Netflix’s ‘Taken: Natalee Holloway’: Where are Beth Holloway and Joran van der Sloot now?
Eighteen long years: That’s how long Beth Holloway waited to hear Joran van der Sloot admit to killing her daughter, Natalee. Eighteen years of agonising uncertainty and a bloody joke of a media circus that didn’t give a damn that there was a grieving mother at the centre of it. Netflix revisits the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in its new documentary, Taken: Natalee Holloway.
Then in October 2023, came the confession Beth had fought tooth and nail to obtain. At long last, the truth was out! Surely, after enduring the better part of two decades in such miserable circumstances, she could have some moments of peace, right? Ah, but here’s the bitter irony: van der Sloot admitted to killing Natalee without ever being convicted of her murder.
Taken: Natalee Holloway shows us the entire story through Beth’s eyes, and it’s a smart move because van der Sloot has hogged more than enough limelight. It’s about time we spared a thought for the woman who had to go through so much pain and disappointment, and the media made it a national obsession.
And if you thought the 2023 confession was the final chapter, think again, as there’s more. Beth has since taken another major step towards securing justice for her daughter. But first, where are she and van der Sloot today?
Where is Beth Holloway now?
Beth Holloway has returned to something resembling an ordinary life, although it’s devastating to imagine a person ever being normal after the pain this brutal. A speech pathologist by profession, she has resumed working in public education after taking almost a decade away from her career to search for Natalee.
And just when you think that all of it must’ve broken her, this kind soul is putting those hard-earned lessons to good use, helping families of missing people deal with the police and organise searches.
But don’t mistake her return to the classroom for retirement from her pursuit of justice. In fact, it’s far from it! In March 2026, Beth filed a criminal complaint against van der Sloot in the Netherlands, hoping to see him prosecuted for Natalee’s murder.
Dutch lawyers Royce de Vries and Annemiek van Spanje have been assisting her, while Aruban authorities handed over the original investigative files to prosecutors in Amsterdam in April. After more than two decades, this case could yet see another courtroom.
Beth also had something quite moving to say about finding closure. Speaking to Netflix, she explained that she has never been a big fan of the word. After all, getting answers doesn’t mean the pain of losing someone dies overnight. The confession finally gave her the answers she’d spent so long fighting for, but as far as justice goes, she’s not finished yet. In her own words, “The nightmare’s over, right? But I’m not done yet.”
Where is Joran van der Sloot now?
As for Joran van der Sloot, the 39-year-old Dutchman remains incarcerated in Peru, serving a 28-year prison sentence for murdering 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramírez in Lima in 2010. Five years after Natalee disappeared, another young woman lost her life at his hands, and this time, there was enough evidence to secure a murder conviction.
Then came another major development in 2023, when van der Sloot was brought from Peru to the US to face extortion and wire fraud charges. Apparently, he had attempted to extort $250,000 from Beth in exchange for information about Natalee’s whereabouts and remains.
During his plea deal, he finally admitted to killing Natalee and received a 20-year sentence for the financial crimes, which would run alongside his Peruvian sentence. But despite that confession, he’s never actually been charged with Natalee’s murder. Yes, you read that right.
And things haven’t exactly been peaceful for him in prison either. In August 2026, van der Sloot asked to be moved from Peru’s Challapalca prison, claiming that fellow inmates had threatened to kill him and that his mental health was suffering.
Meanwhile, Dutch prosecutors are looking into Beth’s complaint, although no new murder charges have been announced as of now. Will this finally lead to a prosecution? Well, that’s still anyone’s guess. But one thing is certain: Beth isn’t giving up.