and has appeared in several lists...
. Jug Twitty began divorce proceedings on December 29, 2006, stating the two have "such a complete incompatibility of temperament that the parties can no longer live together."
In October 2007, Holloway said that she was dating John Bennett Ramsey
John Bennett Ramsey
John Bennett Ramsey is the father of homicide victim JonBenét Ramsey. He was the first to discover JonBenét's body in the wine cellar of the Ramseys' 15-room home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 25, 1996, just hours after her murder....
, the father of JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The six-year-old's body was found in the basement of the family home nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck on the head and strangled...
, who she met at a fundraiser following the death of his wife to ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
. However, Ramsey downplayed their relationship, stating that they "developed a friendship of respect and admiration" out of common interests related to their children.
Holloway presently resides in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
with her son Matthew.
Daughter's disappearance
In May 2005, Holloway's daughter Natalee was in ArubaAruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
on a graduation trip with fellow students from Mountain Brook High School
Mountain Brook High School
Mountain Brook High School is a three-year public high school within the city of Mountain Brook, Alabama, a residential area of Birmingham, with approximately 20,600 residents. It is the lone high school in the Mountain Brook School System and is situated on of land.Mountain Brook High School...
. Natalee was scheduled to fly home later on May 30, but failed to appear for her flight. She was last seen by her classmates outside Carlos'n Charlie's
Carlos'n Charlie's
Carlos’n Charlie’s is a chain of casual dining Mexican restaurants, primarily located in Mexican and Caribbean tourist destinations.The restaurant's menu includes Mexican and American foods, seafood, pasta, soups, salads and appetizers...
, a Caribbean chain restaurant and nightclub in Oranjestad
Oranjestad, Aruba
Oranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba, which is in the Caribbean north of Venezuela. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country...
, in a car with locals Joran van der Sloot
Joran van der Sloot
Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot is a Dutch national who lived in Aruba. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States for wire fraud and extortion related to the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba on May 30, 2005, and is charged in Peru with the...
and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe.
Involvement in investigation
Immediately following Natalee's missed flight, Jug and Beth Twitty traveled to Aruba with friends by private jet. Within four hours of landing in Aruba, the Twittys presented the Aruba Police ForceAruba Police Force
The Aruba Police Force is the law enforcement agency of the island of Aruba. The force operates under the authority of the Ministry of Justice.-Organization:...
with the name and address of Van der Sloot as the person with whom Natalee left the nightclub. Holloway stated that Van der Sloot's full name was given to her by the night manager at the Holiday Inn, who supposedly recognized him on a videotape. The Twittys and their friends, with two Aruban policemen, went to the Van der Sloot home looking for Natalee. Van der Sloot initially denied knowing Natalee's name, but he then told the following story, with which Deepak Kalpoe, who was present, agreed: Van der Sloot related that they drove Natalee to the California Lighthouse
California Lighthouse
The California Lighthouse is a lighthouse located near Arashi Beach on the northwest tip of Aruba.This lighthouse was named for the steamship California, which wrecked nearby on September 23, 1891...
area of Arashi Beach because she wanted to see sharks, before dropping her off at her hotel around 2:00 a.m.
Beth Holloway alleged in televised interviews that Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers know more than they have told, and that at least one of them sexually assaulted or rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d her daughter. Holloway stated that she received copies of police statements stating that Joran van der Sloot admitted having sex with Natalee at his home and described intimate details of her. She has never released copies of the alleged statement, though she characterizes them as admissions of "sexual assault" However, Vinda de Sousa, former Holloway/Twitty family attorney from Aruba understood that the admission may have been for consensual sex. In addition, former Aruban deputy police commissioner Gerold G. Dompig denied that any such statement was made, stating that Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers consistently denied having sex with Natalee.
On June 12, 2005, three days after the arrest of Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, and in response to a nationally televised address by Aruba Prime Minister Nelson Oduber reaffirming Aruba's commitment to solving the case, Holloway stated, "I'm not getting any answers". She added, "I don't feel any further along than the day I got here". Holloway subsequently stated that her complaints were not addressed specifically at the Aruban government, but arose from frustration at not knowing what happened to her daughter.
