A Change In Mood

Something happened this evening in Aruba to significantly change the tone of the family of Natalee Holloway. Whatever it was is not generally known, but thought to come from a private meeting with Aruban authorities about which the family isn't commenting, other than to say they are feeling better as regards the progress of the investigation.

Additional information on Paul(us) v d Sloot suggests if there is anyone legal mind on the island who might outwit the prosecution in this case, it could be him. Some colleagues have suggested that he is known to have poured over case law many have rarely if ever even read and is considered somewhat of an authority on not only the law, but the subtle loopholes and manipulations which can help an individual get around it.

This would fit very well into his past history on two levels. In Holland he is known for having tied the government's hands for nearly twenty years while preventing the building of a highway which would have cut into his family's estate. Ultimately, the highway took an entirely different route.

Added to that are other reports that as a lawyer he did not go directly into government service, but instead worked on behalf of those needing asisstance with conflicts with the government.

As regards an earlier comment of mine about a possible pattern for Joran v d Sloot, posted here - I probably did throw it out  a bit too casually. The point required additional information which I was a little too busy to address at the time.

Joran was well known to many casino and hotel staff in Aruba - as was his taste in American women. In many ways it is safe to say the young man admired many things American and he did want very much to travel here to secure his college education. That's also consistent with the email I received from an individual purported to be Joran on the night before his arrest.

Reports state that his english was unusually good, probably a result of study to make it so. And he was not shy about employing it, very often in approaching American women visiting the island. Some staff in a local hotel have even expressed surprise at how seemingly fearless he seemed, never hesitating to approach an attractive young American woman he encountered, and most usually they were young and blonde.

It certainly doesn't make anyone guilty of anything. But it also does establish a pattern witnessed by many for Joran, who some others have described as a sexual predator, to aproach a young woman who looked very much like Natalee Holloway. As relayed to me by an indivdual from the island, she was absolutely the type of young woman Joran would seek out and approach.

At the same time there seems to be no basis for his having been enrolled in some type of anger management program through his school, or otherwise. I've yet to talk to one individual who can even establish that a formalized program of that type exists on Aruba. While he was known to have seen a therapist, whatever the cause, it remains confidential and mostly unknown.

Just as with a great many factors in this case, or so it would seem.

Comments

[Jerlyn]

A change in mood... good or bad? Dan... do you know?

[Nicky]

This case is just a neverending story. My belief is that Joran is a damn liar and has been proven to be a liar. We might not ever find out what happened to natalee. I sure hope we do. Its absolutely amazing how everything "wrong" seems to keep happening. Its like no big break or anything conclusive.

[Dan Riehl]

"other than to say they are feeling better"

[sunni]

I just want to send my thoughts and prayers to her family and friends, in case they visit this site. I cannot imagine the pain that her family is going through and will pray daily for her safe return as well as others who may be missing.

God bless the Holloway/Twitty family...and all the loved ones of the missing. May you all find peace.

[EJsgal]

I just have to say this The Aruban Minister of Justice, one Rudy Croes I believe, is a piece of work. He is starting to sound like Saddam Hussiens information minister during The Fall of Baghdad. Nothing he has said has coincided with even his own staff, and he wonders why people are losing faith in the Aruban system.

[CancunGirl]

It was heartbreaking to watch Beth with Greta Van Susteren tonight, showing her the room Natalee stayed in at the HI and her packed clothes, her pocket book with all her money and her passport, which she keeps with hers so they can "both leave Aruba together". She looked incredibly drained, sorrowful, very sad and deflated. It was the first time I had seen her that sad, she is always so "determined". Jug also looked drained on Hannity and Colmes. It seems they had a prayer vigil at a local church with the whole team of Equusearch and the Holloway/Twitty family and friends on the Island. So, Dans report that they heard some news from the authorities that lifted their mood is very good to hear! As Greta said: "perhaps tomorrow, will be our day.."
Praying for just that, and to find Natalee alive..
CancunGirl

