Joran van der Sloot, Who Confessed to Killing Natalee Holloway, Reportedly Attempts Suicide in Prison [WATCH]

Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch national who confessed in 2023 to killing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway following her disappearance in 2005, reportedly attempted to take his own life while incarcerated at a maximum-security prison in Peru, as reported by TMZ.

According to Peruvian news outlet La República, the incident occurred Saturday at Challapalca Prison, a high-security facility located in the Andes near the Peruvian-Bolivian border.

Guards discovered van der Sloot hanging from a strip of blanket inside his cell while breakfast was being distributed.

Natalee Holloway killer Joran van der Sloot reportedly tried to kill himself in prison | New York Post https://t.co/e4Cxp675C4

— Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) December 18, 2025

The 38-year-old inmate was found alive and transported to the prison infirmary, where he was treated and stabilized, according to the report.

Officials told the outlet that the circumstances under which van der Sloot was found “suggested a possible suicide attempt.”

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Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores, a 21-year-old woman he killed in a hotel room in Lima.

Flores was beaten to death after encountering van der Sloot at a casino, a crime that led to his arrest and conviction in the country.

Although van der Sloot admitted in October 2023 to killing Natalee Holloway, he has never been formally charged in her death.

Holloway disappeared in Aruba during a high school graduation trip in May 2005. Van der Sloot was the last known person seen with her. Despite years of international attention and investigation, her body was never recovered.

Because Holloway’s killing occurred in Aruba, prosecutors there are barred from bringing charges due to the statute of limitations having expired.

Van der Sloot’s confession, which came nearly two decades after Holloway’s disappearance, provided long-sought answers for her family but carried no additional criminal penalty in that jurisdiction.

In the United States, however, van der Sloot faced separate charges connected to the Holloway case.

Federal prosecutors charged him with attempting to sell information to Natalee Holloway’s family about the location of her remains in exchange for money, conduct that authorities said amounted to extortion.

Nearly two decades after Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, Joran van der Sloot arrived in the U.S. to face charges of extortion and wire fraud linked to the case. @SamBrockNBC reports. pic.twitter.com/Soc4FnHBLh

— NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas (@NBCNightlyNews) June 8, 2023

Van der Sloot ultimately pleaded guilty to those charges. Under the terms of his sentence, he is expected to serve a 20-year prison term in the United States after completing his sentence in Peru.

Challapalca Prison, where the reported suicide attempt occurred, is known for its harsh conditions and remote location.

The facility houses inmates convicted of serious crimes and is considered one of Peru’s most restrictive prisons.

Peruvian authorities have not released additional details regarding van der Sloot’s condition following the incident or whether disciplinary or mental health measures will follow.

No official statement has been issued confirming whether the incident will alter his incarceration status.

Van der Sloot has been incarcerated for more than a decade and remains one of the most infamous figures connected to an unresolved missing persons case in U.S. history.

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