Natalee Holloway And Joran Van der Sloot Captured On Film At Carlos And Charlies

I received a tip that there was a picture showing Joran Van der Sloot inside Carlos and Charlies on the night of Natalee Holloway's disappearance. That image seemed clear; however after an initial review of the pictures, it now appears that a tourist with a camera may have captured the last known image of Natalee Holloway, as well.

Click images to enlarge. shut off pop up blocker if you have one.

Though time and date stamped and captioned suggesting one of the images may be Natalee, I had my doubts as regards any of the pictures being legitimate. But further inspection suggests they are, indeed, genuine.

The image below is obviously of Joran Van der Sloot in his favorite light plaid shirt. The image is stamped at 12:30 AM on the night of Natalee's disappearance and was taken inside of Carlos and Charlies. A second image, possibly of Natalee Holloway is much more difficult to make out. Along with the tourist suggesting the blonde girl in sun glasses standing by the door was Natalee Holloway, there's an additional factor which leads me to believe that may be the case.

Natalee was:

Last seen wearing: ... a denim knee length skirt, a teal green halter top and brown flip-flops.

That is the outfit she has on in the AP/Beth Twitty credited picture above. Below is the caption:

Natalee Holloway, left, poses with friends Lee Broughton, Madison Whatley, and Ruth McVay, left to right, in a photograph taken with Natalee's disposable camera on the beach in Aruba, May 29, 2005, hours before she disappeared. (Photo: AP/Beth Twitty)

When you enlarge the picture taken at 12:23 AM of a young woman standing in the doorway, it becomes clear by examining the palette that the top is of a green color matching the top Natalee Holloway is said to have been wearing that evening.

In his recap, the tourist describes her as "The tall blond girl standing at the doorway in the background/she has sunglasses on."

Still doubting the images, I started to examine them more closely. If you look at the tall narrow image (left bottom), it seems fairly clear that the outfit of a girl standing just barely within the camera frame matches that of Lee Broughton, also pictured in the image at the beach with Natalee Holloway and her friends.

It was that which made me feel more comfortable that these pictures were, in fact, taken inside Carlos and Charlies on the night of Natalee Holloway's disappearance.

Combining all of the above, it is possible to at least consider the notion that the murky image in the background of a picture from a tourist snapping pictures inside Carlos and Charlies the evening Natalee Holloway disappeared may represent the last known image of the young girl alive.

UPDATE: I didn't even see it, a commenter has pointed it out - but that is indeed likely to be Natalee Holloway leaning down from up on the bar. I initially thought the one girl had her arm in the air, closer inspection shows that to not be the case.

Comments

[Dove]

It's interesting to note that in the Spring Break photo pack, at Carlos and Charlies, the DJ, Steve Croes, was also photo'd at the party. See position 138:

http://gallery.magic965.com/displayimage.php?album=197&pos=138.

So, he's a regular at C&C's. Wonder if he showed up there the night of Natalee's disappearance?

http://gallery.magic965.com/displayimage.php?album=197&pos=138

[NewYawkGirl]

Sorry I dont believe that is Natalee..Look at the picture of Natalee on the beach with her friends ..the pattern of the shirt on her breasts is a dot like pattern.. the bar photos show a stripe pattern

[Merlin]

I lightened it up.... it is Natalee... and she has the same shirt on........

[iremember]

Kap
good post, in all respects. The pictures are entertainment and nothing more as far as I am concerned, just more fuel for wild speculation.

Still, Dan deserves all of our gratitude for keeping the Light and Heat focussed on this case, especially when there seems to be nothing new coming out.
Thanks, Dan.

[Tanya]

NewYawkGirl i first agreed it was her but after seeing other post and checking the pictures on paint i find things wrong. friends back of blouse drops to low and blouse length longer than before could be a dress. hair too short. natalees hair missing and if holding it up was most likely posing for a picture. (if her) top too stripped yes and pictures blurry WHY?
did all the girls have on same clothes from previously or did they change?

[kyle]

Jessie in the last post is right on.

if you want answer Lee Broughton has them because the place closes in 30 minutes so when did Joran come up. Natalee is def not wasted.

Can Dan get an interview with Lee? Has Lee been on TV yet?

