Natalee Holloway went missing on May 30, 2005, while on a class trip to Aruba.

The disappearance of Natalee Holloway remained unsolved for nearly two decades.

The 18-year-old from Mountain Brook, Alabama, went missing on May 30, 2005, during a graduation trip to Aruba. Despite an exhaustive search, countless leads and intense investigation by authorities, private investigators and true crime enthusiasts, Natalee has never been found — and what happened to her remained a mystery for 19 years.

On Oct. 18, 2023, however, Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch national who was the last person seen with Natalee, admitted to killing the Alabama teen after pleading guilty to extortion and wire fraud charges, a lawyer for Natalee’s mother Beth stated. But despite his confession, it is still unclear if van der Sloot can be prosecuted as the statute of limitations in Aruba is 12 years.

Van der Sloot was previously arrested twice in connection with Natalee’s disappearance, but he was released both times due to lack of evidence. Van der Sloot is currently in prison for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramírez.

Natalee’s parents, Dave and Beth Holloway (who divorced in 1993) have never given up their quest for justice. Dave chased down leads on the 2017 Oxygen series The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway, while Beth became a public speaker and adviser to families with missing loved ones. Both wrote books about their situation, too.

“You have finally admitted that, in fact, you murdered her,” Beth reportedly said in her victim impact statement after hearing van der Sloot’s confession in October 2023. “You terminated her dreams, her potential, her possibilities, when you bludgeoned her to death in 2005,” Beth added, saying that if her daughter had lived, “I have no doubt she would have made all her dreams come true. She really would have.