Natalee Holloway: The Cover Up Begins In Mountain Brook

While I planned to say more on Joran's statements in this post, I thought it would be better to establish a baseline for when they were introduced. Part one of this series, Cable News: A Season Of Fraud, can be found here, if you missed it. This is part two - the next piece will follow in approximately a week and deal with Joran's alleged statements and the attempts to set him up, whether he is guilty or not. I am drawing no conclusion in that regard, only relying on current evidence, as opposed to unsubstantiated alleged facts and the mostly rumors being reported as news.

I've no information even remotely suggesting the reason we haven't been told the truth from the Mountain Brook side involves anything sinister. Nevertheless, what we have heard out of Mountain Brook amounts to a publicity campaign - and a consciously managed one at that.

As I'll take some heat for this post, I'll start by bringing in a colleague from the MSM - Mr. Bill O'Reilly himself - from Fox (Joran is evil - boycott Aruba) News. Fox was singing a different tune on June 16th, one they conveniently forgot.

ED KISSEL, FRIEND OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: I think I saw her a little later that night. I had stayed in Carlos 'n Charlie's pretty long, and I saw her dancing with Van Der Sloot later that night.

O'REILLY: Now, did you know Van Der Sloot? Did -- how did you know who he was?

KISSEL: I didn't know him, but I had seen -- he had been around the hotel and the casino with her and with her friends, her closer friends, just hanging out around the hotel for the last few days, two or three days.

O'REILLY: All right. So Natalee obviously knew him, then, was familiar with him. And when you saw him dancing with her, that didn't set off any bells. Was Natalee intoxicated, in your opinion?

KISSEL: I wouldn't say so. We were all having a good time. I'd go so far as to say that, but I wouldn't say intoxicated.

O'REILLY: She was drinking?

KISSEL: Drinking responsibly is what I would say.

O'REILLY: All right.

KISSEL: Along with the rest of us.

O'REILLY: Now, did you see her get into a car with Van Der Sloot and these two other guys?

KISSEL: I did not see her getting in the car. I saw her leaving, looked like with Van Der Sloot. I didn't see her getting in the car. You couldn't really see the road from inside the bar, so that is what I saw.

O'REILLY: But nothing set off any alarm bells for you, Ed? You didn't -- you weren't concerned or anything like that?

KISSEL: No. I wasn't personally concerned about anything. From what I've heard, I heard people talk about him and he sounded like a nice guy. So I didn't think any big deal.

Factor noted that most students and chaperones have been silent, and commended Kissel and Jordan for their willingness to speak on the record. "I appreciate both of you coming in and talking about what is a very painful experience."

For the record, I have never spoken to either of the students in the Bill O'reilly interview from the 16th, but I have confirmed my reporting through multiple sources from Mountain Brook who prefer to not be identified for this report. Also, drinking responsibly like the rest of us apparently includes at least one unidentified Mountain Brook student falling off the stage and cutting open his head.

Not long after a few individuals from Mountain Brook began talking candidly and openly about the trip, it was decided by someone that a candid picture was not what should be conveyed. Additionally, while I have not been able to independently confirm this one detail, it has been suggested by a credible source that we heard the word kidnapping in the beginning as it was determined to be the best way to get the FBI involved immediately due to a lack of confidence in the Aruban authorities to properly investigate the case.

For those intent on bashing the Aruban LE - who did clearly drop the ball in the case early on in a significant way - I've been told that through changes in agent assignments and kids travel plans immediately after the trip, it was likely more than a month after Natalee's disappearance that the FBI completed the last debriefing of students on the trip. I have no knowledge of how candid any of the attendees were with authorities.

Regardless of whether that particular item regarding a kidnapping is true or not, though in hindsight it certainly makes sense, the clear and organized effort undertaken to craft this story lends support to the notion that things were being calculated from very early on. Consequently, I am repeating that qualified statement from one credible source.

I admit to having lost patience with the tactic of continuing to accuse, demean and slander other chiefly young individuals when absolutely no proof has been put forward that they are guilty of any crime. Especially while willfully hiding the complete truth from an America which was reached out to so actively for financial and emotional support.

