BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) - Natalee Holloway's father has filed court papers asking that his daughter be declared legally dead.
It's been more than six years since the Mountain Brook teen disappeared on a graduation trip to Aruba.
Dave Holloway filed a
"petition for presumption of death for persons missing for more than five years" on April 19, 2011.
Court documents show a hearing on the request is scheduled of September 23.
Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, said she was surprised her ex-husband filed the request.
“I only learned about this when I was handed the citation by a process server while addressing a large audience at a conference in Georgia,” she said in a statement. “I don’t know what this is about, or why Dave is taking this action at this time.”
A spokeswoman for Beth Holloway declined comment on whether she would oppose the petition
Dave and Beth Holloway were divorced before Natalee's disappearance.
Both have been critical of Aruban authorities' response to investigating their daughter's case.
Beth Holloway has taken a much more public position including a media career. Dave Holloway has returned to Aruba several times to coordinate searches for his daughter's remains.
Joran van der Sloot, still considered the prime suspect in the case, is currently awaiting a murder trial in Peru. The body of 21 year old student Stephany Flores was found in van der Sloot's Lima hotel room five years to the day that Natalee vanished.
Van der Sloot has confessed to killing Flores in a fit of rage after she found material about Natalee on his laptop.
