Posted on 06/02/2005 8:02:49 AM PDT by SamFromLivingston
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — FBI and Aruban officials said Wednesday that they had flew clues to the whereabouts of a Mountain Brook High School graduate who disappeared during a senior trip to the island.
FBI officials in the Caribbean were coordinating with Aruban police and Dutch authorities, who oversee Aruba, to search for Natalee Holloway, 18, The Birmingham News reported.
Holloway joined about 125 graduating seniors and adults on the five-day trip, which is an annual tradition not sponsored by the school. Other students said she never showed up for the group's return flight Monday.
"We went to check in for our airplane, and she wasn't there, and she's been missing since then," said Jay Weinacker, a member of Holloway's graduating class.
Holloway's parents, David Holloway, of Meridian, Miss., and Beth Holloway Twitty of Mountain Brook, and several family members traveled to Aruba to aid the search, said Robin Holloway, the girl's stepmother.
"It is torture," Robin Holloway said. "It is just agony."
Aruban police said Wednesday that they had questioned and released three local men who said they dropped the teenager off at her hotel late Sunday night. Officials said the girl's parents were unable to spot her on a hotel surveillance tape.
Officials said there were few leads on Natalee's whereabouts.
After hearing of her disappearance, Robin Holloway said her husband felt compelled to search for his daughter.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing," she said. "We don't know if she is still in Aruba ... or she's been kidnapped. We just don't know anything."
Officials at Mountain Brook Community Church said more than 150 people participated Tuesday in a prayer service for Holloway.
"Word just kind of got out, and parents and students just really wanted to get together and have a little prayer service for the whole situation," said Troy Gambrell, an associate in the youth ministry.
Yes
She's blond...young?
Stranger things have happened.
Or maybe I'm just influenced by the Val Kilmer movie I saw recently....
Actually yes - 3 weeks with the army training up their forces for anti-drug operations. Needless to say, I saw the entire island (except for the aforementioned resorts). Open sewers, car jackings, drive bys, etc. There is a reason why the "resort shuttles" going to/from the airport drive fast with their door locked...
I guess it could be worse, it could be the island of Jamaica...holy cow... the interior of that place is a real war zone.
Rumor out of Birmingham implies the girl is still alive and mercenaries have been hired to get her. The father went to Sanford Univ. and his friends from college, who are still in Birmingham, believe he was at one time involved in some sort of Special Ops branch of the military. The father flew down immediately after learning of the girl's failure to return and friends of the family flew down on a Books-A-Million jet yesterday. My source in Birmingham is making a few calls and will call me back with additional details after lunch.
Cyborg, I usually respect your opinion, but not this time.
The original statement implicitly and carelessly equated "fear" with situational awareness and judgement.
I pray that is correct. Sounds like the family is doing the right things, don't wait on our government or their government to do anything.....take care of business yourself.
Not likely in the Caribbean but not unheard of in muslim countries and some far east places like Japan. At least two of the girls my sister went to school with stayed behind in Japan to do stripping. Not slavery but probably not what their parents had in mind either.
No it didn't.
I hope that wasn't his intent.
I personally know a woman who also survived a trip when she was 18, and the things she did and experienced would curl your hair; no, neither her family nor most people were ever aware of what actually happened, to this day. They also honesty would swear, "no problems".
Interesting and that agrees very closely with what a friend of mine, who is retired from Army Intelligence and spent a lot of time in Latin America, told me.
We were discussing a pretty girl who worked as a secretary for the Army who made a lot of trips to El Salvadore for some reason. He told me an American girl who has light colored hair would be considered extremely valuable for intelligence work because she would be so desireable.
BTW, this guy was second generation Italian and had black hair.
You compared not allowing your kid to leave the country to "living in fear." That is what was incorrect and what I responded to. There was clearly no trusted adult, or at least far too few, if she was getting into or out of vehicles with 3 men unknown to other people on the trip.
Sorry, I disagree. Living in fear is the same as being dead.
There are many reasons to travel and many ways to plan the trips. Many are good reasons and many are good plans. Some are not.
27 posted on 06/02/2005 10:19:48 AM CDT by Protagoras
(I’ve had all I can stands and I can’t stands no more.....Popeye)
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When I was in 8th grade our French class went to Quebec for a week. You wouldn't beleive the things we did Montreal after the teachers went to sleep. In 8th grade! My kids are never going on any of these trips without me.
My sister went with her class and some girls did try stuff. One girl did get drunk and go off with a guy and they sent her home on a plane early :(
For all we know she was drinking tonic water all evening. To assume that she was drunk seems to be attempt to blame her for the actions of others if she indeed has fallen into dire circumstances.
From what I read, all that the article said is that her location is unknown. All else is surmise.
Because it is. I stand by that. The comment didn't say "under certain circumstances" or "with proper planning". It said what it said.
That is what was incorrect and what I responded to.
It was correct.
I certainly hope you're not suggesting that you're entitled to control my inferences from, perhaps, carelessly written thoughts.
Bump for later.
Doesn't matter, Ann Archy knows better than you do.
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