When Aruban authorities first questioned the Kalpoe brothers and van der Sloot, they said they took Natalee to California Lighthouse, near Arashi Beach connected the northwest extremity of the island, to shark-watch, past dropped her disconnected astatine her edifice astatine astir 2 a.m., the greeting of May 30.

Two erstwhile edifice information guards were arrested connected June 5 after Joran and the Kalpoes claimed they saw a defender approaching Natalee extracurricular her edifice earlier they drove off. The young men were arrested connected June 9 and held connected imaginable charges of first- oregon second-degree execution and kidnapping resulting successful death. Aruban Attorney General Caren Janssen explained that they had been hoping that 1 of them would pb constabulary to definitive evidence and that's wherefore they weren't taken into custody close away. 

The formation was searched connected June 14, and Joran's house was searched the adjacent day, wherever investigators seized two vehicles, computers and cameras. "You person to physique up an investigation. You can't conscionable spell successful determination similar a cowboy," Janssen told reporters successful explaining the perceived delay.

The guards were released June 18, and 1 told constabulary that a Kalpoe member had told him while they were some locked up that they hadn't taken Natalee to the hotel, but alternatively helium and his member had near her with Joran at a formation adjacent the hotel. 

Police besides questioned Paulus van der Sloot, Joran's father, and arrested him connected June 22. Multiple reports besides noted the apprehension of Steve Gregory Croes, a enactment vessel DJ, successful transportation with the case; some Croes and the elder van der Sloot were released connected June 26.

Satish Kalpoe admitted to lying to constabulary astatine first; helium changed his communicative to accidental helium and Deepak dropped some Joran and Natalee disconnected astatine the edifice and that was the past they saw of them. Meanwhile, a gardener at the Aruba Racquet Club gave constabulary a sworn connection that he saw each 3 men in a car adjacent the nine astatine around 2:30 a.m., erstwhile the Kalpoes claimed they were already home.

Aruban police, Dutch marines, FBI agents and thousands of locals combed the area, but that was connected land. Ultimately a unpaid radical dispatched divers and sonar instrumentality connected June 25.

Six weeks aft she vanished, the family's offered reward for Natalee's harmless instrumentality was $200,000, and the reward for accusation that could assistance pb to the information was $100,000. By the extremity of July, the reward was up to $1 million if Natalee came location alive.

Upon accomplishment connected Aruba, Beth Holloway went to the Holiday Inn to inquire questions astir a feline named Joran van der Sloot, who immoderate of Natalee's friends had met. When the nighttime manager knew close distant who that was, Beth asked to spot casino information footage and past called police. Everyone went to Joran's house, wherever his dada Paul kept adjacent ticker arsenic authorities questioned his son.

With Beth and a increasing fig of funny parties along, Joran guided authorities back to the edifice to exemplify wherever helium dropped Natalee off, and claimed that she fell and deed her caput getting retired of the car.

Dave Holloway remembered to Dateline being assured by a bull that sometimes tourists conscionable missed their flights, and his girl would astir apt crook up successful a fewer days.

When Joran and the Kalpoes were arrested, Dave and Beth felt that had to beryllium lawsuit closed, but that evidently turned retired not to beryllium true. Furthermore, arsenic days and past weeks went by, it stated to descend successful that Natalee successful each likelihood wasn't coming home.

Beth stayed successful Aruba for 2 months, leaving a fewer weeks earlier the Kalpoes, who had been released connected July 4, were arrested again connected Aug. 26. The brothers and Joran were each released Sept. 3.

Divers from the Aruba Search and Rescue Foundation searched again successful precocious August aft getting a extremity that a radar instrumentality had detected quality bones astir a mile disconnected the coast, but they came up empty.

In 2008, Beth told Dateline, "I mean, I've had calls since, you know, I couldn't even— just—you know? I'm... from 'Natalee's successful a freezer astatine the van der Sloot house' to 'Natalee's successful a vessel successful Venezuela oregon Colombia.' It was hellhole astatine first."

In March 2006, 10 months aft Natalee disappeared, Aruban authorities said witnesses had told them the teen was drinking heavy that nighttime and had drugs successful her possession, though nary 1 said they saw her taking immoderate of them.

"We consciousness powerfully that she astir apt went into daze oregon thing happened to her strategy with each the alcohol—maybe connected apical of that, different drugs, which either she took oregon they gave her— and that she... conscionable collapsed," Gerald Dompig, lawman main of constabulary for Aruba, told 48 Hours Mystery.

Believing her to beryllium dead, they were searching the formation where Joran claimed helium past saw her, arsenic good arsenic a brackish pond adjacent her hotel, for forensic evidence.

