Back to the Landfill

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) -- Police and volunteers picked through a landfill Saturday where a witness claimed he saw men dumping a female body two days after an Alabama teenager vanished. The landfill is on the southern part of the Dutch Caribbean island, the opposite side from where 18-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen in the early hours of May 30.

Crews stopped the search late Saturday without finding anything, but planned to resume Sunday, said Tim Miller, director of the volunteer Texas EquuSearch, which is coordinating the landfill search.

The witness claimed to be dropping off trash when he saw the men dumping the body on the afternoon of June 1, Miller said.

"He said he saw a face, blond hair and a woman's chest, and that the body was dumped and covered," Miller said.

The witness could not identify the men but said they were driving a light colored jeep, said Miller.

Police spokesman Edwin Comenencia said police searched the landfill after receiving the tip days after Holloway's disappearance, but found nothing. He said the witness recently approached Holloway's family, who asked for another search.

...On the opposite side of Aruba, police ordered crews to stop draining a pond near the Marriott hotel, Comenencia said. They found no clues to Holloway's disappearance, he said.

Crews began draining the pond Tuesday, but it was still several feet deep Saturday. Comenencia declined to say why investigators decided to stop draining it.

I assume that "witnesses" with tips may be surfacing because of the reward money.

Natalee's family is offering $100,000 for information that would help solve the case. Information leading to her safe return would bring a $1 million reward.

Since this witness came forward shortly after Natalee disappeared, I tend to believe that the man sincerely thinks he saw something. However, it's possible he's just a nutcase looking for attention and now, a big chunk of change.

Let's say Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoes did dump Natalee's body at the landfill on May 30. There is no way they would have left her there. They, or possibly someone else, had to remove the body from the landfill and dispose of it elsewhere.

It would be far too risky to leave her body somewhere on the island. Certainly, it would be a much easier task to discover her remains at a landfill than at the bottom of the ocean.

I can't believe that these three young guys acted alone. They must have had help from someone more sophisticated and knowledgeable regarding how to dispose of a body without leaving a trace.

Someone (Paul van der Sloot?) had to help them cover their tracks. After all, it was Paul van der Sloot who advised his son and the Kalpoes to keep quiet.

My guess is that they're playing a waiting game, holding out hope that the searchers find nothing and that the case against Joran remains weak.
After all these weeks, no one has been charged in Natalee's disappearance.
Remember when Karin Janssen told the press that Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers had been charged with murder?
That was one month ago; and of course, her claims were not true.
I wonder if Aruban officials have any more field trips planned for Joran.

Like his past aimless walks with authorities on the beach, maybe Joran will soon be visting the landfill to pointlessly wander around, allowing officials to make it appear that an investigation into Natalee's disappearance is actually taking place.