[resorttownmom]

Dan,

You are off the deep end on this one. Let me tell you something. Every human being makes mistakes. We do crazy things that are not scrutinized if something has not happened. Three years ago, my next door neighbor's house burned to the ground in under 30 minutes. Like an A-bomb hit. There was nothing left to make an investigation. Arson was suspected. Nobody was home so luckily nobody was hurt. I was out of town. My brother, who is a lawyer, told me. "Lucky for you, you were gone. Because they would have investigated you forever just because you are the next door neighbor. Every speculation in the world would have been made. That you hated the neighbor and got revenge etc., etc. etc." I go to the same restaurant frequently and alway have two drinks, never more. That would have been blown up into "frequent drinker." If I had ever been seen speeding. Well, that would have been "drives like a maniac." Shame on you for spreading this gossip.

[harry]

I believe men do prefer petite women with long, glistening blonde hair and pale inviting skin ... just like Natalee Holloway. And, I believe Joran, Mickey John, Jug and Mr. Holloway would agree with me.

[resorttownmom]

Dan,

You are off the deep end on this one. Let me tell you something. Every human being makes mistakes. We do crazy things that are not scrutinized if something has not happened. Three years ago, my next door neighbor's house burned to the ground in under 30 minutes. Like an A-bomb hit. There was nothing left to make an investigation. Arson was suspected. Nobody was home so luckily nobody was hurt. I was out of town. My brother, who is a lawyer, told me. "Lucky for you, you were gone. Because they would have investigated you forever just because you are the next door neighbor. Every speculation in the world would have been made. That you hated the neighbor and got revenge etc., etc. etc." I go to the same restaurant frequently and alway have two drinks, never more. That would have been blown up into "frequent drinker." If I had ever been seen speeding. Well, that would have been "drives like a maniac." Shame on you for spreading this gossip.

[annie]

CancunGirl I agree. I could feel their pain when I was watching that clip. Normally they are very focused and seem to have a good strength in front of them, but tonight I felt Beth was showing her pain. My heart goes out to these families and I pray Natalee is actually alive and can return home with her families. But no matter what, I just pray they are able to find Natalee so that they can have some sort of answers or resolution.

[Matt]

Hey Dan,
If Paulus Van der Sloot is such an astute legal mind, how come he flunked his Judgeship exams as told to Geraldo last weekend by Rudy Croes, the Minister of Justice? Maybe the Justice Minister didnt know what he was talking about...gawd there is so little known about this case!!
If the Holloway?Twitty family have some peace of mind tonight so be it. They deserve that.
Keep up the good work Dan.

[LetsHelp]

I am sick of people making excuses for these guys.

They are in jail because they lied. Over and over again for days and weeks. Two innocent men were put in jail and they kept on lying. Thousands of people searched for Natalee and they kept on lying. Her parents begged for answers and they kept on lying. They were put in jail and they kept lying. They are still lying.

They are not innocent victims and this level of lying is not from being scared or immature.

They are lying to hide a terrible thing that they have done to an innocent girl.

[Cmoney]

Ahhh Dan. It's not unusual for men or women to be attracted to a particular "type" of person. So, Joran went for Natalee because she was his "type". That doesn't seem unusual nor is there anything sinister about that, in and of itself. But here's a question I'd like to see answered before I make the leap that JDVS was a predator who confidently approached young, blonde tourists:

How many other young, blonde, American women vanished after spending time with him?

[Island Hopper]

How many other young, blonde, American women vanished after spending time with him?

Who knows, as long as the active coverup team has been in place?

[brenda]

OK - this is my theory, matched up to Greta's timeline....please discuss and poke holes in it. ok?

**********************************************

Todays show Greta on the record, really tightens the time line for that faithful monday..here is what I got...

1.30am-2.30am Lie #1 Cruising at California Lighthouse,

Lie #2 Fisherman’s Hut/ Arashi Beach?.

