The Hope is that Rearrests in the Natalee Holloway Case Finally Lead to Justice in Aruba
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
THE ISSUE: Let’s hope the rearrests of three men in the Natalee Holloway case lead, finally, to justice.
The family of Natalee Holloway has grieved for their loved one for 2½ years. What should have been a happy time in May 2005 – a trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba to celebrate high school graduation – turned tragic when the 18-year-old Mountain Brook girl never showed up for the flight home.
Hope in the initial days of Holloway’s disappearance turned to despair. As days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, and a massive search turned up no trace of her, the family was forced to presume the worst: that Holloway had been murdered and her body disposed of.
Family members will continue to grieve, in some measure, for the rest of their days on Earth. But let’s hope there was some small solace for them in the news out of Aruba last week.
Aruban police on Wednesday arrested three men who had been detained early in the investigation. Holloway was last seen leaving a bar with the three, Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, in the early hours of the morning on which she was scheduled to depart. The three, who have denied involvement in Holloway’s disappearance, had been arrested in June 2005. But a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to hold them, and they were released that September.
What’s different this time?
Prosecutors cited “new incriminating evidence,” which they have not disclosed, from cell phone calls and text messages between the brothers and van der Sloot. Sadly, prosecutors also said they have enough evidence to prove Holloway is dead.
The three men were arrested on suspicion of involvement in voluntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily harm that resulted in Holloway’s death. On Friday, a judge ruled there was enough evidence to hold the Kalpoe brothers for the initial eight-day period, while van der Sloot arrived by plane from the Netherlands on Saturday night and was taken straight to jail. Monday, van der Sloot appeared before a judge in a closed hearing who ruled prosecutors can hold him for at least eight more days while they pursued their case.
Obviously, we’ve been here before. The hope this time is that prosecutors have the right men and have built a strong enough case against the three to convict them.
“I hope I’m not going to be disappointed,” said Holloway’s father, Dave, who is beginning another search for evidence of her remains in deep waters off Aruba.
Family members have been through so much in this very public case, which national television news seized upon and provided almost nonstop coverage of in its early days. They deserve to know what happened to their loved one. They deserve to be able to find her remains and give her a proper memorial service. They deserve to see justice for those who ended Natalee Holloway’s life.
They don’t deserve yet another disappointment.
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