Holloway Investigator Discusses Safety
By CAROLYN QUINN
Staff Writer
Arthur Wood discussed travel safety and his involvement in the Natalee Holloway missing persons case in Punta Gorda
PUNTA GORDA — Arthur Wood protected five presidents as a Secret Service agent and dealt with possibly corrupt Aruban police as the main investigator in the missing persons case of Natalee Holloway, a teenager from Alabama who disappeared during a post-graduation trip to Aruba.
He had one piece of wisdom to share with international travelers at the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association on Friday afternoon.
“It’s so important that you understand, as soon as you step off American soil, you’ll be at the mercy of the personalities, politics and laws of the country you’re in,” he said. “You have to be prepared to be treated differently than you would be here.”
In the case of Natalee Holloway, who vanished on May 30, 2005, Wood believed that meant an investigation that police ensured would never end because a principal suspect was the 17-year-old son of a wealthy judge.
Wood told the more than 50 people who attended the Merrill Lynch-sponsored presentation about his experience in Aruba, where he believed three young men — Joran van der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe — attempted to rape Holloway. In the process, he believed they accidentally killed her, then sought the advice of van der Sloot’s prominent father to dispose of the body in the open ocean. Wood believed van der Sloot’s father also used his connections to control the investigation. The case remains unsolved.
“The daddy said, ‘no body, no case,’ and he meant it,” said David Holloway, Natalee’s father, who was at the event. He signed and sold copies of his book, “Aruba,” with proceeds going to the Natalee Holloway Foundation to aid American families with missing relatives overseas.
Wood advised people to contact the U.S. Department of State to obtain fact sheets detailing the laws, political situations and U.S. embassy locations in foreign countries before traveling.
“I think it was an excellent presentation,” said Zannie Scheell, who was interested in the Holloway case. “It scares you for all kids traveling.”
Lee Woodliff, residential director of Merrill Lynch, said the company organized the event to provide information to the public.
“The story may have gotten old in the press, but it’s not old to the grandparents who are teaching their grandchildren,” he said.
