WSFA 12 News Montgomery, AL |Two Suspects Released in Case of Missing Teen

Two Suspects Released in Case of Missing Teen

Authorities in Aruba have released two former hotel security guards who were the first men detained in the disappearance of an Alabama honors student.

Three young men who took 18-year-old Natalee Holloway to a beach early in the morning hours before she went missing remain in custody.

30-year-old Antonius "Mickey" John and 28-year-old Abraham Jones were released Monday. They had been in custody since June 5th.

The release came the day after the missing girl's mother said she believed the former security guards were innocent.

John says he's happy but disappointed. He says, "I knew from day one that I was innocent."

Holloway, of Mountain Brook, has been missing since May 30th. She disappeared while on a five-day senior trip to Aruba with more than 100 graduates and seven adult chaperones.

Her mother said Sunday the three young men who were with her daughter the day of her disappearance know what happened to her, and Aruban authorities should pressure them to reveal the information.

Beth Holloway Twitty also said she thought the two former hotel security guards who were released were innocent.

Twitty told The Associated Press that "all three of those boys know what happened to her. They all know what they did with her that night."

Twitty declined to say what she thought the boys had done or whether she thought her daughter was still alive. She said the most important thing was just to find Natalee.

The Associated Press