Natalee Holloway: Witness claims he saw Joran van der Sloot ‘run after’ girl on day she went missing

Holloway vanished in May 2005 during her high school graduation trip to Aruba in the Caribbean

UPDATED MAY 12, 2023

Natalee Holloway went missing in 2005 (Mountain Brook High School/Holloway family)

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: Eighteen years after Natalee Holloway shockingly went missing during her high school graduation trip to Aruba in the Caribbean, an apparent key witness account has now been disclosed. Jurrien de Jong reportedly spotted Holloway and chief suspect Joran van der Sloot before the teenager's disappearance on May 30, 2005.

The man said as per RadarOnline.com that he saw the two going inside “a small building” which was near the Marriott hotel. Jong also shared, “I saw Joran run after Natalee,” who was pronounced dead in January 2012 though her body has not been discovered yet.

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Beth Holloway participates in the launch of the Natalee Holloway Resource Center on June 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The non profit resource center was founded by Holloway and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment and was created to assist families of missing persons. Beth Holloway's daughter Natalee is the Alabama teen who disappeared five years ago in Aruba. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) — Beth Holloway participates in the launch of the Natalee Holloway Resource Center on June 8, 2010, in Washington, DC. The nonprofit resource center was founded by Holloway and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment and was created to assist families of missing persons. Beth Holloway's daughter Natalee is the Alabama teen who disappeared five years ago in Aruba. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

‘I didn't want to unnecessarily hurt my family’

The eyewitness story gave a new angle to the crime since Sloot had never mentioned it to the investigators during his questioning sessions. Jong initially did not come forward to the authorities because he reportedly was in the illegal drugs business, but eventually decided to tell the truth as “I knew that Joran was lying.”

The man added that he “didn't dare talk about what I saw” primarily “because I (would have had to) reveal my own (activities). That is the reason why I didn't want to say what I saw. I didn't want to unnecessarily hurt my family.” But Jong’s account was called “implausible” by the investigators. Natalee's father, Dave Holloway, though found him “very believable”.

Mayor John Robert Smith and his wife Kelly Smith join a prayer vigil at Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church for missing teen Natalie Holloway, who disappeared a week ago while on a senior trip to Aruba, June 6, 2005 in Meridian, Mississippi. Holloway's father, David Holloway, belongs to the church in the southern city of about 40,000 residents. A massive search for the teen along the coast of Aruba has ensued and two men have been charged in connection with her disappearance. (Photo by Marianne Todd/Getty Images) — Mayor John Robert Smith and his wife Kelly Smith join a prayer vigil at Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church for missing teen Natalie Holloway, who disappeared a week ago while on a senior trip to Aruba, June 6, 2005, in Meridian, Mississippi. Holloway's father, David Holloway, belongs to the church in the southern city of about 40,000 residents. A massive search for the teen along the coast of Aruba has ensued and two men have been charged in connection with her disappearance. (Photo by Marianne Todd/Getty Images)

‘I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life’

This comes as Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, shared on Wednesday night, May 10, “Almost exactly eighteen years later, her perpetrator, Joran van der Sloot, has been extradited to Birmingham to answer for his crimes.” The accused is currently in Peru behind bars after being awarded 28 years for killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores, on May 30, 2010. He will be brought temporarily to the States to face extortion and fraud charges, CNN reported.

Beth also noted, “In May 2005 my 18-year-old daughter Natalee Holloway left Birmingham for Aruba to attend her high school graduation trip and was never seen again. I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life for 18 years, and as of this month, I have been without her for exactly 18 years. She would be 36 years old now. It has been a very long and painful journey, but the persistence of many is going to pay off. Together, we are finally getting justice for Natalee.”

‘Alabama moms like Beth Holloway are stronger’

The mother expressed her gratitude toward Peru’s president and authorities as she added, “I want to express my sincere gratitude to President Dina Boluarte, the President of Peru, the warm people of Peru, the family of Stephany Flores, the FBI in Miami, Florida and in Birmingham, Alabama, the US Attorney’s office in Birmingham, the US Embassy in Peru and the Peruvian Embassy in the US, my longtime attorney John Q. Kelly who has worked tirelessly on this case, and George Seymore and Marc Wachtenheim of Patriot Strategies.”

Besides, Kay Ivey, the governor of Alabama, said as per AP, “Joran van der Sloot’s extradition to Birmingham, Alabama — Natalee’s home for her 18 years — is significant. Criminals like him are deceptive and vicious. Alabama moms like Beth Holloway are stronger.”