In May of 2005, Alabama teen Natalee Holloway’s future seemed brimming with bright promise. The straight-A student had just graduated from Mountain Brook High School, before flying to holiday hot-spot Aruba with her senior classmates. She was among a group of 124 students on the celebratory trip, accompanied by seven adult chaperones. The promise of spectacular sunshine and vibrant nightlife awaited. However, Holloway was never to return home, and the missing person case that followed—laced with ever-shifting and conflicting testimonies—would lead only to more questions, rather than the answers that her family continues to seek. The story of Natalee Holloway continues to fascinate and horrify true crime followers and mystify investigators of all backgrounds.
A Parent’s Greatest Fear
On May 30th, the day that the students were set to return home, Natalee’s friends realized that she had vanished. The teen’s belongings and passport remained untouched in her room, and her mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, received news that her daughter was missing. The very same day, the family traveled to Aruba in search of Natalee. Not wasting any time, the family followed the teenager’s trail to the Holiday Inn where she was staying, a nearby bar, and the house of a seventeen-year-old boy named Joran Van der Sloot.
Soon it would emerge that Van der Sloot alongside two friends, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, had met Natalee the evening before, and together they had been seen leaving the bar sometime after 1 am. In the first of many contradictory claims, Van der Sloot and the brothers told the frantic family that they had left Natalee outside her hotel, where they saw a security guard helping her inside.
A Substantial Search Effort
On June 1st, a search began that would quickly turn the Dutch Caribbean community upside-down. Volunteers started combing the area for signs of Natalee, and as her missing status was made official, the Aruban police, Dutch Marines, and even fighter planes from the Netherlands were enlisted to help—although every search strategy remains fruitless. Beginning on June 5th, the first arrests were made, starting with local security guards, and progressing to a club DJ and Paulus van der Sloot, Joran’s father.
On June 9th, Joran and the brothers were arrested. At this point, their stories began to shift, with a new narrative indicating that the brothers had left Van der Sloot alone with Natalee on a beach, and he himself insisting that he had left her there soon after. The next month, the Kalpoe brothers were released without charge, only to later be arrested again. Although van der Sloot was held for substantially longer, all were ultimately deemed free to go.
False Leads and Legal Action
An array of false leads tugged all who were following the case—which was quickly garnering international attention—towards raised hopes that were repeatedly dashed. Strands of blonde hair found on a piece of duct tape, blood on a bed that turned out to canine, a gardener’s witness statement that led to the searching of a nearby pond, and the sighting of a scull in an off-shore fish trap all left the investigation without progress.
Over the coming years, Natalee’s family would launch lawsuits against Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, and each would be arrested again to no avail. The media furor that surrounded the case drew intense pressure upon the Aruban authorities, and Van der Sloot was thrust into the spotlight in a lengthy interview with Fox News.
A Hidden Camera and Extortion Attempt
In February of 2008, Dutch reporter Peter R. de Vries spoke with Joran Van der Sloot while filming with a concealed camera. Within the footage, Van der Sloot could be seen telling the reporter than Holloway had collapsed on the beach and he and a friend had decided to dispose of her body at sea. As soon as the teen learned that the conversation had been captured, he declared that he had been lying.
Two years later, in March of 2010, Van der Sloot approached the lawyer of Natalee’s mother with the offer of a deal: he would reveal the location of her body, in return for $250,000. With the FBI on hand, lawyer John Q. Kelly coordinated an initial $25,000 payment for Van der Sloot—however, the promised location, which was claimed to be the foundation of a house, was also revealed as yet more misinformation.
A Brutal Twist Away From Justice
In 2010, despite ongoing interest in relation to Natalee’s disappearance, Van der Sloot managed to slip under the radar and make his way to Peru. Here, he was soon charged with the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez. Although Van der Sloot initially fled the scene of Ramirez’s murder before being arrested in Chile, in January of 2011 he pleaded guilty to the murder, and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Devastated at the thought that a second girl might have fallen victim to their daughter’s potential killer, the family reeled at this sudden change of circumstances.
