For Natalee Holloway’s family, the 18-year-long waking nightmare can finally be put to rest. Joran van der Sloot, the man who had long been suspected of having murdered the US national while she was supposed to be celebrating her high school graduation, has confessed to the heinous deed.

A life that was unjustly cut short because – as van der Sloot has himself revealed – she refused his sexual advancements, a situation many women find themselves dreading for the violent responses a “no” may elicit. It must be said that Natalee bravely fought back in her last moments, kneeing her aggressor in the groin to try to get away, but the callous killer bludgeoned her to death and dropped her body into the sea where it would never be found. To Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mother, knowing her daughter did her best to defend herself is a reason to feel proud, she told Court TV.

Natalee’s parents had already been separated for years prior to her trip to Aruba. Dave and Beth Holloway had Natalee in 1986 and were married until 1993. They both remarried thereafter, with Dave going on to have two more daughters with his new wife, Robin.

While they both surely fought tooth and nail for justice and a resolution to the case, their stances did not always align. Here’s what Dave and Beth Holloway have been up to for the past years and where they are now.

Living a parent’s worst nightmare for nearly two decades

Of the two parents, Beth Holloway has seemingly been the more incessantly active of the two in all things pertaining to their daughter’s disappearance. Even before the police investigation had kicked into gear, Beth had managed to get van der Sloot’s name from a hotel employee who had spotted him on security footage.

Beth was also further victimized by van der Sloot as he extorted thousands of dollars from her by leading her and investigators on a wild goose chase for Natalee’s body, which he likely knew would never be found.

Almost from the get-go, Beth spoke often to the media regarding her missing daughter. She believed van der Sloot’s story when he, in the beginning stages of the investigation, implicated siblings Satish and Deepak Kalpoe. The Kalpoe brothers were later released, and some Arubans criticized Beth for dubbing them “criminals,” seemingly without concrete proof. Can you really blame a mother that’s this desperate for the truth? A truth that for many years felt so close, yet so far.

Beth lost a lot to stay in Aruba in search of answers. Her second marriage fell apart, and she couldn’t keep her teaching job, which would later require her to undergo training once more to earn back her certificate. Beth joined forces with the Crime Museum to create the Natalee Holloway Resource Center (NHRC) to work together with high schools and colleges to make travel safer for kids.

Against Beth’s wishes, Dave had a judge declare their daughter dead in 2012. He said, according to Daily Mail: “I had been around long enough to know that if a young girl leaves a club with three guys and hadn’t been seen or heard from in three days, something bad had happened and there was a 99 percent chance even then that we would never see her again.”

That is not to say Dave yearned any less for answers than his ex-spouse. He also made multiple TV appearances to talk on the case. Six years ago, when unidentified human remains were found in Aruba, he spoke to People, saying however that he chose to remain skeptical to prevent further disappointment, as he “always had a different theory and that different theory helped bring closure.”

Long overdue answers and the end of uncertainty

Even if Natalee’s disappearance brought sorrow that is hard to fathom, that doesn’t mean her family’s lives were deprived of any joy. Her younger brother, Matthew, has had two children, a daughter and a son. When recently asked by Court TV what she missed the most about her daughter, Beth answered: “I think right now what I miss most about her is: she would be married, she would be a doctor by now  – I have no doubt  – she would have children, she would have nieces and nephews […]. I miss her being able to experience that and I miss being a grandmother to her children.” The silver lining Beth can find is that she can see her daughter through her daughter-in-law and through her grandchildren.

In his impact statement in court, according to ET, Dave Holloway showed his undeniably justified outrage at the reason for his daughter’s murder, in daring to “stand up for her own body,” and how, not only did her murderer rob her and her loved ones of the future she had ahead of her, he went as far as “[to torture] and [extort] those who loved her most.”

When he appeared in the US court, van der Sloot turned to apologize to the Holloways, saying he’s a changed person as he gave his “heart to Jesus Christ” while incarcerated. The reaction elicited, according to the Court TV reporter who sat close by, eye rolls and scoffing from the victim’s family.

In the wake of van der Sloot’s confession, Beth Holloway made a statement to the media outside the courthouse saying: “Today, I can tell you with certainty that after 18 years, Natalee’s case is solved. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. It’s over. Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder, he is the killer.”

Due to the plea agreement, van der Sloot will not see prison time for what he has done to Natalee, but, thankfully at least, he won’t be a free man anytime soon, as he still has 22 years remaining of a murder sentence awaiting him in Peru.

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