On July 5, 2005, following the initial release of the Kalpoes, Holloway alleged, "Two suspects were released yesterday who were involved in a violent crime against my daughter", and referred to the Kalpoes as "criminals". A demonstration involving about two hundred Arubans took place that evening outside the courthouse in Oranjestad in anger over Holloway's remarks, with signs reading "Innocent until proven guilty" and "Respect our Dutch laws or go home". On July 8, 2005, and after Satish Kalpoe's attorney threatened legal action over Holloway's allegations, which he described as "prejudicial, inflammatory, libelous, and totally outrageous", Holloway read a statement that said her remarks were fueled by "despair and frustration" and that she "apologize to the Aruban people and to the Aruban authorities if I or my family offended you in any way".
Criticism
Holloway was criticized for her focus on Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, to the exclusion of any other theory as to what happened to Natalee. According to the lawsuit filed by the Kalpoe brothers, she has (on various television programs) repeatedly accused them, and Joran van der Sloot, of "sexual assault" and "gang rape" of her daughter.Holloway was also criticized for making what have been deemed to be inconsistent and contradictory statements (for example, as to whether there were operating security cameras at the Holiday Inn). According to Julia Renfro, U.S.-born editor of the Aruban tourist-oriented newspaper, Aruba Today, who befriended Holloway in the early days of the investigation, Holloway pandered to tabloid television
Tabloid television
Tabloid television, also known as Teletabloid, is a form of tabloid journalism. Tabloid television newscasts usually incorporate flashy graphics and sensationalized stories.Often, there is a heavy emphasis on crime, stories with good video, and celebrity news...
and her "behavior was odd from the get-go". Renfro noted that "Holloway immediately concluded that her daughter had been kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and made no effort to check hospitals or police", adding that within a couple of days, after fixing responsibility on Joran van der Sloot, Holloway "was telling TV interviewers that she knew her daughter had been gang-raped and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed".
Media coverage
On February 16, 2006, while Joran van der Sloot and his father Paul were in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for an interview with ABC Primetime
Primetime (TV series)
Primetime is an American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live.-Early history:...
, they were served with a lawsuit filed by Holloway and her former husband Dave, alleging personal injury against Holloway and alleging that Van der Sloot's father created a permissive environment. However, the case was dismissed on jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
al grounds on August 3, 2006.
On February 3, 2008, an undercover exposé produced by crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
Peter R. de Vries
Peter Rudolf de Vries is a Dutch Investigative Journalist and crime reporter. His television program covers high profile cases and set a Dutch television viewing record. In 2005, he started his own political party which was disbanded soon after.-Early life and career:Peter Rudolf de Vries was born...
aired on Dutch television showing video of Van der Sloot purportedly smoking marijuana and admitting to being present during Holloway's death. The show became the most watched non-sports program in Dutch television history. Following the airing of the program, Beth Holloway, adhering to the position that the tapes represent the way events transpired, believed that Van der Sloot dumped Natalee's body, possibly alive, into the Caribbean
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. She told the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
that her daughter would still be alive if Van der Sloot had called for help. On September 22, 2008 in New York, De Vries accepted an International Emmy Award in Current Affairs for his coverage while accompanied by Holloway.
Holloway also alleged that the individual Joran van der Sloot supposedly called that evening was his father Paul, who according to Holloway "orchestrated what to do next". She and Dave Holloway alleged that Joran van der Sloot was receiving "special legal favors". After the court decision not to rearrest Van der Sloot was affirmed, Holloway stated, "I think that what I do take comfort in, his life is a living hell", later adding, "I'd be good with a Midnight Express
Midnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
prison anywhere for Joran."
Book
Holloway said that she vowed to share her story shortly following her daughter's disappearance, in the hope that other families would not suffer what she had to go through. After five months of unsuccessfully searching on ArubaAruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, her attorney John Q. Kelly took over the case and she spent the next two years traveling to various high schools and colleges to present messages about personal safety. When she thought about reaching more travelers with her story, Holloway said that her efforts evolved into writing a book.
