'Rita Cosby Live & Direct' for Nov. 2nd
Read the transcript to the Wednesday show
Updated: 10:26 a.m. ET Nov. 3, 2005
Guests: Dave Holloway, Paul Reynolds, Gerold Dompig, William Slemaker, Sheila Jackson Lee, Robin Leach, Betty Flores
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But first, the family of missing Aruba teen Natalee Holloway is fighting mad and going after Aruban authorities at this hour in a big way. They want a new team of investigators to handle the search for Natalee. In a stinging letter to the Aruban attorney general, Natalee‘s parents say that they have lost all faith in Aruba‘s investigators because they have ignored leads and bungled the investigation.
They say, quote, “It has become increasingly difficult to hold our tongues. Our only goal is to find Natalee Holloway. It is our contention that it is in the best interest of everyone concerned to instigate a fresh start in this case.”
Joining us now on the phone from Meridian, Mississippi, is Natalee‘s father, Dave Holloway, who has signed that letter. Also with us is Natalee‘s uncle, Paul Reynolds. He‘s in Aruba tonight with Natalee‘s mom, Beth Twitty.
Let me start with you, Dave. Why do you feel that investigators and prosecutors are bungling the case?
DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY‘S FATHER: Well, it started from day one. We—or Beth arrived on the island within 24 hours of Natalee‘s disappearance, and she identified—she and Jug identified the suspects within 24 hours and handed it to the authorities. And then, you know what‘s happened since then.
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COSBY: Oh! Dave and Paul, please stay with us because right before the show, I actually spoke with Aruba‘s deputy chief of police and he dropped a bombshell, telling us in an exclusive interview that he believes that the boys are guilty as hell and that he just has to prove that information. He also defended himself against the attacks by Natalee‘s family. Let‘s listen to what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Chief, I want to read you a quick quote, if I could. This is from the letter that was signed by Beth Holloway Twitty, also Dave Holloway, also a few others. It says, “The investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway has been mishandled and jeopardized by the current investigative and prosecution team. We expressed our total lack of confidence in that team.”
I know you‘ve been asking, you know, a lot of questions, but what is your reaction to this?
GEROLD DOMPIG, ARUBA DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF: I totally regret that these feelings are probably with the family right now, but it has become increasingly difficult to please the family. As you might understand, we do want to conduct the investigation, and to be able to investigate, we really have to go to the bottom of things. We did not get a chance in the beginning to really interrogate the Alabama teens, for instance, because they left Aruba. And four months after the fact, we—as a matter of fact, myself, after looking at the material, I think that we still need to get a couple of answers.
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COSBY: And let‘s bring back in Dave Holloway and Paul Reynolds. You know, Dave, one of the things I thought was very powerful that the chief just said—I asked him, you know, what he said to me before on the phone, Do you believe these boys are guilty as hell? And he said yes.
HOLLOWAY: And that‘s where he needs to be focusing his investigation, in my opinion. In fact, he knows the key witnesses that I‘m aware of, and I just can‘t understand why he has not focused in on those key witnesses.
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COSBY: And in fact, let me show one of the quotes that they put in their letter. It says, “Joran says, I think that Deepak killed Natalee and buried her body.” And then they say, “There‘s no follow-up question as to why or where” from the documents that they have seen.
Jossy, what‘s the sense there in Aruba?
JOSSY MANSUR, MANAGING EDITOR, “DIARIO”: You know, in Aruba, from what I understand is that people are a little frustrated that the whole case is coming up again. They thought it was over with.
COSBY: But Jossy, how could they think it was over with? There‘s no resolution.
MANSUR: Well, I agree with you, as long as there‘s no answer to the questions that the mother is posing because she is only sincerely interested in finding her daughter. But if those answers are not forthcoming, then the case cannot be over. And we won‘t give up on it, either.
To continue reading:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9910586/'Scarborough Country' for Nov. 2nd
Read the transcript to the Wednesday show
Updated: 10:24 a.m. ET Nov. 3, 2005
Guests: Robin Holloway, Connie Grinstead, Michelle Malkin, Juan Avila, Andy Messing
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SCARBOROUGH: A major shakeup in Aruba today. Natalee Holloway‘s parents fired off an explosive six-page letter. They say they are absolutely fed up with the investigation. And they want new people on the case and they want them there now.
With us on the phone is Natalee‘s stepmom, Robin Holloway, who signed the letter, and also MSNBC analyst Clint Van Zandt, who was in Aruba this summer, did some remarkable report.
Let me start with you, Robin.
It sounds like the family is finally fed up. What was the triggering event to make you all write this remarkable letter to Aruban authorities?
ROBIN HOLLOWAY, STEPMOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: Hi, Joe. And just, I apologize for my voice. I think I am losing it, so I hope you can understand me OK.
But just, five months, I mean, we are going on half-a-year. And there‘s still no answers. As far as we know, they are still no closer to finding out what happened to Natalee. We are just hoping some fresh faces will bring new answers, and that there‘s—we know there‘s witnesses that need to be re-questioned or re-interviewed, and hopefully, a new team could help solve what happened to Natalee, because, right now, almost half-a-year later, we are still no closer.
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SCARBOROUGH: Yes, and that‘s a great point. It seems to me that everybody in Aruba, Clint, they are trying to make this about Beth. They are trying to attack Beth. You were down there.
CLINT VAN ZANDT, MSNBC ANALYST: Sure.
SCARBOROUGH: These guys have been running an extraordinarily sloppy investigation, haven‘t they?
VAN ZANDT: Well, I think so, Joe. You know, I understand the family‘s frustration, as you say, having been there, having talked to Beth and the investigators, the private investigators working the case.
I mean, they are all frustrated with it. There was mistakes made from square one. I think, for most people, it looks like this case has ground to a standstill without any solution. So, from an investigator‘s standpoint, it‘s time for new blood.
SCARBOROUGH: And Beth is—or this letter at least is saying that it appears that the chief investigator‘s goal right now is to incite anti-Beth feelings.
And if you look at some of the statements Dompig has made over the last several days, it certainly looks like they are trying to turn the people in Aruba against Beth. It‘s going to get ugly down there pretty soon, isn‘t it?
Clint?
VAN ZANDT: Yes, I think it is already, Joe. I think that there‘s this animosity that is building. I think the Aruban government and people want this case to go away. You know, as Americans, obviously we don‘t.
But, you know, one of the things that I would advocate on this, Joe, is that the reality is that the Aruban police have really lost their credibility in this whatsoever. They have done a terrible investigation. They do basically terrible interviews. I have seen the results of the interviews when I was down there doing some reporting for you and your show, and it‘s just not consistent with what we see internationally.
Were it me down there, I would say, hey, let‘s—you know, the FBI can‘t go down and take over the case. I mean, whether the Holloway-Twitty family wants that, the reality is, it‘s not going to happen. But the Dutch can. The Dutch are very good investigators in Holland, good homicide detectives, good interviewers. Were it me in the Aruban government, I would say, let‘s bring a team in from Holland, kind of a cold-case squad. Let them start from square one and let them take the case.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9910590/