Natalee Holloway And Joran Van der Sloot Captured On Film At Carlos And Charlies - Riehl World
ABRAMS: Coming up, big developments in Aruba. The prosecutor goes on vacation? This as Natalee Holloway's mother increases the reward for information leading to her whereabouts. And the family hires a private eye. We'll talk to him and to Natalee's mom coming up.
ABRAMS: Coming up, developments in Aruba. The chief prosecutor overseeing the Natalee Holloway case decides it is a good time to take a vacation. This as Natalee's mom offers a reward for her daughter's whereabouts. A live report is coming up after the headlines. We'll talk to the mom as well.
ABRAMS: Missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway's family announced today they are increasing the reward for her safe return to $200,000. The reward for information leading to her whereabouts is up to $100,000. All this while the lead prosecutor thinks to herself (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this might be a good time for a vacation.
Michelle Kosinski is in Aruba with the latest. Michelle, the prosecutor decided to take a vacation now?
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, apparently this is something that has been planned for some time. She doesn't talk about it. People in her office say that that is the way that it is. But that if something were breaking in this case, that potentially would change. As far as the investigation stands right now, we know that that piece of potential evidence, the only one found so far on the island, the duct tape with the hairs on it is at the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.
Today the FBI tells me that they are assessing it. They say the sample was quite small and they're deciding which way they are going to go with analyzing it. The other part of that sample was sent to Holland for Dutch authorities to analyze and they told me that that was due to arrive yesterday. So that already should be in place.
Again, there's not much information is coming out on the island, Natalee's mother, Beth, has come up with a plan of her own. She announced this much larger reward today -- $200,000 leading to Natalee's safe return and then $100,000 leading to information that would take us to her whereabouts. It also comes with an anonymous tip line.
Now today people, tourists, many of them spread out around this island and they put up 400 posters announcing that reward. We also found out police have had a tip line in place for some time. They tell us that they are still getting some tips and information on that. But on this island it is not customary or procedural for them to also have a reward. So this new tip line that Beth Holloway Twitty created will be in conjunction with her new reward, and she's really hoping that this helps.
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: Given the sensitive nature of this case, the person who gives the information will remain anonymous. To secure anonymity, the person calling the tip line will receive a code, which will also be used in case a reward will be paid out.
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KOSINSKI: Now we've seen in our country, many times a reward is what brings people out. The Dutch here, the Dutch authorities on Aruba just don't feel that that is something they want to get into. But here, Beth Holloway Twitty and the family of Natalee feel that that could bring some information out.
Now you mentioned the prosecutor being on vacation. We have talked to her office about that many times. Once the test results come back from the DNA from that hair sample, we are told that they will release whatever information they can, and that is entirely up to them. They will release it through a spokesperson in the prosecutor's office here.
So just because she is not on the island doesn't mean we won't be getting information. But again, the release of whatever information, and whatever form it is, is entirely up to her.
ABRAMS: Yes.
KOSINSKI: So we are just going to have to wait and see.
ABRAMS: Yes, I don't think that's particularly encouraging for the investigation if the lead prosecutor is saying oh you know what, even though there is this key piece of evidence that's being tested, I'm going to take a vacation. All right, Michelle, thanks lot. Appreciate it.
I will be talking with Beth Holloway Twitty in a moment, Natalee's mother. But first, it's been seven and a half weeks. Recently her family hired a private investigator from the U.S. to help in the investigation. He joins me now. T.J. Ward, president of Investigative Consultants joins me now.
T.J., thanks a lot for taking the time to come on the program. Appreciate it. All right, so look, the Aruban authorities...
(CROSSTALK)
ABRAMS: ... investigating, they've got this piece of tape. They've got the hair on it. Are you—have you been able to get any leads that you think that maybe the Aruban authorities have not been able to get?
