Jawbone found on beach does not belong to long-missing teen Natalee Holloway, prosecutors say

Jawbone found on beach does not belong to long-missing teen Natalee Holloway, prosecutors say

2010-11-23 23:53:31 GMT+7 (ICT)

ORANJESTAD, ARUBA (BNO NEWS) -- Dutch prosecutors on Tuesday afternoon concluded that a jawbone found on a beach in Aruba does not belong to long-missing teen Natalee Holloway.

At the request of the Aruban Public Prosecutor's Office, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) conducted forensic anthropological and DNA investigations on bone material, a piece of jawbone with a tooth, both investigations executed simultaneously, the Prosecutor's Office said.

"Detailed examination by the NFI excludes the possibility that the bone material found in Aruba is that of Natalee Holloway," prosecutors stated.

After "using the dental records of Natalee Holloway, such as the location of wisdom teeth and fillings, a comparison was made with the jaw bone recovered on Aruba. Based on these comparisons it could be excluded that the investigated bone material and molar came from Natalee Holloway," officials said.

The NFI also initiated a forensic DNA investigation, but it was stopped when experts determined, based on dental records, that the jawbone does not belong the Holloway.

"The Office of the Public Prosecutor in Aruba has decided not yet to carry out further research on the material. The prosecution will decide what further action will be taken to identify the bone material."

Holloway, an 18-year-old student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, disappeared on May 30, 2005 during her high school graduation trip to the island.

She was last seen by classmates outside a restaurant with Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe.

Van der Sloot currently is being held in Lima in connection with the killing of Peruvian woman Stephany Flores, and still remains the prime suspect in the Holloway disappearance.

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