Natalee Missing 20 Months: May 30, 2005 – Jan. 30, 2007
without leaving some mark on it forever.”
‘Dr. Phil’ Lawyer Responds to Suit Over Natalee Holloway Segment
01/29/07 20:00:17
Two brothers who filed a defamation lawsuit against the “Dr. Phil” show for airing a segment about their roles as former suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway should not be entitled to punitive damages, an attorney for the show said.
Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, both residents of Aruba, filed the suit in December seeking unspecified damages against talk show host Phillip McGraw, CBS Television Distribution Group and private investigator Jamie Skeeters.
The lawsuit alleges the show altered portions of a secretly recorded conversation between Deepak Kalpoe and Skeeters to “create false, incriminating, and defamatory statements that the plaintiffs engaged in criminal activity against Natalee Holloway.”
William Haggerty, an attorney for McGraw and CBS, said in court papers filed Friday in Los Angeles that widespread news reports of the brothers’ arrest “serves to mitigate any damages allegedly suffered by them and bars or reduces their right to recover any damages.”
Haggerty also denied his clients intentionally misrepresented any fact to the brothers or acted with malicious intent. Skeeters is being represented by a separate attorney.
An after-hours telephone message left Monday for the attorney representing the brothers was not immediately returned.
Holloway was 18 when she disappeared on May 30, 2005, while on a trip to Aruba with classmates from her Alabama high school. She was last seen getting into a car with the brothers and their friend, Joran van der Sloot.
Police spent months searching for the missing teen, but the case did not lead to any criminal trial in Aruba.
The brothers were released from police custody following their arrest and have not been charged in the case.
Natalee Holloway’s Mother Speaks at ASU
Jonesboro, AR — Marsha Mays Reporting
JANUARY 28, 2007 — POSTED AT 7:30 P.M. CST
JONESBORO, AR — The days continue to pass since the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, the teenage girl from Birmingham, Alabama who vanished on her senior trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba. Today, her mother is still searching and holding onto hope that she’ll find answers and she’s also spreading her message to others. She was in Jonesboro Sunday on the campus of ASU to tell her story and teach young adults about traveling internationally.
“I think what I bring to them is a compelling story and it shows the challenges that we faced in searching for a loved one and I think that they can all see themselves in Natalee’s shoes or they could all see themselves as me being their parent,” says Beth Holloway Twitty, Natalee’s mother.
She is now the President and CEO of the International Safe Travels Foundation, an organization committed to teaching youth about traveling outside the U.S. borders. Her speech Sunday at ASU is just one of many she’s given around the country, speaking to over 15,000 high school and college students about international travel.
“The more we can educate ourselves then the safer we can make international travel. What I’m trying to do is just pull something out of Natalee’s tragedy and turn it into something positive and reach out to other people,” says Twitty.
A big part of her presentation focuses on hope and her faith, what she calls her foundation.
“Still to this day, when I have people see me in an airport or maybe they see me at a venue where I speak, and they tell me that our family is still included in our thoughts and prayers and that is what has sustained us this entire journey,” says Twitty.
A journey that to this day is on-going.
“You’re always going to remain hopeful that you’ll get to the bottom of it or get an answer. Now whether they’ll be justice, no we don’t really think about that too much anymore. I think we just try to stay focused on is we would still like our original plan from the beginning is get to the bottom of it, what happened and some answers,” says Twitty.
International Safe Travels Foundation Website
Hat Tip: BFN Member WorldJournier
Jamie Skeeters 1941-2007 – Obituary
Jamie Skeeters, a retired commander with the Oxnard Police Department passed away suddenly Jan. 24, 2007, while away on business in Memphis, Tenn.
Jamie was born March 14, 1941, in Muleshoe, Texas, to Gladys Skeeters. He was a resident of Ventura County for more than 40 years. He was very proud to be a U.S. Marine. He served as acting gunny/sergeant from 1961 to 1966. Before joining the Oxnard Police Department, he served as director of Boys Clubs in Oxnard from 1966 through 1967. In 1967 he joined the Oxnard Police Department and rose quickly through the ranks, achieving the rank of commander in 1993. Jamie served in that capacity until May 1996, when he retired with nearly 30 years of service to the Oxnard community. After his retirement he continued on to serve as chief of police for Ventura College.
While employed with the police department, Jamie was named Officer of the Year for bravery and performance in 1972. He was a founding member of Oxnard Police Department SWAT team, Oxnard Peace Officers Association and the Oxnard Mounted Patrol. He was a member of Ventura County Narcotics Task Force and a member of the president’s special task force for narcotics enforcement in Mexico. He continued with his education, earning a bachelor’s degree with the University of Redlands.
Jamie served the Oxnard community throughout his adult life. He touched thousands of lives and was especially well-known for his wonderful sense of humor. He was truly a character and someone you didn’t forget meeting.
Midway through his career, Jamie became a licensed polygraph examiner. In 1981, he founded Security Consultant Services. This is where Jamie’s passion for truth and justice flourished. His dedication to educate the community on the importance and necessity of the polygraph was awe-inspiring. His mantra states it all, “In God we trust. All others, we polygraph.” He was a founding member on the governor’s task force against sex offenders. It was his hope that this unique approach by administering polygraph examinations on sex offenders would help locate victims of sexual abuse and assist them with the necessary support system for rehabilitation. He was a consultant for Oxnard Police Department, Ventura Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Santa Barbara Police Department and fire agencies by conducting polygraphs on prospective employees as part of the background check process and special investigations for not only the police and fire agencies but for high-profile individuals, private corporations, military JAG Unit, numerous law firms, television studios including Paramount Studios’ Dr. Phil show, Sci-Fi, Fox news, MSNBC and many more too numerous to list.
