CNN

Nancy Grace

April 17, 2006

 

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, breaking news. The American missing girl, 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, the Alabama beauty who disappeared on her high school senior trip -- tonight, a new arrest, a 19-year-old young man under questioning as we speak.
 
But first, breaking news tonight in the Natalee Holloway case out of Aruba, a new target under arrest and being questioned as we speak. Is there finally justice for 18-year-old Natalee Holloway? Tonight, we are taking your calls.



GRACE: Straight out to investigative reporter Pat Lalama. Pat, explain to me the significance of this arrest.

PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, there`s so much that seems significant about it. Let`s start with the most important point, and that is that this 19-year-old person, whose name is Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt -- we are permitted to name him, but let`s just keep in mind he has not been charged with anything. However, I`m going to run down the important points for you, Nancy, and of course, you`ll take it away in the way you always do.

Number one, he acts or acted as a security guard. And by "acted," meaning he did have a job as a security guard on the beach, supposed to be keeping the beach safe for all. Number two, interestingly, there`s conflicting stories about whether he knew Joran Van Der Sloot and his other friends. Some say he did, some say he did not.

Thirdly, his sister is a police officer in the same very place where the investigation into Natalee`s disappearance is taking place. Number four, his father owns a private -- let`s call it a private investigative agency, and actually has contracted and done work for the police department. Whether that`s here nor there, we don`t know, at this point.

But five, and to me quite significant, is the issue of potential blood evidence. A year ago, Nancy, you were actually talking to a CNN reporter who said that while there was a search on the beach, they came up with a T- shirt or a shirt of some sort that seemed to have blood on it, and it belonged to the security company that this young man`s father owns. At the time, it didn`t really mean much.

Now, with this young man, Geoffrey, there is allegedly a connection, a link to some forensic evidence on a shirt, whether it`s the same shirt, whether it`s two different shirts, we don`t know.

So everything, at this point, up in the air, but...

GRACE: OK...

LALAMA: ... boy, is it intriguing.

GRACE: Here is what Natalee`s father had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLLOWAY: This is the first arrest since probably early or late June, and it`s -- it`s a very, very new name that has not even been on the radar screen. So maybe it`s -- maybe it`s a break in the case. Maybe it`s that card that will bring the whole deck down.

We had a change of command in the police department a week or so ago, and you know, we`re not calling all the police, you know, bad. All it takes is one or two people turning their heads to derail an investigation. Maybe -- maybe we`re on the right track now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: As you see, the father, Mr. Holloway, expressing renewed hope this morning on the "Today" show at NBC.

I`m hearing in my ear from Elizabeth we now have Jossy Mansur. As you know, he is the managing director and editor at "Diario" magazine. Welcome, Jossy. Jossy, who is this new guy?

JOSSY MANSUR, MANAGING EDITOR, "DIARIO": This new guy?

GRACE: Yes.

MANSUR: Well, he`s been described all over the place. He`s a 19- year-old boy. He was (INAUDIBLE) with the father with the (INAUDIBLE) the hotel. He is also -- he hangs out a lot on the beach, what we call a "beach bum" here. And he used to work with the firm of Gerold Dompig, at the (INAUDIBLE) team which is a special unit brought into life to offer (INAUDIBLE) security and safety for the hotels and the tourists. That`s what we know about him. We don`t know more.

GRACE: You know, that`s quite a lot of connections in a tangential way to the Natalee Holloway case. Let me get this straight, Jossy. Everyone, again, Jossy Mansur, the managing director and editor of "Diario" magazine. Jossy, this guy, Geoffrey Van -- how do you say his last name?

MANSUR: Van Cromvoirt.

GRACE: Cromvoirt. His dad owns the security company that did security for the Holiday Inn, where Natalee was staying. His sister, I understand, is on the police force at the precinct, as we would call it, that was investigative the Natalee Holloway case. Are both of those correct?

MANSUR: That`s correct. His sister was sworn in as police officer in August of last year.

