Where Is Joran van der Sloot Now? The Killer Who Confessed to Natalee Holloway’s Murder Is Still Behind Bars in Peru

More than two decades after 18-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished during a graduation trip to Aruba, the man who confessed to killing her remains imprisoned in Peru. Joran van der Sloot, whose name became synonymous with one of America’s most haunting missing-person cases, is now serving prison sentences connected to two separate crimes: the murder of a young Peruvian woman and an extortion scheme targeting Natalee’s family. His whereabouts have once again drawn attention following the release of a new Netflix documentary revisiting the case and revealing more details about his confession.

Van der Sloot is currently being held at Challapalca Prison, a high-security facility in the remote mountains of southern Peru. He was convicted of murdering 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramírez in 2010 and sentenced to 28 years in prison. Stephany was found dead in a Lima hotel room after meeting van der Sloot at a casino. Investigators established that he had attacked her after she reportedly discovered information about Natalee Holloway on his computer. He was later convicted of an additional drug-trafficking offense in prison, which added another 18 years to his sentence, although Peruvian law limits the maximum prison term.

His connection to Natalee’s disappearance remained a mystery for years. The Alabama teenager vanished on May 30, 2005, during a school graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen leaving a nightclub with van der Sloot and two other young men. Despite repeated investigations, searches, and conflicting accounts from those involved, her remains were never recovered. Van der Sloot repeatedly changed his story and spent years denying responsibility, leaving Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, searching for answers.

That changed in 2023, when van der Sloot was temporarily extradited to the United States to face federal charges of wire fraud and extortion. Prosecutors said he had demanded money from Beth in exchange for information about where her daughter’s remains could be found. He pleaded guilty and received a 20-year federal sentence. During the proceedings, he admitted that he had killed Natalee in Aruba in 2005. According to his confession, after she rejected his sexual advances on a beach, he kicked her, struck her head with a concrete block, and disposed of her body in the sea. Her remains have never been found. Although the confession provided long-awaited answers, he was not convicted of Natalee’s murder in the United States.

The two prison sentences are being served concurrently in Peru, meaning the 20-year U.S. sentence runs at the same time as his Peruvian sentence. If he is released from Peruvian custody before completing the federal sentence, he could be required to serve the remaining time in the United States. His expected release from the Peruvian sentence has been reported as 2045. In August 2026, van der Sloot reportedly requested a transfer from Challapalca, claiming that fellow inmates had threatened to kill him and subjected him to psychological torture. Those claims were made in a petition and have not been independently established.

Meanwhile, Natalee’s mother has continued pursuing accountability. In a November 2026 interview connected to Netflix’s documentary Taken: Natalee Holloway, Beth said she had been working with Dutch lawyers to file a murder complaint against van der Sloot with authorities in the Netherlands. She said prosecutors were gathering documents and reviewing the case files. Whether that effort will lead to a new criminal prosecution remains uncertain. For now, van der Sloot remains behind bars in Peru, while Natalee’s family continues to seek answers and justice for the young woman whose disappearance remained unresolved for nearly 18 years.

Source: https://people.com/where-is-joran-vandersloot-now-12239066