Natalee Holloway's Mom Beth Recalls Moment She Realized Her Daughter 'Was With God' After Teen Went Missing in Aruba
Beth Holloway claimed she knew days after her daughter disappeared.
Nov. 11 2026, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Natalee Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway, recalled the moment she knew her daughter "was with God," RadarOnline.com can report.
The 18-year-old disappeared in May 2005 during a high school graduation trip to Aruba.
Beth Holloway's Pledge
Beth Holloway pledged she'd uncover what happened to her daughter, Natalee.
Beth traveled to Aruba as soon as she learned Natalee was missing, and drove there with friends who joined her. Peering out the window, she saw white crosses standing near a church and pulled over to pray.
As she knelt in prayer, she had a realization: her daughter "was with God."
"I felt like a different person," she told a publication, adding that she made a promise to her daughter: "That was my first pledge – to find out what happened to her."
She never forgot her pledge. The mother, who was frustrated with Aruban officers, launched her own investigation.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, this investigation wouldn't conclude until 2023, when Joran van der Sloot, already incarcerated for killing another woman, confessed to Natalee's murder.
Beth Holliway Confronts Joran van der Sloot
Beth Holloway told the suspect to give Natalee back.
As Radar previously reported, van der Sloot was a prime suspect since Holloway disappeared. When Mrs. Holloway arrived in Aruba, she was informed Natalee had left with him the night before.
He was questioned by officers but said he hadn't heard of Natalee. The 17-year-old then alleged he drove her to a lighthouse, but took her back to the hotel after.
He was arrested alongside two other suspects, but freed shortly after. Despite his release, Beth knew van der Sloot was involved. She told him so when she spotted him in front of a hotel.
"Give her back now," the 66-year-old told him.
"What do you want me to do? he allegedly coolly responded.
She described the man as having "no sympathy, no empathy" and as "just driven" by "food, s-x, drugs."
A $250,000 Extortion Attempt
Joran van der Sloot said he'd reveal where Natalee Holloway was for $250,000.
Five years later, in 2010, van der Sloot contacted her lawyer, John Q. Kelly. He alleged if Beth gave him $250,000, he would reveal where Natalee's body was.
Kelly coordinated a sting operation with the FBI, meeting with the man twice.
The pair first met at a hotel in Aruba, where the killer got angry with Kelly for not bringing the initial $25,000 he promised.
But the lawyer earned van der Sloot's trust back, and they met again.
Final Murder Confession
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The convicted killer led Beth Holloway's lawyer to a false location.
Van der Sloot drove Kelly to a house he claimed Natalee was buried in the foundation of, but this was a lie.
The house was not yet built when the 18-year-old disappeared. Additionally, the suspect emailed Kelly the next week and "indicated it was all a hoax."
Van der Sloot didn't confess to what happened to Natalee until 2023. He was already in prison for murdering 21-year-old Stephany Flores.