GRACE: All right. Now, what is his connection, this new guy that has now been arrested -- we know that the Dutch can hold him for about eight days. He`s being questioned as we speak. He`s got a court appearance tomorrow. What is his connection with a T-shirt that was found on the south end of the island that we are told has forensic evidence on it?

MANSUR: Well, I don`t know. I don`t know anything about it. What I do know is that about 10 months ago, a T-shirt or a uniform of the company of his father, the security company, was found half-buried under the sand on the beach and that his father was interrogated at that time, but nothing came out of it.

GRACE: The T-shirt itself was found half-buried, is that what you said?

MANSUR: Yes. Yes.

GRACE: OK, Jossy, where was the T-Shirt found In connection to where Van Der Sloot says he left Natalee?

MANSUR: No, this T-shirt was found way...

GRACE: OK.

MANSUR: ... on the other side of the island.

GRACE: I just wanted to make sure. Elizabeth, when you can, if you could show me the map of the island?

All right, back to Jossy Mansur with "Diario" magazine. Why are the authorities holding this young man, if he is not a suspect, Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt?

MANSUR: You know, that`s very strange for us, too, because we were under the impression from the beginning, we were told by our contacts within the police department, that he is a suspect. Now, suddenly, they don`t want us to call him a suspect anymore, but a detainee. I don`t know what the difference is because if they hold you, it`s because they suspect you of being involved in some kind of violation of law.

GRACE: That could be...



MANSUR: ... you are suspected of something.

GRACE: Yes, that could be anything from knowing material pertinent to the case to knowing something about the disposal of her body. That does not mean in any way this guy is connected to the actual death of Natalee Holloway. He has not been named an official suspect. We are talking about 19-year-old Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt. He is behind bars as we speak, being questioned right now in the Natalee Holloway disappearance. There`s a picture of him.

Jossy, this is very important in my mind. While Joran Van Der Sloot`s lawyer has repeatedly stated his client does not know Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt, what`s the word on the island? Do they know each other?

MANSUR: Well, we have know of way of knowing yet. I mean, it`s too early to determine that. We have to look at the school records, if this guy went to the same school as he did, if they`ve been seen together and if there`s any photo of them together. At this point, we cannot say whether they know each other or not.

GRACE: OK. With me right now, Jossy Mansur with "Diario" magazine. To Pat Lalama, investigative reporter. We do believe that this new arrestee knows Steve Croes. Remember him?

LALAMA: Absolutely.

GRACE: Go back in the time machine.


GRACE: Right, the deejay on the party boat.

LALAMA: Right.

GRACE: He was taken into custody and questioned, released, another catch-and-release. So we know those two know each other. So weave it together for me, Pat Lalama.

LALAMA: Well, all right. First of all, it is my understanding that authorities do say that Joran and his buddies ran in the same circles, were part of the same little club, so to speak, or group of people, as this newest person that we have our eyes focused on now. Now, as you said, remember the party boat deejay, Steve Croes, was held, was being looked at very, very diligently, but once again let go. But they do know each other.

So it`s -- Nancy, `sit like "Six Degrees of Separation" that gets this close but still not quite enough to put it all together.


GRACE: Back to Jossy Mansur with "Diario" magazine. Jossy, this young man now being questioned in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt, he worked for the beach patrol. We know that much. He`s 19 years old. Was he patrolling at any time the beach where Natalee was last seen?

MANSUR: You know, we have no knowledge of that. It`s very hard to say that because we would have to go back into the records, check with the hotel and do a lot of other things. He used to work for the (INAUDIBLE) team. He no longer works for them.

GRACE: Joining me right now...

MANSUR: ... father out (ph) with a camera.

GRACE: Joining me now is Natalee Holloway`s father, Dave Holloway. Dave, thank you for being with us.

HOLLOWAY: Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: What is your reaction to the arrest?

HOLLOWAY: Well, it looks like a positive move. You know, we hadn`t had anything, you know, come about in a number of months. So maybe this is a stepping stone for other things to come.

