WILLEMSTAD – The names Joran van der Sloot and Natalee Holloway still resonate across the Caribbean, particularly on Aruba, where the American teenager disappeared and was murdered nearly two decades ago. Netflix has now confirmed that it is producing a new documentary series about Natalee’s life and the tragic events surrounding her death.
Natalee Holloway, then 18 years old, traveled to Aruba in 2005 with friends to celebrate their high school graduation. After a night out, she never returned to her hotel. Her disappearance sparked an international media storm and one of the most high-profile missing-persons investigations in recent history.
For eighteen years, Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot—who was seventeen at the time—denied harming her. It was not until 2023 that he finally confessed to the killing, doing so in exchange for a reduced sentence in an unrelated U.S. extortion case.
According to Netflix, the upcoming three-part series will feature Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, who will publicly share the full story for the first time. The documentary will also include interviews with detectives, investigators and FBI agents, along with exclusive footage and audio recordings not previously released to the public.
The series is being co-directed by Danielle Sloane, known for her documentary on the Menendez Brothers, and Matthew Galkin, who produced Murder in the Bayou. Netflix is expected to announce the official release date soon.