Over A Decade After Natalee Holloway Disappeared, Her Mother Opened Up About What Really Happened

Natalee Holloway had her whole life ahead of her when she suddenly vanished on an unofficial school trip to Aruba in 2005. And, for years, her mom, Beth, searched desperately for any clues that might lead her to her daughter’s whereabouts. Then, nearly a decade and a half after the teenager disappeared, Beth returned to the Caribbean island for a very important reason.

A Big Move

Natalee was the oldest of two children born to Dave and Beth Holloway, who at the time lived in Tennessee. Following the couple’s divorce in 1993, however, Beth wed successful Alabama-based businessman George “Jug” Twitty, and Natalee and her little brother, Matthew, would subsequently relocate with their mother to Mountain Brook – a well-to-do city near to Birmingham, AL.

Busy Schedule

Natalee was a star student, too, as she graduated from Mountain Brook High School with honors. But the teen hadn’t always had her nose stuck in a book. You see, she had also packed her schedule with a number of extracurricular activities, including participating in the dance team and the National Honor Society. She was also due to start at the University of Alabama after having being awarded a scholarship to the prestigious school.

Graduation Trip

Prior to starting college, however, Natalee and her classmates planned to celebrate their graduation in style. In May 2005 a group of 125 former students of Mountain Brook High School therefore jetted out to Aruba for a short vacation. At the time, Natalee was just 18, but seven chaperones were also there to watch over her and the other kids.

Unusual Behavior

Yet according to Natalee’s mom, her daughter was hardly a party animal. In a 2006 interview with Vanity Fair, Beth instead claimed that the teen was motivated and well behaved – and not typically one for boyfriends or raucous behavior. As a result, she had some worries about allowing Natalee to go on the hedonistic trip to Aruba.