Credit: Alyssa Ao

What you need to know:

On May 30, 2005, Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old Alabama teen, disappeared on her senior class trip to Aruba. She was last seen getting into a car with her friends, Joran Van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe at 1:30 a.m. Her body was never found, so she was declared legally dead in Jan. of 2012.

According to AP News, Van der Sloot was the main suspect in the disappearance. While he was arrested twice, he was never directly charged with any crimes relating to Holloway’s disappearance. However, in Peru on May 30, 2010, he was charged with murdering another woman, Stephany Flores Ramirez, which was exactly five years from the day that Natalee went missing.

On Wednesday, Oct. 18, Van der Sloot finally admitted that he had murdered Natalee, and was taken to court. He was also convicted of extortion and wire fraud because he scammed Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway. He demanded $250,000 from B. Holloway for information as to where Natalee’s body was. At first he accepted $25,000, and then asked for the other $225,000 once her remains were found. However, after he accepted the initial $25,000, he sent an email to B. Holloway’s attorney and said that the information he promised to give was completely false.

Why it matters:

The Natalee Holloway missing person case has captured the nation’s attention for almost 20 years. Since her disappearance, her family has been searching for answers, and now they finally have justice and closure.

“Today I can tell you with certainty, that after 18 years, Natalee’s case is solved,” B. Holloway said during a news conference.

Furthermore, B. Holloway said that she feels more “at ease” now that her daughter’s killer has confessed to the murder. However, Van der Sloot is not facing any jail time for murdering Natalee. This is because he is already serving two sentences at the same time, one for the murder of Stephany Flores Ramirez, and the other for being convicted of extortion and wire fraud. These sentences will last 28 and 20 years. In addition, there is a 12 year time frame in Aruba for murders, which is why he won’t go to prison for the 2005 killing.

What are other sources to look at?

• “Joran van der Sloot says he killed Natalee Holloway with a cinder block and left her in the ocean. Now Aruba considers possible next steps” – cnn.com
• “18 years after she disappeared, Natalee Holloway’s family finally has answers” – npr.org
• “Joran van der Sloot admitted to killing Natalee Holloway on Aruba beach in confession revealed in extortion case” – cbsnews.com
  
• “Confession Brings Natalee Holloway Case to an End After 18 Years” – nytimes.com