Prosecutors reveal Natalee Holloway case is still an open investigation

In Aruba, the statute of limitations for murder is 12 years, but the question of whether Joran van der Sloot can be prosecuted “cannot be answered unequivocally,” prosecutors say

Joran van der Sloot will not be charged in Natalee Holloway’s murder in the United States, despite confessing to bludgeoning her to death on a beach in Aruba 18 years ago – but prosecutors on the Caribbean island are leaving the possibility open.

Van der Sloot’s chilling confession was made public in court on Wednesday as part of a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud for trying to extort Holloway’s mother Beth out of thousands of dollars in exchange for information about her daughter’s death.

Beth Holloway said the admission of guilt provided long-awaited answers for their family, was “justice for Natalee,” and finally brought to a close, a “never-ending nightmare” even though it’s possible he’ll never face charges for her murder.

But now, prosecutors in Aruba asked the US Department of Justice to send them records from its investigation, spokeswoman Ann Angela told AL.com, explaining that they wish to review DOJ records “before deciding on the procedural steps to be taken.”

This has led to the question of whether van der Sloot could be charged for Holloway’s killing in Aruba, despite that there is a statute of limitations for murder 12 years.

When asked if they have plans to charge van der Sloot, the spokesperson said their investigation into Holloway’s murder remains open and that the question of whether van der Sloot could face homicide charges “cannot be answered unequivocally.”

“Your question as to whether the suspicion against Joran van der Sloot is statute-barred cannot be answered with a straightforward yes or no,” the spokesperson told AL.com.

“It depends on several factors within the investigation. The Police Force, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Aruba, and other investigative entities will follow up on any serious leads that could solve the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The Holloway case is still an open investigation in Aruba.”

Van der Sloot, now 36, was not charged in the United States with the murder of Alabama 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, who vanished on a graduation trip to Aruba in 2005.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 240 months in a US federal prison after he admitted he tried to extort Holloway’s mother in 2010.

As part of the plea deal, he also admitted that he blungened Holloway to death with a cinder block after she rejected his sexual advances on a beach in Aruba. He then waded into the ocean and dumped her body in the water before walking home where he reportedly watched porn.

“You didn’t get what you wanted from Natalee, your sexual satisfaction, so you brutally killed her,” Beth Holloway said at the sentencing hearing on Wednesday. “You are the one in Aruba no one wants to be, the black mark on the island.”

Van der Sloot is set to return to Peru next week to continue serving his 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores.