Twitty says tragedy led to mission

Tuesday, November 14, 2006
BRANNON STEWARTNews staff writer
In front of more than 600 Samford University students Monday
night, Beth Holloway Twitty shared intimate details of the
nightmare that has evolved into her life's mission.
"I never imagined that I would be traveling around telling
people of how Natalee was kidnapped, raped and most likely
murdered on the last night of her senior trip," Twitty
told the students inside Reid Chapel after a video tribute
to her missing daughter.
Natalee Holloway was last seen on May 30, 2005, during
a senior class trip to Aruba after graduation from
Mountain Brook High School.
In a press conference before her speech, Twitty said
there are not any new developments in the case.
"(Aruban officials) still say they're doing searches, but
we just don't have any communication from them,"
Twitty said. "It's so frustrating."
In the year and a half since her daughter has been
missing, Twitty has founded the nonprofit International
Safe Travels Foundation to educate the public about
travel safety.
She spoke to students at Samford about her spiritual
journey since her daughter's abduction, but she also
stressed the importance of properly preparing for
safe international travel.
"I'm not saying in any way that you shouldn't travel
outside this country," Twitty said.
"But you need to remember you do leave behind the
privileges and rights that we're accustomed to here
in the U.S. and that we take for granted."
Twitty said students should be proactive when
traveling overseas, such as carrying emergency
contact numbers of the U.S. government and becoming
familiar with the laws of the countries they plan to
visit.