Recently I heard Beth Twitty make a televised accusation as to Paulus having an illegitimate child. Internet readers know that rumor has circulated for months and has never been documented by any evidence at all. I've been told the individual in question lost his real Father, who is said to have owned a local car dealership, some time ago. To the best of my knowledge he has no connection to Paulus Van der Sloot whatsoever.

As far as anyone I've spoken with can tell, there is no real evidence to suggest anything other than perhaps two young, behaviorally dumb, because they were both drunk, teenagers went to a beach one night of their own accord and after one left, the other disappeared.

Even the terrible pain, perhaps of a Mother in denial, is no excuse for a great injustice, especially when willing to obfuscate and conceal pertinent details around the incident, or perhaps not take the time to ascertain them. Hanging a noose around someones neck for life when you can't substantiate they've committed a crime is simply one more injustice added to the terrible tragedy of Natalee's disappearance. And it will not bring her back. As far as I can tell, there has been no credible evidence produced by anybody at this point.

In defense of Beth Twitty, I also believe there was an effort to smear and direct blame at the boys by parties other than those from Mountain Brook. I will address that in a later post. In short, it is quite possible that she has been reacting based upon the information she has been told, which the media never bothered to debunk, as I believe they should have.

If someone has real evidence that the three boys are guilty and will produce it - I'd be one of the first to call for their heads on a stick. But people should not have to endure accusations without evidence, or in the face of the public getting an unfairly imbalanced and fully managed story.

At least one credible media organization backed off of this story as it became clear that they were not going to be able to practice prudent journalism among trip attendees from Mountain Brook as a result of the access, limitations and rules for questions imposed. Logically, assuming they encountered the same obstacles, that didn't seem to bother cable news.

A word on Mountain Brook. While I've no doubt it is comprised of many good people it is an upper-middle, to upper class area where image is everything. It became clear to different residents I spoke with that saying or doing anything as regards the trip or the story which was not approved could lead to, in essence, being somehow negatively labeled within the community. Mountain Brook, Alabama was not going to do its wash in public, or tolerate anyone who might.

I personally have no qualms with that issue, but in the face of the the continuing unsupported accusations and allegations ever inflated by cable news, it's time someone came forward to tell what they know to at least lend balance to this story.

In a report from one earlier but recent graduate of Mountain Brook High School, the class of 2005 had something of a reputation for hard partying above and beyond what was considered the norm.

I've never heard anyone directly categorize Natalee Holloway as anything but a decent, average young girl of eighteen - but based on eyewitness accounts of that evening, as well as other evenings at Carlos and Charlies when she was present, dancing and drinking, the recent quotes from Joran Van Der Sloot as to Natalee's approach and demeanor that night are not at all inconsistent with accounts from some students from Mountain Brook on the trip and at C and C. Actually, I've been told that another young woman other than Natalee was said to be fond of the boy, but apparently Natalee somehow wound up with him that evening.

Based upon talking to individuals on the trip and also highly credible adults who spoke directly with other students on the trip, I have no reason to conclude anything other than that Natalee was with Joran and left with him that evening of her own free will and that any behaviors which may have been the result of intoxication were most likely the result of her own less than responsible drinking.

According to one student - they went to Carlos and Charlies that last night to really blow it out and most in attendance, especially late that night, did. Also, many in the group regularly attended Carlos and Charlies and Natalee was there at least the previous night behaving just as she did that last night. It's reported that there was actually a scuffle the previous night because she was approached by another boy from the island originally mistaken for and reported as Joran Van der Sloot, while dancing provocatively, who it seems was not even there. Allegedly the boy groped her on the dance floor. That led to the early rumors of Joran having had a fight with a kid from Mountain Brook, which is now said to have not been the case at all.

Multiple reports from students on the trip described Joran as a nice, quiet, non-aggressive and seemingly decent guy they had seen around on more than one occasion.

