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| Photo of Natalee Holloway and Father Dave Provided to AP by Beth Twitty |
Natalee Holloway's parents, Dave and his former wife, Beth Twitty, attended a hearing in Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday to witness Judge Alan King signing the declaration of death for their daughter. Natalee Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba. Despite massive search efforts, Holloway's body was never found.
Dave Holloway petitioned the court in September to declare Natalee dead, saying he believed she had died. He explained to Judge King that he wanted to stop payments on her medical insurance and use the money in her college fund to help her younger brother.
King ruled that Holloway had met the legal presumption of death for his daughter and the burden of proof lay on someone to prove that she hadn't died in Aruba. Several months passed, but no one came forward with new information, clearing the way for Judge King to act on Holloway's petition.
Joran van der Sloot remains the prime suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance. As I write this post, he is attending his sentencing hearing in Lima, Peru. Dave Holloway expressed his desire to see van der Sloot receive the maximum penalty of 30 years.
Van der Sloot faces federal charges accusing him of extorting $25,000 from Beth Holloway to reveal the location of her daughter's body. Prosecutors said the money was paid, but nothing was disclosed about the missing woman's whereabouts. Both parents desperately want him to appear personally in the Birmingham court where the case would be tried.
Ham on Wry hopes that Natalee's parents can find some degree of closure after Thursday.
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