GRACE: Dave, what, if anything, do you know about Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt?

HOLLOWAY: You know, I didn`t know anything about him until I heard his initials on some report late Saturday evening. I never heard of him before in any of the investigators.

GRACE: Dave, have you seen the police files?

HOLLOWAY: Have I seen the police files?

GRACE: Yes.

GRACE: I`ve seen some bits and pieces of some of the statements made, but not the complete file, no.

GRACE: Did you see anything about the beach patrol or this T-shirt with forensic evidence on it, anything that you could connect back to what`s happening right now?

HOLLOWAY: No. I think Carl Penhaul reported on the shirt back -- you know, back in the first few days or maybe first few weeks of this investigation, that a shirt was found, and also a pair of sunglasses. And what they did with it, we don`t know.

GRACE: With us is Natalee`s father, Dave Holloway. Dave, you have been very convinced throughout that Joran Van Der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers are responsible for Natalee`s disappearance. Do you still feel that way?

HOLLOWAY: I still feel like they know a lot more than what they`re telling us. Whether they`re directly involved in it, I`d have to stay on that same road with the police. So...



GRACE: What do you mean? What same road?

HOLLOWAY: ... have to see more evidence -- well, the same road that these -- Deepak and Satish and Joran are the primary suspects. There`s just too much information that leads that way towards them.

GRACE: What do you think is the single strongest evidence, in your mind, as the case has developed, that they are responsible?

HOLLOWAY: Well, you know, you have all the lies. You have a police statement that Deepak buried her in the sand. You know, whether that`s true or not, you know, we`ll just have to wait and see. And then you also have the fact that they lied about being out in the field where the gardener caught them in the middle of the night. You know, just all the different lies.

Why would you lie if you weren`t trying to lie something. You know, why did they come up with the Holiday Inn story to begin with? You know, and then the lies continued. They got Steve Croes to be an alibi. They attempted to get another little girl to be an alibi to show that they weren`t in the field that night, when the gardener identified them. And you know, the list goes on and on.

GRACE: I`m just confused about where this guy is coming from, Dave. We`ve never heard his name before. I`m wondering -- we know that there was a reenactment on the Dutch TV show kind of like "America`s Most Wanted." The translation is "Arrest Requested" -- "Opsporing Verzocht." It`s like our "America`s Most Wanted." We had that reenactment. It opened up to tips, and now this arrest. Do you think there`s a connection?

HOLLOWAY: Well, there possibly is. You know, they had -- I understand, had approximately 60 tips. Obviously, some of those would be identical, so you could probably bring the number down a little bit. But I know the prosecutor is excited about all of the tips, and you know, she`s working very well with our attorney.

GRACE: Everybody, you are seeing a reenactment performed by a Dutch TV station DVN (ph) of what may have happened the night Natalee went missing. With us tonight from Aruba, Jossy Mansur, the editor and director of "Diario" magazine. Also with us, Natalee`s father, Dave Holloway.

 

GRACE: Welcome back, everyone. A development in the Natalee Holloway case, an arrest. Right now, we believe this young man -- he is not a suspect tonight -- a 19-year-old member of the local beach patrol, is under questioning.

Back to Dave Holloway. Dave, did police contact you? Did authorities contact you and your family and tell you of the arrest, or did you just find out over the weekend watching TV?

HOLLOWAY: Well, we heard about it late Saturday evening. You know, when news happens in Aruba, we have a number of sources. Our attorney also called us while we were on the phone, so we heard it. I mean, we had a number of calls Saturday evening. In fact, we figured out the name within, you know, 30, 45 minutes.

GRACE: Let`s go straight to the lines. On the phone, Laurie in Pennsylvania. Hi, Laurie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Nancy. If Geoffrey is convicted, can Joran press charges against him?

