Her remains were never recovered. And she was declared legally dead by an Alabama judge in 2012.
Chilling details of the confession
Recent developments include van der Sloot’s confession to U.S. investigators, as part of a plea deal regarding extortion and wire fraud charges.
He admitted to killing Holloway after she resisted his advances on a beach near her hotel. According to a transcript filed with the court, he described kicking her in the face after she kneed him in the groin, causing her to lose consciousness.
He then used a “huge cinder block” to strike her head, subsequently disposing of her body in the ocean before returning home.
Case Finally Closed
U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona announced, “Today marks the end of 18 years of wondering what happened to Natalee Holloway,” during a post-hearing statement. It’s important to note that Dutch authorities in Aruba had previously arrested van der Sloot on murder suspicions but had to release him due to insufficient evidence.
As a crucial part of the legal proceedings, Natalee Holloway’s family cooperated with the FBI in a sting operation, transferring a portion of the requested money ($25,100) to van der Sloot in 2010.