All the while, Joran's communicative kept changing.

Joran, calved successful the Netherlands, was an honors pupil and jock astatine the International School of Aruba. His lawyer begetter was successful the process of becoming a justice connected the land when Natalee disappeared. According to her friends, she archetypal met Joran astatine the Excelsior Casino successful their hotel.

"He conscionable looks similar an average, mean precocious schoolhouse guy," Natalee's person and classmate Laraine Watson told Dateline successful 2008. "I mean, I retrieve he's truly tall. I retrieve looking astatine him thinking, 'Oh, who's that guy?' You know, he's hanging retired with my friends." She added, "I wasn't truly suspicious. I mean, he's going to travel retired with america later." Watson said she didn't retrieve seeing him person immoderate enactment with Natalee that night.

Laraine didn't spot them leave together, but different classmates did. "They didn't deliberation thing of it astatine the time, but she had gone disconnected with Joran and immoderate of his friends," she recalled. 

Right away, Joran was readily identified by a Holiday Inn staffer arsenic a regular known for going aft young pistillate tourists. He spent 3 months successful jailhouse and was released without immoderate charges being filed, a justice having ruled determination wasn't capable grounds to clasp him immoderate longer.

Toward the extremity of 2007, helium and the Kalpoe brothers were re-arrested, but again, thing came of it and they were each released. 

Joran proceeded to freely question the world, surviving successful Thailand for a fewer months, acting suspicious. He reportedly talked astir the lawsuit each the time, seemingly pleased that it had made him famous, but his temper was easy triggered. Sitting for an interrogation with Dutch transgression newsman Peter de Vries successful January 2008, helium threw a solid of vino successful Peter's look erstwhile the newsman questioned wherefore radical should judge thing helium said. 

Even much dramatically, however, the journalist engineered a hidden-camera sting that captured Joran telling Patrick van der Eem—who said helium was paid $35,000 for his relation successful the operation—that he'd been connected the formation with Natalee, they'd had sex, and past close aft she suddenly started shaking and mislaid consciousness.

"All of a sudden, what she did was similar successful a movie," helium said successful the clip, which aired connected RTL Boulevard in February 2008. "She was shaking, it was awful... I prodded her, determination was nothing." So, helium claimed, helium had a person instrumentality her retired connected a vessel to dispose of her body. "He went retired to oversea and past helium threw her out, similar an aged rag."

In a tease for the episode, Peter promised, "The enigma of Natalee Holloway volition beryllium solved Sunday." 

However, Joran's lawyer objected: "They enactment rather frankly similar clowns. If they person a resolution, they should bring a lawsuit and halt talking astir cryptic information."

Joran, then surviving in the Netherlands again, phoned into different Dutch program, Pauw & Witteman, to accidental that what helium told Patrick wasn't true. "That is what helium wanted to hear, truthful I told him what helium wanted to hear."

In November 2008, CNN reported that Aruban authorities had 2 caller leads to follow. First, a witnesser had travel forward who could spot Paul van der Sloot—who had told constabulary helium was location dormant until 7 a.m. connected the nighttime successful question—and his lad adjacent a pond connected the land astatine 4 a.m. connected May 30, 2005. The witnesser said a young man, bedewed from the waist down and wearing lone 1 shoe, was moving from the pond toward a fast-food restaurant. Then the witnesser said the young antheral and an older 1 drove by successful a reddish Jeep astir 10 minutes later.

The different extremity came from Joran's erstwhile girlfriend, who told constabulary Joran had said to her 1 night, "'Who knows? You whitethorn present beryllium connected the formation with idiosyncratic who is capable to get escaped of a corpse?'"

Aruba's chief prosecutor, Hans Mos, told CNN helium considered what Joran said on the hidden camera to beryllium a confession, and they were taking each of the caller grounds into information arsenic they determined their adjacent step. 

The household hired a backstage investigator, Tim Miller, who spent astir a twelvemonth knocking connected doors and searching for Natalee successful Aruba, sometimes with Dave Holloway. On Oct. 21, 2005, Natalee's birthday, they had been successful Aruba virtually digging successful a garbage dump erstwhile the lawman constabulary main told them helium had a hunch that they needed to instrumentality their hunt to the sea. A fisherman's hut had been breached into and among the items missing were a food trap and tools that could person been utilized to measurement a assemblage down.

Entrepreneur Louis Schaefer, who had been pursuing the case, volunteered to concern an expedition to hunt the water level wrong a definite radius. A vessel named Persistence acceptable disconnected for Aruba successful November 2007. On Dec. 24, they came crossed what appeared to beryllium a sportfishing trap astir 90 feet beneath the surface, and connected Dec. 29 sent a remote-operated conveyance down to investigate. They spied what looked, to them, similar a skull.

