Natalee Holloway's stepfather seeks divorce

Associated Press ^ | January 5, 2007

[Cecily]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The stepfather of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teen who disappeared in Aruba in 2005, has filed for divorce from Holloway's mother, Beth Twitty.

George "Jug" Twitty filed divorce papers in Jefferson County Circuit Court on Dec. 29. The court filing said the couple separated Dec. 15 and have "such a complete incompatibility of temperament that the parties can no longer live together."

The Birmingham News reported the court filing Friday.

Jug Twitty declined comment on the divorce proceedings, and a phone message left for Beth Twitty on Friday was not immediately returned.

The couple attracted international attention after Holloway, then 18, disappeared in Aruba on May 30, 2005, while on a graduation trip with fellow students from Mountain Brook High School.

The Twittys appeared together during the early stages of the search. As it dragged on, Jug Twitty returned to Birmingham, and Beth Twitty remained in Aruba for almost three months.

[soccermom]

It was a senior class trip. Of course, with benefit of hindsight, she wouldn't allowed her child to go, but LOTS of good, responsible parents do let their kids go on chaperoned trips. Presumably, she'd be going off to college in 3 months anyway. Do you intend to have your kids live at home with you and attend the local junior college? Heck, there was just a story today about a judgment against a cruise company over a newlywed who disappeared from the ship. Maybe you should chaperone your grown son on his honeymoon, too.....

[Ramius]

Golly, nice 20/20 hindsight glasses.

How many adults usually travel with chaperones and submit to bed checks in their rooms? Do you when you travel?

Maybe if we just didn't visit those icky foreign little places and instead only go to nice "safe" places like uh... uh... no, wait, I... uh...

[Positive]

"Try to educate yourself a bit before commenting on things you clearly have "exceedingly little" knowledge of.

I'm not exactly an expert but wouldn't exceedingly little be an oxymoron? And of course you shouldn't end this sentence with a preposition (of).

So maybe you ought to "try" to educate yourself a bit also.

Hope you can take ragging as well as you rag.

[justche]

What an awful thing to say -

[MHT]

I have four kids, all of whom have passed through the teen-age years and it isn't hindsight. Maybe on the part of the trusting parents of Natalie, but they were living in la-la land to let their daughter go on such an unstructured "adventure". My bet is that Natalie had alot of freedom at home and the parents felt that the world was as safe as their suburbs and everyone was nice to Americans. The parent-student ratio should have been 2-1 optimally and 4-1 minimally. And honestly, did they think that everything was going to be just ducky with girls who are young, beautiful, affluent, and minimally dressed? This wasn't an academic trip and there was all based on free time.

I have taken my kids on lots of foreign and domestic trips and without rules, everything gets crazy. Bed checks are part of it. Going to a pub and sitting in a corner while kids hang out is part of it. The same was true of camping and wilderness treks. You have clocks, compasses, maps, agreements. I would have loved the added benefit of cell phones to help keep in touch.

Too much money and too much free time without benefit of supervision will get kids in trouble almost every time.

[Clemenza]

BWAHAA!

It was the Natalee (learn how to SPELL) Holloway story that turned me off of Fox New. If you are rich, white, and pretty, I guess you deserve all of that coverage.

[mombonn]

When I think of the dumb things I did and how easily I could have been raped or killed, I shudder.

As do I. I can't tell you how many times I've thanked God for protecting me!

[onyx]

WOW!

[bonfire]

obsessed?

You are not a mother, are you?

[Arizona Carolyn]

I agree with you, but I recognize it was her child, not his, and they have only been married for six years. This is difficult when both parents are invested, but when only one... well this is what happens.

This didn't come as a suprise because I had noticed he had stopped participating in interview quite a while ago.

[MHT]

My brother died in a car accident in 1979 and my parents might have well have died with him. Our family life was gone forever. My grandmother, who lived with us, died of a stroke three years later. My father developed cancer five years later. My mother got a job and survived, but she was gone from my grandmother and father most of the day. They had only each other to talk to, she had others. After she was alone and retired, she became an alcoholic and drank herself to death. She later said that she was proud of how well the family had coped with the loss. On the other hand, I cannot imagine how it could have been worse.

[bonfire]

Threads like these bring all the jerks out of the woodwork. Sad sad little people.

[lainie]

Holy smokes. I am astounded at the comments on this thread.

[bonfire]

Bad things only happen to people that are raised WRONG???

What world do you live in?

[onyx]

If Natalie had been raised properly she may have never been in the situation that caused her to lose her life. Its sad.

Oh dear. Are you regretful you posted that yet?

[bonfire]

Doubt that.

[onyx]

Who didn't see this train wreck before it happened? Beth loves the spotlight, and from many news articles spends much of her time in LA...

I for one, did not, but parents of murdered children are often torn apart. Some are better equipped to move on with their lives and others grieve a lot longer.

[onyx]

Hiya bonfire. Quite a number of amazing comments, huh?

[nmh]

"obsessed?"

"You are not a mother, are you?"

I don't mean that in a negative way. I'd be "obsessed" in trying to find her and when I was able to grasp the fact that she was gone ... I'd be "obsessed" for justice. There is little doubt in my mind that those three knew EXACTLY what happened and that EACH raped her when she was out of it. Poor Natalie ...her "friends" certainly weren't doing her any favors as they saw her, drunk and leaving with THREE guys ... . A friend looks out for another friend - that aside ... .

I'm not surprised her ex-husband is the one that stood with his ex wife on legal paperwork. Jug didn't adopt Natalie. Natalie retained her biological Dad's last name. I believe he cared about Natalie but it wasn't something that drew them close.

If I was not able to get justice, then I'd have to get on with my life ... as difficult as it maybe.

I suspect Jug just couldn't deal with it in any way, shape or form anymore - plus they weren't even living together anymore. It also wasn't his biological daughter .... there's something different about that ... no matter how you look at it, it's a very sad situation for ALL OF THEM - Mom, Dad, Step Dad and Natalie - justice was not served. Nor will they find her body. They got away with murder with the help of a corrupt government.

This is a tragic situation from any perspective.

[nmh]

I agree with you, but I recognize it was her child, not his, and they have only been married for six years. This is difficult when both parents are invested, but when only one... well this is what happens.

This didn't come as a suprise because I had noticed he had stopped participating in interview quite a while ago.

---

Ditto!

You said it better than me.