Joran Van Der Sloot became internationally recognized, with two missing and murdered girls associated with him, and scandal surrounded the family name. Yet despite his crimes and notoriety, there were shocking rumors Joran might actually have a relationship and even a child – here’s everything we found out.
The disappearance of 18-year-old Alabama native Natalee Holloway in 2005 shocked the nation and spurred an international response. The young graduate had gone to Aruba on a school trip and, after accepting a ride home from a group of local boys, had simply vanished. One of the boys was none other than Dutch native Joran Van Der Sloot, son of attorney Paul Van Der Sloot. Joran claimed he had dropped the young girl off at her hotel, but when the security footage showed otherwise, his story began to fall apart. Natalee Holloway was missing, and he was the last one to see her alive. Five years later, another young girl went missing, and once again, Joran was the last one to see her. Ten years of notoriety and investigations, two violent crimes, is it possible that Van Der Sloot was still able to have a life, let alone a relationship and a child? Here’s what we discovered.
The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway went missing in 2005, putting Joran Van Der Sloot under investigation for her disappearance. Her mother, Beth Holloway, relentlessly pursued Joran for years, continuing to pressure him and international authorities to reveal what they knew. Joran confessed to the murder several times, once on hidden video footage and once in exchange for Beth Holloway paying him $250,000. Yet both confessions fell short, with details that didn’t add up and discrepancies he couldn’t explain. Finally, in 2023, Joran, now 36, confessed again, and this time, it seemed to be the truth finally.
Over the years, Beth Holloway has been relentless in pursuing Joran, ensuring he stays in the media spotlight. He often moved from one location to another, trying to stay one step ahead of the publicity. He ended up in Peru, where he met Stephany Flores, the daughter of a high-ranking political figure. When she turned up murdered in Joran Van Der Sloot’s hotel room, he once again found himself amid an investigation and media frenzy. From Natalee’s disappearance in 2005 to Stephanie’s murder in 2010, Joran has spent years under various investigations. Is it possible he could have had a relationship during that time? There were even rumors he had a child.
Did Joran Van Der Sloot have a child?
Joran was convicted of murder in 2010 and sentenced to 28 years in a Peruvian prison. During that time, Joran married a Peruvian native, Leidy Figeroa. As the two were allowed conjugal visits, Figeroa became pregnant, and the two had a child in 2014, a daughter they named Dusha Trudie van der Sloot.
The two met when Figeroa handed out candy and cigarettes to the inmates and soon became a couple. In 2014, they tied the knot while Figeroa was pregnant with their daughter. In an interview with Daily Mail, she claimed her husband was “gentle, sensitive and kind” and “no monster.”
Yet the relationship wasn’t exactly a storybook romance, and Van Der Sloot served Figeroa divorce papers in 2020. Despite being married to Leidy, he reportedly had several girlfriends, and when one was caught smuggling drugs to him, apparently, things in his and Leidy’s relationship began to fall apart. The two divorced, and she has not had anything to do with her ex-husband since. She has also announced she will change her daughter’s last name as she no longer wants her to associate with him.
While it may seem shocking that a man accused and convicted of murder would find someone willing to have a relationship and child with him, it’s surprisingly not that unusual. Ted Bundy, for example, the serial killer accused of at least 36 murders, also married and had a child during his incarceration.
Joran Van Der Sloot was a young man who had it all and yet made all the wrong choices. He took advantage of young women who trusted him and left a trail of death and destruction wherever he went. While he has finally confessed to his crimes and is precisely where he should be, for the families of the murdered women, it is only a small consolation. Joran’s crimes can never be undone, and the women he murdered can never be brought back.
