Twist in mystery of teen who vanished on Caribbean Island as suspect extradited
Almost 20 years ago an 18-year-old American student disappeared on a trip to the Caribbean with classmates, but now there's been a major update that could help solve the mystery of what happened to the teen.
Natalee Holloway was on a trip to Aruba with classmates when she was last seen, vanishing after a night out with friends at a club in 2005.
She was last seen leaving a bar on May 30, 2005, with Joran van der Sloot, then also 18, a Dutch citizen.
Now, permission has been given for van der Sloot to be extradited to the US to face trial on extortion and wire fraud charges for allegedly trying to extort the Holloway family after their daughter's disappearance.
Weeks after Natalee's disappearance, van der Sloot was identified as a suspect and detained, along with two Surinamese brothers. But Natalee's body was never found, and no charges were filed in the case. A judge later declared Natalee dead.
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Natalee Holloway's body was never found (Facebook)
Joran van der Sloot is facing extortion and wire fraud charges in Alabama (AFP/Getty Images)Ten years later, van der Sloot was arrested in Peru for the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Stephany was killed five years to the day after Natalee's disappearance - May 30, 2010.
Prosecutors said van der Sloot killed Stephany, who was a business student from a prominent family, in order to rob her after learning she had won money at the casino where the pair met. They alleged he killed her with "ferocity" and "cruelty", beating then strangling her in his hotel room.
He pleaded guilty in 2012 and is serving 28 years in prison for the murder.
Natalee disappeared on a trip with classmates to Aruba in 2005 (LESLIE MAZOCH/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Van der Sloot's extradition to the US comes from an alleged attempt to profit from his connection to Natalee's disappearance. In 2010, a grand jury in Alabama indicted van der Sloot on wire fraud and extortion charges, saying he tried to extort thousands of dollars from the Holloway family.
Prosecutors in the US say van der Sloot accepted $25,000 (£19,864) in cash from Natalee Holloway's family in exchange for a promise to lead them to her body in early 2010 - just before he went to Peru. An FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that van der Sloot reached out to Natalee's mother, wanting to be paid $25,000 to share the location of her daughter and then another $225,000 (£178,761) when her body was found.
During a recorded sting operation, van der Sloot pointed to a house where he said Natalee was buried, but in later emails admitted to lying about the location, according to the agent.
Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, has said it's been a "long and painful journey" (Getty Images)Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, said she was just blessed to have had Natalee in her life for 18 years. "She would have been 36 years old now," she said.
"It has been a very long and painful journey, but the persistence of many is going to pay off. Together, we are finally getting justice for Natalee."
Peru's Minister of Justice, Daniel Maurate, said in a statement on Wednesday, May 10, that the government decided to "accept the request" from US authorities "for the temporary transfer" of van der Sloot to be prosecuted on extortion and fraud charges. All extraditions in Peru must be approved by the president.
Joran van der Sloot sits in the courtroom before his sentencing at San Pedro prison in Lima, Peru, Jan. 13, 2012 (AP)"We will continue to collaborate on legal issues with allies such as the United States, and many others with which we have extradition treaties," said Edgar Alfredo Rebaza, director of Peru's Office of International Judicial Cooperation and Extraditions of the National Prosecutor's Office.
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A treaty dating back to 2001 between Peru and the US allows a suspect to be temporarily extradited to face trial in another country. It requires the prisoner "be returned" after judicial proceedings are concluded "against that person, in according with conditions to be determined" by both countries.
Maximo Altez, the attorney representing van der Sloot, said he will fight the decision once officially notified by the Peruvian government. "I am going to challenge that resolution," he said. "I am going to oppose it since he has the right to a defence."
More than a decade ago, van der Sloot told a Peruvian judge he would fight efforts to extradite him to the US. In July 2014, he married a Peruvian woman in a ceremony at a maximum-security prison.
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