Willard "Bud" Larson

Willard "Bud" Larson went missing in Aruba five years ago. His sister-in-law was on Greta tonight ... she claims the circumstances were very similar to the Natalee Holloway disappearance.

Ian has video.

Comments

[clintcarter]

Similar before or after the disappearance?

[andy]

Wow - how long has Aruba been disposing of people? They probably thought they could get away with it one more time; but will they?

I bet their crime rate is higher per capita than a small city of 98,000 in the US.

[GrannyToad]

I saw that. His family too flew to Aruba to search for him and was sent on endless wild goose chases.

[Isanah]

Now that's similar...wild goose chase...no the Marriot beach...no the lighthouse area...no the pond...no the landfill...! It seems the witnesses that come forward may be having a good laugh as to watching everyone act on these so called credible leads.

[elan]

Where is Bud?

[Isanah]

LOL! Where is Bud? Apparently no where to be found. Sorry, not sure what you mean..he's several pictures down on the link..missing after windsurfing on Aruba.

[MrsJimiHendrix]

thank you dan

i have not heard of this

his family must be heartbroken and then having to sit through this must be even worse for them

thanks for sharing this with us!

thanks to ian as well

[FloridaPatty]

I can only say I imagine more have had the same fate.

If BT has done anything, she's made the mothers of the world more aware. The girls who have seen this thing play out won't be so gullible one would hope.

Beth should go to Holland.

[grossedoutcanadian]

it really saddens me that there are countries so openly currupt and arrogant. These officials seem to have no regard for human life whatsoever.
God forbid something like that should happen to their children in the U.S.

If the Van de idiots or whoever they are, really love their son, and suspect he is involved in something so twisted, why aren't they trying to get him the proper help he needs, instead of heartlessly torturing a family who's child is was victimized. It makes no sense.

Shame on Aruba

[websleuth2]

And don't forget Max de Vries, age 14, who went missing in a jet ski accident, with no remains recovered, in 2004. There was a sighting of Max in Brazil:

Blogged at:

http://aruba101.blogspot.com/2005/07/amigoecom-max-de-vries-alive-in-brazil.html

http://aruba101.blogspot.com/2005/07/more-on-max-de-vries.html

And comments (and a flame war) here on Riehl World at

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2005/08/aruba_update_an.html

[TS]

Here is the missing person's list for Aruba. I'm not sure if it is an official list or not.

http://www.visitaruba.com/facts/newsdesk/missing.html

[Bigfish]

It's very dangerous partaking in water sports alone. If you become injured, with no communication device, the currents can literaly carry you out to sea.

I had friend tell me a story about when staying in a resort somewhere in that area. He was sailing alone on a small sailboat did a 180 and flipped the boat over. After repeated attempts to right the craft, he severly cut one of his feet and the blood was going in the ocean. While all this was occuring, the current had carried him to where he couldn't see land. The blood was attracting sharks and this guy was beginning to panic. After several hours, his wife reported him missing. The Coast Gaurd found him and the boat, ordered him to swim 100 feet away from the boat while they righted it, and he was then able to sail back to the resort. Sorry for being off topic but these things happen.

Bigfish

[Susan P.]

Its very interesting how many of those missing people are said to be in South America. I wonder who is taking them and what for? I hope that the 14 year old boy is still alive. His mother must be going quietly insane, losing her husband then her son.

Susan P.

[jayjay]

Just a slight correction on the Willie Larson story...

He did not go missing while windsurfing, he was on Aruba to windsurf. He went missing after a public fight with the rental office where he was to get the windsurfing equipment. They did not have the equipment he had reserved so he got into an altercation with them and left. He disappeared somewhere between the rental office and his hotel...

He never returned to the hotel, and the hotel filed a missing persons report that was ignored by the police till the family arrived and had to search on their own. Sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it.

I am beginning to think that the Aruban crime statistics against tourists might be a bit of a fudged number. I wonder how may incidents have been ignored, unreported or simply covered up!!

