June 16 BHT Interview with Greta

[Hannah]

Holloway's Mother: 'My Daughter is Alive'
Thursday, June 16, 2005


This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," June 15, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Earlier this evening, we spoke with Natalee Holloway's (search) mother, Beth Holloway Twitty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Beth, you must be exhausted.

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE'S MOTHER: Oh, I'm not sure if there are words to describe how I feel. But I am definitely exhausted, but I am determined and I am nowhere near being finished, though.

VAN SUSTEREN: How do you get determined under these circumstances?

HOLLOWAY: I have to first realize that I'm not in this alone, Greta. I know that. And God has given me the strength and the endurance that I need. And it's amazing. It's amazing, the support that I'm getting from Natalee's community of Mountain Brook, Alabama, from Birmingham, to supporters in the United States, their thoughts and prayers and the support here from the citizens in Aruba (search). So it's coming from everywhere.

VAN SUSTEREN: Three young men in custody.

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: In court today.

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think they know where your daughter is?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, they do.

VAN SUSTEREN: Were you in court when they were there today?

HOLLOWAY: No, I was not.

VAN SUSTEREN: What do you think is their involvement? What do they know?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, I wish I knew. And I hope that that will be disclosed to me. I think that's where we're moving and that's where we're headed. And they have the information and I expect that we will get that information.

VAN SUSTEREN: What about the two men who were first picked up? They're now released.

HOLLOWAY: That's correct.

VAN SUSTEREN: What did you think about the fact that they got picked up?

HOLLOWAY: You know, I really wouldn't know. I really do not have any comment on that. I just don't know, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: Are you suspicious at all of those two men?

HOLLOWAY: From a mother's standpoint, absolutely not, but that's just a mother's intuition and doesn't have anything to do with any type of information that I have gotten. But no, from a mother's viewpoint, I did not feel that they were involved in the disappearance of my daughter.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Take me back to May 30, the time you got the horrible news. How did you hear your daughter was missing?

HOLLOWAY: Well, it was May 30. It was around 12 noon, and I had received a phone call from one of the chaperones that Natalee had not shown up with the group to depart their flight. I'm not sure what time their flight was departing, but...

VAN SUSTEREN: Were they at the airport already?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, no.

VAN SUSTEREN: They were looking for her, at least.

HOLLOWAY: They were at the Holiday Inn (search). They were still at the hotel, yes. Oh, yes. And Natalee has never been late for anything, Greta. Never. Never. And I just knew that I had to be in Aruba that day.

VAN SUSTEREN: And did you get here that day?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, I did. I made it by 11 p.m. on May 30.

VAN SUSTEREN: When you received that phone call, did they give you any details about when she was last seen?

HOLLOWAY: We really didn't discuss that at that time, and that just really wasn't relevant. I knew that Natalee was not there, and I had to be there, had to be in Aruba that day.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did she have a roommate at the Holiday Inn?

HOLLOWAY: She had three roommates at the Holiday Inn.

VAN SUSTEREN: And when did they first report that she was missing?

HOLLOWAY: I really can't comment on that. You know, it really wasn't relevant to me to where I needed to be and finding Natalee and we have not discussed that, so...

VAN SUSTEREN: So you arrived about 11 p.m. here at the island. What did you do first?

HOLLOWAY: Well, the first thing we did, we had three citizens here. They work for an international company. They took us around. We immediately began reviewing the situation, and we actually reviewed some video footage from the Holiday Inn, the hotel casino, and just tried to pinpoint who this young man was that Natalee was last seen with and just began our own family investigation.

VAN SUSTEREN: You actually sat down and looked at this video?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, I did.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you spot Natalee in the video?

HOLLOWAY: No, it wasn't to spot Natalee in the video, it was just to make an identification of the young man that Natalee was last seen with.

VAN SUSTEREN: But you weren't here, so how would you be in a position to even know who this young man was?

HOLLOWAY: Through some of her classmates. And this young man had spent time with these children. He had been with them for a couple of days. They knew this young man. They knew his first name. They had spent hours with him. So it wasn't a secret. It wasn't a secret who she left with.

VAN SUSTEREN: Were they sort of having sort of, like, dating each other?

HOLLOWAY: No, absolutely not.

VAN SUSTEREN: It was just part of a group?

HOLLOWAY: Part of a group.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did her friends see anything about this young man, anything distinctive about him or problems with him?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

VAN SUSTEREN: Alcohol, drugs?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely not.

VAN SUSTEREN: Nice kid, as far as they knew?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely, yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: After looking at the video, what was the next sort of step in the investigation?