1.30-1.45am
Half truth 1.
Deepak and Satish drops off Joran near the Marriot Inn after visiting Cali Lighthouse

2.40am
Joran calls Deepak via Cellphone? Maybe asking for lift or help.

3.30am
Joran reaches home at Montana #19, Text Msg Deepak?

4.00am
PVDS picks up his Son? Geraldo reported this but not sure if it was bs or not...according to AVDS Paulus was fast asleep.

6.00am 7.00am
Joran in school, confirmed by Ms Renfrom or arubatoday.com
*****************************************************

end of Greta's timeline - now here is my interpretation -

****************************************************
Sometime between closing of CnC's and 1:45am - SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED

1.30-1.45am Question - could this be the reported "around 2am" trip over in direction of Montanje (Joran's) with Deepak and Satish in car? Could a slumped over natalee and a panicked joran be still in back seat? Natalee's body - dead or semi alive - stored in Joran's room

****sometime shortly after dropping off joran and natalee's body and the VDS household Deepak scrubs car down really good before going home - reports are on this site of him being seen around this time doing just this ******

2.40am Question - could it not be Joran calling Deepak to say he "told dad something bad happened tonight" and showed papa sloot condition natalee in - could be dead or semi alive at this point.

3.30am Question - could this not be Joran calling Deepak to say - "come by tomorrow" - dad wants to talk to us all - Dad said "he will figure out what to do"

4.00am - could be total BS considering source is Geraldo

6.00am 7.00am Papa Sloot makes sure hungover son gets on bus to school to establish a next day alibi for son - ex: a son who made it to school surely couldn't be out all night burying a body.....

6:00-ish the phone call from south end of island - Joran calls buddies to remind them to be at his house as they need to meet with papa sloot - made most likely while Joran en route to school

evening.....after school....

papa and 2 or 3 amigos meet around pool and come up with a plan...perhaps Satish not there....

Plan of papa's told to boys. Boys rehearse stories, alibi's.

sometime after dark.....

Deepak and Joran execute papa sloots plan to dispose of Natalee's body, Id, clothes and whatever else evidence there is...

in the meantime.....Beth and Alabama group arrive on island, make it over to the VDS household....Papa runs interference with story of son "out gambling"......Deepak and Joran make it back to VDS household by time Alabama group gets back.

Kids now smart asses because they feel papa Sloots plan "perfect" as body, driver's license, and any other evidence now permanently disposed of....

Papa has panic attack and tell kids to NOT TALK.

Anyone have a problem with this version and why it don't work?????
_________________

[Kristin-in-SC]

Look this is really bothering me. Apparently Natalee did not stay in her own hotel room the 3 nights prior to her vanishing into thin air. What I want to know is *where* and *with who* did she spend those three nights with? Was it someone local (perhaps Lorenzo??) or someone that she went on the trip with. I have not heard or read *anything* at all about this since the start. This is a very important thing to know because it could very well implicate and provide a motive if this was perhaps a jealousy issue.

[FLAGators]

hey,
i have been reading updates/comments on this site for weeks now, and have been interested in this story since the begining. I just finally decided to comment after reading hundreds of comments...
first off i just graduated myself, know how crazy graduation trips can be...im def. more careful now and i am quick to remind my friends we are not immortal.
I pray and hope they do find natalee and soon for her and her family's sake.

and to comment on the whole thing of joran's character....if u have been glued to foxnews like i have you would have seen the interview with her two closer girlfriends that clearly stated natalee went up to joran and introduced HERSELF to him. so i dono take what u want from that...and the whole paris hilton thing...come on i dont have one peer right now that would not do almost anything to meet a certain celebrity..that doesnt mean they we are obsessed freaks.

although almost everyone is pointing their fingers at this kid, theres still that chance he's not guily...thats something all should keep in mind

[Island Hopper]

Great theory Brenda

[PT]

It sounds pretty normal for a guy to flirt with blonde women or any women, I mean really?? Isn't this sort of normal? So, you don't flirt and you are strange and you do flirt and you are a predator. I think this is really reaching out there somehow. Nothing particularly perculiar at all about Van Der Sloot's past behavior so far.

