TRUE CRIME NEWSNatalee Holloway's Killer Joran Van der Sloot Received $25K in FBI's Failed Sting Operation Before Going on to Murder Another Woman
Joran Van der Sloot killed Stephany Flores Ramírez five years after murdering Natalee Holloway.
Aug. 13 2026, Published 12:14 p.m. ET
Natalee Holloway's killer, Joran Van der Sloot, went on to murder another innocent woman after he escaped with $25K the FBI gave him during a failed sting operation. The revelation was included in newly released documents that were obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.
Holloway was just 18 when she disappeared while in Aruba on a class trip in 2005. While her whereabouts remained a mystery for years, Van der Sloot, 39, reached out to Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway, in 2010, and with her attorneys involved, they made a deal to pay him for intel on what happened to the high school student.
Inside the Sting Operation
Joran Van der Sloot was given $25K to reveal what happened to Natalee Holloway.
Joran became the main suspect since he was the last person seen with Natalee at a local bar.
The initial plan was for Joran to receive a $25,000 down payment, but he would receive a total of $250K after sharing details of her disappearance.
Joran and Beth's lawyer met in a hotel in Aruba, with the former being given $10,000. The additional $15,000 was wired to Joran, with both amounts coming from private funds.
The Holloways didn't believe Joran would tell the truth about where he dumped Natalee's body, but authorities believed that after the meeting, they would be able to arrest him on extortion.
The killer made off with the money and killed a second woman, Stephany Flores Ramírez.
In journalist Greta Van Sustere's Substack, she explained how things went terribly wrong.
"The plan for the sting was laid out in an email request outlining the costs as well: It was to have [the lawyer] Kelly give Joran the money, then Kelly would fly out, while 'Arbuban authorities will receive a ‘tip’ as to the location. Logical investigation to locate and recover any remains…Should any remains be recovered, Aruban authorities will take over," she explained.
"All an FBI agent had to do was to swear out a complaint ON THE TELEPHONE to the US Magistrate in Birmingham, Alabama. That would take 15 minutes," Greta continued. "Dispatching a follow-up Interpol Red Notice would have stopped Joran from entering another country, including Peru, at a border checkpoint. He would have been detained, and the United States would have been notified."
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- Natalee Holloway Killer Joran van der Sloot's Second Murder Could Have Been Prevented If FBI Didn't Botch 'Sting,' Claims Journalist
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'They Tried to Cover Up Their Failures'
Joran Van der Sloot confessed to murdering Natalee Holloway more than a decade after she disappeared.
"Instead, both the US Attorney for Northern Alabama and the FBI in Birmingham, AL allowed him to flee, with Beth Holloway’s money, which they made no attempt to recover," Greta said. "Then, for sixteen years, they tried to cover up their failures."
Joran was able to flee Abrua with $25K and traveled to Peru. While there, a woman named Stephany Flores Ramírez was reported missing, and she was soon found dead at a Lima hotel.
The End Result
Joran Van der Sloot is currently locked up at a notorious prison in Peru.
Joran was found guilty of murdering Stephany and was sentenced to 28 years behind bars in Peru.
Though he wasn't charged with Natalee's murder due to a lack of evidence, he pleaded guilty in 2023 to extortion in regards to Natalee's mother. He admitted to repeatedly smashing Natalee's head with a cinder block after she turned down his sexual advances and then dropping her body in the ocean.
