American Scene

ALABAMA

Van der Sloot admitted lying

BIRMINGHAM | A newly unsealed FBI affidavit says the Dutch man suspected in the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway admitted he lied to her family about where her body was buried on the island of Aruba.

The affidavit unsealed Thursday says Joran van der Sloot wanted $250,000 - and a signed contract - in return for showing her family where the remains were buried and the circumstances of her death.

According to the sworn statement from an FBI agent, Mr. van der Sloot took a family representative to a house on Aruba. He later admitted he lied when it was shown the house had not been built when Miss Holloway disappeared in 2005.

Mr. van der Sloot, charged with extortion in Alabama, is also being held in Peru in the strangling death of a 21-year-old woman.

CALIFORNIA

Girl, 16, in trouble on solo world sail

LOS ANGELES | A 16-year-old Southern California girl attempting a solo sail around the world was feared in trouble Thursday in the frigid, heaving southern Indian Ocean after her emergency beacons began signaling and communication was lost.

Abby Sunderland’s family was talking with U.S. and international governments about organizing a search of the remote ocean between southern Africa and Australia, family spokesman Christian Pinkston said.

Conditions can quickly become perilous for any sailor exposed to the elements in that part of the world.

“We’ve got to get a plane out there quick,” said Mr. Pinkston, who was in close contact with Abby’s family in Thousand Oaks.

“They are exhausting every resource to try to mobilize an air rescue, including discussions with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and various international rescue organizations,” he said.

Abby last communicated with her family at 4 a.m. Thursday and reported 30-foot swells but was not in distress, Mr. Pinkston said.

An hour later, the family was notified that her emergency beacons had been activated, and there was no further communication. Mr. Pinkston said the beacons were manually activated.

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