Also, wasn't Natalee seen flirting with Joran? Do people think that is strange too? This all really sounds sort of really NORMAL to me. What is not normal is Natalee vanished. Maybe Natalee's disappearance was not a result of a psychological profile but something that happened, what we don't know, that particular night?

Are you suggesting Joran was looking for blonde chicks to kill or do you think maybe he has hormones and just doing what guys do?

Something obviously happened to Natalee but I have not seen evidence that suggest strange behavior regarding Joran before this night that would indicate him as a dangerous person.

High school guys in the US flirt, many drink, some have a few pushing matches and some know how to play poker better than others. That does not add up to murder. Get real.

What happened to Natalee is a mystery but it is unfair to try to develop a profile which just obviously isn't there for now. The problem is a lot of people will start reading more into what would likely been seen as pretty typical..

Judging from what I have heard, something happened that night that nothing we have seen from any backgrounds so far would indicate. I really believe, in time, we will discover what happened to Natalee.

Hopefully Natalee is on the yacht. I doubt it but stranger things have happened. Elizabeth Smart showed up. Who could have ever imagined that senario?

I don't understand the focus on Paul Van Der Sloot. It appears his son was somewhere and something happened that we don't know or understand.

It would be great to hear some new factual information but that is just not coming for now. Steve Croes should be able to provide some information about what he knew or was told if someone could just get him to talk. He will likely tell a few friends and family something and that information would really be informative.

PT

[RstJ]

So Joran liked blond american tourists. Well, what horny young guy wouldn't? He lived near a tourist zone, so they were in endless supply.

But what was his MO? What does a 17yr old kid with no car actually *do* with the women who are interested in him? Find out what his usual pattern was and whether it corresponds to what he and the Kalpoes are saying happened that night.

RstJ

[texas05]

I don't but I still wonder why the Texas dogs have not searched the VDS home for NH smell?

[CommonSense]

Dan -

Have to agree with resorttownmom

What a bunch of unsubstantiated rumors you are putting out. Yesterday the 'big hit' at the Quarry and today this mess.

The Holloway's sure as shootin' didn't look too happy on Fox tonight to me...and it's pretty late there by the time it airs.

What do they do...have midnight rendevous with the Aruban authorities?

[FLAGators]

PT you made great points i strongly agree

[trollhater]

It is horrible that these people come in here and blame Natalee God Bless her.

[Island Hopper]

I do not understand those that want to discount Dans post today without bothering to read all of the other posts first to gain a history and insight. You are certainly small minded individuals.

[Island Hopper]

No Florida Gator is that stupid.

[Kristin-in-SC]

I hope you are not suggesting that I am blaming her because that is far from the fact. I am just trying to make sense out of something that makes no sense. There was talk of Natalee giving Lorenzo a lot of attention and then she meets Joran and suddenly Lorenzo is ignored. I was young once too and interests and attractions can change like the weather.

[Island Hopper]

Who is Lorenzo and when did Natalee meet him? Do you have inside information you need to share?

[Florida Boy]

It is Dan's blog, so it is his right to publish his theories and conjectures. Go ahead and disagree, but don't call him irresponsible. That is ridiculous.

And Flagator, you are excused from having the appearance of a simpleton due to your apparent academic allegiance. We will try to only utilize words with two syllables or less.

[Island Hopper]

That is no Gator with canes in the email address. NOPE

[Kristin-in-SC]

Apparently Lorenzo is the crazy dude whose hosted the underground raves. From what I have read over on scaredmonkeys, Natalee met Lorenzo at C&C.

[Island Hopper]

Oh, rumors...... I should have known.

[Island Hopper]

Better yet Internet rumors. That gives them so much credibility that you come in here and claiming to KNOW when Natalee slept in her room?