HOLLOWAY: Well, as far as what my concerns were, I wanted to find where this young man lived.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you find that out?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, I did.

VAN SUSTEREN: How did you do that?

HOLLOWAY: That was just through a series of events that I really don't want to get into now...

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you ever talk to him?

HOLLOWAY: I never had a conversation with him. No, I did not.

VAN SUSTEREN: How about his parents?

HOLLOWAY: No, I did not.

VAN SUSTEREN: Any interest in talking to the parents?

HOLLOWAY: From my standpoint?

VAN SUSTEREN: Yes.

HOLLOWAY: No, I did not express an interest in wanting to speak with his parents at that time.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, the first night, when they spoke to him, the first time the police spoke to him, they let him go.

HOLLOWAY: Correct.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you have any problem with that at that time?

HOLLOWAY: Well, being her mother, I would think anyone would. I think that would be a normal reaction. Why they let him go, I can't comment on that. I don't have an answer. But I think that any mother, that would be a huge concern of hers. If the last man that her daughter was seen with was let go, I think any mother would feel that way.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you know if he's now talking to the police, if they're getting any information from him?

HOLLOWAY: I wouldn't know that. But I do feel, Greta, I really feel that they are making progress and I expect results.

VAN SUSTEREN: I can tell you have a lot of gratitude, you know, towards them. And maybe they don't give you details, but is it that you have gratitude but they're not, like, giving you specific details?

HOLLOWAY: I think that, you know, giving me specific details would jeopardize the investigation, and that is a huge concern of mine.

VAN SUSTEREN: Have you been part of the searches? Do they include you in the searches?

HOLLOWAY: No, I'm not part of their searches, no.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you do your own searches?

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: I mean, obviously, you've been here looking desperately for your daughter.

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely.

VAN SUSTEREN: How do you pass your days here? Do you, I mean, sit and wait for that phone to ring?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, no. I don't wait for the phone to ring. No.

VAN SUSTEREN: What are you doing?

HOLLOWAY: I'm out. I'm out every day, whether I'm in the community, whether I'm in St. Nicholas or I'm in Santa Cruz (search) or I'm in the stores. I mean, I'm going up and meeting the people and getting her flier out there and getting the information and meeting the citizens of Aruba, and if they have any questions or if they have any information and always thinking and planning, What could I do next, and just constant, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think that she's still alive?

HOLLOWAY: I believe that Natalee is still alive until God tells me otherwise because all I know right now is, the last time I saw my daughter, my daughter is alive, and I know she is here. And until God tells me otherwise, Greta, absolutely. I have all the hope and faith and belief that my daughter is alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[writergal]

Thanks, Hannah. I hope this becomes a sticky. It's a great reference tool. This interview marked the start of the great "relevance" dialogue.

[Hannah]

Thanks, Hannah. I hope this becomes a sticky. It's a great reference tool. This interview marked the start of the great "relevance" dialogue.

Thank you for finding it

[DiamondDot]

There is a second part to the interview.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160231,00.html




I wish I could find the whole unedited interview. Some very important lies are gone.

[writergal]

Here are the things that Beth did not consider relevant:

1. The details about where Natalee was last seen.

2. When she was first reported missing.

Words fail me.

[christina]

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you spot Natalee in the video?

HOLLOWAY: No, it wasn't to spot Natalee in the video, it was just to make an identification of the young man that Natalee was last seen with.

VAN SUSTEREN: But you weren't here, so how would you be in a position to even know who this young man was?

HOLLOWAY: Through some of her classmates. And this young man had spent time with these children. He had been with them for a couple of days. They knew this young man. They knew his first name. They had spent hours with him. So it wasn't a secret. It wasn't a secret who she left with.


At that time her classmates had already left the island. One poster here said the Twitty twins were on the private jet back to Aruba. So I guess they really were the first to blame Joran. Right?

[writergal]

"This young man had spent time with these children..."


I love the phrasing. It makes it sounds as if Joran was a 25-year-old preying on toddlers.

[heartache2]

"This young man had spent time with these children..."


I love the phrasing. It makes it sounds as if Joran was a 25-year-old preying on toddlers.

Excellent obsevation, writergal.

[Linny1125]

Reading this again today from Greta's perspective raised a new "hmmmmmm" -- Could it be possible that Greta has been setting Beth up all along? Look at the questions again -- subtle, but affectedly asking questions to which, it appears that she already had the answers. I am miserable at trying to cut and paste, or highlight and delete long quotes, but I swear it sounds like Greta has been sticking to Beth like glue for reasons other than she is a loyalist. Help me out here.

