Joran Van Der Sloot Leaves Aruba

The 18-year-old Dutch teen who was released from detention Saturday in the Natalee Holloway case, left the island of Aruba Monday to attend college in Holland, while the Prime Minister of the country pledged that the investigation would not end.

Joran Van Der Sloot, who was detained by investigators from June 10 until Saturday when a judge ordered him released, was released on the condition that he remain in "Dutch territory." He originally planned to attend college in Florida, but will now go to Holland.

His mother, Anita Van Der Sloot, requested that the media leave him alone as he begins his college studies. "He's a good boy. It's enough," she told reporters. "I pray for Natalee and the Holloway-Twitty family and I'm still convinced she is alive."

Prime Minister Nelson Oduber said he could appreciate the "dismay" of the missing teen's family. "But, the case is not concluded. And we will continue to demand that the search for answers into what happened to Natalee will not cease," Oduber said.

Meanwhile, Natalee's mother left the island Sunday after learning that Van Der Sloot and the two others suspects in the case, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, were released Saturday. Beth Twitty gave the following statement:

Beth Twitty's Statement:

Four and a half hours after Joran can der Sloot's parents and defense attorney notified the international press on Thursday that Joran would be released Saturday, I received word that this was, in fact, true. I then learned that the Kalpoe brothers would also be released.

So the suspects who took my daughter from Carlos and Charlie's on the last night of her senior trip, who were the last to be seen with her alive, who offered at least a dozen different versions of what they did with her, and who admitted to committing or witnessing sexual assaults against her while she was unable to defend herself, are now free.

Under the judge's ruling, the Kalpoes must remain on the island, while Joran van der Sloot is permitted to travel to other countries. If the investigation had been handled properly during the first ten days, the world would not have witnessed and experienced the pain and suffering my family and I have endured -- and perhaps I would have the answers I have so desperately sought, for more than three months. I certainly hope that the fight for justice for Natalee Holloway has not ended in Aruba, because it's just beginning from our home front in the United States.

Natalee's handwriting on her immigration card stated that the duration of her stay here would be four nights. She has been gone for 97 days; that's 93 days too long, and I have painstakingly counted every one of them. Natalee's family and the world expect Aruba to return her to her country.

Reward Still Stands at $1 Million

The reward offered is still active: one million dollars for her safe return, and 250,000 dollars for information on her whereabouts.

I want to thank the Aruban citizens and investigators who have supported us, as well as the Dutch interrogators from Holland. I especially want to thank all of the millions of people from all over the United States and many other countries who have sustained us with their prayers. And we still need your prayers.

Without the support of our family and friends, as well as the international press, we never could have stood this long. For the rest of my life I will continue to be the voice for my daughter seeking justice in Aruba. Every parent would want the same justice for their child. Thank you.

See Also:
Dutch Suspect in Holloway Case Leaves Aruba

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Background:
Natalee Holloway: Missing in Aruba