Riehl World View

Changing Tone

There seems to be a changing tone with the family of Natalee Holloway. The step-father confirmed on Fox tonight that he felt a resolution was imminent and that authorities also told him they anticipated bring ing in an additional eight or nine potential witnesses for questioning.

As an observer, it looks like it is at least possible that communications are improving between authorties and teh families, much of this seems to have happened recently, possibly partly due to the family retaining a lawyer. But it is unknown who from either side, including the FBI, is working to smooth things out, get everyone co-operating and looking forward to a resolution to the troubling mystery.

An incident purported to be from a questioning session with Joran, Satish and Deepak all present was interesting. It was reported that Joran was asked what happened after being dropped off at the beach with Natalee and he ultimately said he called Deepak to come and pick him up after an hour. Deepak interjected, "Why are you lying," and immediately Joran changed and said it was Satish who picked him up.

On the one hand, it's good to know things are moving forward, on the other it is frustrating to know that these three clowns continue to tell apparently untrue and, or confused, confusing and conflicting stories long after I would have cracked one up the side of the head with a rubber hose.

But then, that might not hold up in court ...

Update

I've created a category for this story at right and hope to move all posts into it when I can. I was able to do much today and have to remove a ton of tips and info so I may run through a lot fast here.

There was some independant searching going on by air today on the island. At least partly, it concentrated on some key areas mentioned in this case, so far as I know nothing significant was discovered. The search was still ongoing at time I spoke to an individual involved.

The Tattoo is up for sale, it's unclear if this was the case prior to the DJ's arrest. It could have been. I don't want to link it as this can crash servers not scaled for much traffic. It happened when I linked Carlos and CHarlies and there is no point in doing that to a sight that really contains scant information. The boat is/was on the market.

There are several political parties in Aruba, atleast one thinks there is a crime problem.

ORANJESTAD - “And today dear members, Aruba needs us all. Our country is in a financial crisis. Our people are suffering because of the policy measures. Our security and peace are vanishing under a wave of crime. Our future is insecure, without an adequate control on how many hotels our people and our island can still have” were some of the words of AVP Leader Mike Eman during his speech at the Congress 2005 which was held in the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort Spa & Casino Ballroom over the week-end.

Update:

Here's an interesting bit from the Tattoo website - linked through the boat asle website - crime is one of the subtitles. Many caribbean Islands compete for business and crime is always an issue for tourism. I wouldn't make too much out of it - but like all islands, there are issues on Aruba they would rather not have get too much attention. That's business, not conspiracy.

EquuSearch Trip Delayed

From CNN.com

Problems arranging a charter flight, as well as restrictions on bringing their three search dogs onto the island have delayed the arrival of the Texas search group EquuSearch until Friday.

However, Miller said he had a conversation with Aruba's prime minister, who has green-lighted the trip for Friday The 17-member team of former and current law enforcement officers will also employ side-scanning equipment that provides sonar pictures of what is underwater.

Not sure I get this bit at all regarding the Twitty/v d Sloot meeting Fox showed as far from a "chance meeting" -

"It was just a situation that presented itself when I was in his neighborhood and at his home, and I just acted upon it and, yes, we did have a conversation, and that's all I want to disclose about it at this time," Twitty said.

Twitty's lawyer is no characterizing information sharing as "good," one of the three boys has apparently pointed the finger at Steven G Croes and:

The attorney told CNN that police investigators have brought in behavioral and demeanor experts from the United States to sit in on interviews with the three suspects arrested initially, to help with the case.

The Never Ending Stories

Behind the scenes I know that some - and certainly some fellow bloggers have questioned the motivations for my Natalee Holloway coverage.

The fact is that from the time I wrote the initial news piece from wire reports, this is what I have always feared. Thanks to the reader with a family member named in this story. Readers name witheld by request.

Families of those who become crime victims in some foreign countries often learn a hard lesson about getting justice and what little the United States can do about it.