At the request of her father, Natalee Holloway was declared dead by an Alabama judge in 2012. While the possibility remains that Van der Sloot might face extradition to the United States following his prison term in Peru, the Holloway family faces a long wait for a further pass at justice for Natalee. Still holding on to hope that answers will one day be granted, Natalee’s mother has since founded the International Safe Travels Foundation, a non-profit which informs and educates on traveling more safely, and the Natalee Holloway Resource Center in Washington, D.C, which supports other families navigating the disappearance of a loved one.
Although the Missing Endangered Person Advisory issued on June 24th for Monica Rose Downs has now expired, she remains missing—and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office continues to appeal for any information in relation to her disappearance or whereabouts. As the moment approaches when the days since Monica vanished might turn into weeks, all investigators on her trail will consider every possible clue to be of value in the effort to return her home safely.
Born on January 27th, 1982, Monica is 39 years old. She is reported to have been wearing a white tank top, black and white yoga pants, and a pair of black flip-flops on the day she disappeared. Monica is described as 5’7” tall, weighing around 105 pounds, and has long black hair and brown eyes. Monica was last seen near the Montana city of Bozeman, on Interstate-90 around mile marker 321.
Disappearance Under Concerning Circumstances
On Thursday 24th June 2021, Monica Rose Downs was traveling from Washington through the Bozeman area in the company of her boyfriend. The two are thought to have stopped at the pullout area at the top of the Bozeman Pass, where it is believed they entered into an argument. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office quickly issued a Missing Endangered Person Advisory, calling on any member of the public with information to come forward.
The Bozeman Pass is situated between Bozeman and Livingston, and separates the Bridger and Gallatin mountain ranges—making this stretch of Interstate-90 a key corridor for travelers making their way across the state. The area is also popular with hikers and climbers.
While little information has been shared with the public in regard to the events that led up to the moment when Monica is thought to have vanished, the MEPA states, “There is a concern for Monica’s safety due to some of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.” She has not been seen or heard from since the argument. No details have been shared as to what happened to her boyfriend, what vehicle they were driving, or whether any other parties may be involved.
The Second Disappearance Within A Fortnight
The city of Bozeman is home to Montana State University and lies nestled within the iconic Rocky Mountains, in close proximity to Yellowstone Park. Despite its small size and scenic surroundings, Bozeman has recently been no stranger to missing persons. Less than two weeks before Monica’s disappearance, a Missing Endangered Person Advisory was also issued for 14-year-old Jodi Parsons. Following an alert was raised when the teen was thought to have run away with the intention of hitchhiking to Oregon, she was happily found safe and well within 24 hours.
While a greater period of time has elapsed since the disappearance of Monica Rose Downs, there can be no doubt that those endeavoring to find her will be hoping for the same secure fate as Jodi. A recent analysis of missing persons cases in the state of Montana highlighted that there is no difference between the number of females and males who go missing, and that the vast majority—97.7% of the individuals within the three-year period examined—were located or recovered.
Monica Is Still Missing
On Saturday 26th June, just as the MEPA was set to expire, a local alert was widely distributed: “THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THE MISSING ENDANGERED PERSON ADVISORY ISSUED FOR MONICA ROSE DOWNS HAS EXPIRED. MONICA IS STILL MISSING. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON MONICA DOWNS, PLEASE CONTACT THE GALLATIN COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE AT 406-582-2100 OR CALL 911.”
Even though no new information has come to light within the public sphere, the search for Monica Rose Downs remains just as pressing, and readers are encouraged to be alert to any indication of her whereabouts or well-being.
More than 600,000 people go missing in the United States every year. Across all 50 states, across all age groups, no family is immune from their loved one going missing. While many of the missing people who are reported missing each year are eventually reported as safe, this epidemic of missing person cases can easily overwhelm the investigating jurisdiction, either due to lack of resources or lack of experience in missing person investigations. Regardless of the circumstances, when your loved one goes missing, hiring a missing person investigator to conduct a concurrent investigation with any official police investigation to ensure that important leads are not neglected or ignored.
