Aruba Pond Drained in Search for Natalee Holloway

Acting on a tip from a gardener at the Aruba Racket Club, located near the beach where Natalee Holloway was taken the night she disappeared, authorities began draining a large pond on the club grounds late Tuesday.

The pond is located about a quarter of a mile from the Marriott Inn beach where the two Kalpoe brothers said they dropped of Natalee and Joran Van Der Sloot in the early morning hours of May 30.

Using search lights, Aruban firefighters began pumping 3,600 gallons of water a minute out of a pond located on the Racket Club grounds. They expected it would take approximately 15 hours to drain the entire body of water.

According to Aruban newspapers, a gardener told police that he saw Joran Van Der Sloot, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe parked in Deepak's car near the pond area about 2:30 a.m. on May 30, one hour after the Kalpoe brothers told police they dropped Natalee and Joran at the beach and went home.

The gardener said when he saw the three in the car, Van Der Sloot tried to hide his face and the two Kalpoe brothers ducked down to avoid being seen.

See Also:
Draining of Aruba Pond Begins

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Background:
Natalee Holloway: Missing in Aruba