A Noble Effort - Updated

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In Birmingham, friends of Natalee Holloway held a barbecue on Tuesday in an effort to raise money for the search in Aruba. Four young men who were on the graduation trip with Holloway cooked hotdogs and hamburgers in the parking lot of Mountain Brook Community Church.

Update: Another perspective on the event.

The nagging questions won't go away for the Alabama teenagers who accompanied Natalee Holloway on her ill-fated graduation trip to Aruba.

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Stories About Dpak

"Now, This man is The MAN. He knows what he wants and gets what he wants. It's good to have friends like you."

And from the mailbag ... obviously not confirmed:

I've been reading your weblog (ty), enticed by a, in my opinion, funny dutch weblog.. I have had a funny experience today relating to your efforts here. Want to tell this, hear me out: I am 32, dutch, amsterdam netherlands and i have a study buddy/friend living in/on (?) aruba. I was e-mailing him on the topic today and your log, and he, with a very large incrowd of aruban/dutch elite, told me the following; He is also reading all the posts here daily and apparently he heard from a 'legal' friend of his, that the local police is using your site to speeden up their investigation, as in closely follwing all of this, trying to get new points of view.. how much prove do you need, assuring you your efforts are not in vain!

And a friend of his left a comment for Joran after he was detained:

jur du guy that have natalee how gud you am proud of mijn aruba now everybody thinking that is bad

As they say, developing ...

This Was Disappointing

I couldn't get a hold of who I wanted to on the phone when I got home, so I thought I'd have a look at the news. I never made it past Fox. "Holloway's mother confronts the parents of Joran van der Sloot" reads the headline for Greta Van Sustern's show OTR tonight.

I applaud Fox as they are about the only network paying this significant attention at this point, but is there really a need to Springer-ize every headline ... every blurb?

My big mistake was clicking the wrong link and winding up on "Greta's Blog." Here's a few snappy bits from today's entry.

Monday started at 5 a.m. for me

While the island is not huge, these locations were not close and there is rush hour traffic on the island.

Finally, after the four tapings at the four locations, our producer "allowed" us to go to our hotel and check in.

I am not sure our producer would have let us out of his sight if the bureau were not in the same hotel!

Of course it could turn out when all the information is made public that the investigation was aggressive and thorough... we just don't know since we have so little information coming from the police. The risk is that when we don't know something that we let our imaginations run wild. This is one of the reasons I wanted to do the many walk and talks —- to give you some more information.

Of course I am teasing him to death

The one thing that I can't emphasize enough is that this island, but for Natalee, seems safe. The tourists I have spoken to say it is safe. Someone from the government asked me why we are covering this case so closely and I said because often we follow the "unusual" stories —- and, frankly, this is unusual in Aruba.

As for Monday night's show, I am curious whether you heard me say "so what!" at the top of the show as it was starting. I was saying it as I was getting cued to the start the show. Why did I say that? Because someone told Natalee's mother Beth to make sure she did not step in front of the camera when she replaced Julie Banderas on the chair next to me. I said "so what" — meaning that it was not the end of the world if our shot got messed up.

I wanted Beth to feel comfortable in the midst of her nightmare. I did not care if she messed up our live shot — I just want to find her child for her. Our live shot is inconsequential compared to her personal hell. I really admire Natalee's mother... not I just want to help her.

Sorry, it just struck me as pathetic. Poor Greta has to get up at 5AM ... poor Greta has to wait in rush hour traffic .... poor Greta has a producer who worries that the talent might fall asleep, or grab one too many rum and cokes before show time, I suppose ... the police could be wonderful, or may have totally blown it, we don't know ... but that's okay, because Ms. Greta gonna give us the South Sea Island version of Mistah Roger's Neighborhood and pass it off as informacion, ... and don't let Ms. Holloway trip over a cord on her way to her seat, cuz we don't want her breaking an ankle before Tuesday Night's big mud wrestling final. And when, oh when am I going to find time to work on my tan?