On Dec. 30, a diver from the vessel joined 2 Aruban constabulary divers. They did not find thing having to bash with Natalee. "That's astir apt astir the clip that—the thorax pains intensified to an extreme. I mean, however galore times tin I instrumentality this?" Dave recalled.

Then, in early 2008, a idiosyncratic who identified himself arsenic Marcos sent Dave a message, claiming helium knew that cause runners had been paid to get escaped of Natalee's assemblage astatine oversea and alternatively took the remains with them to Nicaragua and hid them connected land.

Miller went to Nicaragua and met with Marcos, who offered to spell to the hiding spot with a GPS tracker and look for the remains. As reported on Dateline, Marcos called Miller, claiming to person recovered her. 

"He says that she was wrapped successful a broad and her assemblage fell apart," Miller told NBC News. "He said, 'but we had to enactment her successful 2 crystal chests.' And helium really said, 'call Mr. Holloway close present and archer him I've got Natalee.'" Miller did not call, not wanting to instill Dave with much mendacious hope.

Marcos subsequently disappeared, ne'er to beryllium heard from again.

Paul van der Sloot died abruptly of a bosom onslaught successful February 2010, leaving his lad adrift. According to Holloway household lawyer John Kelly, a desperate Joran emailed him that March, writing, arsenic Kelly told Dateline, "'I privation to travel clean. My father's dormant now. I person thing to hide. I privation to assistance Natalee's family, but astatine a price, you know, for a 4th cardinal dollars...I volition archer you what happened to Natalee, wherever she is present truthful you tin assistance Beth bring her home.'"

With Beth's permission, John Kelly met with Joran successful Aruba, promising to commencement with $25,000. The young antheral said helium knew wherever the assemblage was; John asked what would hap if they didn't wage him. Joran allegedly replied, "'Beth tin hold different 5 years.'" The household past turned to the FBI, which helped orchestrate a program to make Joran deliberation he'd beryllium getting paid successful bid to drawback him committing ligament fraud, which would astatine slightest beryllium thing to clasp him on.

John and Joran met again, and this time John wired him a full of $25,000. In turn, Joran led John to a location adjacent the Aruba Racquet Club, where helium claimed helium had stashed Natalee's remains successful what was past a freshly poured foundation, earlier the location was built. John said on Dateline that Joran claimed helium had been connected the formation with Natalee, helium wanted to go, she resisted, and past helium "got aggravated and really threw her. He really made the motion successful the car, connected video, showing maine however helium threw her successful anger, due to the fact that she wouldn't permission astatine that point. And according to him, she deed the backmost of her head, tons of humor and she was dead."

John said helium was skeptical of Joran's wide story, which was that helium archetypal hid Natalee's assemblage astatine the formation with his father's help, and past the adjacent time they buried her. But helium inactive hoped they had shaken thing loose.

"When I got connected the level May 11 [2010], I thought it was a done deal," John said. "And helium was going to beryllium arrested astatine immoderate point. That he'd beryllium talking astatine immoderate point, and we'd get immoderate closure astatine immoderate point."

But the location Joran pointed to hadn't been nether operation successful 2010, according to the authorities who said they didn't find his communicative credible capable to marque an arrest.

John said that Joran remained successful interaction with him up until May 25, claiming helium would crook himself in. Instead, helium flew to Peru.

A national expansive assemblage indicted him connected charges of ligament fraud and extortion connected June 30, 2010.

Joran approached 21-year-old assemblage pupil Stephany Flores astatine the Atlantic City casino successful Lima, Peru. As seen connected information footage from assorted locations, they played poker for astir 2 hours, past Stephany cashed successful immoderate chips and went with Joran to Hotel Tac, wherever helium picked up his cardinal from the desk. At 5:33 a.m. they went upstairs and disappeared unneurotic into country 309.

At 8:36 a.m. connected May 30, 2010, 5 years aft Natalee disappeared, Joran, seemingly locked out, called the beforehand table to be let into his room. He near by himself 20 minutes later, carrying a backpack. The TV successful his country was turned up and, according to Dateline, helium told the clerk astatine the desk, "Don't disturb my girl," earlier helium went out.

Two days later, Stephany's severely beaten assemblage was recovered successful country 309. Her cervix was broken.

Her parents had reported her missing. Ricardo Flores, Stephany's father, was a salient businessman and erstwhile contention car driver, truthful the lawsuit was doubly sensational to the section media.

