Birmingham, AL – The parents of Natalee Holloway looked on somberly as a judge declared their teenage daughter long missing in Aruba to be dead.
Father Dave Holloway says the ruling closes one chapter in an ordeal that began when the teenager disappeared in May 2005 during a high school graduation trip to the Caribbean island. But he says the body was never found and he's still hoping for justice.
Beth Holloway, who was divorced from her husband in 1993, had no immediate comment after Thursday's probate court hearing in Birmingham. But her lawyer says witnessing Judge Alan King sign the order was tough on her.
Dave Holloway said the order will allow him to use his daughter's $2,000 college fund to help her younger brother and stop paying health insurance for her.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)