I Apologize

Certain facts demanded re-confirming - now done. There is much more coming. I will complete this tonight, I promise. I had no intention of doing a partial post and if you wish, please go to bed. It will be here in the AM. Arrgh! And my editor has gone to bed, so forgive me. Excuse any typos.

Initial part:

The trip from Mountain Brook, Alabama to Aruba was not an official "school" trip, but an organized celebration for a group of mostly carefree and deservedly celebratory seniors from Mountain Brook High School, as well as some attendees from other surrounding schools. The last a fact that has gone mostly unreported.

While adults were involved in the organization of the trip, waivers were signed by students, and or parents, as appropriate. While adult chaperones traveled along for general oversight, it was reasonably clear and well established that, excepting for a clear and known emergency, the bold, bright faces of MBHS were, in some ways, almost striking out on their own for their very first time in an island paradise considered at least as safe as the streets of many American towns.  They were celebrating years of hard work and sacrifice paid to earn their way into, in many cases, some of the better colleges of America.

Mountain Brook is home to a class of people some would describe as too well-off and perhaps a bit over-privileged; while still others will tell you it is the heart of an America that works hard for its money, establishes and runs banks and various businesses and fuels the great engine of commerce which funds the American dream.

Sun-tanned and not-rested, much as any bright new life might find itself glowing after a mostly uneventful but fully enjoyable trip, seniors were expected to be in the lobby of the Holiday Inn by 10:30 on Monday morning to assemble for the journey home. One young blond face of a reportedly mostly shy girl named Natalee Holloway never did join the gathering there.

Assuming she had simply stayed the night in another room with other friends, Natalee's roommates gathered up her belongings - luggage, purse, cell phone, and passport, bringing them down to the now crowding lobby in preparation for their flight home.  As the bus began to load, adults began to ask questions of the seniors as to why the missing Natalee might not be there. Her friends stated that she had left Carlos and Charlies with a local boy.
 
It was decided that the students and 6 of the 7 chaperones for the trip would go on to the airport so as to not miss their flight back home. Many of the chaperonees were veterans of the trip as it had become almost a ritual having been undertaken without incident for the past five, or so years. The remaining chaperonee, who was not my source for this story, kept her belongings, including cell phone, in case she turned up at the hotel.

Had she made a youthful misjudgment, maybe over-slept somewhere? Or, was she perhaps simply too embarrassed for having made a choice many might characterize as unusual for the girl? It's impossible to under-speculate as to what thoughts likely passed through the mind of a presumably worried chaperonee sitting alone in a hotel lobby waiting for the return of an increasingly missed young girl.

Local police were first notified of the situation at approximately 11:30 AM, one hour after the seniors scheduled departure from the hotel lobby.  A member of the beach patrol was dispatched to take a report and collect a copy of her passport for identification purposes.

Hotel staff interacted with the chaperonee, answering questions and putting forth possible explanations prior to the travel agent for the trip being contacted at approximately 2PM. That is believed to be close to the time of the departing flight, though the exact time of the flight is unconfirmed. The travel agent then contacted Natalee's family.

The parents and several high profile Birmingham business men left Birmingham around 4:30 CST on a private jet owned by one of the men, G. Ruffner Page, Jr., President of McWane Inc. - one of Alabama's s largest private companies.  The private plane is owned by the company.  Natalee's parents placed several calls regarding the troubling developments prior to their departure for Aruba. AT approximately 5:00 CST a member of the US DEA contacted the remaining chaperonee.  The DEA representative was on Aruba on another matter and the two individuals agreed to meet that evening back at the Holiday Inn.

By now the seniors, save one notable exception were back in Atlanta and several received incoming calls from Aruba from Natalee's cell phone. Unfortunately, what some thought was the re-appearance of their missing friend turned out to be more questions about her disappearance from the chaperonee back in Aruba. Attempting to provide as much helpful information as possible the chaperonee was informed that the boy with whom Natalee left Carlos and Charlies was somewhat known for having had played poker with several of their male classmates during the course of the trip. They identified the local boy only as Joran.

Comments

[chrys]

Never apologize - you're more accurate and thorough than most of us! Tanhks (they say you can read all the typos anyway as long as the first and the last letter of the word is in the right place!)

[Smithy]

Well, that was a good posting, but i learned NOTHING.