[writergal]

Reading this again today from Greta's perspective raised a new "hmmmmmm" -- Could it be possible that Greta has been setting Beth up all along? Look at the questions again -- subtle, but affectedly asking questions to which, it appears that she already had the answers. I am miserable at trying to cut and paste, or highlight and delete long quotes, but I swear it sounds like Greta has been sticking to Beth like glue for reasons other than she is a loyalist. Help me out here.

Linny, Greta didn't push the things she should have. Why didn't she ask Beth--politely--why Beth thought that the details of where Natalee was last seen and when she was reported missing were not "relevant".

[Linny1125]

Holloway's Mother: 'My Daughter is Alive'
Thursday, June 16, 2005


This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," June 15, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Earlier this evening, we spoke with Natalee Holloway's (search) mother, Beth Holloway Twitty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Beth, you must be exhausted.

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE'S MOTHER: Oh, I'm not sure if there are words to describe how I feel. But I am definitely exhausted, but I am determined and I am nowhere near being finished, though.

VAN SUSTEREN: How do you get determined under these circumstances?

HOLLOWAY: I have to first realize that I'm not in this alone, Greta. I know that. And God has given me the strength and the endurance that I need. And it's amazing. It's amazing, the support that I'm getting from Natalee's community of Mountain Brook, Alabama, from Birmingham, to supporters in the United States, their thoughts and prayers and the support here from the citizens in Aruba (search). So it's coming from everywhere.

VAN SUSTEREN: Three young men in custody.

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: In court today.

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think they know where your daughter is?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, they do.

VAN SUSTEREN: Were you in court when they were there today?

HOLLOWAY: No, I was not.

VAN SUSTEREN: What do you think is their involvement? What do they know?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, I wish I knew. And I hope that that will be disclosed to me. I think that's where we're moving and that's where we're headed. And they have the information and I expect that we will get that information.

VAN SUSTEREN: What about the two men who were first picked up? They're now released.

HOLLOWAY: That's correct.

VAN SUSTEREN: What did you think about the fact that they got picked up?

HOLLOWAY: You know, I really wouldn't know. I really do not have any comment on that. I just don't know, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: Are you suspicious at all of those two men?

HOLLOWAY: From a mother's standpoint, absolutely not, but that's just a mother's intuition and doesn't have anything to do with any type of information that I have gotten. But no, from a mother's viewpoint, I did not feel that they were involved in the disappearance of my daughter.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Take me back to May 30, the time you got the horrible news. How did you hear your daughter was missing?

HOLLOWAY: Well, it was May 30. It was around 12 noon, and I had received a phone call from one of the chaperones that Natalee had not shown up with the group to depart their flight. I'm not sure what time their flight was departing, but...

VAN SUSTEREN: Were they at the airport already?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, no.VAN SUSTEREN: They were looking for her, at least.

HOLLOWAY: They were at the Holiday Inn (search). They were still at the hotel, yes. Oh, yes. And Natalee has never been late for anything, Greta. Never. Never. And I just knew that I had to be in Aruba that day.

VAN SUSTEREN: And did you get here that day?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, I did. I made it by 11 p.m. on May 30.

VAN SUSTEREN: When you received that phone call, did they give you any details about when she was last seen?

HOLLOWAY: We really didn't discuss that at that time, and that just really wasn't relevant. I knew that Natalee was not there, and I had to be there, had to be in Aruba that day.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did she have a roommate at the Holiday Inn?

HOLLOWAY: She had three roommates at the Holiday Inn.

VAN SUSTEREN: And when did they first report that she was missing?

HOLLOWAY: I really can't comment on that. You know, it really wasn't relevant to me to where I needed to be and finding Natalee and we have not discussed that, so...

VAN SUSTEREN: So you arrived about 11 p.m. here at the island. What did you do first?

HOLLOWAY: Well, the first thing we did, we had three citizens here. They work for an international company. They took us around. We immediately began reviewing the situation, and we actually reviewed some video footage from the Holiday Inn, the hotel casino, and just tried to pinpoint who this young man was that Natalee was last seen with and just began our own family investigation.

VAN SUSTEREN: You actually sat down and looked at this video?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, I did.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you spot Natalee in the video?

HOLLOWAY: No, it wasn't to spot Natalee in the video, it was just to make an identification of the young man that Natalee was last seen with.

VAN SUSTEREN: But you weren't here, so how would you be in a position to even know who this young man was?

HOLLOWAY: Through some of her classmates. And this young man had spent time with these children. He had been with them for a couple of days. They knew this young man. They knew his first name. They had spent hours with him. So it wasn't a secret. It wasn't a secret who she left with.

