Natalee Holloway: A Case That Captivated The Nation

The Petition

Natalee Holloway’s father Dave Holloway wanted very badly to have some closure about his daughter’s disappearance and was losing hope that she’d ever safely return. He considered the possibility of Natalee being dead ever since the FBI told him they were approaching the case as homicide 10 days after his daughter went missing.

Though Dave filed a petition that eventually was pushed through, Judge Alan King ruled that there were some stipulations to declaring the missing girl dead. A notice of presumption of death had to be published in a local newspaper for two weeks, followed by a 12-week time frame where anyone with evidence that she was still alive could come forward. Unfortunately, no real evidence was ever submitted and Natalee was declared dead.