Joran van der Sloot Peru Murder? Natalee Holloway Prosecutor Shocked
NEW YORK (CBS) Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken, who has been part of the investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, has learned that Joran van der Sloot is now a suspect in a new murder, that of a 21-year-old woman whose body was found in a hotel room in Lima, Peru. The prosecutor told CBS News that the allegation was a remarkable development and says that he is personally shocked by it.
Early Wednesday morning, Stephany Flores Ramirez was found dead, Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reports, in a hotel room registered under van der Sloot's name. According to police reports, Ramirez had been brutally stabbed and was found wrapped in a blanket in a pool of blood.
Chief of detectives Col. Miguel Canlla says that Stephany was
murdered on Sunday, and the girl's father, Ricardo Flores, says van der
Sloot appears with his daughter in video taken at a Lima casino early
Sunday.
Aruban Prosecutor Peter Blanken said that an Interpol international arrest warrant has been issued for van der Sloot, who may, according to some reports, be on the run from police. The Dutch Foreign Affairs Department in the Netherlands has notified their people in Chile to be aware that Joran may be in Chile.
Five years ago, in May 2005, Alabama high school student Natalee Holloway
disappeared during a senior class trip to Aruba. She
was last seen leaving a bar with Joran van der Sloot. Van der Sloot has been detained several times, but never charged.
According to Blanken, he is examining the new details but does not expect it to affect the Holloway case or provide new evidence. He says that they will be contacting the Peruvian authorities later today to see if they can offer assistance.
Additional Reporting by Naomi Choy Smith.
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PICTURES: Natalee Holloway, Paradise Lost
MORE ON CRIMESIDER
June 2, 2010 - Joran van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway Suspect, Sought for Stephany Flores Ramirez Murder
June 2, 2010 - Joran van der Sloot Eyed for Murder in Peru; Previously Detained in Natalee Holloway Case