VAN SUSTEREN: Were they sort of having sort of, like, dating each other?

HOLLOWAY: No, absolutely not.

VAN SUSTEREN: It was just part of a group?

HOLLOWAY: Part of a group.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did her friends see anything about this young man, anything distinctive about him or problems with him?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

VAN SUSTEREN: Alcohol, drugs?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely not.

VAN SUSTEREN: Nice kid, as far as they knew?

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely, yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: After looking at the video, what was the next sort of step in the investigation?

HOLLOWAY: Well, as far as what my concerns were, I wanted to find where this young man lived.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you find that out?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, I did.

VAN SUSTEREN: How did you do that?

HOLLOWAY: That was just through a series of events that I really don't want to get into now...

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you ever talk to him?
HOLLOWAY: I never had a conversation with him. No, I did not.VAN SUSTEREN: How about his parents?

HOLLOWAY: No, I did not.

VAN SUSTEREN: Any interest in talking to the parents?

HOLLOWAY: From my standpoint?

VAN SUSTEREN: Yes.

HOLLOWAY: No, I did not express an interest in wanting to speak with his parents at that time.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, the first night, when they spoke to him, the first time the police spoke to him, they let him go.

HOLLOWAY: Correct.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you have any problem with that at that time?

HOLLOWAY: Well, being her mother, I would think anyone would. I think that would be a normal reaction. Why they let him go, I can't comment on that. I don't have an answer. But I think that any mother, that would be a huge concern of hers. If the last man that her daughter was seen with was let go, I think any mother would feel that way.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you know if he's now talking to the police, if they're getting any information from him?

HOLLOWAY: I wouldn't know that. But I do feel, Greta, I really feel that they are making progress and I expect results.

VAN SUSTEREN: I can tell you have a lot of gratitude, you know, towards them. And maybe they don't give you details, but is it that you have gratitude but they're not, like, giving you specific details?

HOLLOWAY: I think that, you know, giving me specific details would jeopardize the investigation, and that is a huge concern of mine.
VAN SUSTEREN: Have you been part of the searches? Do they include you in the searches?

HOLLOWAY: No, I'm not part of their searches, no.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you do your own searches?

HOLLOWAY: Yes.

VAN SUSTEREN: I mean, obviously, you've been here looking desperately for your daughter.

HOLLOWAY: Absolutely.

VAN SUSTEREN: How do you pass your days here? Do you, I mean, sit and wait for that phone to ring?

HOLLOWAY: Oh, no. I don't wait for the phone to ring. No.

VAN SUSTEREN: What are you doing?

HOLLOWAY: I'm out. I'm out every day, whether I'm in the community, whether I'm in St. Nicholas or I'm in Santa Cruz (search) or I'm in the stores. I mean, I'm going up and meeting the people and getting her flier out there and getting the information and meeting the citizens of Aruba, and if they have any questions or if they have any information and always thinking and planning, What could I do next, and just constant, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think that she's still alive?

HOLLOWAY: I believe that Natalee is still alive until God tells me otherwise because all I know right now is, the last time I saw my daughter, my daughter is alive, and I know she is here. And until God tells me otherwise, Greta, absolutely. I have all the hope and faith and belief that my daughter is alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[pax]

Reading this again today from Greta's perspective raised a new "hmmmmmm" -- Could it be possible that Greta has been setting Beth up all along? Look at the questions again -- subtle, but affectedly asking questions to which, it appears that she already had the answers. I am miserable at trying to cut and paste, or highlight and delete long quotes, but I swear it sounds like Greta has been sticking to Beth like glue for reasons other than she is a loyalist. Help me out here.

Linny, Greta didn't push the things she should have. Why didn't she ask Beth--politely--why Beth thought that the details of where Natalee was last seen and when she was reported missing were not "relevant".

Because she is not a credible journalist? Because she did not want to upset a ratings booster? Because it did not fit in with Fox News' agenda of bashing foreign countries?

[Linny1125]

It just seems to me that Greta already KNEW the answers to what can/have/may turn out to be inciminating for Beth These have already been outlined, I'm sure, in the list of "Beth's lies" -- It's clear that Greta takes the prosecutorial stance with almost every interview, but I never really noticed it until going over this interview again.

[Linny1125]

...never really noticed it with Beth, that is.

[pax]

It just seems to me that Greta already KNEW the answers to what can/have/may turn out to be inciminating for Beth These have already been outlined, I'm sure, in the list of "Beth's lies" -- It's clear that Greta takes the prosecutorial stance with almost every interview, but I never really noticed it until going over this interview again.

