The Murder of Natalee Holloway | Morbid | Podcast

On the afternoon of May 30, 2005, the senior students from Mountain Brook High School gathered at the airport in Aruba to make their return flight to Alabama after their celebratory trip, when chaperones noticed that one of the students was missing. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen around 1:30 am that morning, leaving a bar with a student from the local International School of Aruba, but no one had seen or heard from her since and when they checked the hotel, Natalee’s luggage and other belongings were still in her room.
It would take nearly twenty years before her killer was held responsible and the truth about her disappearance was brought to light.
Thank you to the wondrous Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for Research!
References
ABC News. 2006. Exclusive: van der Sloot talks about night out. February 22. Accessed March 26, 2024. abcnews.go.com....
Associated Press. 2005. "Three young suspects can be held in case of missing girl, judge rules." New York Times, June 12.
-. 2005. "Two suspects to be held in girl's case." New York Times, June 9.
-. 2012. "Natalee Holloway declared dead by judge six years after disappearance." The Guardian, January 12.
Burrough, Bryan. 2006. "Missing White Female." Vanity Fair, November 20.
Chandler, Kim. 2023. "Attorney describes Joran van der Sloot's confession." Montgomery Advertiser, November 11: 1.
CNN News. 2010. Interpol: Van der Sloot tried to extort Holloway's mother. June 9. Accessed March 27, 2024. www.cnn.com/201....
CNN Wire. 2012. Van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years for Peru murder . January 13. Accessed March 27, 2024. www.cnn.com/20....
Holloway, Beth. 2007. "My daughter disappeared." Good Housekeeping, November 1: 185.
Holloway, Dave, R. Stephanie Good, and Larry Garrison. 2023. Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing.
Lybrand, Holmes, Jean Casarez, and Evan Perez. 2023. FBI details how van der Sloot’s confession in Natalee Holloway’s death came together. October 24. Accessed March 27, 2024. www.cnn.com/20....
Lyman, Rick. 2005. "Missing woman's case spurs discussion of news coverage." New York Times, August 7.
NBC News. 2005. Aruban police again search landfill for Holloway. July 28. Accessed March 26, 2024. www.nbcnews.co....
-. 2010. Van der Sloot admits Holloway family extortion plot: 'Why not?'. September 6. Accessed March 27, 2024. www.nbcnews.co....
Nelson, Andrew. 2005. "Missing teen's friends, family continue hope." Birmingham Post-Herald, June 6: 24.
News, ABC. 2006. "Dutch teen tells Primetime about night with Natalee Holloway." ABC News, February 23.
Norton, Michael. 2005. "FBI answers mother's plea to aid search." Montgomery Advertiser, June 4: 1.
Robinson, Carol. 2023. Listen to Joran van der Sloot describe Natalee Holloway’s final moments in chilling confession. October 18. Accessed March 27, 2024. www.al.com/new....
Robinson, Carol, and Ivana Hrynkiw. 2023. Joran van der Sloot confesses to killing Natalee Holloway: ‘You terminated her dreams,’ mother says. October 18. Accessed March 27, 2024. www.al.com/new....
Robinson, Gene. 2005. "Missing white women and the media." Washington Post, June 14.
The Independent. 2010. "Sex, lies and a murder suspect with a story to sell." The Independent, June 23.
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[@musingsofasouthernbelle]

I literally love ya'll! Listening to ya'll during one of the most difficult times in my life helped me beyond words! The way ya'll banter just makes me smile. I know ya'll don't know everyone you touch, but you definitely left little footprints of love on my heart, and I am so thankful to Jesus for the two of you precious, precious souls 🙏🤍🕊✨️💖

[@priscilladiaz4395]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ppppp😊

[@jankishukla_07]

Hello All! I deactivated my Instagram account for the first time since I created it. I was feeling like I'm spending so much time on it but not gaining anything sort of good. That's why I did what I did. And now I'm exploring new things for the time being. This is the very first podcast I'm listening to. It's really engaging. I'm in love with it.❤

[@KittyCatDonut]

So excited to listen !

[@bridgettekennedy8179]

If my brother was missing in a different country and I had hear disappointing updates from my parents about the police, i’d bring it to the media too.

[@pamelahernandez9986]

Lmao when they say this is morbid I have to sing “it’s morbid in the morning “ 😭😭😭

[@bast713]

To be honest, if the police had taken the family seriously when they first asked for help the family probably would have been more likely to extend trust that law enforcement would do their jobs. I imagine that there were probably also some attitudes from law enforcement at play because of some "spring break" style behavior that they've witnessed- which ironically makes it easier for a predator to hunt someone like Natalee.

[@sydneyhutter6219]

Every single time I see a new episode, my body involuntarily does a little happy dance. I’m pretty my coworkers think I’m a weirdo, but I am so it’s okay 🤭 love you guys 🥰

[@HailtotheKing-qu5pq]

To funny 😢

[@dreamingoffall7694]

What really p!sses me off is how people KNEW he prayed on young blonde girls and not only did no one warn her, but they continued to allow a known predator in their establishment!! So while Aruba as a whole isn't responsible, there are definitely some citizens who are,imo,partially responsible for allowing his behavior to go on in their establishment.

[@KerrieKruegner]

There are always tensions when there’s a crime culture clash another county coming to another country with their own expectations especially a small place whose economy is dependant on tourism and that has to constantly accomodate Westeners to survive I feel this attitude is especially felt in relation to Americans they would feel want things done their way now and suggesting there’s is the superior way but the lack of empathy and sensitivity in this case and the result was the tradegy of this young woman was lost in the tensions They however seem to have a case in relation to media involvement also lacking in empathy and focuss

[@paulhicks7387]

Good that you spoke to her grades, etc., since somehow she never learned to not get into a car in a foreign country, at night, with three males that she barely knew. That's a special kind of stupid. Thinking that at some point early on her mom realized that as well, with the consequent realization that she had failed her daughter (which would explain, in part, her attitude). Lastly, your blurb reports that Joran was held responsible. Except he wasn't. While serving time in Peru for the murder of one of theirs, was extradited to the US to face extortion and wire fraud charges. He pled guilty to both, was sentenced to 20 years, with the sentence running concurrently with his Peru sentence. No hope of him every spending time in a US jail, since while in prison in Peru had an additional 18 years tacked on for distributing cocaine while in prison.

[@KerrieKruegner]

Have they all got shares in Charlie’s and cocos ?!

[@thatmombielife]

I know this case. I’m curious to yals telling of it.

[@scotfinley1686]

I hope you will receive this in the spirit I am writing it. Please consider toning down the amount of profanity used in your podcast. I am not a prude, but the constant use of F and S just gets in the way of an otherwise insightful podcast. Just a simple, "Please."

[@tonyclifton8102]

I believe he killed her but some things don't make any sense. If he bashed her face in wouldn’t there be a heavy trail of blood left in the sand leading to the ocean? Wouldn't people notice it early the next morning? He says nothing about covering up blood or anything only that he quickly leaves,and wouldn’t her body float if not weighted down?

[@thomasw178]

Haaaaaaaay weirdos. What's the prospects of an audiobook coming out? Your boy doesn't really read. I mean... I'm perfectly capable. I just don't.

[@JenniferClark-zb1iv]

Yall im ashly

[@rebeccacollier5097]

He’d better hope he doesn’t get sent to Alabama. We don’t want him and we will let him know…

[@Jennifer-fs2mh]

Hey weirdos!

[@irenecortez2742]

I hate listening to the migrants ad..annoying.