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Please forgive me if this has already been posted . . . It's older, so you may already have seen it . . .
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July 23, 2005
Prayers for Natalee, family offered during Aruba trip
http://www.mcherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050723/LIFE/507230317/1003
By Mark Doiron
Guest Columnist

On a flight from Atlanta to Aruba for our family vacation, I was sitting next to a gentleman from Birmingham, Ala.

I asked him if he knew Natalee Holloway, the former Clinton resident who disappeared in Aruba, or the family.

The gentleman introduced himself as Matt Whatley. His daughter was Natalee's roommate at the Holiday Inn. This was his fifth trip to Aruba since Memorial Day weekend.

At our house for the past several weeks the entire family has been glued to news reports coming from Aruba because it is our family vacation destination. I told Whatley that my 6-year-old twins were innocently wanting to come to Aruba to help find Natalee. He broke down and was visibility moved by my kids' response.

Throughout the flight I listened as Whatley talked about Natalee. He pulled out a huge file showing me faxes from psychics, posters and police reports. I read one psychic's report that was handwritten on 18 pages. This was one of 13 documents the family had received from psychics.

Whatley told me that after Natalee first came up missing, her mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, himself and others confronted Joran van der Sloot and Katish and Deepak Kalpoe. He said Joran was very obnoxious and repeated that Natalee was very drunk.

Whatley told me that the story from the boys involved had changed so many times. When Natalee first came up missing, Whatley and family members even went to some crack houses to investigate Natalee's disappearance. Just think about the risks family and friends are taking to search for Natalee.

After landing, I wished him and the Holloway family the very best and if they need anything that we would be staying at the Marriott.

The day after our arrival to Aruba, I got a message to come to the front desk. Whatley had brought my family some handmade Natalee prayer bracelets made from colorful yarn. My family wore them everywhere.

When I call back home, everyone asks me about Natalee. The only news about Natalee I see here on the island is in the local paper, Aruba Today. News is sporadic.

I have seen media people from NBC, FOX and networks walking around the Marriott. Many have been stationed here for more than a month. My wife, Christy, and I came upon a FOX news studio one evening while going to dinner. Fox's Greta Van Susteren was going to interview Beth Holloway Twitty and Dave Holloway, Natalee Holloway's parents.

While eating sushi at the Marriott lounge we watched the interview on the TV.

Dave Holloway was interviewed first. During the interview with Beth Holloway Twitty, Dave Holloway and Natalee's aunt, Linda Twitty, walked up to catch the interview on TV. After Beth was interviewed, I approached Dave Holloway and told him that my wife and I were from Mississippi.

He wanted to talk about home. Aruba is full of tourists but most are from the northeastern United States. Having someone from home to talk to was a relief!

We talked about our businesses since we both are in the insurance business, people we both knew from Meridian (where he currently resides), Clinton (where he use to live) and Madison, and other Mississippi news.

Later, I told my wife, Christy, that I noticed the stress in his face. Holloway told me that he has been on the island every day but five days since Natalee's disappearance.

Everyone we see, from the members of the news media to locals and tourists, has his own story as to what happened to Natalee.

Aruba is truly one of the safest places in the Caribbean. I believe that the Aruban police are just as frustrated about Natalee's disappearance as everyone else. I feel for the family and I know if I was in their shoes I would be doing the very same thing that Beth Holloway Twitty and Dave Holloway are doing every day — looking for their daughter and using the media to get the message out.

Dave and Beth, everyone back home in Mississippi is praying with you in your search for your daughter, Natalee.