Prosecutors are trained to only ask questions to which they already know the answer.

[writergal]

It just seems to me that Greta already KNEW the answers to what can/have/may turn out to be inciminating for Beth These have already been outlined, I'm sure, in the list of "Beth's lies" -- It's clear that Greta takes the prosecutorial stance with almost every interview, but I never really noticed it until going over this interview again.

I have to disagree with you here. I don't see Greta being prosecutorial at all in this interview--she let too much slide. Shouldn't she have asked Beth why, if Beth was positive Natalee had been kidnapped, she decided to do a family investigation in the first crucial 24 hours?

[pax]

It just seems to me that Greta already KNEW the answers to what can/have/may turn out to be inciminating for Beth These have already been outlined, I'm sure, in the list of "Beth's lies" -- It's clear that Greta takes the prosecutorial stance with almost every interview, but I never really noticed it until going over this interview again.

I have to disagree with you here. I don't see Greta being prosecutorial at all in this interview--she let too much slide. Shouldn't she have asked Beth why, if Beth was positive Natalee had been kidnapped, she decided to do a family investigation in the first crucial 24 hours?

It's a prosecutor's technique to lead her own witness.

[writergal]

It just seems to me that Greta already KNEW the answers to what can/have/may turn out to be inciminating for Beth These have already been outlined, I'm sure, in the list of "Beth's lies" -- It's clear that Greta takes the prosecutorial stance with almost every interview, but I never really noticed it until going over this interview again.

I have to disagree with you here. I don't see Greta being prosecutorial at all in this interview--she let too much slide. Shouldn't she have asked Beth why, if Beth was positive Natalee had been kidnapped, she decided to do a family investigation in the first crucial 24 hours?

It's a prosecutor's technique to lead her own witness.

Well, that would mean that Greta was siding with Beth, then--not trying to trap her into a set of contradictions or lies or omissions.

[pax]

It just seems to me that Greta already KNEW the answers to what can/have/may turn out to be inciminating for Beth These have already been outlined, I'm sure, in the list of "Beth's lies" -- It's clear that Greta takes the prosecutorial stance with almost every interview, but I never really noticed it until going over this interview again.

I have to disagree with you here. I don't see Greta being prosecutorial at all in this interview--she let too much slide. Shouldn't she have asked Beth why, if Beth was positive Natalee had been kidnapped, she decided to do a family investigation in the first crucial 24 hours?

It's a prosecutor's technique to lead her own witness.

Well, that would mean that Greta was siding with Beth, then--not trying to trap her into a set of contradictions or lies or omissions.

That's what I tend to believe.

[heartache2]

has a TV show. Name one TV show host that grills their guests... if they did... no more guests.

[Linny1125]

I agree that she should have asked follow up questions, but this early in the game, she was soft peddling --

I still think that Greta knew full well from some source somewhere, when Beth had been called that morning and by whom before she asked the question. At the very least, she knew there were conflicting stories, and was trying to get a statement from Beth.

I think she knew that Beth had indeed had a conversation with Joran that first night by this time and was getting "on the record" Beth's denial.

I think Greta knew that one or more of the students had called Beth from the airport much earlier, and is again, setting Beth up for a denial.

[heartache2]

I agree that she should have asked follow up questions, but this early in the game, she was soft peddling --

I still think that Greta knew full well from some source somewhere, when Beth had been called that morning and by whom before she asked the question. At the very least, she knew there were conflicting stories, and was trying to get a statement from Beth.

I think she knew that Beth had indeed had a conversation with Joran that first night by this time and was getting "on the record" Beth's denial.

I think Greta knew that one or more of the students had called Beth from the airport much earlier, and is again, setting Beth up for a denial.

For what purpose?

[Linny1125]

Several years ago, when I was 19 and living in Dallas, there was a heinous murder of a young woman in our apartment complex. At that time, they billed it as the "worst murder in the history of Dallas" An 18 year old murdered his wife's best friend who lived right above them. The police could not prove it, but they knew he did it. They went to great lengths to "befriend" this guy - played to his ego, pumped him up, made him think he was their "consultant" -- The Chief of Police planted his own 18 year old son as the perp's "new best friend" -- even got him a job working side by side and partying in a drunken stupor every night with this guy. Eventually, about 3 months after I met Alan, the perp, the liquor finally did him in, and he "threatened to do to his wife what he did to her best friend" at a party, which did him in. I hope he is still incarcerated or worse.

You just never know what's really going on.

[~kaRN]

has a TV show. Name one TV show host that grills their guests... if they did... no more guests.

Nancy Grace