Natalee Holloway: A Case That Captivated The Nation

The Search

The Laura Recovery Center organized a search for Elizabeth in the days after her abduction. Over 2,000 volunteers were dispatched to the area, including helicopters and search dogs, and word spread quickly. After many days, the community-led search was closed unsuccessfully.

Elizabeth’s family didn’t lose hope because they had Mary Katherine as an eyewitness. Police questioned hundreds of suspect, including Bret Michael Edmunds, a 26-year-old who was perused across the country. It was later proved that Edmunds was in a hospital in West Virginia suffering from a drug overdose when Smart was abducted.