Yes, Greta, Aruba is safe, just ask the guy who nearly had his head cut off two days ago, or wasn't he a tourist? so it doesn't matter ... and don't forget to pick up your comps at the hotel before you leave ... the way your entry reads, you must get one for every time you use the word safe.

But, I have to hand it to you, you did get one thing right ... But for Natalee, yes, Greta, But for Natalee you'd probably be stuck back at home in the regular old boring studio, now, wouldn't that just suck?

Oh, come on, lighten up folks ... after all, I'm just teasing her to death. I hope the thing was written by a ghost, if not, it should be.

Update: The Political Teen has the video.

Update

The Political Teen has the Scarbrough & Co. video of the EquuSearch group.

Tom and Red at Scared Monkeys have the audio from Tom's radio appearance of last night.

I had a call from someone involved in the Holloway family's search on Aruba early this morning. They were asking questions regarding the EquuSearch team. Co-ordinating things is a major problem down there and there's an incredible amount of frustration, as well as understanding.

The family and friends do understand the nature of the Dutch legal system - but with a process which provides scant little independent oversight, there's an overwhelming drive to take things into your own hands when you don't have answers. I am not an Aruba bash-er by any means, but that overwhelming drive isn't a simple lack of patience, it's an American instinct and , personally, I'm not of a mind to apologize for it to anyone.

We talked a little about how the newly arriving search group might deploy - not that they aren't the experts, or we are - we talked about it from a problem solving perspective, only. If you can't get much information, it can be hard to employ resources efficiently as you may be covering ground already covered and not even know it. Has the dump been searched? Some specific areas of the island, with dogs or without? Those are questions to which the answers would be very helpful - and so far as I know from this earlier conversation - the family can't get them.

So, as Fox reported about the lawsuit on behalf of the family to gain access to information, keep in mind it isn't simply butting in - it's trying to do the best thing on behalf of a missing loved one while working within a legal system that is far from transparent.

American democracy is, by definition, participatory. And that general paradigm flows through most of our institutions. That isn't the case in Aruba.

Joran v d Sloot: A Contrast In Character

Following up on a story by Steve Huff of The Dark Side, and having reviewed certain records, including text and images, which cannot be made public as they involve minors not implicated in this case, it does seem apparent that 17 year old high school senior Joran v d Sloot walked a strange and wide line between man and boy.

At the same time the 6'4" school athlete was said to be a proficient gambler frequenting the clubs and casinos in Aruba, he was also known to have had a romantic involvement with a 7th grade girl of thirteen until her parents learned of the relationship and made their daughter break off the relationship back in March.

Updated here.

Update

A source on the island tells me that he has confirmed that Joran was seen having a cream and wires attached to him in his location at the jail this evening and his interrogation continues while the two Kalpoe brothers have been taken to the prison, as has been previously reported.

Addtionally, it was stated that it is possible that the youngest Kalpoe, Satish may even be released as it is thought he might not have as direct a connection to events as some others. That has not been confirmed with another source at this time.

I have also heard that some have said the boys have changed their statement yet, again - suggesting that Natalee was left alone at the beach after becoming hysterical at the beach near the Marriot. If true, this version of a statement suggests that the elder Kalpoe, Deepak, dropped off both Joran and Satish before returning to the beach, where he was reportedly unable to find Natalee Holloway.

As this clearly departs from statements attributed to the Paulus Van der Sloot that he picked up Joran at a McDonalds at approximately 3 AM, it apears that so many statements have either come out, or are alleged to have come out of this case, that not a single one can be relied upon as true, or even confirmed at this time.

Update: Forgot to mention that it was also relayed to me that Joran v d Sloot would not join the two Kalpoe brothers at the prison, but would remain where he is being held. When I asked if that was because of his status as a minor, there was no clear answer. It was suggested that it could be that, or that it was so his questioning could be continued.