The environment and goings on at C&C were in no way unwelcome, new, or alien to many students by that point in the trip. Also, contrary to reports that sex was a minor part of the trip, some attendees expressed a very different opinion, having observed some notable amount of bed hopping among attendees. This was a large group, however, and that shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that all in attendance on the trip were so engaged. And no one has told me personally that Natalee was so inclined, either.

I am not suggesting students who did come forward on TV, most notably seemingly the same three girls, time and again, were lying. I have no indication they were lying at all. Whatever information campaign went on was controlled by adults and Fox ET AL were only going to be given access to certain individuals who were going to tell a particular story as a result of what they knew, or didn't know.

Any reputable news organization would have walked away at that point - but not cable news. My reasons for setting the record as straight as I can now is motivated only by my desire to understand the truth of what happened to Natalee, which is what I set out to do in the first place.

The reason I think the Mountain Brook side of this story needs to be told truthfully is for the perspective it lends, not because I am suggesting Natalee Holloway was at fault for whatever may have happened to her, or because she was anything less than a completely decent girl. But it is simply unfair for so many to judge Joran Van Der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers without knowing the full story as best as it can be ascertained under the circumstances.

Additionally, more than one conversation I had with television sources seemed to make it perfectly clear - Beth Twitty was the ratings driver and the last thing they seemed to want to do was jeopardize a ticket to good ratings by asking hard questions, presenting a more balanced story, or trying to get at the truth in any other version than what was being packaged and presented by one side for fear of alienating Beth Twitty.

“She’s driving this story,” it was stated. “It’s amazing, but she is.” To my knowledge, that is not something she ever directly conveyed, but among certain network personnel it was clearly assumed.

I'm aware of at least two specific cases where certain individuals in television and print media wanted to air or write stories with witnesses and or photographs which were significantly less flattering than I will be as regards Natalee's behavior in Carlos and Charlies that evening. Personally, I had no role in crafting either story, only good knowledge of them through direct sources. Neither story ever ran, not because they weren't solid, but because no one wanted to risk rocking the ratings boat.

If the cable networks wish to pass the sort of coverage they're doing off as entertainment, that's certainly their right. But by characterizing any of the reporting they've been doing on this tragic case as news is both demeaning to the word as commonly used, and a slap in the face to any credible journalist writing in any medium.

The Mountain Brook side of this story was not reported by any news organization. It was crafted, managed and delivered by a family member and an associate of the family with a background in public relations. And media was not going to be given access to anyone who did not adhere to a pre-determined script or template as regards the Mountain Brook side of the trip and Natalee’s time in Aruba.

And so far as I can ascertain the cable news networks made no serious effort to get beyond that wall. It appears they were content to sacrifice journalistic ethics for the sake of high ratings at nearly every step of the way.

This series of posts is not about the long-suffering Mother of a missing girl – it is about the media, it’s handling of the story and, ultimately, while their failure to adhere to reasonable journalistic standards may have helped to set the stage for innocent boys being accused by many, while some real perpetrator slipped away.

However, even that doesn’t excuse any carelessness or potential corruption on the part of Arubans or Aruban authorities, which I have yet to address - and will.

This post is also available at Blogger News Network.

Comments

[cathy]

Dan, are you suggesting that, in this day and age, a community can
still label you with the "scarlet letter", if you do not do as they wish?
How could that be possible?

I do believe the media hurt more than it helped.

[chip]

dan
thank you for continuing to dog deep into this story.it is a tragic story & while my heart is with the family.....it is important that we find the truth.if that does not fit with any pre-conceived notions than so be it.at one point in late july i realized i already had kalpoes & vandersloots tried & convicted......why?.........because of the media coverage....and since then i have tried to keep an open mind.

i have no idea of what really happened that night.my support for natalee,beth & dave remains & i pray that no innocent person suffers.

btw when i first started watching i felt the aruban policies would prevent a media circus

dan..........i know i don't have to warn you...prepare to be attacked for this...as for me the day i feel you are being dishonest in your reporting will be the day i stop reading here.....it has not happened yet

[absynth_minded]

Seems to me that LE is completely blind to the fact that whoever did whatever with Natalee could have been a member of her own graduating class or someone she knew.