Joran fled southbound and was yet arrested successful Chile. He astatine archetypal insisted helium was innocent, but then confessed to Stephany's execution 4 days aft his arrest, Lima constabulary told the press. In fact, constabulary said, he told them that helium near Stephany concisely unsocial successful the country and, erstwhile helium returned, she was looking astatine his laptop and had recovered accusation linking him to Natalee's disappearance, aft which helium killed her successful a rage. Police besides stated he told them helium knew wherever Natalee's remains were, but helium would lone archer Aruban authorities. "How could this happen?" Beth Holloway reportedly said erstwhile informed of Stephany's death.

In summation to being charged with first-degree execution and robbery successful Peru, the U.S. Attorney's bureau successful Birmingham, Ala., charged Joran with ligament fraud and extortion.

His lawyer argued the transgression was manslaughter, but Joran yet pleaded blameworthy to murder, claiming helium was suffering from "extreme intelligence trauma" from the Natalee investigation, and was sentenced successful 2012 to 28 1/2 years successful prison. He's besides facing extradition to the United States, and could look 40 much years successful situation if convicted of extortion and fraud.

Beth Holloway went to Peru to visit Joran successful prison successful September 2010 with a Dutch documentary unit successful tow, five years aft seeing him the archetypal nighttime aft Natalee had gone missing. "Leading up to May of 2010, that's erstwhile each the extortion was going connected with Joran," she recalled to B-Metro magazine successful 2015. "So astatine that point, I was not successful a bully place, truthful to speak."

She recalled, "I deliberation erstwhile I visited Castro Castro, Joran successful prison, and was capable to locomotion distant from there, it was astir a freeing acquisition for maine to cognize that it was clip now. Joran was successful prison, and this is what I had worked truthful hard for, for 5 years. This was what I had wanted successful '05."

He didn't supply answers, but Beth considered that infinitesimal a turning constituent each the same.

"It allowed maine past to determination onward…." she said. "I hadn't recovered bid and joyousness and happiness yet—but I began to admit it and learned however to clasp it, and past I deliberation it conscionable led to spot wherever I americium now, which is simply a bully place."

Further looking backmost connected the situation visit, Beth said on Dr. Oz successful 2017 that she didn't expect "the empowerment that I would consciousness erstwhile I stood up from him and near him successful prison... I astir saw him arsenic this pathetic person, truthful I didn't consciousness immoderate hate. I saw him arsenic truthful pathetic."

Dave Holloway told AL.com successful 2015 that helium mightiness spell to Peru 1 time to speech to Joran. "I inactive clasp retired anticipation that with hard situation life, possibly he'll change,'' helium said. "I don't deliberation astatine this constituent and clip he's acceptable to bash anything, but we'll astir apt 1 time marque a travel to Peru."

Before agreeing to plead guilty, Joran said helium was intimidated into confessing to sidesplitting Stephany, and that Peruvian authorities promised him he'd beryllium extradited to the Netherlands if helium cooperated.

In September 2010, Dutch paper De Telegraaf quoted Joran saying (per CBS News) astir the extortion allegations, "I wanted to get backmost astatine Natalee's family—her parents person been making my beingness pugnacious for 5 years. When they offered to wage for the girl's location, I thought: 'Why not?'"

In July 2014, Joran was acceptable to wed his large Peruvian girlfriend, Leidy Figueroa, who told CBS News' Crimesider that she met him successful 2010 erstwhile she went with her relative to sojourn different inmate. Conjugal visits were allowed astatine Piedras Gordas, the maximum-security situation northbound of Lima wherever helium spent the archetypal fewer years of his condemnation aft being transferred from Miguel Castro Castro.

According to Leidy, her aboriginal hubby had transformed "into a caller person."

That August, however, Joran was transferred to the much remote Challapalca successful the Andes mountains, wherever conditions are reputedly rougher, aft allegedly threatening to termination the warden astatine Piedras Gordas. Leidy, who gave commencement to a girl successful September, told Dutch newsgroup RTL that November that Joran had been stabbed by a chap inmate astatine Challapalca—but the manager of Peru's National Penitentiary Institute denied it, calling her a compulsive liar successful an interrogation with Peru quality web Channel N.

In 2015, Leidy gave Fox News Latino a letter Joran wrote her from prison, successful which helium alleged that Stephany's begetter had enactment a $10,000 bounty connected his head. "I don't privation to die," helium wrote, entreating authorities to instrumentality enactment to unafraid his information down bars.

"Joran is simply a pathological liar who volition accidental thing to amended his information and get what helium wants," Ricardo Flores said successful a connection to Fox News Latino, per People. "Now that helium can't get his way, helium volition accidental oregon bash thing to get attraction and get transferred to an easier location."