A jawbone found recently on an
Aruban beach was not that of Natalee Holloway because it contained a wisdom
tooth and the missing Alabama teen’s had been extracted, investigators said.
The bone is human, Aruba Solicitor
General Taco Stein said, but added that he could not say if it is from a male
or female. One thing is certain: It is not that of Holloway, who disappeared 30
May 2005, at age 18 while on a trip to Aruba to celebrate her high school
graduation.
“For the family this is
another tragedy, because they still don’t have closure,” Stein said.
He added investigators have
“no new leads to proceed upon.”
The news was yet another blow to
the Holloways.
“We appreciate everyone’s
thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” Natalee’s father, David
Holloway, said in a statement.
“We remain hopeful that
someday we will have the answer to the whereabouts of our daughter, Natalee
Holloway. We want to thank everyone for their support in our efforts to find
justice. We ask that you continue to remember Natalee in your thoughts and
prayers.”
Tourists found the bone 12 November
on a beach on the Caribbean island.
The bone was then sent to the
Netherlands Forensic Institute in the Hague for DNA testing.
Stein said experts have not been
able to determine whose bone had been found.
“[It is] from a resident of a young age.
That’s the only thing they will say.” He also said there is not enough
material present to give “any lead to a cause of death.”
Joran van der Sloot, a longtime
suspect in the case, is behind bars in Peru, accused of the 30 May slaying of
Stephany Flores. The Peruvian business student was found dead in van der
Sloot’s hotel room in Lima on 2 June.
Van der Sloot has been charged with
first-degree murder and robbery in that case. If convicted of Flores’ murder,
he could face 15 to 35 years in prison.
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