[splashtc]

Nice try but c'mon. Of course Beth et el have to put their spin on things to keep the public interested because they need the publics' help. Don't forget the one fact that we do know -and it was discovered by Greta on Fox- that they all had their alibi/lies made up BEFORE any news of her dissapearance was reported!

[chip]

dog deep into this story
: chip | Oct 8, 2005 4:43:17 PM

dig deep!!
sorry i'm an idiot

[roy]

Dan, I admire the way you are handling a very difficult job. In all this hype and with opposing reader/posting camps it is extremely difficult not to go with one flow or the other.
We all need somebody to put all relevant information forward in an objective way, wether we like the information or not.
I feel you are succeeding in your effort. A difficult task though.
Good luck and thanks.

[sensible]

Thank you for doing this series.

[westcoaster]

Thanks for your post Dan. I am of the same opinion as you on your paragraph stating:

"In defense of Beth Twitty, I also believe there was an effort to smear and direct blame at the boys by parties other than those from Mountain Brook. I will address that in a later post. In short, it is quite possible that she has been reacting based upon the information she has been told, which the media never bothered to debunk, as I believe they should have."

[Lion Hunter]

www.nataleeholloway.net

Has broken the story - "Lion's Den Exposed"

Grab a matress!

Lion Hunter

[usmcmom]

Here's my take on this Dan. Taylor Behl was a fun, wild-child, but that didn't stop the Richmond police from investigating her disappearance fully, nor the media or any of its viewers from being concerned for her safety. Latoyia Figueroa was a single mom, pregnant with some guys child that she wasn't even dating... that didn't stop the police, media, viewers from realizing that a crime had probably been committed. I don't think this Mtn Brook campaign, as such was initiated by Beth, et.al. to gloss-over Natalees Aruba behavior. None of us would have cared or do care about the kids partying on Aruba...

But IMO Beth learned from day one that the Aruban LE's were not taking her daughter's disappearance seriously as a criminal missing person's case, but as a "girl's gone wild" jaunt. If any info that would lend even an iota of credence to that "image" of Natalee was broadcast, it would have given the Aruban LE their justification to just drop this case cold turkey... As it is, we have seen Aruban police comment that they believe Natalee high-tailed it off Aruba on her own.

Being from this area, with a child still in high school and two of Natalee's age range, Mtn Brook is no haven for sainthood, it never has been, never will be... So the idea that Mtn Brook is concerned with their image just doesn't fly with me. Their kids are no different than the kids at Vestavia, Hoover and the rest of this area.

IMO the whole PR campaign wasn't to keep the world from knowing that kids from Mtn. Brook partied on Aruba... it was to keep the Aruban LE focused on Natalee's disappearance as a criminal investigation... Unfortunately, they all failed in their attempts.

[Dan]

it was to keep the Aruban LE focused on Natalee's disappearance as a criminal investigation

The problem with tht theory is that they know better than anyone teh reality. You think they didn't ask questions at C and C and from others who saw them and Natalee during the week? Think about it. All it did was make it look like a cover up - nothing was kept fro the authorties and the authorities didnt release it - to this day no one from aruba has really tried tyo smear natalee - though there were rumblings at one time. The point is the only ones who didnt have the clear picture were Americans watching TV. The authorities know much more than even what I chose to post.

[Splat]

A house of cards is a house of cards for a reason.

[Scott]

As far as anyone I've spoken with can tell, there is no real evidence to suggest anything other than perhaps two young, behaviorally dumb, because they were both drunk, teenagers went to a beach one night of their own accord and after one left, the other disappeared.

Dan,

Based on what you have learned about Natalee, from your research, does this make any sense to you at all? Why would Joran not drop her back off at her hotel and if he says she didn't want to go why would she do that? Is there anything you have learned in your research that leads you to believe she would want to be left alone on an isolated beach in the middle of the night? It just does not make any sense to me.

