by Priscilla Benfield

Created on: March 20, 2010

Unfortunately for the family of Natalee Hollaway, they will probably never know how their beloved daughter died or where her remains are. The Aruban police were negligent in how they investigated her disappearance from day one and because of that, nearly six years later, what happened to Natalee is a mystery.

Joran Van Der Sloot is most likely the one person who can answer all the questions involved in this case. Unfortunately, he has told so many different stories about what happened the night Natalee disappeared that knowing what really happened may never be known. After all this time, the chance of finding her remains becomes less and even if remains are found, knowing the true cause of death may be impossible.

For Natalee's family, not knowing what happened to her on her senior trip is a nightmare that they cannot awake from. The Aruban authorities have not been helpful to the family and the lesson for many Americans is to know what kind of country you allow your teenager to visit. Natalee's family has had to learn this lesson the hard way.

Although in some states, senior trips are taken routinely, allowing your teen to go on a trip to another country should only be done with adequate supervision which this Aruban trip did not have. The way of life is different in Aruba and the way they handle crime is far different from how it is handled in the United States.

When Natalee failed to show up when the class was ready to depart Aruba, the authorities were not efficient in doing a complete search and investigation. How a teenager on a class trip is able to hang out in casinos unsupervised lead to her meeting a local bad boy who ultimately is most likely responsible for her disappearance. As a parent, I would be outraged that my daughter would be allowed such freedom in a foreign country. The chaperone's did nothing to keep this girl safe.

Once she went missing, the Arubian authorities did not put enough pressure on Joran because of his father's ties to the government. Natalee's parents immediately came to Aruba and passed out fliers and desperately searched for their daughter. The Arubian police should have been more help to them.

Letting all this time go by without Joran being held to a statement has just made it easier for him to get away with murder. We have to assume that there was a murder because Natalee has not been found. Even without a body, the statements Joran and his friends have made lead us all to believe that Natalee is no longer living. Who is responsible for her death will never be known.

It would be a miracle if Natalee was to suddenly appear, perhaps she had been sold as a sex slave and finally managed to escape. That is probably not going to happen. The more likely story is that whether accidental or not, Natalee is dead and Joran knows where her body is.

After six long years, it would be a wonderful thing for her family to finally be able to put her to rest but without her remains they will probably always hold out hope. It is sad that Joran knows the answers to their questions but will never admit the truth. The Aruban government, whether through the pressure of Joran's father or their own incompetence, messed up the entire investigation. Because of this, the person responsible for the disappearance and probable murder of Natalee Hollaway will never be known.

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