Private investigators are often the intelligence professionals that families of missing persons select for consultation on their loved one’s case or to conduct an independent investigation. Many licensed private investigations have former investigative experience, either with law enforcement or in the practice of law. These professionals are able to apply official methodology used in official investigations without the bureaucratic red tape that can often hamper investigations by law enforcement. As long as the private investigator is licensed in the state in question, there is no barrier that would prevent them from following leads in the case out of state or even out of the country.
Private investigators who offer missing person location services may be able to find your missing loved one faster than local law enforcement. As stated previously, there may be resource or experience roadblocks that can prevent local law enforcement from making case progress, and unfortunately, this can lead to the case going cold very quickly. In a missing person investigation, the first 72 hours are the most important, because after that window has expired, crucial evidence can be lost, relevant witnesses can disappear, and otherwise hot leads may dry up entirely before local law enforcement has had a chance to investigate. As missing person investigators, private investigators do not have to wait to clear bureaucratic red tape, or adhere to jurisdictional issues that would otherwise prevent them from investigating. A private investigator may also have an edge over law enforcement when it comes to the cooperation of witnesses. It’s not uncommon in missing person cases for relevant witnesses to be reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement, typically out of fear of repercussions on behalf of the law. They claim to be ignorant of any information on the missing person in order to distance themselves from the situation and protect themselves from prosecution. Because they have no powers of arrest, relevant witnesses may be more likely to open up to private investigators. This leads to case progression that gets the missing person’s family that much closer to crucial context in their loved one’s disappearance.
Hiring a missing person investigator can give your family the investigative edge needed in finding your missing loved one. That is because a private investigator’s first loyalty is to their client, and not to any preservation of the law. The key to getting both local investigators and private investigators on the trail for a missing person is getting any and all information into the hands of those investigators so they can immediately start developing a plan for recovery. In the same vein as relevant witnesses, the family may hold back information that could be relevant to the investigation on the basis that they do not believe it’s relevant, because it’s embarrassing, or because they are also fearing repercussions at the behest of law enforcement or the legal system. Hiring a missing person investigator who is independent of the justice system can be the answer. If your family is in need of answers in a missing person case, please consider the location services of Lauth Investigations International. Our CEO, Thomas Lauth, is one of the nation’s leading experts in missing children and adults. Our team of investigators is staffed by former military and law enforcement personnel, and we carry a glowing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Call 317-951-1100 today for a free quote on our services, or visit us online at www.lauthmissinstg.wpengine.com
Eleven year-old Xavior Harrelson has been missing for over a week since he disappeared from his Montezuma, Iowa mobile home park on May 27, 2021. He was last seen around 11 a.m. wearing a red t-shirt, blue pajama pants, and black high-top shoes. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and stands 4’8” tall.
According to Xavior’s mother, the boy left the mobile home—she reportedly assumed—to play with friends. The mobile home park itself is very close to a nearby park. Diamond Lake County Park spans more than 660 acres of wooded land and includes over 100 campsites for tourists and locals. In the days since Xavior disappeared, the Poweshiek Coutny Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation have deployed resources to comb the area surrounding the mobile home park, including scent-dogs, ATVs, drones, a dive team, and temperature-sensitive technology. Finding no sign of Xavior, investigators are continuing to develop new leads in the case. Mitch Mortvedt, the assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said in a statement, “All we really know for sure right now is that Xavior was reported missing on Thursday and we know what he was possibly wearing when he left the house. Other than that, we don’t know anything for sure.”
The circumstances of Xavior’s disappearance are nebulous, with investigators unsure of whether he got lost while playing with his friends, or if he was taken under more nefarious circumstances. Despite searching within a half-mile radius of the boy’s home, investigators have yet to uncover a trace of what may have happened to Xavior. “It’s certainly suspicious that he seems to have just disappeared and no one has seen him, “Mortvedt said, “but there is no evidence that is definitively pushing the needle one way or another. There is nothing to indicate that his disappearance was criminal, though we are certainly looking at that angle.”