[chip]

dan
if you are reading over here...any chance you will go on the nh discussion board sometime tonight?

[cathy]

www.nataleeholloway.net

Has broken the story - "Lion's Den Exposed"

Grab a matress!

Lion Hunter

Posted by: Lion Hunter | Oct 8, 2005 5:12:06 PM

can you please provide the link and copy and paste because they will not allow you to register or have access to the site...obviously the story hasn't been broken if we can't read it...and this is odd as, although i have never been permitted to register and i don't know why, i have always been able to read there....so this is bizarre....

[Larry]

Dan is dead-on as usual. Very early in the Aruba case, I posted similarly-themed sentiments at scared-monkeys and was shouted down-and-out by the pro-family lobby there. Most of the facts and tidbits and details will come out in time, but I think the bottom-line in Aruba and Behl cases is: Young women and men should avoid excessive drugging and drinking or else they INVITE trouble. If mainstream media can ask "What is America's role in encouraging world terrorism?" , then we can all certainly ask the valid question about Behl and Holloway: What was the role of each girl in her own demise, and how can all potential victims learn from that information? We often hear about rape-prevention: "Women who don't get drunk (or drugged-out) in public decrease their chance of being assaulted by 80% or more." That's self-empowering advice that both Behl and Holloway could've used. I had a friend who got drunk and drove into a tree. At his funeral, no one called him a victim, but the minister and others kept reminding us all that the lesson from my friend's death was that if you drink and drive you might die. Same goes for being assaulted, kidnapped, etc., though it's not yet socially acceptable to say so. Thank God for free speech, blogs, and diversity of opinion.
-Larry

[Dan]

dan
if you are reading over here...any chance you will go on the nh discussion board sometime tonight?
Possibly Chip - I'll try.

Scott - It's only opinion you understand, but yes, I could see that happening. Natalee was not a shrinking violet, or real afraid of doing what she wanted. She could have been upset in some ways, pissed in others. Home meant starting a new life - every teen might want some time to think. Also, Joran leaving might not have sat well with her if she wanted companionship and she could have reacted out of that "I'll be fine, just leave" etc.

I don't want to pretend to be inside her head - I caouldn't have been - but it wouldn't surprise me if she had some atittude if things transiped as Joran claims. And I can't state unequivocally they did, either. Keep that in mind.

I haven't ruled anyone out as a suspect just because the media coverage is so bad. But there is a story that makes it look less likely he was the type to hurt a girl. That's what the media has mostly ignored.

[bmt]

Go Dan. I can ultimately excuse Beth's misleading statements---no telling what I might do if a child was missing--Grief is not a reasonable emotion.

However, the professional passing themselves off as journalists will never again have my respect. They have used Beth, and also I think, somehow empowered her to go after suspects with no legal proof.

[bmt]

Same goes for being assaulted, kidnapped, etc., though it's not yet socially acceptable to say so. Thank God for free speech, blogs, and diversity of opinion.
-Larry

Posted by: Larry | Oct 8, 2005 5:48:03 PM

I do hope some of the other teenagers learn from this--and that parents learn as well. It needs to be discussed, and that is not blaming the victim--not at all. It seems that many parents are afraid of saying no now--no to party trips, no to hotel rooms for prom night; no to sports cars for new drivers, no to late curfews, no to inappropriate clothing. Parents are suffering from peer pressure. They need a support group so that they can " just say no"

[redpetals12]

Natalee is not to blame, who cares what she did in Aruba? This is as bad as you claim the media is presenting Joran. Maybe he is innocent, I'll apologize if so (not buying stamps anytime soon), but he nor his parents have shown much integrity through this whole thing. How about what Deepak was recorded as saying about her? yeah, that sounds like a guy I should have compassion for...
None of their reactions have made sense, and I still think he's hiding something (alot actually)
I continue to support Natalee's family. Mt. Brook and the "scarlett letter" is really no different than any other 18 year old's opinion of their home town in the south...

