Netflix has unveiled a new three-part true crime documentary series, amongst other true crime shows, which will explore the mysterious disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005. In May of that year, a group of highschoolers from a small town in Alabama celebrated their graduation with a holiday to Aruba.

However, one student, Natalee Holloway, never showed up for the return flight home and her sudden disappearance sparked an island-wide search which did not turn up any results until 2023.

For the first time her mother, Beth Holloway, tells the full story of the case that has "haunted her for the past 20 years", which includes a "dramatic confession two decades later".

The three-part Netflix series will tell the harrowing story through the eyes of those closest to the popular students, revealing "forgotten moments, previously unreported elements in the case, and its lasting impact". Viewers will hear from investigators as well as witness never-before-seen footage.

The documentary also unveils previously unreleased audio of Natalee's family and friends as it "dives into the tragic story that dominated national news and a mother's unrelenting search for truth and justice".

Directors Dani Sloane (The Menendez Brothers, Girl in the Picture) and Matthew Galkin (Murder in Big Horn, One Night In Idaho: The College Murders) are behind the highly anticipated project. An official release date is yet to be announced.

Natalee was an 18-year-old American high-school graduate from Mountain Brook, Alabama, when she went missing after her Aruba holiday. She was last seen outside Carlos'n Charlie's, a restaurant and nightclub in Oranjestad, getting into a car with a group of local residents.

When the three men were questioned, they said they had dropped her off at her hotel and denied knowing what had become of her. Aruban prosecutors announced in December 2007 the case would be closed and no one was charged.

Natalee was declared legally dead in January 2012 at her father's request, but in 2023 a shocking revelation turned the whole investigation on its head.

The prime suspect in the case was Dutch national Joran van der Sloot, with whom Natalee had shared a car alongside brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. Van der Sloot had been arrested twice on suspicion of involvement in her disappearance and the Kalpoe brothers were each arrested three times, but due to lack of evidence, the suspects were released without being charged.

Van der Sloot was later heard in video footage saying Natalee died on the morning of her disappearance, and that a friend had disposed of her body.

He later claimed he had sold her into sexual slavery, but then retracted his comments. In January 2012, he was convicted of the 2010 murder of business student Stephany Flores Ramírez in Peru. She was the daughter of Ricardo Flores, a former president of the Peruvian Automobile Club.

Then, in June 2023, van der Sloot was extradited to the US to stand trial for extortion and wire fraud, with both charges linked to Natalee's disappearance.

On October 18 of that year, he admitted to the extortion charges and confessed to killing Natalee by blunt force trauma after she rejected his sexual advances.

He later returned to Peru to continue serving his sentence for Stephany's murder. He is currently incarcerated at Establecimiento Penitenciario Ancón.

The Natalee Holloway documentary will air on Netflix