Birmingham, Ala (WIAT) First Natalee Holloway, now Robyn Gardner. Tourist dependent Aruba reels behind the headlines.
There are significant differences between the 2005 disappearance of Mountain Brook teen Natalee Holloway and the 2011 disappearance of Robyn Gardner of suburban Washington.
Natalee was on a graduation trip with friends and classmates from Mountain Brook High School. She was last seen leaving an Oranjestad bar with three local teens. Joran van der Sloot emerged as the prime suspect in the case. He has told a variety of stories about what happened that night...all of which have either been debunked by authorities or later denied by himself.
Van der Sloot was questioned repeatedly by Aruba authorities but never charged. Many contend his late father, a local judge, exercised undue influence over the investigation.
Robyn Gardner was in her thirties and travelling to Aruba with Gary Giordano...who she met online. Giordano says Gardner disappeared while they were snorkeling. He originally cooperated with local authorities but was arrested when he tried to leave the island. He's still in custody but his lawyers claim his detention has been unduly influenced by fallout from the Holloway/van der Sloot investigation.
So, is the Gardner case a "make good" or "do over" by Aruban authorities? Tourism is a major economic force in the Aruban economy. More than a million visitors from the U.S. come to the island every year. Vanishing blonde American women can't be good for business.
An article on the website of D.C. radio station WTOP is headlined
"Aruba: An island in the storm." WTOP reporter Dell Waters has made several previous trips to Aruba. He says the biggest difference post-Gardner is an increased awareness of security and safety issues.
According to the article, "There is an uneasy calm, when approached most merchants smile, and politely say no comment.
One who did speak to Walters says the island was just fully recovering from the Natalee Holloway's disappearance when Gardner went missing. He says it's like Holloway's case never ended, and he just want some closure."