All I learned was that a rich business man owned the private jet that Natalee's mom used. Doesn't help me too much.

[itawamba]

Playing editor for you, just for a minute--in first sentence, it's Alabama, not Georgia. Don't want you to lose any readers with that. Back to reading now.

[tcumom]

You are doing an amazing, incredible job. No doubt all of your readers are so appreciative and grateful for your dedication in "getting the facts right"! We thank you.

[Whitney]

Thanks for the work and this prelude, Riehl World...I'm just going to stay up awhile and wait it out. I can only say this is one time that I bless the PT time zone...the other is that I could never get used to watching sunsets over land.

Great work and love the prose, so far. I know so much more than I did just 15 minutes ago.

Whitney

[Michele]

Do you have an idea on when it will be finished?

[Oscar]

The story continues, Natalee happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[edward ellington]

dan, great job. can't wait to read the rest. just a heads up- you put georgia instead of alabama for mb in the first paragraph. i know you are stressed. you rock. good luck.

[Getagrip]

I concur, no apology necessary. I'm glad I stayed up to read the first part, and I'm glad that you're thoroughly confirming the story before posting it.

I'm going to get some much needed sleep and will check back in the morning. Don't let the pressure get to you too much Dan!

[Whitney]

Go, Dan, Riehl World, tell the story and win your Pulitzer-in-our-mind's-eye for 2005. I don't see the NYT OR the WaPO or LAT CTrib sending anyone to tell this story; it's rip-and-tell for them and it seems it's rib-and-read for the cable shows.

[JustMe]

Pardon me for being so uninformed, but what does MSM mean?

Thanks.

[pamperedjen]

MSM is Main Stream Media

Dan...thanks for all the great info. I have lurked here and other sites for days!

[JustMe]

Thank you.

I had heard of blogs but never read one until I searched for information about Natalee.

Let it rip, Dan.

[AkekoaHoAlethia]

Thanks, keep up the good work.

[AvgJoe]

Don't know where you're getting your info, but there's a lot more info to be gleaned from Natalee's "girlfriends" back home. Are we supposed to believe that she went out and nobody in her group was in on it? I find that impossible to believe. Girls talk...maybe she was supposed to "hook up" with this guy before she went home. And I don't buy the story that the friends gathered her things and took them down to the lobby "thinking she spent the night in another room". They know where she went...and they should be ashamed for letting her go without alerting someone...

[Pee]

Thanks for that... i can see ur posting is very thorough. gives an idea of how meticulous u must be in ur data collection n sorting etc.

I pray that the Good Lord continue to grant courage and strength to the families of all parties involved.

Somehow i feel Natalie will eventually turn up alive somewhere.

P in S.E Asia

[Gerster]

I am giving the location of where Natalie maybe located. As a psychic trying to help. I believe the she is located in Arikok National park in the area surrounding the 1. Prins Plantation 2. 200 feet from the road 400 feet from a trail. Her head is facing South/West. 3 There are 3 scrub like bushes next to her She is buried under three feet in depth. 4. People that were looking for her passed by and missed where she was buried by 50 feet The area is smooth hump and can not be noticed as being a grave site.. 5. the 17 year old hurt her but the others where there She died at the hands of the 17 year old white male. She died at a turn off road parking lot for a trail head. The two brothers where there and had their way with her. 6. The two black males had nothing to do with the crime.and should be let go. I hope that this information will help in the investigation and you pass it on.to people that can use the info to help find her. My prayers are for the family and friends of this young lady. I have a map I can email to anyone who is interested in the exact location I believe she is at.

Gerster

[AkekoaHoAlethia]

Dear psycho,

What does my name mean and What is my maiden name? Just give me the numbers to win the current lottery jackpot in .. NJ.

[Nick]

It's people like Gerster who ruin the world for truth-seekers. For everyone's sake, will "psychics" or anyone else making pure guesses (unless raising it as a hypothetical) please refrain from posting here? We're looking for enlightment, not useless crackpot guesses.

[Rob]

Nick,
Maybe Gerster is a crackpot but maybe not. It doesn't hurt to put it out there - the investigators know how to weed out these things out. Besides, this is just a web blog people on this site are not solving anything.

[Rob]

Nick,
Maybe Gerster is a crackpot but maybe not. It doesn't hurt to put it out there - the investigators know how to weed out these things out. Besides, this is just a web blog people on this site are not solving anything.