It was Xavior’s family friend who first reported the boy as missing when she did not see him out riding his bike on Thursday morning. It is highly unusual for a neighbor to report a young child like Xavior missing before the parents, but Samantha Rix told KCCI8 in Des Moines that she felt compelled to speak for the little boy, “The other thing I can’t really wrap my head around is why isn’t anybody in the family gone on here? And so that’s why I’m Xavior’s voice. And that’s how I feel. And that’s why I keep doing this, because somebody has to speak for him.”
In excess of 500 volunteers, first-responders, and investigators have dedicated time towards searching for Xavior. It’s the second time the community has had to step up for a missing citizen in only a few short years. Around the same time almost three years ago, the community was searching for 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, who disappeared while on a jog. “To be right back here, you know, working out of the sheriff’s office and in the same communities as we were three—almost three years ago—when Mollie disappeared, it’s frightening.”
If you have any information on the disappearance of Xavior Harrelson, you’re asked to call the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 641-623-2107.
One woman, detectives working on a case in dark office.
Revealed: The Hidden Methods Private Investigators Use to Find Missing Persons
The true crime world is fascinated by tales of missing persons. Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services are always adding new documentaries and series about missing persons, which often detail the sophisticated methods that law enforcement uses to find missing persons. However, when law enforcement cannot close a missing person case, families will turn to the expertise of a private investigator to find a missing person—but without the resources and support of a law enforcement agency, how does a private investigator find a missing person?
Verified Databases
Although private investigators do not have access to the same level of informational resources as law enforcement, they still have tools at their disposal to help find a missing person. Through their licensure by the state, private investigators have access to verified databases that allow them to conduct background checks on subjects in a case. When trying to find a missing person, these databases can be used to develop leads, find a subject’s last known address, look up criminal histories, and so much more.
Surveillance
Private investigators typically have diverse and comprehensive experience in surveillance operations. Surveillance is one of the covert ways that private investigators can find a missing person. Surveillance operations are a great way for private investigators to collect data, develop leads, and document the unseen factors in a missing person case. For example, when trying to find a missing person in a sex trafficking ring, private investigators may set up surveillance equipment around a suspected hub of operations in order to develop a concrete plan for recovery. Such recordings and pictures can also be used in criminal and civil court.
Witness Rapport
When trying to find a missing person, one of a private investigator’s best tools is their ability to identify potential witnesses and develop a rapport with them in order to extract information. This can be done overtly or covertly. Sometimes investigators attempt to develop a personal relationship with witnesses in order to extract information from them without suspicion. Within reason, investigators may also wear disguises and present alternative pretenses for speaking with the witness. Whatever the circumstances of the case demands, investigators have the ability to develop leads and corroborate previously received testimony regarding the relevant facts in the case.
Undercover Operations
In some circumstances, it might become necessary for an investigator to develop a ruse or undercover operation in order to find a missing person. Investigators have been known to go undercover as delivery drivers, party patrons, or in extreme circumstances, embedding themselves into criminal enterprise in order to get answers. Investigators can wear covert surveillance equipment on their person, such as hidden cameras and microphones, in order to document relevant facts in the case and use them to develop further leads in recovering or finding the missing person.
Awareness Campaigns
Keeping a missing person’s face out in the media is crucial to a continuing a flow of information and leads for investigators. Though it may sound harsh, the public has a very short memory. Cases of missing people, particularly women of color, are forgotten almost as soon as they’re heard. It typically falls to the families of missing persons to conduct missing person awareness campaigns on their own time, relentlessly sharing their picture and story so that it may increase the chances of their loved one being found. Law enforcement does not typically devote sources specifically to awareness campaigns, but private investigators sometimes offer online awareness campaigns as part of their services for finding missing persons. The more time the missing person’s face is in the public eye, the more leads investigators are likely to generate.
