Natalee Holloway's Mom Sneaks Into Prison To See Van Der Sloot

In a bizarre turn of events, Natalee Holloway’s mother snuck into the Peruvian jail where Joran van der Sloot is being held, to tell him she has “no hate in her soul” for him. Now she’s in custody.

According to CBS, Beth Holloway Twitty somehow got into Peru’s Castro Castro Prison, where van der Sloot is being held for the murder of Stephany Flores. Van der Sloot was also the main suspect in Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, and though he was never charged in that case, he has admitted to extorting Holloway’s parents by claiming he knew the location of their daughter’s body. So it’s kind of strange that Twitty has “no hate” for him — but that’s what she said in their five-minute encounter. She also asked him questions about her daughter, all of which he refused to answer. Twitty carried a hidden camera in the prison, and was accompanied by a Dutch TV journalist who’s apparently doing a piece on Natalee.

CBS reports that Peruvian authorities are currently detaining Twitty, and while sneaking into a prison is obviously ill-advised, I have to hope that this grief-stricken woman receives a light punishment. I also wonder about the motives of the TV reporter, who allowed Twitty to put herself emotionally and legally at risk for the benefit of a story. Maybe it was all Twitty’s idea, but the presence of the reporter raises questions about exploitation. It would be pretty disturbing if a still-grieving mom went through this fruitless and potentially dangerous ordeal just because someone thought it would make good TV.