I hate to say this because it only really hurts the Aruban people, but I think it is time to boycott the Island till the police can prove themselves a reliable, competant asset rather than a corrupt bunch of "Good 'ole boys"!!!!!!!!!

[PeteMoss]

Does Beth Twitty think Joran is also responsible for this? He would have only been twelve, but she keeps on saying that he is such a "predator."

[scubajap]

Re: the Max De Vries story-
This broke just around the time the brothers were released from jail, and had people thinking along different lines.
Max de Vries was not alone when he went out on a jet ski, he was with a family friend David Stacy, 56. Max's father had died 14 months before, and it could have been Mom's boyfriend, but I think that was kind of quick, so I don't know.
David Stacy reported that Max's jet ski stalled, and when he went to help Max, his stalled too.
David then claimed the jet ski's capsized and the two hung on. Max eventually tired, fell away and drifted off. Search and Rescue found David Stacy hanging on to the Jet skis I don't know how many hours later. Max could not be found.
Now supposedly, but this is rumor as far as I have been able to see, I haven't found anything to confirm it on the net anywhere,
David was arrested in the states on suspicion of murder because there was a very big life insurance policy on Max. Then it turns out that they brought the boy out of hiding in Brazil because it was all an insurance scam.
I was told by someone that they saw it being reported on CNN, I have not been able to find any reference to it anywhere, but maybe some of you have more time and experience with that.
This got a few people here thinking, but the police tell me there are no big insurance policies on Natalee.

[Texas Joe]

jayjay wrote:
"I am beginning to think that the Aruban crime statistics against tourists might be a bit of a fudged number. I wonder how may incidents have been ignored, unreported or simply covered up!!"

Crime statistics have not been published by Aruban authorities since 1995. This is ridiculous considering how they brag about their low crime rate. Perhaps it's all an urban myth!

How to have a low crime rate:
1 amost nothing is illegal
2 the police look the other way when they see crime
3 the police don't collect evidence so nobody is ever convicted
if this fails, don't collect crime statistics, that way there will be none available to publish!

[Roy]

Aruba does have a low crime rate.
Aruba does NOT have a NO crime rate.

[ElissafanBelgium]

The insurance scam is just hearsay, they've said that about the parents of Amy Bradley too, that they put her in hiding to claim insurance money and to sui the island.

I don't understand why there is nothing on Max de Vries, not even with any missing person organisation, this is kinda strange? I don't think this Max excist but it is a story that became unfolded during these blogs for Natalee.

It's a shame for Aruba and I hope people will think twice before going down there.

[jan]

regarding beth holloway/harrassment:

I had a friend who accidentally cornered a racoon that had snuck into his house. The racoon ran around and finally realized there was no way out, so, he sat up, covered his eyes with his little paws. It's the fight, flight or freeze response. Deepak had his eyes covered and Beth was just trying to give him a positive way out. Clear your name and receive the deserved reward/compensation. He missed a great opportunity to do the right thing.

If you listen to other parents that have lost their children in the same way as Beth, they say that their biggest mistake was not doing what Beth is doing.

Beth is advocating for her child and she won't have the regrets these other parents now have. No one will advocate for her child like she will. She works with special needs children--she knows that, she was trained for this and has seen the results through her experiences in advocating for kids.

Also, regarding Deepak, we're all wondering why he was let go and why he isn't being questioned further? He did drive Natalee that night correct? He dropped her off, received phone calls from Joran and picked him up later without her. And, joran actually implicated him in one of the stories as being in the car alone with Natalee. He knows what went down. And we all know why there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE in the car. Why did the brothers wash their car out knowing there was evidence? Did Paul advise them? They could have cleared their names. He needs to step up to the plate and morally do the right thing. Beth was just trying to reach out, give him a hand and help him do what he knows he needs to do. Thank god it was taped ahead of time--you know, evidence to prove one’s innocence.

jan

[Nelson]

Its a shame of how many people are just starting rumours, really show how ignorant you are and why alot of American are getting such a bad reputation around the world. If you want to start bashing come up with facts!!! not bullshit

[Joanne D'Arc]

People go missing often in Hawaii !!!

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