Natalee Holloway's Harrowing Final Moments Detailed
Beth Holloway will never forget the day she first encountered Natalee Holloway's killer.
The 63-year-old recalled confronting Joran van der Sloot not long after her daughter disappeared during a 2005 trip to Aruba.
"I want my daughter back," Beth told People in an interview published Oct. 24 about what she said to the then-17-year-old, alleging Joran then smirked and hit his chest before replying, "'What do you want me to do?'"
And Beth, who had gone to Aruba to inquire about her daughter's whereabouts, remembered feeling helpless in that moment.
"He had this power over me," she added. "Because he had all the answers, and I had none."
However, more than 18 years later, Beth finally got her answers. As part of a plea deal in his wire fraud and extortion case involving Natalee's mom, Joran confessed to killing the 18-year-old on a beach after she rejected his sexual advances. According to a transcript of his confession obtained by E! News, Joran said he kicked Natalee "extremely hard" in the face and used a cinderblock to "smash her head in" before pushing her body into the sea.
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"Even though knowing the answer from such a brutal confession can just blister and burn your soul, I needed to know what happened," Beth told People. "The not knowing is more tortuous than knowing."
Holloway Family/FBI
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Beth's quest for the truth about her daughter is what ultimately led to Joran's confession as his plea deal stemmed from 2010 charges after he had promised Beth that he would reveal the location of Natalee's remains as well as information on the events surrounding her disappearance in exchange for payment. Joran, who received $25,100 from Beth for this information, later admitted the details he shared at the time were "worthless."
The Dutch citizen, who had been extradited to the U.S. from Peru earlier this summer, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Joran, who began a 28-year prison sentence in 2012 for the 2010 killing of Stephany Flores in Peru, will serve his U.S. sentence concurrently.
E! News has reached out to Joran's legal team and government attorneys for comment and has not heard back.
Now, after receiving answers about what happened to Natalee, Beth noted to the outlet that her "never-ending nightmare is over."
For a deep dive on the case, keep reading.