Joran van der Sloot is headed back to Peru after he confessed to the 2005 murder of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.
Almost two weeks after pleading guilty in an extortion case targeting her family, George Patriot Seymore, Beth Holloway’s spokesperson, told Fox News Digital that van der Sloot has left the United States and is on his way back to Peru.
The extradition was initially scheduled for Monday but was delayed because of “mechanical issues with the aircraft,” according to a statement from the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
As part of the plea agreement, van der Sloot revealed what happened to Natalee Holloway, who was 18 years old at the time of her disappearance. Van der Sloot told prosecutors and law enforcement officers that he killed Natalee Holloway when she refused his sexual advances on a beach, crushing her head with a cinderblock.
JORAN VAN DER SLOOT HAS CONFESSED TO KILLING NATALEE HOLLOWAY
Natalee Holloway (L) and Joran van der Sloot (R) (AP, Getty Images)
During the recorded confession on Oct. 3, van der Sloot said he grabbed a cinderblock, adding “I smash her head in with it completely.”
“Her face basically, you know, collapses in,” he said. “Even though it’s dark, I can see her face is collapsed in.”
Van der Sloot then said he dragged her body into the ocean.
Beth Holloway’s spokesperson said the confession offered “closure” to the family.
“Beth Holloway has noted that she always sought answers and to know the truth of what happened to Natalee, and having those answers is better than justice in a courtroom,” Seymore said. “For 20 years, Beth has held out hope that one day she would discover the truth of what happened to her beloved daughter. She now has those answers, and though they won’t bring Natalee back, she has the closure she deserves. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the U.S. and Peruvian officials who made this moment possible and for the continued support of media and well-wishers across the globe who kept this story in the spotlight.”
COURT RELEASES AUDIO OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT’S NATALEE HOLLOWAY CONFESSION
His guilty plea was accepted during a hearing in federal court on Oct. 18. Van der Sloot will serve the 20-year U.S. sentence while in Peruvian custody and was ordered to pay $25,100 in restitution to the Holloway family.
“After 18 years, Natalee’s case has been solved,” Beth Holloway told reporters following the hearing. “Joran van der Sloot is the killer.”
In court, Beth Holloway told van der Sloot that he inflicted immense pain before turning to the Dutch national and saying, “you look like hell.”
Beth Holloway walks out to speak to media after the appearance of Joran van den Sloot outside the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill )
According to federal prosecutors, van der Sloot, 36, tried to extort the family for $250,000 – $25,000 upfront for the information and the rest to be paid once Natalee Holloway’s body was positively identified.
“Beth Holloway has noted that she always sought answers and to know the truth of what happened to Natalee, and having those answers is better than justice in a courtroom.”
However, van der Sloot lied to Beth Holloway about where her daughter’s remains were located, according to U.S. prosecutors. The alleged extortion scheme took place between March 29, 2010, and May 17, 2010. He pleaded not guilty to the charges after a June hearing when he was temporarily transferred from Peru to the United States.
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Natalee Hollway, center, went missing during a spring break trip in 2005 and was never found (FBI)
Following the extortion scheme, van der Sloot traveled to Peru and met 21-year-old Stephany Flores at a Lima casino owned by her father. Van der Sloot admitted to murdering Flores when they met on May 30, 2010, in a rage of anger after she discovered he was connected to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.
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Beth Holloway fights back tears as she participates in the launch of the Natalee Holloway Resource Center on June 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Although the U.S. charges were filed by federal prosecutors in 2010, Peruvian officials didn’t agree to release van der Sloot into American custody until May.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz, Claudia Kelly-Bazan, and Samantha Daigle contributed to this report.