[LetsHelp]

I think Dan is trying too hard for scoops...and I agree, if a photo of Natalee dancing on the bar was released early in the case probabably no one would even be following her disappearance because instead of being cast as a "nice" girl she would have been portrayed as a wild drunk floozy, and we all know what happens in those cases....

[ev]

What's does Natalie dancing on top of the bar have to do with her dissppearing. She was doing what any normal 18 year old would do on a trip to Aruba. Dan you have given much information that I find intriguing, however posting pictures of Natalie dancing on a bar is inappropriate this was before she went missing what does this have to do with the case?

[LetsHelp]

I agree EV....

This will just be used by people to say "see" I knew she wasn't as nice/responsible/respectable as her mother and friends said she was.....

I mean, if Dan got a photo of Natalee in a bikini from earlier in the trip, would he post that too?

[bamamom]

Look dancing on bars, or volunteering at a old folks home...it doesn't matter. No one has the right to take someone agains their will...no one has the right to take someone's life...
It's ludicrous to put any blame or shame on the victim in any case...

[Phantom]

Certainly looks like her top, or at least the same color, she's standing or dancing on the bar, ok where is the rest of the pic? ...

Posted by: cocomo | July 22, 2005 04:00 AM

Yes, WHERE is the REST of possibly_lee_b_1.jpg?

[LetsHelp]

Bamamom,

Yes, that is true. But you know as well as I do that is not how a lot of people think. How much trashing of Natalee has already gone on just because she was at the bar, dancing and drinking and left with the suspects? How many horrible posts about her have you seen just based on that?

All this photo does is give those people something to talk about.

[bamamom]

Well in a perfect world these photos coming up EARLY in investigation could have shown what Joran was wearing for forensic purposes...Timestamps could have been used to determine if it is yet another hole in the boys story....
I think if there are those out there who want to slander Natalee based on any behavior...they really need to think about their own children...This is not the middle ages...women don't have to cover their ankles, for fear of stimulating men's libidos..we don't have to wear veils or masks...Oh wait..that still exist some places doesn't it??? Then those people who blame women should move THERE...

[wirefox]

There is a stage right next to the bar at Carlos and Charlies. I doubt she was on the bar. She was probably on that stage dancing with friends. Natalee was part of a popular dance troupe at school so I am sure she was not shy about getting up and dancing for a crowd. The photos if they are real do not mean anything except they place her at C & Cs. We all already knew she was there.

[kristin]

It you put the two pics beside each other, it is definately Natalee. But look closer. Behind her friend Lee (and just above her head) is another head. I wondered why Natalee's arm just seemed to stop. She's reaching down to someone standing between her and Lee.

Why is it in every picture I see of Jordan, he's got his arms around the others?

Look at the picture of Natalee and her friends. She's got her hands on Lee but the other three are kind of positioned away from her.

[sunshine]

In the photo where Natalee is dancing on the bar, she's bending down/over so Joran can put a $20 in her top.

[ev]

I am just a little surprised at Dan because he has been so responsible in giving us info on Natalie and what Aruba is doing. However back in the days when I was 18 I also went on my graduation celebration trip to Jamaica and guess what we also wore mini skirts and halter tops and danced at the clubs with locals. That did not mean that we were looking to get raped and murdered. What would is this that people mistake having a good time to luring someone to murder you.

[joetwopoles]

We're having a spirited discussion on this on forum #64 as well. One thing to point out is, where is the rest of the photograph? Why was it cropped in this manner (not to protect identities, faces can be easily blurred as it done here).

I want to see the whole photograph so that we can get a proper angle of persective on the location of NH in comparison to the other people in the bar. Read my post on #64, she could have simply been standing up on the rungs of a bar stool trying to get someone's attention on the other side.

Also, darn sure looks like two different plaid patterns to me. Were these two diiferent people, were they the same person taken on different nights, or did somebody change their shirt for some unknown reason.

A lot of questions her.

[clintcarter]

BAMAmom, etc.

1) The sentence in which I mention Joran and accident begins with a capatilized 'IF'.
2) Please copy for me anything I wrote that slanders Natalee. I don't see it.

English is a complex language capable of precise expression. Please read more carefully OR make fewer assumptions.

[bamamom]

I wasn't referring to you as slandering...I meant those that interpret something slanderous about her....

