False News Reporting on Joran Van der Sloot Death

by YankeeJim | June 3, 2010 at 02:19 pm

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Joran Van der Sloot will likely go down in history as a monster killer of one or two young women. Reporting that he was “rumored to have committed suicide” a few days ago was a rumor and no more. It is not helpful to report rumors when murder is involved and when a fugitive is at large.

I think that reporters must be careful in handling such information as it can impede investigation.

“Chile nabs Dutch man linked to Aruba mystery

Rodrigo Gutierrez

ARICA

Thu Jun 3, 2010 3:05pm EDT

Chile (Reuters) - Chilean police on Thursday detained a Dutch man who was arrested twice over the disappearance of a U.S. student in Aruba in 2005 and is a prime suspect in a new murder probe in neighboring Peru.

World

Joran Van der Sloot was stopped by police in central Chile while he was traveling south from the border with Peru.

"He was found in a rented vehicle on highway 68 and is now being taken to police headquarters," said Douglas Rodriguez, head of investigation police in the northern city of Arica.

Rodriguez said the Chilean government now has to decide if it will send Van der Sloot back to Peru, where he is wanted in the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in a Lima hotel room. He crossed into neighboring Chile on Monday.

Chile set up checkpoints along more than 250 miles of rugged border area. Police also checked hotels, guest-houses, restaurants and casinos.

Van der Sloot was questioned after Natalee Holloway disappeared during a high school graduation trip in the Dutch Caribbean island five years ago, a case that attracted heavy media attention in the United States. He was not charged due to insufficient evidence.

Cesar Guardia, head of the Peruvian police crimes unit, said Van der Sloot and the victim were seen at a casino in Lima over the weekend and is a prime suspect in her death. (Additional reporting by Marco Aquino, Teresa Cespedes and Eduardo Garcia; Writing by Alonso Soto; Editing by Doina Chiacu)”