[Kristin-in-SC]

Are you from Aruba Island Hopper? Are you one of the many that seem to be trying to interfere with the investigation?

[Island Hopper]

Why would I interfere?

[traveler]

I live in Birmingham and I have two sons, just a bit older than Natalee. They didnt know her, though they know people who do. One was involved in student government in high school, and during his junior year he was approached about organizing a senior trip by the spring break/senior trip companies. These companies were aggressive about trying to get a commitment from the kids for a trip. Free for the class president, etc. We told both our boys they couldn't go on the trips. They weren't happy, but I knew these trips were hard partying--- even for the good kids. One of my friends daughters went to Cancun her senior year and called her Dad to send the jet to get her because one of her friends ended up in jail after a drunken brawl.
I havent seen anyone in the media really comment on the proliferation of these companies pushing the spring break and senior trips focused on partying and drinking. But I think it needs to be discussed. The trips are so popular, partly because it is so profitable for these companies and they push them Look at this site. www.beachbreaks.com/Cancun/2005_party_schedule. If we do let our kids go out of the country, then we have to realize that we're letting them go to nations with different laws. These countries are beautiful, fun and charming. I've traveled in the Caribbean and Mexico frequently and its my favorite vacation. But they are not the US and at some point we have to realize that and respect the way their systems work. If my child had gone missing, I would have reacted the same as Natalees parents. Created as much havoc as I could to try to find her alive and get answers. I applaud them for doing so and agonize with them that they can't find her. But if it appears there is little hope for that and time has passed, then we can't expect Aruba to jeopardize their case and give answers before legally feasible.

[Island Hopper]

i am still trying to figure out why anyone with any dignity or humanity would consider such a revolting thing.

[resorttownmom]

What I am trying to say is that our behavior is always judged in the content of the situation. Everyone would have to be a saint if they had to live as though they would be accused of every crime in the world.

[Kristin-in-SC]

Just seems to be the feeling I get from you.

As for Natalee and where she slept, her friends reportedly told the media that they weren’t worried about her on the night she disappeared because she and others were all “crashing in the rooms of their friends.”

[elaine]

IHOP, TROLL HATER, FLORIDA BOY,

THEY CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES, THEY HAVE GOTTEN SO ENRAPTURED IN THIS CASE THAT THEY HAVE CLEARLY FORGETTEN TO TAKE THEIR MEDS. FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW!!

I WILL HOLD MY TOUNGE ON THE FLORIDA GATORS OUT OF RESPECT FOR YOU IHOP : ) BUT I WILL SAY I AM NOT SURPRISED IN THE DEFENSE OF THIS ANIMAL COMING FROM A MODERN DAY GATOR!!! HAVE A FEW KEGS WITH YOUR WITH YOUR MEDS NEXT TIME, IT MIGHT HELP!!

AND YES MR GATOR WE ALL KINDA FIGURED OUT THAT YOU GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. CONGRADULATIONS BY THE WAY!! MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR YA DUDE!!

[Island Hopper]

Joran portrayed himself to the world via his websites. He himself showed the world what he wanted us to see him as. We saw it. Now he is crying foul, he wants to play erase, erase, I am a juvenile baby boy. BS He posted the pictures and descriptions himself. We got the picture he wanted to portray.

[calista]

I really am lost here..........there are SO many rumours flying around - are any of them true? Like if someone truly saw the kalpoe brothers scrubbing down their car at 2 am or whenever why hasn't anyone told the police? I just do not believe that 3 kids can be in jail this long and not one of them has broke yet or slipped up? I mean geez Scott Peterson was a nut case and even he made a huge number of slip ups - and one thing I don't get is every time I see Beth Holloway on t.v. she is always saying she "knows" certain things about who is involved or who has more information but when asked for specifics she always gives these vague half answers and won't say what she knows - I don't get it - if it was my child and I knew something - I would put it out for the world to hear so maybe this case might go somewhere instead of nowhere. The whole thing is just a huge mess and I have never seen such ridiculous "police" work - who will they arrest next and release? If anyone has heard or read about the Amy Bradley case - it is quite interesting how similar it is ttot his and makes you think Natalee could very well be alive and being forced to work as a prostitute or something - also - why would she go out to a bar and leave her cell phone and all her cash in her room?