[SafeReturn]

Jessie, that only indicates she wasn't falling down drunk. You can be quite drunk and still stand on a bar or stage or whatever that platform is. It also depends on what she was drinking. Alcohol has a funny way of creeping up on you much later after consuming it.

[clintcarter]

Grlfmbama:
That depends on what you say to me, not what you think.

[txview]

I think the image above the bar is a reflection... it appears to be a mirror above the bar... Natalee's arm is flat on the bar. If she was dancing on the bar, or trying to get her friend to get up on the bar, her friend's head would be looking up. Her friend is clearly looking forward... as if she's waiting for a drink order.

[DennisAOK]

Am I blind? I don't see any woman standing in any doorway. Is it supposed to be in the photo with the superimposed box? I do recognize Joran in the first photo, and possibly Natalee's arm in the third.

[condorsa]

The fact is Natalee Holloway was clearly dancing on the bar at 12:23 AM, or so.
---------------------------------------------

Just wondering, but is the time stamp reliable? I mean when I go on vacation I don't always change the time on my camera to the local timezone, I almost always forget, so could the timestamp actually be local time from wherever the person who took the picture is actually from?

[clevfan]

In the picture of Natalee dancing on the bar, the person next to joran in the orange is the same outfit that one of the girls is wearing in the picture of the 4 girls on the beach (girl in orange is standing next to natalee)

[kristin]

It looks to me like Lee is kinds looking down. There is a taller person in behind her with the same colour hair. Natalee is reaching down to him.

[joetwopoles]

Dan,

Where's the rest of the photo? Was it horizontal or vertical before it was cropped? What else was in the full photo? Very curious!!!

[harp]

Hey people the one is Joran, according to me. Dan Why can you put the whole picture? With the whole picture we can conclude much better if she was or was not on the bar.

[rinbama]

If you lighten the photo and darken the contrast of Lee, you can see that her hair is pulled up into a ponytail. What looks like another head is actually the top of her head, then a scrunchy or clip and then her ponytail. That's why her hair is choppy looking. It also appears that she is looking more to her left. Her shirt does extend below her elbows so the length is correct. I agree that Natalee most likely had her hair pulled up as well.

[Phantom]

Also, darn sure looks like two different plaid patterns to me. Were these two diiferent people, were they the same person taken on different nights, or did somebody change their shirt for some unknown reason.

Posted by: joetwopoles | July 22, 2005 09:29 AM

They are different. One is a single stripe, the other is a double stripe.

[val]

That is definitely her friend form the picture on the beach and Natalee hanging down form the bar. There is no doubt in my mind. trhey have the same outfits as the picture.

[CC]

I don't get those doubting-It is without a doubt exactly her top-the single double stripe thing is just that part of it is tucked under because of the angle of her body and breast

[joetwopoles]

I took the photo into Adobe Photoshop and sized it, using the height as the original dimension since that is the most likely portion not cropped if this were a standard horizontal photo.If NH is in the uper right corner of the photograph, were missing the left 80% of the photo. If it was taken vertical, we're still missing 2/3rds of the photo.

The could really help tell us a heck of a lot more, especially since the assumed NH portion is on a very small amount of what we see in the first place.

For instance, would we see any of Natalee's friends in the photo? There were over a hundred of them on the trip. Were they dancing on the bar?

More photo, more info!!!

[stacy]

that is her in the long pic or the outfit she was wearing anyway, but the guy at the bar looks too short to be joran by the height of the girl next to him

[proudredneck]

OBTUSE? What I said was that the tenor of this discussion would have been different if this photo came earlier. Do you disagree?
You read my words and say I think Natalee wanted to be killed? I'm sick of illogical a**holes this morning. The ability to reason is what separates us from the animals.
If a woman dances she wants to be raped? DID you even READ what I wrote? After all the emotion of the case if you were in front of me I'd slap you hard, REDNECK. B*tch.
What do you have to be proud of? Can't think OR write with intelligence. Just upset because I've slapped you down before, and this is the best you can do? Have you EVER written a logical argument? I didn't think so.
I'm on the warpath this morning. Either bring the real stuff or stay out of my face.

Posted by: clintcarter | July 22, 2005 06:16 AM

That's pretty slanderous. Personally, I consider it a threat.

[bhamsteph]

Val, you are so right.

My question is: why are those other friends always the ones interviewed when this girl, Lee, is in the picture with her right before the place supposedly closed and everyone left?? Or has Lee spoken out?