HarperOne, an imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
published Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith
Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith
Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith is an autobiography written by Beth Holloway about her missing daughter Natalee Holloway, with portions contributed by Sunny Tillman...
on October 2, 2007. Written under the name "Beth Holloway" following her divorce from Jug Twitty, the book retells events leading up to the night Natalee Holloway disappeared in 2005, and the ensuing investigation during the aftermath. It then focuses on the obstacles faced in Aruba by the Holloway and Twitty families in their search for Natalee. Holloway recounts her anger at what she felt was a lack of cooperation from local officials such as the Aruban police, including the failure to obtain a warrant to search the home of Van der Sloot. The book was soon on The New York Times best seller list.
Film adaptation
In October 2008, the Lifetime Movie NetworkLifetime Movie Network
Lifetime Movie Network is a cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A&E Television Networks, LLC. A&E Television Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBCUniversal. LMN offers women-oriented movies...
announced plans to create a television film based on the book. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
questioned whether it was too soon for such a film to be made. Holloway said that she was not sure at first that she could take this step, but felt that it was "the right thing to do" after meeting the creative staff in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
On April 19, 2009, Lifetime aired Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway (film)
Natalee Holloway is a 2009 film directed by Mikael Salomon. The made-for-television movie is based on Beth Holloway's book about the 2005 disappearance of her daughter Natalee Holloway. The film stars Amy Gumenick as Natalee Holloway, Tracy Pollan as Beth Holloway-Twitty, and Jacques Strydom as...
, starring Tracy Pollan
Tracy Pollan
Tracy Jo Pollan is an American actress. She is perhaps best-known for her recurring role as Ellen Reed on the sitcom Family Ties in the mid-1980s. It was on this show that she met future husband Michael J. Fox.-Personal life:...
as Beth Holloway-Twitty, Grant Show
Grant Show
Grant Alan Show is an American actor best known for his role on Melrose Place as Jake Hanson, which he played from 1992 to 1997.-Early life:...
as George "Jug" Twitty, Amy Gumenick as Natalee Holloway and Jacques Strydom as Joran van der Sloot. The film does not solve the case, but stages re-creation
Re-creation
A re-creation is a reenactment, typically used to solve a crime or determine a mode of failure or cause of death. This may either be an actual reenactment, or a virtual reality one done on a computer...
s of various scenarios, based on the testimony of key players and suspects. The broadcast of the film attracted 3.2 million viewers, garnering the highest television ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
in the network's history at the time. Although it set ratings records for Lifetime, the movie was not received well by critic Alec Harvey of The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News is the principal daily newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and the largest newspaper in Alabama. The paper is owned by Advance Publications...
. Harvey called the movie "sloppy and uneven, a forgettable look at the tragedy that consumed the nation's attention for months". However, Jake Meaney of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
found the film to be surprisingly "calm and levelheaded", and praised Tracy Pollan's portrayal of Holloway. Holloway said that she was honored by Pollan's portrayal and that there "could not have been a better choice."
Extortion plot
Around March 29, 2010, Joran van der SlootJoran van der Sloot
Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot is a Dutch national who lived in Aruba. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States for wire fraud and extortion related to the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba on May 30, 2005, and is charged in Peru with the...
allegedly contacted Holloway's attorney John Q. Kelly with an offer to reveal the location of her daughter's body and the circumstances surrounding her death for an advance of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
25,000 against a total of $250,000. Kelly said that he secretly went to Aruba in April to meet with Van der Sloot, who was desperate for money, and gave him $100. Kelly notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
to set up a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
with the Aruban authorities. On May 10, Van der Sloot allegedly accepted the amount of $15,000 by wire transfer
Wire transfer
Wire transfer or credit transfer is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or institution to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office...
from Birmingham to his account in the Netherlands, following a cash payment of $10,000 that was videotaped by undercover investigators in Aruba. In exchange, Van der Sloot told Kelly that his father buried Natalee's remains in the foundation of a house. Authorities determined that the information that he in return provided was false, because the house had not yet been built at the time of Natalee's disappearance. Van der Sloot later e-mailed Kelly that he lied about the house. Holloway was shocked that the FBI did not promptly file extortion charges against Van der Sloot, allowing him to leave freely with the money to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, on his way to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
contended that the case had not yet been sufficiently developed.
