Free Republic

Federal agents trying to build an extortion case against Joran van der Sloot secretly gave him the cash that wound up funding his trip to Peru, where he killed a young woman exactly five years after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, The Post has learned. Van der Sloot tried to shake down Holloway's mother by offering information about her daughter's 2005 disappearance, and agents decided to set him up with a $25,000 payoff, a source told The Post yesterday. An intermediary acting under the direction of the FBI gave van der Sloot the dough in Aruba on May 10 --...

The center is meant to help the families of missing persons by providing support to families of the missing and by reducing the challenges they face, challenges that Beth Holloway says she dealt with when her own daughter disappeared. She also hopes it will prevent more missing persons cases by providing travel safety tips and advice for college and high school students.

Beth Holloway was extorted. Joran van der Sloot took money from her and used it to finance his trip to South America where it is now believed he murdered. Beth Holloway wanted to know what happened to her daughter. Joran van der Sloot said he would tell her if she paid him. She brought in the FBI. The events happened in Aruba. The FBI, as early as May 10, knew they had a case against Joran van der Sloot for wire fraud and extortion but failed to act until today. Had they arrested him when they had the case against...

Mountain Brook High School graduate Natalee Holloway went missing May 30 during a senior trip to Aruba. AP photo