T.J. WARD, HOLLOWAY PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Well, at this point I've been here on the ground for about 24 hours and we've already tried to deal with the Aruban authorities, so I think it is a dead end for this private investigation is concerned. Our goal here not only to gather new information, but to start from the beginning. And we need to find out what happened to Natalee before we can find out where she is.
Beth Twitty has kept a very, very good timeline that we have spent some time and gone through. And there are a lot of people that have knowledge to this case that were not interviewed by the police. And although we know that the law enforcement agency did not gather information from the beginning of this investigation the way they should have, so it is now time for us to try to take control in a parallel mode and gather information and interview people that may have personal knowledge of this case.
We do know, and we believe, that the parties that are in jail now have involvement in this case. And we have gathered information from the individuals that have personal knowledge of this case and we plan to go forth and interview...
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: ... them and gather information.
ABRAMS: What do you base that on? The information about the people, the person in custody, Joran Van Der Sloot, having some connection to the case?
WARD: Well, we know on several occasions he has told lies. We know that he has had communication with his father. We know that he has had communication with the other two boys who got released out of jail. And we know the stories are not consistent at what they are talking about. They're not telling the truth.
And we believe that the parties that the government has in jail now are the right parties behind bars. It is just a matter of being able to prove and pull information. The reward has just went out today (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we believe that there will be individuals come out who have knowledge of that, and I am sure I will be in assistance in the lead with Beth Holloway of identifying these individuals whether they're telling the truth or their story is fictitious for money.
ABRAMS: I certainly hope so. Let me ask you about the Kalpoe brothers, these two guys have been released. That means that you can go up to their house, knock on the door, see if they will talk to you. I know you have only been there 24 hours, but is that part of the plan?
WARD: Well, we somewhat have to be very careful just the same way that the laws in the U.S. If they are represented by counsel, then it would not be proper for us to try to interview them. But there are people that they have talked to that are not represented that have knowledge to their conversations that we can identify and talk to and may give us information.
Again, I believe the reward is going to bring people out that have personal knowledge of this information. And we're going to take this and go forth with it.
(CROSSTALK)
WARD: And I will turn this information over to the Twitty family and they can do what needs to be done with it.
ABRAMS: Have the Aruban authorities said to you anything about you know welcome, or stay away, or here are the rules? Anything like that?
WARD: No, they haven't. When we were here three weeks ago with the layered voice analysis and we attempted to try to let them use this, Ms. Janssen asked in the paper, we went public with it that they needed new technology here in order to help solve this crime. And we brought the layered voice analysis down here. We shared it with the Aruban government and we shared it with the law enforcement agency.
They said it's great equipment but we can't risk bringing this in and jeopardizing our case. But we do have information that we were supplied from the media, interviews from some of these individuals directly...
ABRAMS: All right.
WARD: ... and indirectly involved and we've gathered good pertinent...
ABRAMS: All right, T.J., good luck. We'll be following it. Appreciate it.
WARD: Thank you very much.
ABRAMS: Coming up, Natalee Holloway's mother joins me with her reaction to the latest developments. What does she think about the prosecutor taking a vacation? Am I overstating this? I don't know. Coming up.
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ABRAMS: Coming up, Natalee Holloway's mother increases the reward for Natalee's safe return. She joins me, up next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TWITTY: There will be a cash reward in the amount of United States dollars, $200,000 for anyone who provides information that leads to the safe return of Natalee. For information given to the leads of the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway will receive a cash amount of United States dollars, $100,000 shall be awarded to that person who provides that information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABRAMS: Well there you heard it, from Beth Holloway Twitty. She has been on the island since right after Natalee went missing and she joins us now from Aruba.
Beth, thanks so much once again for coming back on the program. Let me ask you about this prosecutor going on vacation. Before we talk about the reward and I want to get into that, but does it trouble you that in the middle of the investigation, right at the point when a piece of duct tape has been found, which might have some connection to the case the lead prosecutor is going off the island on vacation?
