www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=217402&pub=1&div=NewsReport: Dutch man arrested in Holloway case
4/16/2006 8:31:18 PM
Daily Journal
Daily Journal and wire reports
ORANJESTAD, Aruba – The man arrested last week in connection with the disappearance of former Mississippian Natalee Holloway is a 19-year-old Dutch national and an acquaintance of a former prime suspect in the case, NBC news reported today.
Aruban authorities late Saturday would only reveal the man’s initials – “G.V.C.” In Aruba, when an arrest is announced, officials usually release only a suspect's initials.
But, NBC’s “Dateline” newsmagazine reported tonight that the man arrested is Gottfried Van Cromhout, a friend of former prime suspect and Dutch national Joran van der Sloot. Van der Sloot's lawyers denied their client knew Van Cromhout, according to NBC.
A lawyer for the Holloway family told NBC's Dateline that Van Cromhout was involved with the island's beach patrol service.
Holloway's father, Dave Holloway of Meridian, said today he has been informed of the arrested person's identity.
"We're hopeful that something will come out of it," Holloway told CNN. "It's someone new (whose) name has never been mentioned before."
Antonio Carlo, attorney for van der Sloot, who was arrested last year but then released for lack of evidence, said he hoped the new arrest would shed light on happened to Holloway, an honors student from Mountain Brook, Ala., who disappeared on May 30. It was the final night of the 18-year-old's trip to this Dutch Caribbean island.
"My client has from the beginning maintained his innocence, and I think the sooner this case is resolved, the better," Carlo told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, adding that he did not know the name of the suspect.
Natalee Holloway, who lived in Southaven and Clinton before moving to the Birmingham area, was last seen leaving an Aruba bar with van der Sloot and Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. Van der Sloot has said he left Holloway on a beach near her hotel after they had kissed.
Mariaine Croes, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office, said Saturday that Aruban authorities were not prepared to disclose why the person was arrested or how the arrest was linked to the Holloway case.
Dave Holloway said he was still suspicious of van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers.
"I still think that these three original suspects still know more than what they told us," he said.
There have been a number of false leads in the investigation, and at least three other people were detained without being charged.
In recent weeks, Aruban police have searched sand dunes on the northern coast of the island. Dutch Marines, the FBI and hundreds of volunteers have previously searched for Natalee Holloway.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 4/16/2006, section 0 , page 0
I wander if they are getting close to something and just not talking?
