11-23-2010, 02:41 PM
Oranjestad, Aruba (CNN) -- The piece of jawbone found on a beach on Aruba this month is human, but is not that of long-missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, Aruban prosecutors said Tuesday.
The piece contained a wisdom tooth, and Holloway's had been removed before her 2005 disappearance, Aruba Solicitor-General Taco Stein told reporters.
"Right there and then, it was obvious it wasn't Natalee," Stein said. Investigators are now trying to determine whether the bone came from any other people reported missing, he said.
The bone was found earlier this month by an American tourist near the Phoenix Hotel, a resort on the western side of the island, Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken said. Its discovery triggered the investigation into whether it belonged to Holloway, who was 18 when last seen on the island in May 2005.
Stein said the news was "another tragedy" for Holloway's family, since it brought them no closer to learning what happened to their daughter. There was no immediate response to the news from Holloway's mother, Beth, but her father, Dave Holloway, thanked well-wishers after the announcement.
"We remain hopeful that some day we will find the answer to the whereabouts of our daughter, Natalee Holloway," he said. "Again, we want to thank everyone for their support in our efforts to find justice. We ask that you continue to remember Natalee in your thoughts and prayers."
Investigators tested the bone at the Netherlands Forensic Institute in The Hague, Netherlands. Their job was to determine whether it was a human or animal bone and -- if it proved to be human -- figure out who it belonged to.
The piece contained a wisdom tooth, and Holloway's had been removed before her 2005 disappearance, Aruba Solicitor-General Taco Stein told reporters.
"Right there and then, it was obvious it wasn't Natalee," Stein said. Investigators are now trying to determine whether the bone came from any other people reported missing, he said.
The bone was found earlier this month by an American tourist near the Phoenix Hotel, a resort on the western side of the island, Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken said. Its discovery triggered the investigation into whether it belonged to Holloway, who was 18 when last seen on the island in May 2005.
Stein said the news was "another tragedy" for Holloway's family, since it brought them no closer to learning what happened to their daughter. There was no immediate response to the news from Holloway's mother, Beth, but her father, Dave Holloway, thanked well-wishers after the announcement.
"We remain hopeful that some day we will find the answer to the whereabouts of our daughter, Natalee Holloway," he said. "Again, we want to thank everyone for their support in our efforts to find justice. We ask that you continue to remember Natalee in your thoughts and prayers."
Investigators tested the bone at the Netherlands Forensic Institute in The Hague, Netherlands. Their job was to determine whether it was a human or animal bone and -- if it proved to be human -- figure out who it belonged to.