[jkatl]

Dan you have done some impressive reporting on this case with regards digging and coming up with contacts and credible sources. In my opinion I think the first two parts of your three part series are pretty spot on. One thing bothers me though mainly due to my sympathy for Natalee and the profound grief and loss that some members of her family will probably never get over. And that is if this "nice, quiet, non-aggressive and seemingly decent guy" would have made sure Natalee got back to her Hotel instead of leaving her intoxicated and alone on the beach at 3:30 in the morning she would be alive today. And that is a fact. Even if she would be dancing on top of the speaker at the Sig Ep frat party tonight at UofA

[bmt]

usmc mom, I normally agree with everything you post but I have a little different viewpoint, perhaps becasue I am not from here. I find that Mt Brook, Vestavia; Hoover; etc. Bhm in general is very concerned about image. Much more than in the towns that I lived outside the South before moving here. I cannot tell you how many unwritten social rules I tripped over when I moved here LOL and how stunned I was that all that kind of stuff mattered here!

Image is very important--from the neighborhood you live in, to the car you drive, to the school your kids attend, down to the handbag you carry. So, I would definitely think this attitude would impact any info that parents wanted to get out about this trip.

[redpetals12]

And that is if this "nice, quiet, non-aggressive and seemingly decent guy" would have made sure Natalee got back to her Hotel instead of leaving her intoxicated and alone on the beach at 3:30 Posted by: jkatl | Oct 8, 2005 6:20:15 PM

Exactly! and if irresponsibly left her, his parents would have him off his ass searching everything over/under that island and they'd use every resource they had to help...from day ONE!

[Dan]

Exactly! and if irresponsibly left her, his parents would have him off his ass searching everything over/under that island and they'd use every resource they had to help...from day ONE!

That might be a little difficult considering he would have had Beth in his face and several television cameras in tow, don't you think? Not to mention he was in jail for most of the time until the clock ran out as there was no evidence to support it.

[Isanah]

dog deep into this story
: chip | Oct 8, 2005 4:43:17 PM

dig deep!!
sorry i'm an idiot

Posted by: chip | Oct 8, 2005 4:55:48 PM

lol ! If a typo or misuse of a word makes a person idiot, then most all of us are idiots!

[JJ's Slave]

I think what hasn't been addressed anywhere near enough in this story is the issue of how many people and boats were there for the concert that was held on the beach. I can certainly see Natalee telling Joran to leave her alone on the beach - especially with the liquor doing the talking - the old "fine, go ahead and leave" thing...Also, all the "confessions" that BHT supposedly has - don't the police sometimes write things up, say "Here, isn't this how it happened" and ask suspects to sign? None of these were signed, and it's my understanding they were found in the garbage. I've always considered those fictional works by detectives. Strange case.

[frank]

Thanks Dan for pointing out another one of Joran's "stories." Didn't he say he didn't know who she was?

[truthbetold]

thank goodness - the truth is coming out! I always knew the people in MB were hiding things and I will go as far as to say so is beth - I don't trust her or them

[GAmom]

Dan, I thought you concluded a long time ago that the MB kids in C&C's that night were all drunk/drinking/high/ and everyone's story was different and we would probably never know what actually happened that night. How drunk were the kids you are getting your information from? How many drinks did they have? What were they drinking? Beer, frozen drinks or shots? Were they doing drugs? If so what drugs? And these MB kids and their parenst who want to remain annonymous because they have been threatened to be labeled negatively in the community.... well then they are just as much to blame as the media and everyone else you are blaming.

[Paola]

Something smells rotten in Mountain Brook. It's really disturbing to say the least that the students have been asked by the families not to speak out. Why is image more important than finding one of their own?

[bmt]

I think if the MB folks felt it was crucial to finding natalee, they would tell everything. Even if it impacted their image. While I think image is important to everyone here, I don't think they would take it to the point of blocking any hope of finding her. I think the attitude has been that whatever happened up until the time Natalee vanished didn't matter. What mattered is that she left with these 3 guys.

I think that is a decision for LE to make, but we don't know that the--the MB kids-- didn't get that info to the LE if asked.

