Where is Joran van der Sloot now? True story behind Taken: Natalee Holloway

Netflix's brand new true crime documentary is exploring the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, who went missing during a trip to Aruba in 2005.

Told through the lens of Natalee's mother, Beth, the three-parter revisits her ordeal and fight to find out the truth about what happened to her daughter.

"I stayed true to my mission, I wanted answers, I got [them]. Took a long time. Now, OK, this is another step," Holloway told Tudum.

So, what happened to Natalee Holloway and who was responsible? Read on for more.

What happened to Natalee Holloway?

Natalee Holloway travelled to Aruba with her classmates to celebrate their graduation. She was seen leaving a bar in Oranjestad with three men, all of whom were questioned and arrested but not charged in connection with her disappearance at the time.

Natalee's disappearance remained a mystery for 18 years before Dutch national Joran van der Sloot confessed to her murder.

In the years prior, van der Sloot falsified stories about what happened to Natalee and even attempted to extort the Holloway family.

In 2023, van der Sloot admitted in a proffer letter to killing Natalee in Aruba, saying that, after she had rejected his sexual advances, he beat her and disposed of her body in the ocean.

This confession can be heard in Taken: Natalee Holloway.

Joran van der Sloot remains in prison in Peru, where he is serving a 28-year sentence for the murder of Flores Ramírez.

In 2010, Ramírez was last seen with van der Sloot before her body was found in a Lima hotel room registered in his name. He was arrested and later confessed to Peruvian police.

He was temporarily extradited to the US in 2023 and pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud in connection with his attempts to take money from Beth Holloway in exchange for money about Natalee's whereabouts in 2010.

His 20-year sentence is to be served concurrently with his Peruvian sentence. At the time of reporting, he is yet to be charged for Natalee's death.

Taken: Natalee Holloway is available to watch on Netflix now.

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Authors

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.