[JustMe]

Get a grip, people. Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were the last three people known to have seen Natalee - alive or otherwise. They have all three lied to the police. INNOCENT PEOPLE DO NOT LIE TO THE POLICE. Got it?

Texas05, when the police searched the Van der Sloot home there were dogs from the Miami-Dade County, Florida, Police Department present. A report I saw on television said that the dogs had a couple of hits at the Van der Sloot home. They were described as cadaver dogs, but the circumstances make me think they were more along the lines of search dogs. Don't ask me to provide the source because I cannot remember where I saw that. It was probably on Fox or CNN.

[elaine]

IHOP

and no canes would dare claim him : ) : ) : )

[Erudite Blonde]

Brenda, since you asked:

You suggest the text messsage was sent in some kind of code. Perhaps so. But speaking for myself, I continue to have misgivings about the 3:30 AM text message, and find it odd that even Greta relied on Joran's text message to place Joran at the home in her reenactment of his travels that night.

Let's assume there really was a text message and that the exact wording of the message is as has been reported because the investigators traced it to Joran's cell phone. I queried this past weekend whether it is not equally as plausible that the content of the text message was a lie and the entire text message itself a ploy perpetrated by Joran for no reason other than to establish an alibi that he (Joran) was home when in fact he wasn't... i.e., was off doing something else in furtherance of whatever happened to Natalee. Indeed that text message could very well have been suggested by his father in order to create a contemporaneous technology-based record that he knew police would later use to reconstruct the evening's events.

Why would a young male text message another young male friend to say, in essence, "hey, I made it home OK," as if Kalpoe was lying awake worrying about him? That seems totally implausible for this group of man-boys. Besides, the admonition, "Let me know you made it home OK" is something a responsible adult would do.... hardly the picture painted of these 3 comrades.

Indeed, when juxtaposed with Joran's story that he left Natalee on the beach, his "responsible" don't-worry-about-me text message behavior in no squares with the notion of leaving a young girl inebriated (that's his story, not my assumption) alone on a beach in the middle of the night when she has a plane to catch early in the morning.

Here is a robust 6'4" "sporter" (athlete) who somehow thought walking home in the middle of the night was risky enough to want to assure a friend he made it safely, yet he didn't think leaving a diminuitive young woman on a beach in the middle of the night was even more risky, knowing she would have to "stumble" (his words, not mine) home on her own across a dark unlit beach or through the streets unaccompanied? Wouldn't he have said to her, "OK, I'll leave you here if you insist, but at least call me when you get back to your hotel so I know you got there safely." Had he not received a call by say 4 AM, he could have taken action, like call 911.

Fitting the text message into his story requires such mental gymnastics that it renders the entire scenario both implausible and logically inconsistent. So I place no temporal value on the text message or its content whatsoever.

[elaine]

just me,

and if anyone can do the search and rescue down there, you dam well best believe it's miami dade.

proud to say i grew up with quite a few of them!!

[Island Hopper]

Sorry elaine it was his email.

[lori]

Satish's lawyer reported on Greta tonight this timeline:

Just before 2:00 am, Satish and Deepak drop Joran and Natalee off at beach.

2:40 am Joran calls for a ride.

3:15 am Joran SMS to say he was home.

Anita VDS was out of country supposedly on night in question. How would she possibly know if Paul VDS was fast asleep at 4:00 am as suggested earlier in this post?

[elaine]

FOR THOSE WHO WANNA DIS MY FRIEND IHOP AND DAN:

GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Island Hopper]

I have a new theory