Natalee Holloway’s Final Moments Revealed in Joran Van Der Sloot's Own WordsJessica McBrideMon, November 9, 2026 at 6:24 AM UTC
A new Netflix documentary tells the tragic story of Natalee Holloway, the high school student who vanished in Aruba while on vacation in 2005.
Central to the story from the beginning was Joran Van Der Sloot, the local teen, and son of a Dutch diplomat, who met Natalee at a club. She was last seen leaving the scene in a gray car with him and two other men. The story exploded into massive headlines for years, as Natalee’s determined mom pursued answers and justice.
In 2023, she finally got it, in a way, when Van Der Sloot finally admitted that he caused Holloway’s death. All of this has some people wondering: Where is Joran Van Der Sloot now?
Today, Joran Van Der Sloot Is in Prison in Peru
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The story of Van Der Sloot took another tragic turn when he was convicted of murdering a second young woman. That led to a lengthy prison sentence for him.
In 2023, according to People, Van Der Sloot finally admitted murdering Holloway as part of a plea deal in an extortion case. The confession is horrific.
Van Der Sloot said that he knocked Holloway unconscious on the beach when she rejected his advances, and then smashed her head in with a cinder block. He then threw her body into the sea, according to People. According to People, by the time he confessed to the murder, the statute of limitations for homicide in Aruba had expired, as it was 12 years. He pleaded guilty to a charge of extorting her mom. Thus, to be clear, Van Der Sloot has never been convicted of Holloway’s murder, despite the confession.
According to NJ.com, in 2023, Van Der Sloot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to extort Holloway’s mom for money in exchange for information about her daughter.
Van Der Sloot “is currently incarcerated at Challapalca prison in Peru. He is serving a 28-year prison sentence for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez and concurrently serving a 20-year sentence for extorting the Holloway family. His projected release date is 2045,” NJ.com reported.
What Happened to Stephany Flores Ramirez?
According to ABC 7, Ramirez, 21, was found dead “at the Miraflores Hotel Tac in Lima in a room registered to Van Der Sloot.”
She “had been found beaten and stabbed to death. Cuts were found all over her face and body,” and a struggle had taken place, ABC News reported, adding that Van Der Sloot met the victim at a casino after traveling to Peru to participate in a poker tournament.
The suspect fled to Chile, where he was arrested, according to CNN.
Van Der Sloot also confessed to this homicide, telling police he murdered Ramirez “by smothering her with his bloodied shirt so she would not be able to go to the police,” ABC News reported.
He said that Ramirez struck him and grew upset when a message popped up on his computer accusing him in connection with Holloway’s disappearance. He said that he impulsively killed her.
“There was blood everywhere. What am I going to do now? I had blood on my shirt. There was also blood on the bed, so I took off my shirt and put it on her face, pressing hard, until I killed Stephany,” he told police, according to ABC.
Related: Netflix’s Latest True Crime Documentary Soars to No. 1 After Just One Day
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Nov 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: Crime