[Marci]

I don't think that picture of Joran is authentic. It is probably superimposed from a snapshot of Joran when he was handcuffed. It looks like all the ones you see of him on TV. Also, if that is Natalee on the bar, why isn't her hair hanging down?

[melja]

Look at photo number 104 taken on that spring break trip, it's all 3 of the culprits isn't it?

[Mike 1]

mox nix

[Kampy]

Having been to C&C's before, there is an elevated stage on the right side of the room when you enter the bar. When the spirits are flowing, girls are encouraged to get up there and dance. Looks like that's what Natalee may have been doing. The bar actually has a TV camera pointed at the stage at all times, and the images are shown live throughout the bar. Wonder if the Keystone Cops in Aruba have confiscated that particular tape?

[joetwopoles]

Something else that really stinks here. Why now? There were hundreds of people in the bar that night, many not with the MB trip. Customers, waitresses, bartenders... why has there never been any mention of NH dancing on a bar? Everybody that was there that week from anywhere on the earth knows what she looks like. Wouldn't just one of them liked to have been the first one to tell the media they saw NH dancing on the bar??!!!

And if I had a camera and there were girls dancing on the bar, I think I'd be taking pictures of them! Why the tightly cropped picture
some say is Vsloot, why did they blur his face out? Did someone know it wasn't him and blur his face so that we might think it was. The plaids darn sure don't match up. And the shot at the door, could have been any of fifty or a hundred girls there. All of this smells fishy.

The crops, the blurs, the plaids that don't match, all bring up big red flags. The photos could have been taken of different people in different nights for all we know-- and we don't even know whether they were all taken at C & Cs for sure. Once again, where's the honesty? Show us the whole photos, unblurred, with date stamps to prove they were all taken on the same night, same time, same place.

[globetrotter]

I am an artist and as such I understand perspective quite well.

The second picture is definitely of Natalee and she is definitely standing on the bar and leaning down towards her friend Lee.

I lightened it up in Print Shop and it's very obvious and easy to see. Since someone asked for it to be lightened I did that and posted it on my aol blog.(See for yourself if you wish.)

http://journals.aol.com/globetrotter2u/Myfeelingsarereal/entries/1147

The third picture is not Natalee. The shape of head and hairline is all wrong. The first pic is definitely of Joran.

The most troubling aspect about this entry of Dan's is Lee's silence.I think we all agree on that one.

I would also like to know why the rest of the picture is cropped. Dan?

[sol rosenberg]

Back in my day, Sol would've been dancing on the bar as well. Big deal...

[less0305]

I agree that in the picture it appears to be Natalee on the bar or stage and she is reaching down to a guy taller than the "Lee" figure as if to encourage them to come up with her.

Also, in the photo that is supposed to be Joran in the plaid shirt (There's some flourescent green circle in the background)...I think that's Lee's neck that you see. Look at the earring and look at the strap of the top and then look at the photo of the girls. I think that is Lee also in that shot, but it's just her neck and ear.

[Kap]

jessie - here we go again, since you have a brick wall for a head...Natalee's friend Lee has already been questioned by the FBI and I'm sure she has given them all the pertinent information she knows. BTW, how do you know Natalee was not drunk by dancing on the bar? You can be sloopy drunk and still walk a straight line. I've seen people do it. I've also seen highly intoxicated girls dance on bars without falling. Another nice attempt to spin these photos in some negative way to try and solidify your position. It didn't work BTW.

[outraged]

Thats definately Lee Broughton in the photo with Natalee apparently dancing on the bar. Someone needs to take this photo and solicit Broughton.

She needs to elaborate on the events of that night. Pro, or con. TALK.

[fyi]

for those wondering, all of her friends have done everything we can and told the police everything we know, no one is holding back anything.

[Denise]

Perhaps the gal at the door is her friend, Ruth, up in the first photo. Same color of green but she is a bit taller and has darker hair. I agree that it is Definetly Lee in the bar picture most likely with a MB teen.

[Paulo]

How can I see this alledged email or other correspondence from Deepak? I have been to his and Satish's but there isn't anything on them that is remotely useful. Any suggestions? Hey Jessie, I'm counting on you!

These are really good photo's Dan. Keep em' coming if you can!

Paulo