Netflix revisits Natalee Holloway’s disappearance and search

Netflix’s three-part docuseries Taken: Natalee Holloway began streaming November 4, revisiting the 2005 disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway and her mother Beth’s nearly two-decade search for answers. The series follows Beth’s efforts to find her daughter and the 2023 U.S. court proceedings in which Joran van der Sloot described killing her as part of a plea deal on financial-crime charges. Natalee disappeared during a graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen leaving a nightclub in Oranjestad with van der Sloot, then 17, and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. Her classmates could not find her before their flight home, and her mother was notified that Natalee was missing. Her remains have never been found. The documentary includes Beth’s account of arriving on Aruba and organizing searches, following tips and speaking publicly as investigators pursued leads. Former Aruban deputy police chief Gerold Dompig disputes the claim that police failed to investigate. He said van der Sloot’s father, Paulus, advised his son but had no connection to the police investigative team. Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were arrested during the investigation and later released...