Every important detail Netflix doc on Natalee Holloway’s murder left out about the investigation

Warning: This article contains details which some readers may find distressing.

A new Netflix documentary about the disappearance and murder of Natalee Holloway left out several surprising details from the investigation.

Taken: Natalee Holloway, is a true crime series which follows the years-long search for the 18 year old who vanished during a trip to Aruba in May 2005.

Holloway was a high school student from Alabama who went on vacation to celebrate her graduation but she tragically never made it home.

Natalee was last seen leaving a nightclub with a group of men, including 17-year-old Joran van der Sloot.

Her remains were never recovered.

Three suspects, including van der Sloot, were arrested in June 2005 but later released without charge.

In 2010, van der Sloot offered information about Natalee’s remains in exchange for money, prompting an FBI investigation and federal charges of extortion and wire fraud. He later fled to Peru, where he was convicted of murdering 21-year-old student Stephany Flores Ramírez in 2012 and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

In 2023, he was temporarily extradited to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud. As part of a proffer agreement, he admitted to bludgeoning Natalee to death in Aruba in 2005 and disposing of her body in the ocean. He received a 20-year sentence, which was ordered to run concurrently with his 28-year sentence in Peru.

Natalee Holloway's remains were never found (Netflix)

He has never been formally convicted of Natalee's murder, despite his confession.

The three-part documentary features interviews with her mother, Beth Holloway, and Holloway's friends Madison Greer and Claire Fierman, her attorney John Kelly, and family friend Sue Remick.

Here are important details the documentary series left out:

The chaperones first realised Natalee was missing during a morning headcount

The seven chaperones on the graduation trip first noticed Natalee was missing during a headcount in the Holiday Inn lobby on the morning of 30 May 2005. Her mother, Beth, was subsequently notified.

Beth Holloway flew to Aruba the same day

After being informed of her daughter’s disappearance, Beth flew to Aruba by private jet on 30 May 2005, accompanied by her husband, friends and other family members from Alabama.

Aruba spent $3 million searching for Natalee

Authorities in Aruba spent approximately $3 million on the search for Natalee as part of the investigation.

Aruba’s Justice Ministry wrongly announced that Natalee was dead

On 11 June 2005, a spokesperson for Aruba’s Justice Ministry incorrectly announced that Natalee was dead, claiming authorities knew where her body was. The statement was later retracted.

Natalee’s father funded his own deep-sea search

Natalee’s father, Dave Holloway, funded a private deep-sea search using a vessel called Persistence. The search aimed to explore areas of the ocean deeper than the 330 feet previously searched by authorities. However, after running out of funds, he was forced to abandon the operation in February 2008.

Natalee was legally declared dead in 2012

Six years after her disappearance, Natalee was legally declared dead in 2012 at the request of her father.