GRACE: I don`t see how. And again, right now, he`s not a suspect. Laurie, remember, when they take him -- for instance Steve Croes, the party boat deejay -- various people that they think are witnesses, their system, Laurie, is so different than ours, it would be a cold day in Hades before someone could be taken under arrest here in the United States and it not be made public why they were arrested. We do not have secret proceedings in this country.

But joining me right now is international law expert Rahul Manchanda. Rahul, how is it the Dutch can take basically witnesses and keep them detained to question them?

RAHUL MANCHANDA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, INTERNATIONAL LAW EXPERT: Well, it`s a good question. It`s a fundamental difference between the Dutch system and the American system. You know, in America, you know, once you`re arrested, there has to be probable cause, and you know, probable cause is defined as, you know, facts and circumstances based on, you know, trustworthy information that would warrant a prudent person to believe that a crime was committed and the person to be arrested who committed it.

Over there, however, in Aruba, you`re talking about the Dutch system, which just talks about reasonable suspicion. And over there, you can incarcerate somebody and keep them in jail without even charging them, you know, for a certain period of time, initially to two days. You can extend that for another eight days, and then another series, two of eight, bring it to 46, you know, and then you can extend it for another four months without charging people, you know, with a crime, for a total of 146 days.

GRACE: Clark, this is not the first time we`ve seen the catch-and- release theory in effect in Aruba.

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE INTERNET REPORTER: Well, it`s certainly not the first time. We have a scorecard here of all the various people taken into custody, held, and then they`re released. Let`s start with Antonius John. You may not remember the name, but Nancy, he was one of the first two security guards.

GRACE: Security guards.

GOLDBAND: You`re exactly right. We one more security guard here. His name, Abraham Jones. They were held for the first six days in this investigation and subsequently let go. Joran Van Der Sloot needs no introduction -- held in June and released. Deepak Kalpoe -- he was in and out twice, along with his partner, Satish, who`s also his brother. They were released and held twice, as well. Steve Croes -- we remember him. He was the party boat deejay...



GOLDBAND: Exactly right -- held for 10 days and let go. Next is Paulus Van Der Sloot. He is Joran`s father, the judge, held for three days and released. And now we have our next person, Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt. I`m sorry if my Dutch is not exactly correct. He was arrested on Saturday...

GRACE: So we`ll see if he is another catch-and-release.

GOLDBAND: We`re still waiting on the verdict.

GRACE: Exactly.




HOLLOWAY: I just can`t understand that three kids, you know, if they were involved in foul play, could have disposed of Natalee in such a way that we couldn`t find her. So that leads me to believe that possibly there`s other people involved in the case. And until you prove or until somebody proves me otherwise, I`ve just got that feeling.



GRACE: Tonight, an arrest not necessarily of a suspect, but an arrest and the ongoing questioning of yet another young man in the Natalee Holloway disappearance. His name, Geoffrey Van Cromvoirt. He is 19 years old. He is a member of the Aruban beach patrol. We don`t know where he was the night Natalee went missing. We don`t know his connection to any of the other players in this case. We only know that he is under questioning now, and Dutch authorities refuse to name him as a suspect.

Back out to Pat Lalama. Pat, let`s talk about what we do know about this young man, as opposed to what everyone`s saying they don`t know. What exactly do you do as a member of the beach patrol?

LALAMA: Well, his job -- I mean, I -- when you think about it, it`s just another one of those crazy ironies in this case. His job was to make sure that the tourists felt safe. You know, you walk up and down the beach, I mean, just like a security guard, for lack of a better term. But ironically, the way the job description has been in the press is that to make the tourists feel safe. I mean, it`s just the sickest irony to me. Now, you know, the other thing...

GRACE: Did that include working at night?

LALAMA: Well, I would think, particularly...

GRACE: Was he spotted on the video? Do we know if he was spotted on the casino video?

LALAMA: Well, that we don`t know, at this point. We don`t know. But you know what? Why not at night? A lot of those college kids are out there. That would be the time that I`d be most concerned for my kid.