Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalie Holloway, has been extradited to Alabama to face federal charges of extortion and wire fraud. The 34-year-old Dutchman was escorted by US Marshals as he arrived in the US, having been serving a 28-year sentence in Peru for the murder of a different young woman. Van der Sloot is accused of attempting to extort $250,000 from Holloway’s mother, Beth Twitty, in exchange for information on the whereabouts of her daughter’s body, which has never been found.
Van der Sloot has a long history of run-ins with the law, beginning with the Holloway case, which took place on the island of Aruba. He was the last person seen with the 18-year-old before she went missing during a high school graduation trip. While Van der Sloot was initially arrested in connection with Holloway’s disappearance, he was never charged due to a lack of evidence.
In 2010, Van der Sloot was arrested for the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Peru. He pleaded guilty to the crime, which took place on the five-year anniversary of Holloway’s disappearance, and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Van der Sloot reportedly told police that he killed Flores in a fit of rage after catching her looking at his laptop, which contained information about the Holloway case.
Van der Sloot has since married and become a father while serving his sentence in Peru, but his legal troubles are far from over. In addition to the extortion and wire fraud charges related to the Holloway case, he also faces charges in Chile for fraud and in the Netherlands for the attempted extortion of a Dutchman.
The case of Natalie Holloway’s disappearance has captivated the public for over 16 years, with many theories and rumors circulating about what might have happened to her. While Van der Sloot has long been considered a prime suspect, he has never been charged with her murder or manslaughter. His extradition to the US may offer new hope to Holloway’s family and others who have long sought justice for her disappearance.