On June 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court of Northern Alabama
United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman, De Kalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar,...
charged Van der Sloot with extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
and wire fraud
Wire fraud
Mail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States. Together, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1346 reach any fraudulent scheme or artifice to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services with a nexus to mail or wire communication....
. On June 30, 2010, a federal grand jury formally indicted Van der Sloot of the two charges. The indictment filed with the U.S. District Court seeks the forfeiture of the $25,100 that had been paid to Van der Sloot from Holloway's private funds. Van der Sloot was apprehended on June 3 in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and is presently being held at Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where he is charged with the first-degree murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
of Stephany Flores Ramírez. Though Holloway made television appearances as new developments arose, she was directed by the FBI not to discuss her daughter's case or that of Flores Ramírez.
Prison visit with Van der Sloot
In a September 2010 interview from the prison, Van der Sloot admitted to extorting Holloway, stating: "I wanted to get back at Natalee's family — her parents have been making my life tough for five years." On September 11, Holloway traveled to Peru with Peter R. De Vries and his Dutch television crew to visit the prison. According to Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro, his client was taken "practically by force" to a meeting with Holloway that took "less than one minute." Altez Navarro said that when she asked questions about the disappearance of her daughter, Van der Sloot responded by saying that he could not speak to her without his lawyer present and handing her his business card. Altez Navarro claimed that Holloway was "snuck" into the prison without being identified by the Dutch media crew who she was with. A prison spokesperson stated that Holloway's name was not found in the visitor registry. Holloway and the crew were removed from the prison, reportedly after a hidden cameraHidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
was discovered by the guards. Representatives for Holloway and De Vries denied that a hidden camera was involved nor was anything seized. Colonel Abel Gamarra of the Peruvian National Police stated that no arrests had been made. Holloway's attorney John Q. Kelly commented, "I know she didn't tell me ahead of time because I would have asked her to exercise a little more caution." While in Peru, Holloway spoke with Flores Ramírez's brother Enrique on camera. On September 17, Holloway and the group left the country for Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and arrived in Aruba on the same day. Holloway spent a few days in Aruba working with De Vries on a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about her missing daughter to be run on Dutch television, reportedly with the cooperation of prosecutors who had been investigating Van der Sloot. The video premiered in November 2010 on SBS6
SBS6
SBS 6 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are NET 5 and Veronica.- History :SBS stands for Scandinavian Broadcasting System...
in the Netherlands and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in the United States, resulting in the suspension of Miguel Castro Castro prison warden Alex Samamé Peña.
Advocacy work
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
designed "to inform and educate the public to help them travel more safely as they travel internationally". She is represented by the Nashville Speakers Bureau as a paid motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
on the topic of personal safety.
In May 2009, before the fourth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance, Holloway was accompanied by America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
host John Walsh
John Walsh
John Edward Walsh is an American television personality, criminal investigator, human and victim rights advocate and formerly the host, as well as creator, of America's Most Wanted...
as Natalee's case was added to the cold case exhibit on display at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment
National Museum of Crime & Punishment
The National Museum of Crime & Punishment is a privately owned museum dedicated to the history of criminology and penology in the United States. It is located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., half a block south of the Gallery Place station...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In April 2010, Holloway announced plans for a service called "Mayday 360," to intervene immediately when young people get into trouble overseas. She stated that if necessary, former federal agents with specific knowledge of a country could be dispatched there. On June 8, 2010, the Natalee Holloway Resource Center opened at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment to aid families of missing persons.
External links
- Mayday 360° (Official site)
- Natalee Holloway Resource Center at the National Museum of Crime & PunishmentNational Museum of Crime & PunishmentThe National Museum of Crime & Punishment is a privately owned museum dedicated to the history of criminology and penology in the United States. It is located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C., half a block south of the Gallery Place station...