Where Is Joran van der Sloot Now? Natalee Holloway Case Update – Hollywood Life

More than 21 years after Natalee Holloway vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, her story is back in the spotlight. Netflix’s three-part docuseries Taken: Natalee Holloway, which premiered on November 4, revisits the 2005 case with her mother at its heart, and it has viewers asking where her confessed killer, Joran van der Sloot, is today.

Here’s the latest on the case and the mother who refuses to let it go.

Where Is Joran van der Sloot Now?

Joran remains behind bars in Peru, where he is serving a 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez, according to Netflix. The 21-year-old was killed in Lima, Peru, five years after Natalee disappeared, and Joran was sentenced in January 2012.

He is also serving a 20-year U.S. sentence at the same time as his Peruvian one, the streamer noted.

Did Joran van der Sloot Confess to Killing Natalee Holloway?

He did. On October 18, 2023, Joran pleaded guilty in a federal court in Birmingham, Alabama, to extortion and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2010, he had promised to reveal where Natalee’s remains were in exchange for $250,000 from her mother, Beth Holloway. He was paid a total of $25,100, and the information he gave turned out to be false.

As part of his plea deal, Joran had to tell the truth about what happened to Natalee, and he admitted to killing her on a beach in Aruba in 2005. Beth faced him in court that day and opened her victim impact statement by addressing him directly, according to CNN.

“Joran, for 18 years you have denied killing my daughter Natalee. Your lies and manipulation, taunting us with fake news interviews and wild stories of what happened to her, have caused indescribable pain and harm to my family and me. The grief I feel lives way down deep in my soul.”

Natalee’s remains have never been found. She was declared legally dead in 2012.

Has Joran van der Sloot Been Charged With Natalee Holloway’s Murder?

Despite his confession, Joran has never been charged in connection with Natalee’s death, Netflix confirmed. Beth, however, is still fighting.

She told the streamer she has spent the past two years working with Dutch attorneys Royce de Vries and Annemiek van Spanje to file a murder complaint against Joran with authorities in the Netherlands, where he is a citizen. According to Beth, a Dutch prosecutor is now gathering documents and Natalee’s case files, and she hopes it leads to murder charges.

“The nightmare’s over, right? But I’m not done yet.”

Where Is Beth Holloway Now?

After nearly a decade away while she searched for her daughter, Beth has returned to her career as a public-school speech pathologist, Netflix reported. She also works with the families of other missing people, sometimes helping them communicate with law enforcement or connect with search and rescue resources.

Beth also opened up to Netflix about what carried her through years of heartbreak.

“I was driven by hope, determined by love, and acting on faith that I would get Joran van der Sloot.”

Taken: Natalee Holloway is now streaming on Netflix.