Jamie was especially proud to be a member of the California Association of Polygraph Examiners. He served as their president from 2003 to 2005, vice president from 2001 to 2002 and was a member of the board of directors from 1999 to 2005. Jamie loved this part of his career.
Jamie had many incredible experiences in his life, including being caught in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Jamie was seriously injured in that event.
He spent many years living in the Ojai area with his wife, Kay. Together they owned and operated Ojai Valley Farms, a first-class equestrian center, until recently when his polygraph career flourished.
Jamie is survived by his loving wife of over 25 years, Kay; loving daughter, Kim Skeeters; sons, Trace Giove and John Skeeters; and four beautiful grandchildren, Trevor, Morgan, Ryan and Melissa.
We deeply grieve the loss of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and love of our life, but find great comfort in knowing he was loved by so many.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in his memory be made to the American Legion Ojai Post No. 482, 843 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, CA 93023; and/or Oxnard Police Activity League, c/o Officer Ken Klopman Oxnard Police Department, 251 South C St., Oxnard.
A celebration of Jamie’s life will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, with rosary recited immediately following, at Clausen Funeral Home, 316 E. Matilija Ave., Ojai, CA 93023; phone 805-646-1451. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 185 St. Thomas Drive, Ojai, CA 93023; phone 805-646-4337.
Arrangements are being handled by Clausen Funeral Home.
Jamie Skeeters Passed Away 01/24/06 – Rest in Peace Jamie
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
It is with great sadness that I inform you that our friend Jamie Skeeters passed away today. He was in his seat on a connecting flight in Memphis, TN, at the time. His lovely wife Kay asked me to pass this message on to you.
Please keep her and their family in prayer.
Bob Heard, CAPE Secretary
Funeral Information
Viewing on Monday between 1400-1800 hrs
Claussen Funeral Home
316 E. Matilaja, Ojai
Corner of Montgomery & Matilaja
Tel: 805.646.1451
Service on Tuesday at 1300 hours at
St. Thomas Aquinas Church
185 St. Thomas Drive, Ojai, CA
Tel: 805.646.4338
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Holloway Attorney Makes Unexpected Trip to Aruba
Click Here to Watch Video from Fox News
To read transcript scroll down.
On the Record with Greta 01/16/07 – Transcript
Greta – In May of 2005, Natalee Holloway said goodbye to her mother Beth and headed off on what all expected to be an exciting high school trip to Aruba. Since then no word from Natalee just daily heartbreak for her family. Tonight though, there’s some news in the investigation, John Q. Kelly the lawyer for Natalee Holloway’s parents is in New York. John, where did you sneak off to this past weekend?
John – I paid a visit to Aruba Greta.
Greta – Why?
John – I had gotten a call at the end of last week from Karin Janssen, the Prosecutor, indicating that her term was over, she was going to be leaving the island and going back to Holland as of yesterday, Monday, and we both thought it would be a good idea if we chatted a little bit before she left.
Greta – Did she want to leave the job?
John – No, she had a three year term and she could have extended up to two more years with the blessing of the Attorney General Fernandez Croes down there and she had made a request in writing, very much wanting to stay there to see this investigation through and she was told her term was going to be halted at three years and she’d be returning to Amsterdam and she couldn’t see this through.
Greta – So she sort of got fired, a little bit.
John – She didn’t get fired, they didn’t extend her term and she was upset about that and I was glad to hear she wanted to stay on this case and see it to some sort of conclusion but they wouldn’t let her.
Greta – alright, so she wanted to stay on the case. If she’d had some progress I’m sure she would have been able to stay on the case because everyone loves progress. When you spoke to her, were you satisfied that there was progress?
John – I’m satisfied they’re still working on the case. I like dealing with Karin, I think she’s been honest and you know they’ve got a team of ten detectives that are working over in Amsterdam that have have been working for a couple of months now on the case and I also met with Dennis Jacobs and the team working here in Aruba for awhile on Monday, in addition to was talking to Karin for a few hours on Sunday. I mean we don’t have results yet, it’s a result oriented business and until I have answers for Beth and Dave, you know no one’s going to be happy but I like to see that there’s work going on still.
Greta – I hate to be so sarcastic but it sounds like you’ve got a lot of new friends but your new friends aren’t exactly, you know we’re a year and half into this investigation and we don’t have any progress.
John – They’re working Greta, you know I’ve been critical of the Prosecution in the past, I’ve been critical of the police in the past, but the answers are down there. The only possible prosecution and resolution to this down in Aruba and anything that helps advance the cause here I’m going to do and at least I’ve got a line of communication down there and I don’t want to rock that boat.
Greta – I understand that. Are they convinced that the 3 suspects are still the ones they find or that believe are the ones responsible for the disappearance? Or are they looking in other directions?
John – They have looked in other directions. I think they’ve eliminated a lot of other options and I think the three individuals you’re speaking of are the prime suspects still.
Greta – So they remain the prime suspects, Joran van der Sloot, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe are still the suspects?
John – The prime suspects, sure.
Greta – One quick question, have you served them with the civil suit in the United States yet? Deepak and Satish?
John – Personal service has not been effected down in Aruba yet, it’ll be done shortly and that’s the last step to be taken.
Greta – Alright, then we’ll watch that litigation in California, that’ll be huge. Anyway, John thank you.
John – Sure Greta, bye-bye.
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