I have wondered all along if the (revised) story about Joran and Natalee being dropped off on the beach near the Marriotts wasn't a red herring. It conventiently allows for an explanation of how Natalee could have been on her own, and thus victimized by a stranger. Thus, it is really just an improvement on the original lie the three men told about dropping her off at her hotel. This is how liars think -- version one didn't quite work, so let's amend it a bit. I suspect all the time spent searching this area has been wasted.
This case is just a run of the mill tragic murder. I'm not trying to minimize it, but thousands of young girls disappear every day and alot just like this. Why is this important? Because the news media needs ratings. This isn't a national story. There is no need for our government to be spending this much time and money.
Would the resources and the exposure help eventually solve this case faster and easier? probably. But you can say that about any of the thousands of missing people cases.