Shivangi Sinha
Netflix’s ‘Taken: Natalee Holloway’ and Peacock’s ‘Pathological: The Lies of Joran Van Der Sloot’ delve into Joran van der Sloot’s involvement in two murders separated by five years. The crimes include the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in 2005 and the murder of Peruvian woman Stephany Flores Ramírez in 2010. The documentary sheds light not only on the crimes but also on the scrutiny faced by van der Sloot’s parents in the media, exploring their responses and demeanor throughout the investigations.
Anita and Paulus van der Sloot Seemingly Did Their Best While Raising Their Children
Joran van der Sloot’s parents, Anita van der Sloot and Paulus van der Sloot, initially lived in the Netherlands. Paulus, a lawyer, and Anita, an art teacher, were raising three children, including Joran. When the Dutch government proposed constructing a highway through the Sloots’ estate in Boxtel, Paulus initiated a legal battle against the plan, spanning nearly 20 years. In 1990, the family relocated to Aruba. That’s where the attorney began training to be a judge in the mid-2000s, around the same time his son first started facing trouble.
Paulus had become closely involved with the Aruban government as he aspired to be a judge. Due to the nature of his work, the family also developed connections with individuals holding significant positions in the legal field. However, trouble arose with their son Joran during his teenage years. The aforementioned documentaries indicate that Joran exhibited signs of aggression early on, often directed towards animals, friends, and even his younger brother. In an attempt to address the issue, his parents decided to have him reside in an outhouse within their home compound.
Anita and Paulus van der Sloot Stood by Their Son Throughout the 2000s
Instead of resolving the issue, having his own space in the outhouse only granted him more freedom, allowing him to move around the city without his parents’ interference. Nevertheless, following his arrest on June 9, 2005, on suspicion of involvement in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, few anticipated that attention would shift towards Paulus as well. Two other boys, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe, were arrested with Joran, and they claimed that Paulus had advised them to remain silent and not cooperate with the police. He was subsequently arrested on June 22.
Amidst the media scrutiny, rumors circulated, including one alleging that Paulus had assisted Joran in disposing of Holloway’s body on the night she vanished. Anita, on the other hand, often addressed the media during that period and asserted that she did not believe her son was involved in the crime because he was a good kid. She insisted that Joran was being unfairly targeted and that his family supported him through the challenging times. In the end, without any evidence, Paulus was released from jail on June 26. Later on, Joran and the Kalpoe brothers were also released.
After Paulus’ release, Holloway’s mother gave an interview in which she claimed that, during a private chat at the van der Sloot home, he had admitted his son had acted out. She also claimed that he confessed to sending Joran to seek the help of a psychiatrist, indicating that the people responsible in her daughter’s case had been arrested. However, in November 2005, Paulus filed a case against Aruban officials, claiming he had been unjustly arrested/detained. He succeeded in the motion, clearing his name and securing the retention of his law license. In a subsequent motion, he sought monetary compensation, and while he initially won the case, the judgment was later reversed on appeal.
While Anita van der Sloot Keeps a Low Profile Today, Paulus van der Sloot Has Sadly Passed Away
In January 2007, Paulus commenced work as the Managing Partner at the law firm that had represented him in the Holloway case. More than a year later, in November 2008, Joran gave an interview, wherein he alleged that he had sold Holloway to a human trafficking/sex ring in Venezuela for $10,000. He also claimed that his father had aided him by paying off certain police officers who had discovered this information during the investigation. Yet, around 8 hours after giving the interview, he retracted his statement and asserted that all his claims were lies, asserting he had only given the interview for money. In January 2010, his father ultimately chose to leave the law firm where he worked.
A month later, on February 10, 2010, while Paulus was playing tennis at the Tierra del Sol estate in Aruba, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He died at the age of 56. His widow and the woman who had been vehemently standing behind Joran throughout all his ordeals soon gave another interview to the media. Anita claimed her son was deeply distressed at his father’s funeral, blaming himself for causing him undue stress. She revealed that before she could speak with him, he left her a note saying he was leaving and advising her not to worry. It was only after Joran confessed to killing Stephany Flores in June 2010 that she retracted all her support for him and even refused to visit him in prison. Flores disappeared and was killed 5 years to the day Holloway was.
Anita later characterized her son as “sick in his head, but he wanted no help.” She disclosed that he had always been deceitful and would slip out of the house to gamble. While she remained skeptical of his involvement in Holloway’s disappearance, she acknowledged that if he were responsible, he must face the consequences of his actions. Anita also noted that Joran had not always exhibited such behavior, suggesting that somewhere along the way, he had lost himself to his sinister actions. When Joran finally confessed to killing Holloway in 2023, Anita was still living in Aruba, but she chose not to give any interviews and stayed away from the public eye. From what we can tell, she remains there to this day, leading a quiet life well away from the limelight while continuing to provide for herself as a Freelance Designer and Team Builder. It appears as if she retired from her role as a Visual Arts & Art History Teacher at the International School of Aruba a few years ago.
Read More: Eva Pacohuanaco: Where is Joran van der Sloot’s Girlfriend Now?
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