Aruba...What's taking so long?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I can’t believe that they haven’t been able to get out of those boys WHERE that poor girl is. I know the Arubans aren’t experienced with this sort of crime, but, come on…and they aren’t welcoming help from the FBI, either? Is that pride? Her poor parents…</p>

2

<p>I, too, feel for those parents - The ultimate nightmare. I really think it’s a matter of national pride for Aruba to handle issues on their own soil. Our FBI has to be tearing their hair out. Having a sister that’s a travel agent, I’ve been warned by her many times to think twice before sending any of my kids out of the country for spring break, etc. She has heard many horror stories that never made it to the news.</p>

3

<p>Something like that could’ve happenned to me on St. Maarten, and I was 23 and travelling with my parents! I am kind of surprised it doesn’t happen more often…I guess they’re searching now around the Marriott in the waters there…</p>

4

<p>Okay, now you’ve piqued my curiosity: What happened on St. Maarten?</p>

5

<p>We were staying at a modest inn on the water, and there was this American guy there about my age…he was sort of living there with the owner…not sure about the relationship there, but one night he asked if I’d like to go out for a drink. In that I was pretty bored with my parents I said, “sure!” and off we went…he took me to a dive (which was fine with me) but I got creeped out when he started dancing really strangely…I think he was on LSD or something. I asked to go home, so we started out…but his jeep got stuck in this huge pothole…We were in the middle of nowhere…got back to the inn at about 4am…He was very strange…My parents were besides themselves…and although I guess he was harmless I’m sure there are people out there who aren’t…I was just being open minded and looking for a good time…like Natalee.</p>

6

<p>This kind of thing happens all of the time, including in the U.S. Even when suspects are arrested, the suspects may not admit anything. Why should they: Presumably she is dead, and her body is hidden. The lack of a body reduces the chance that the suspects can be charged and sucessfully prosecuted. They have no reason to talk.</p>

7

<p>You are quite correct in that “stuff happens” in the US too. I guess we just have to attempt to pound some street smarts into our kids before they’re off on their own… Of course, trying to do that while you’re getting the “You’re so paranoid” look from your kids…</p>

8

<p>I thought that holding those security guards was a stretch right from the start, and the 3 boys she went with as the key all along. Had a talk with my DD, who said she wouldn’t be stupid enough to go off with 3 strange boys in a foreign country, and she has been sheltered. Another story came out that others are looking for their children and that one girl had been spotted a few times in other countries - that there is the possiblity that she was sold into white slavery - S. America is just a short boat ride away, and white, blue-eyed, blondes are in great demand. That trade is very much international sindicate driven. We may never know what happened. No one is going to talk, and the politicians in Aruba surely aren’t capable of dealing with the network, if that is the situation here. These parents were media savvy or we would never have heard about this, or it would have been just a short blurb in the paper. They knew enough to get the FBI down there, too.</p>

9

<p>The following is an excerpt from the primary Aruba vacation discussion board, <a href=“Loading...”>Loading...;

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10

<p>There is an interview up on MSNBC with one of the released suspects - former security guard regarding jailhouse conversation with one of the still jailed trio.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8230305/[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8230305/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;