[djk]

Dan, THANKS. Many posters at ctv have been saying these same things, and have endured labels like "Liar supporters" and "Beth bashers".
For months we have wondered why cable news has not asked real questions, repeated the same old lines. Ratings. Face time for Beth Twitty. Why is she being backed by Joe Mamanna a gangster? Why has her trust fund left Dave Holloway out in the cold?

[Brooke]

Glad that the truth is finally being told about the young men. This attempt to smear them is terrible and if it were my son I would sue big time! However if they are guilty than hopefully they will be punished for the crime.

I never believed Beth from day one I see her not as others did as the "grieving mother" but as a cold hearted P.I. and a person who loved to be seen on TV
a self-centered person who craved the limelight. Her hubby Jug appeared to be a conceited redneck.

One wonders about all the donations they got and what they did with all the money.

Again I am delighted someone is taking the time to attempt to tell the truth and not all the hyperbole lies by the media and the Twitty cultlike following.
People appeared so hooked on beth and Jug that alone was weird if not sick.

[cathy]

Ok...i have been thinking so much...my head hurts..

correct me if i am wrong...didn't dan, a while back, yell at the
posters who were starting to look at the mb kids...didn't he say...don't go there...i don't think that will go anywhere...ooh i wish i could find the exchange...

anyway...if now he is pointing out mb...what is he pointing out then?

[Jan]

Word about the disappearance of Natalee had spread that day - I forget which friend of Joran's told him so he did know before the Alabama posse showed up - thus he had his stupid story.

Dan, again great post

What irritates me the most too is the media - even though I am not a Beth fan - however the media is wrong wrong wrong in never checking its facts and continuing to spew lies.

[AkekoaHoAlethia]

"I've no information even remotely suggesting the reason we haven't been told the truth from the Mountain Brook side involves anything sinister."

This is precisely why I prefer to concentrate on what IS REALLY sinister... everything that happened to Natalee to cause her to not be home.

That is, every bit of cover up from those last with her and those charged with finding her...

[Kat123]

Finally some real reporting, great job Dan

[cathy]

last time i looked you can't tell someone's race from a post...can you?

[suzyqueue]

Tonight on Fox - "Then, Geraldo reveals new information in the Natalee Holloway (search) investigation. Did investigators find a murder weapon? We’ll ask former FBI agent Harold Copus. And, hear former suspect Deepak Kalpoe's (search) shocking audio taped polygraph test! We’ll get reaction from Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway Twitty."

[cathy]

you guys got me to thinking...remember the assistant principal that went missing...very nice man...family all upset...what ever happened with that? does anyone know?

[meme]

Dan, thanks for posting this part of the story. I have always thought that something wasn't right with the people from Mt. Brook not saying anything. Who the hell cares what your image looks like when a young woman is missing and in danger. Just think, if they would've worried more about Natalee's safety in the beginning instead of their precious image maybe Natalee would be here today to tell everyone the real truth. I still have my doubts about Joran and the Kalpoe's being "innocent", but your recent posts have certainly opened my eyes to other possibilities. I just hope that if there is any possible way that Natalee is still alive somewhere that someone may know and may come to their senses and not worry so much about their image and tell all. Even if we the public never got the whole true story, if Natalee could be saved if God willing she were still alive today, someone whould tell what they know. Beth has gone to extremes I agree, but being a mother myself, I don't know that I wouldn't do the same. None of us do because we have not been put into her position. I would hope that I would not go as far as she has gone recently, but you never know for sure how you will react until you are presented with the same exact situation, God forbid!

Anway Dan, thanks for posting and keeping us imformed and keeping us talking. Hopefully someday, and maybe soon, the whole truth will come out about Natalee, no matter what it is. I don't think anyone who has kept up with this story would think any differently of her if she were partying hard or doing belly shots or even dancing provocatively. I know I sure wouldn't! I myself have been drunk before and danced like I wouldn't have had I been completely sober. Most of us have. And if she were drunk, maybe she did leave with Joran of her own free will, maybe even "fool around" with him or more, but I wouldn't fault her for that either. We have all been 18 once and drunk once and acted out of normal character, and that doesn't mean that we should be labeled with the "scarlet letter" as another poster said. So if Mountain Brook is covering anything to save their image, God have mercy on all of them involved and shame on them for caring so little for a beautiful, vivacious, intelligent, "fun loving" young woman such as Natalee!!

I pray that the truth will come out so that Beth and Dave have some closure and can rest with knowing what happened to their baby. If there is any way possible, I pray that these poeple who know the truth will tell it. And SOMEONE knows the truth!!

And if possibly Joran and/or the Kalpoes are innocent, then God have mercy on all of us, myself included who have thought so terribly of them for the last four and a half months. I know I have thought of what I would do to them if Natalee were my daughter.

[meme]

What time is Geraldo on? I'm on the East Coast. Anyone know? I'd like to watch this one! Thanks!!

[cathy]

moma...i was making a statement that i was incredulous that, in this day and age, a community and what the members of a community think of you, would hold so much weight that people would think of themselves and their image rather than have the community turn on them...hence the reference to the "scarlet letter"...it was not a judgement of behavior...rather it was an indictment of what appears to be an entirely disfuncional place...if it is indeed true that image is eveything...i don't care what those kids did...and really they are not kids...they are young adults with all the pressures that modern american life bestows on them...society has created this problem...and i'm sure it is not just going on in mb...it is just that mb seems to be the poster child for this stuff...it scares you that they wouldn't tell what they know for fear of rejection from their community where they have spent their whole lives...what is wrong with that picture...mommma?

[dave]

Dan - Just thought I would correct some things, which are incorrect in this post and in your last post on the subject. First, Beth NEVER made an accusation as to Paulus having an illegitimate child. What she said was that Joran had a half-brother (legitimate or not) who was a drug dealer and who also was a suspect. She never said illigetimate or that it was neccesarily Paulus' son.

[nelson]

Keep it coming Dan, finally we are looking at the other side of the coin!!.

[Richard]

In line with the comments above, I'd like to propose some new ideas:

1. Abraham Lincoln came back from the grave and took Natalee away to the other world.

2. The international media, desperate for a new story and dying to beat up on Aruba, arranged for Natalee to be taken away, and then started beating the drums.

3. Natalee never existed ... it's all a plot by the Holloway Twitty family, the Cuban Mafia, Wall Street and who knows who else.

These make about as much sense as the inane conspiracy theories that are being voiced here.

Blame the Holloway Twitty family for their daughter's disappearance ... go ahead! Or blame the chaperones, or the other kids in the group!

Of course, she WAS last seen in the company of three people ... and those same people have repeatedly lied ... and those same people were allowed to roam free for eleven days, while two hapless security guards were taken in IMMEDIATELY (shouldn't their having been blamed in itself be evidence of conspiracy by the three suspects, who remain suspects?) ... but never mind that.

LET'S BLAME NATALEE HOLLOWAY FOR HER DISAPPEARANCE!

[chip]

What time is Geraldo on? I'm on the East Coast. Anyone know? I'd like to watch this one! Thanks!!

Posted by: meme | Oct 8, 2005 8:44:07 PM

meme=i'm not in your time zone but :
big story-9:00 est
at large -10:00 est
i'm not sure which one he is on

[meme]

cathy, are you talking about my post?

[meme]

meme=i'm not in your time zone but :
big story-9:00 est
at large -10:00 est
i'm not sure which one he is on

Posted by: chip | Oct 8, 2005 8:51:42 PM

Thanks chip!!

[Betsy]

Wow, Dan, thanks so much for your two installments. It seems your clear-thinking has helped many to reopen their minds and take a fresh look at the whole case. I've been very alarmed and saddened, quite frankly, there are so many people out there who believe Joran and the Kalpoes are completely guilty of killing Natalee when there's no real evidence to support this. I've been asking myself how this kind of GROUPTHINK happened and you are explaining it to us.

Thanks,
Betsy