Local searchers confident they'll find Natalee Holloway

(11/23/07 - KTRK/HOUISTON) (KTRK) -- The search for Natalee Holloway will now move to the waters off Aruba to try and bring her family closure. She disappeared from Aruba in 2005 on a high school graduation trip.

Some of the best underwater surveyors will join Texas Equusearch to look for the missing teenager. In the 2 1/2 year since the Alabama teen's disappearance, Tim Miller with Equusearch has gone to Aruba 5 times and spent more than 70 days searching the island. He is convinced his upcoming trip will be the most successful yet. Holloway is still among the missing Miller hopes to find.

"It's a case like we work all our other cases," he said. "Once we start one, we like to work it to the end."

In the search for the 18-year-old, it means Miller will return to Aruba one more time.

"I believe her body was put on the boat in a large crab trap, and then we feel as though they put some rocks in there and took her out there to the deep water," said Miller.

And dumped her body.

With the help of underwater surveyor Louis Schaffer, they will search those deep waters off Aruba by boat early next month.

"We'll tow a sonar," said Schaffer. "It's called a side scan sonar and it scans out both sides of the boat and we can scan about a 600 foot wide path at a time."

We spoke with Dave Holloway, Natelee's father, about the upcoming search by phone.

"You know that's important for any human being to have closure and know exactly what happened and have, you know, funeral burial," said Hollway.

Miller and Schaffer believe they can bring the Holloways that with a team of some of the best underwater surveyors in the business.

The 125-foot boat will leave from New Iberia, Louisiana some time next week. It's called the RV Persistence and sums up the attitude of this entire expedition.

"I think if she's there, they'll find here," said Holloway. "No question about it."

Jordan van der Sloot and brothers, Satish and Deepak Calpo were the last three people to see Natalee Holloway before her disappearance. This week, they were re-arrested. Miller's optimistic this time he will bring Holloway home.

"I'm very, very optimistic that we're going to be going to a funeral in Birmingham, Alabama before long," he said.

When the RV Persistance arrives in Aruba early next month, the search will begin. The expedition will cost at least a half million dollars, all of which is being donated.

A judge in Aruba ordered brothers Satish and Deepak Kalpoe to remain in custody for another eight days. Prosecutors will use the additional time to pursue their investigation into Holloway's disappearance. Joran van der Sloot, the third suspect, will appear before a judge on Monday.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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