More than 21 years after Natalee Holloway disappeared on a graduation trip to Aruba, Beth Holloway’s life is no longer defined only by the search that once consumed every hour. She has returned to work as a public-school speech pathologist, continues helping families facing missing-person cases, and remains closely connected to the people in her family who are building lives beyond the tragedy. Her grandchildren are part of that present-day family story — not a replacement for Natalee, and not a reason to pretend the loss has ended.
The renewed attention around Netflix’s three-part documentary Taken: Natalee Holloway, which premiered on November 4, 2026, has brought Beth’s personal life back into public conversation. A recent NBC interview revisited the years of uncertainty and the ways she keeps Natalee’s memory close. Reports about that interview describe Beth as a grandmother of two and recount her saying that she sometimes calls her grandchildren by the names Natalee and Matt. The detail is intimate, but it should be handled with care: the grandchildren are private individuals, and their names and personal lives are not necessary to understand Beth’s story.
Grandchildren are part of Beth’s life now — not a substitute for Natalee
The reported moment about occasionally using the wrong name captures something familiar in families: memory can surface in everyday speech without warning. For Beth, the names Natalee and Matt belong to the center of her family life. The story is not that a grandchild is being asked to fill Natalee’s place. It is that Natalee remains woven into the family’s language, even as younger generations grow up and family routines continue.
Public coverage has not established a reason to identify Beth’s grandchildren or to make their lives part of the case narrative. Keeping them out of the spotlight is a reasonable boundary. What can be said, based on the recent interview coverage, is that Beth has found moments of joy and connection in family life while continuing to remember the daughter she lost.
The daily ritual that keeps Natalee close
Beth has spoken for years about keeping Natalee’s senior portrait in her bedroom and kissing the photograph as part of her daily routine. In a 2019 interview with ABC News, she described kissing Natalee’s cheek each morning, praying with her rosary, and sometimes asking her daughter what they were going to do that day. She said she felt Natalee was still on the team with her. A 2026 People report also described Beth kissing the portrait in the morning and at night.
That routine is not a claim that grief disappears. It is a small act of remembrance that makes room for both loss and ordinary life. Beth has said that people do not simply get over losing someone, while also recognizing that life moves forward. The distinction matters: moving forward is not the same as leaving Natalee behind.
Work, service and a different kind of strength
Beth’s return to the classroom is one of the clearest details in recent reporting about her life today. She worked as a public-school speech pathologist before Natalee disappeared, then stepped away from her career for nearly a decade while she searched for answers. Netflix Tudum reported in November 2026 that she has returned to teaching. Beth said staying active and keeping busy is good for her, and she also described helping other families navigate the practical challenges of missing-person cases — including communication with law enforcement and locating search-and-rescue resources.
That work gives her experience a public purpose beyond retelling her own story. It also connects to the travel-safety advocacy she developed after Natalee’s disappearance. The Safe Travels Foundation was created to educate young people about safer travel, while Beth’s work with other families reflects the support she received from volunteers and strangers during the search.
What changed after the 2023 confession?
In October 2023, Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty in the United States to federal extortion and wire-fraud charges tied to his attempt to obtain money from Beth in exchange for information about Natalee. As part of the agreement, he admitted to killing Natalee in Aruba in 2005. The admission finally answered the question Beth had pursued for 18 years, but it was not a murder conviction in Natalee’s case.
As of Beth’s November 4, 2026 interview with Netflix Tudum, van der Sloot had not been charged in connection with Natalee’s death. Beth told Tudum she had been working with Dutch attorneys Royce de Vries and Annemiek van Spanje on a murder complaint in the Netherlands, and that authorities were obtaining case documents. The distinction between his U.S. convictions and the unresolved legal status of Natalee’s killing remains important.
Why the documentary is not the whole story
Taken: Natalee Holloway revisits the investigation through Beth, Natalee’s friends, journalists, investigators and people who assisted the search. Netflix says the three-part series includes previously unseen footage and follows the case from Natalee’s disappearance through the 2023 admission. It is an account of the search for answers, but Beth’s current life is larger than the documentary’s timeline.
Her family, her return to speech pathology, her advocacy for missing people and her daily remembrance of Natalee all exist alongside one another. The grandchildren detail adds a glimpse of that balance, but it should not be turned into a sentimental claim that family life has healed the loss. Beth’s own words have been more measured: she has described the end of not knowing as a major change, while continuing to seek accountability and to help others.
For more context, read our coverage of Beth Holloway’s daily portrait ritual and her return to speech pathology after years away.
Frequently asked questions
How many grandchildren does Beth Holloway have?
Recent coverage of her November 2026 interview describes Beth as a grandmother of two. The children’s identities and private details are not needed to report on Beth’s public story.
Does Beth Holloway sometimes call her grandchildren by Natalee’s name?
A report summarizing the recent NBC interview quoted Beth saying she sometimes calls her grandchildren “Natalee” and “Matt” by mistake. The comment was presented as an example of how her children remain present in family memory.
What does Beth Holloway do now?
Netflix Tudum reported in November 2026 that Beth has returned to work as a public-school speech pathologist and also helps families of missing people with practical guidance and communication with law enforcement.
Does Beth still remember Natalee every day?
Yes. Beth has described kissing Natalee’s senior portrait as part of her daily routine. ABC News reported the ritual in 2019, and People revisited it in 2026.
Was Joran van der Sloot convicted of murdering Natalee?
No murder conviction in Natalee’s case had been reported as of November 2026. Van der Sloot admitted killing her as part of a 2023 U.S. plea agreement involving extortion and wire fraud, but Netflix Tudum reported in November 2026 that he had not been charged in connection with her death.
Sources and further reading
- Netflix Tudum: Beth Holloway’s November 2026 interview and current work
- NBC / TODAY: Beth Holloway interview, November 9, 2026
- Interview recap reporting Beth’s comments about her grandchildren
- ABC News: Beth’s portrait ritual and reflections on grief
- People: Beth Holloway’s 21-year journey and life after the confession
- UPI: Beth Holloway and the Natalee Holloway Resource Center
Editorial note: The grandchildren are not identified or pictured here to respect their privacy. Image captions credit the original publishers or credited photographers; a publisher credit is not a substitute for a reuse license, which should be confirmed before broader commercial reuse.