TWITTY: Well, Dan, actually I had heard that—I am sure there are a couple of reasons why she departed for Holland. But one of them was that she was actually carrying the sample that was discovered from the park ranger over the weekend. As far as the other reasons why she was going, you know I am not aware.
ABRAMS: If you're comfortable, I'm comfortable. I mean you know I need to know that you are comfortable with it, and you know then I'm going to forget about this.
TWITTY: Well, and I just don't...
ABRAMS: Fair enough.
TWITTY: ... I do know that that is one of the reasons. But other than that, you know, she'd have to disclose that.
ABRAMS: Fair enough. Let's talk about the reward. You announced it today, $200,000 for the safe return, $100,000 for information leading to her whereabouts. Apparently people have been putting up posters all over the island.
TWITTY: Oh, they have. You know, we met some—well actually a friend of mine that is with me met some tourists and some local citizens at the lobby of the Wyndham and when they came back in, it was probably two, two and a half hours later, and they were just completely drenched. They had—I don't know how many posters they had put up. It was just incredible and I oh I was just so grateful for them being there and ready to do that.
ABRAMS: Do you get the sense that there are still people on the island who don't know about the case, and as a result, that, you know, maybe this will make them aware?
TWITTY: No, absolutely not. I truly think that opening up another facet of this reward—you know we always had the one for her safe return in place, but you know, opening up to have now just for disclosure of her whereabouts, you know I think that could open up some new possibilities for us. We are so hopeful.
ABRAMS: Yes. Can't hurt, right?
TWITTY: That is right.
ABRAMS: Let me ask you about the—this new evidence or possible evidence, duct tape, hair, being sent for DNA testing now. Are you encouraged by that?
TWITTY: Well I'm—no. I mean I'm glad—you know when I go back (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I'm just so grateful that the park ranger was observant enough to find a piece of evidence and then turn it over to the authorities. And then it, you know, continued through the proper chain of command. I mean that, you know, that to me is a huge sign. And then for it to be—you know I know it's being taken to Holland now for the DNA analysis. So, you know, I think that is very encouraging to me and I just hope that, you know, pieces of evidence are continually found.
ABRAMS: Are the authorities still keeping you up-to-date, still keeping you in the loop as much as they can, even though time has been passing? Are they still as attentive as they were at the outset?
TWITTY: Well, you know, Jug and I were—and a couple of other family members, we were just speaking today and you know we really feel like that things could be turning around. We are hoping that, you know, with some—we know that a new investigative—a new person is coming in—I think his name is Eric Suma (ph) and then there's another guy. I can't think of his first name, Mr. Trump (ph). We are looking forward to having a fresh set of eyes look at the investigation and even possibly going back to the beginning and seeing if we've missed anything. So I mean I'm hopeful that we're going to cover it really thoroughly.
ABRAMS: You know I was really moved hearing you talk about the letters that you have been receiving from all over the world. And people are sending letters that just say Natalee Holloway's mom, Aruba, and they're getting to you. Tell us about that a little bit.
TWITTY: Well, I think that is incredible. And yesterday I went to get my mail, and it is not only just—it used to come in just a bundle, maybe just with a rubber band around it. But yesterday it was in a grocery sack, the plastic kind. And I was just—it is just incredible the amount of mail that people are sending and their support is just phenomenal.
ABRAMS: Do you plan on staying on the island?
TWITTY: Oh I'm not—you know when I speak of leaving—I mean I'm not leaving Aruba, but you know everyone knows that I have a 16-year-old child, too, and there will be a time when I'll have to take a few days. I would have to take a leave from Aruba, but it would be very temporary and I will be right back on the island.
ABRAMS: Beth Twitty, I can imagine what those letters look like and I told you this before because I see the letters we get that are directed to you and talk about the respect and the profound admiration that so many of my viewers have for you, which I share as well. Thank you once again for coming back on the program. Good luck.
TWITTY: Oh, thank you for having me, Dan. Thank you.