Gottfried Van Cromvoirt

Aruba's judicial system has to be among the screwiest in the world.

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) -- A 19-year-old arrested in the disappearance of a young Alabama woman appeared before a judge Tuesday, but authorities declined to reveal the outcome of the closed hearing.

The chief Aruban prosecutor was smiling as she emerged from a police station on Tuesday, but refused to say whether the judge had agreed to her request to keep the man in custody for at least eight days while authorities continue their investigation of him in Natalee Holloway's disappearance.

But the prosecutor, Karin Janssen, signaled her agreement with the outcome of the hearing, telling reporters, "I never smile when I'm angry."

...Aruban authorities have disclosed only the suspect's initials _ G.V.C. _ although his name has been reported by some news organizations.

"G.V.C. is suspected of criminal offenses that may be related to the disappearance of Miss Holloway and of offenses related to dealing in illegal narcotics," the prosecutor's office said in a brief statement.

Holloway, who was 18 when she disappeared, was last seen leaving a bar with Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers on May 30. Van der Sloot and the brothers, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, were jailed and later released after a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them.

Joran van der Sloot's lawyer and father said van der Sloot had never met the 19-year-old who was arrested over the weekend.

Natalee Holloway's parents are speaking out on these latest developments in the case of their daughter's disappearnce.

From Birmingham, Alabama's NBC13.com:

With so many rumors and theories coming out of Aruba, including one that places Natalee Holloway and Gottfried Van Cromvoirt near each other the night Holloway disappeared, Holloway's parents spoke out on Tuesday to try to clarify the specifics.

..."Down there, they don't really tell you a lot," Holloway said. "Because they don't want it out. It's kind of frustrating."


Holloway does not know if Van Cromvoirt is being held because he is actually involved in Natalee's disappearance or because he just might have information about who was involved.

"We heard rumors (Tuesday) there may be some other arrests," Holloway said.

One theory about Van Cromvoirt's involvement comes from reports that Joran van der Sloot told police that as he, Natalee and the Kalpoe brothers drove away from Carlos and Charlie's the night she vanished, they pulled alongside another car and drove side-by-side for a distance with the people in the vehicles talking back and forth. The people in the second vehicle have never been identified.

Natalee's mother, Beth Twitty, said she is hearing another story.

"I believe also this new suspect is somehow linked to or has access to a boat. I'm hearing he is also an acquaintance of Stephen Croes," Twitty said.

Croes is a party boat disc jockey who was arrested early on in Natalee's case. He backed up van der Sloot's first story about dropping Natalee off at a Holiday Inn.

"I have a feeling all of these suspects are tied together in some way," Twitty said.

...Natalee's parents said that because of what they call "Aruba's swinging judicial door," they are not getting their hopes up about Van Cromvoirt yet.

It's been nearly a year since Natalee Holloway was last seen by her parents. That is a fact.

All the rest is speculation.

If I were Natalee's parent, I would be so frustrated with the Aruban officials and their incompetence.

Although it would be great for the family if this latest detention did shed some light on what happened in May 2005, I wouldn't get my hopes up either.

Still, I hope the case is finally resolved.

I don't know why anyone would vacation in Aruba after learning how bumbling the law enforcement and judicial officials are there. The Aruban judicial system is really a joke.

America's courts aren't perfect, but would you prefer Aruban justice?