Natalee Holloway: A Case That Captivated The Nation

Natalee’s Friends Finally Let Go

Claire admitted that they still keep in touch with Beth Holloway, but have had immense trouble letting go. In 2010, almost five years after Natalee’s disappearance, her friends decided they needed to move on with their lives.

Claire and Mallie, at the suggestion of Claire’s therapist, each wrote a letter to Natalee telling her how much they loved and missed her. At the end of Claire’s letter, she wrote, “I’m sorry, but I have to let you go.” The girls took the letters to Huntington Beach at sunset and read them out loud. They dug a hole in the sand and put the letters in, then lit a bonfire and burned the letters. Mallie admits that was their funeral and they finally, for the first time in years, felt some closure.