[mic]

Any more news on whether or not this 17 year old dutch boys father IS or ISN'T a high ranking judicial person or a well connected person in Aruba?

[phunktified]

I'm certainly not a psychic, but I was wondering if the search parties have looked in the pet cemetary near Baby Beach. It's a pretty remote place, and it would be easy to overlook fresh grave sites there. I'm sure this area was covered when the Seroe Colorado area was targeted, but you never know.

[Orange]

Gerster,

How do you receive your information? Dreams, Feelings, audio etc? Curious. I do believe that people are gifted with psychic/intuitive information and I am in no way polking fun at you...someone who sounds like they are sincerely trying to help.

And Nick, what is the point of your post? Gerster's post sounded sincere and I think most of us post here because we are generally concerned. Does Gerster's post have less value because it is based on something else besides probable deductive reasoning like the other posts?

Best to all, Orange

[Nick]

Here, we have a blogger who has committed himself to providing information that has a good chance of being based on fact. That's why I read this blog on this subject, and not many others. My point was that by posting beliefs that are based on psychics' feelings or some other gut instinct, and passing them off as very likely to be the truth, people who come here for the honest facts have to weed through and separate mystic prophecies from fact-based reports. I thought many visitors come here for the same reason I do and would agree with me. Remember, it's just my opinion, worth the same size grain of salt as anyone else's.

[Gerster]

Sorry Nick and others to inform you I am as normal as any of you seeking the truth and where abouts of Natalie. I am giving the possible where abouts of possible site. I am not there I have read some of the posts on here and they are way out there lol. Where would you put a body of a person on any island so small and so populated. I place where nobody lives. where you can bury it in a place where only you can find it. Here are some options , Water, Rocks, Cave, Sand, Bushes. Use the combinations and you will come up by deduction that the place would be the Arikok National park, Sand Rocks caves and water. No take in consideration you had just killed someone. panic sets in adrenaline pumping. The mind of someone young adult will not be able to control thier actions. Scenareos are playing with their minds. Water? Hmm may wash up. Rocks may see mound of rocks. Caves to many tourist exploring them. The most logical would be sand and bushes. Lots of sand of the path and road. Sand can be dug with hands and smoothed out so therefore no evidence of a graves site. Hard to see even when when you are on top of it. Deep enough to keep the smell and bugs out. Use deductive reasoning and you find that what I had said and mentioned is not that far off the beaten path of possiblities. Nick we all seek the truth in this world. We believe that all people are good. Well sometimes they are not. I do not make a cent in providing information that could lead to the whereabouts of missing people. I hope that this information can be used to benifit those who seek find this person Natalie.

[joannie]

Go Gerster! Makes sense.

[sthrnalgirl]

Gerster

I was curious to see if the place that the police are digging now on the beach, are they close to were you were talking about earlier?

[AkekoaHoAlethia]

Gerster failed my test ... We can all guess.

[Gerster]

Akekoahoe,

I never took your test so how could I have failed it. We are all Gods children! Who are you to pass judgement on others. My feeling is that you need to look at yourself before casting the first stone.

I am not here to play magic tricks or to entertain you as I have one purpose here that is to supply clues to end the search for Natallie so the healing process can begin.

G

[Kelly]

Gerster ,
I believe you are 100% correct.She very well could be buried very deep in the sand.My prayers go out to her family..

[lori]

Hey, Go Gerster! I wish the FBI would bring in every psychic in the World. They would solve this case faster than the police and the FBI. Let the family start the healing process! I live in Alabama and am a single mother. I feel her pain. Your children are not supposed to die before you do. If anyone knows anything, especially you Gerster, have you tried to contact The Holloway family or the FBI or the networks? It's worth a shot!! I am praying!

[iquitos]

Dan, 14 June

The parents and several high profile Birmingham business men left Birmingham around 4:30 CST on a private jet owned by one of the men, G. Ruffner Page, Jr., President of McWane Inc. - one of Alabama's s largest private companies. The private plane is owned by the company. Natalee's parents placed several calls regarding the troubling developments prior to their departure for Aruba. AT approximately 5:00 CST a member of the US DEA contacted the remaining chaperonee. The DEA representative was on Aruba on another matter and the two individuals agreed to meet that evening back at the Holiday Inn.