Joran van der Sloot, Suspect in Natalee Holloway's Disappearance, to be Extradited from Peru to the US for Trial

Author: Deborah Ross  /  2023-05-11 11:50:47

Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot, who has been a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, will be extradited from Peru to the United States to face charges of wire fraud and extortion. This comes after Van der Sloot was convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison in Peru for the murder of a 21-year-old Peruvian woman named Stephany Flores.

Natalee Holloway, who was 18 years old at the time, went missing during a school trip to Aruba. Van der Sloot, who was the last person seen with her, was arrested but never charged in connection with her disappearance. In the US, Van der Sloot is accused of taking $25,000 from Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, in exchange for information about the location of her daughter's body. However, prosecutors say that no information was revealed, and Natalee's body has never been found. She was officially declared dead in 2012 by an Alabama judge.

Peru has agreed to temporarily extradite Van der Sloot so that he can «answer for his crimes,» according to a statement from Natalee's family. The extradition is being carried out under a 2001 treaty between Peru and the US, which allows for the extradition of suspects for a trial but requires the prisoner to be returned once the judicial proceedings have concluded.

Natalee's mother expressed relief that justice may finally be served for her daughter, thanking officials in both the US and Peru. Peru's ambassador to the US, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, said that the action would hopefully bring peace to the Holloway family, who have been grieving for many years.

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