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Plane missing in Bolivia with 9 aboard

1:56 AM

gtventic

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Rescue workers are searching Bolivia's eastern jungle for a missing twin-engine plane with nine people aboard operated by a small commercial airline.

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The Aerocon Fairchild SA227-DC Metro went missing Tuesday evening on approach to Trinidad, the provincial capital of Beni. It had originated in the eastern city of Santa Cruz.

Authorities say two Colombians and seven Bolivians were aboard.

Aerocon official Nelson Kin says air traffic controllers did not receive an alert from an alarm aboard the plane that is designed to go off if it crashes.

A local military commander said in a television interview Wednesday that dense smoke from forest fires in the area impeded the search.

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US man loses appeal in Aruba missing tourist case

1:26 AM

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ORANJESTAD, Aruba — An Aruban court on Wednesday rejected a Maryland businessman's attempt to reverse an order detaining him as a suspect in the presumed death of his travel companion in the Dutch Caribbean island.

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The ruling from the three-judge panel means that Gary V. Giordano will have to remain in custody at least through the end of the 60-day investigative detention period imposed on Aug. 31.

"Of course he's very disappointed and sad about this decision," his attorney, Michael Lopez, said outside court.

Lopez had argued that authorities do not have enough evidence to detain Giordano as a suspect in the presumed death of Robyn Gardner, a 35-year-old woman from Frederick, Maryland, who traveled to Aruba with him for what was supposed to be a five-day trip.

Giordano, who is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, and owns a temporary staffing business, was arrested as he tried to leave the island on Aug. 5. Prosecutors have said they initially detained him because he gave inconsistent statements about Gardner's disappearance.

The prosecution has disclosed little of the evidence against Giordano but has said he was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million accidental death insurance policy he took out on her before their trip.

Giordano has told Aruban police that Gardner was apparently swept out to sea as they went snorkeling off the southern tip of the island. Authorities have searched the coastline near where she vanished and parts of the island but her body has not been found. Richard Forester, an on-again-off-again boyfriend of the missing woman, said Wednesday that he is trying to organize a new search effort.

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Detention extended in Aruba missing woman case

2:10 AM

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ORANJESTAD, Aruba — A U.S. businessman who has been detained in the presumed death of his travel companion will have to spend at least 60 more days in custody as prosecutors try to build a case against him, an Aruba judge ruled Wednesday.

The examining magistrate agreed to extend the detention of Gary V. Giordano at the request of prosecutors after a hearing inside the prison on the Dutch Caribbean island.

The hearing was closed and the decision was not released. But it was announced by the Aruban prosecutor's office, which said Giordano is suspected of involvement in the possible drowning of his companion Robyn Gardner.

Giordano has been in custody for nearly a month since he told police that Gardner disappeared while they were snorkeling off the southern tip of the island.

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At the end of the 60 days, prosecutors can ask the judge to extend the detention further or they can bring him to trial. Solicitor General Taco Stein said they are considering a range of possible charges, including murder, manslaughter, accidental death and insurance fraud.

Story: Aruba releases more photos of missing US woman

Prosecutors have not disclosed any evidence against him but have said he gave inconsistent accounts about the 35-year-old woman's disappearance. They also confirmed he was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million accidental death insurance policy he took out on her.

Stein said before the ruling that prosecutors provided the judge with the findings of the investigation so far but did not reveal all the evidence against Giordano.

"There are some things we still need to confront him with," Stein said.

Giordano's lawyer, Michael Lopez, said before the hearing that he believed his client would be released. Otherwise, he said, he would have no immediate comment on the ruling, but he has said previously that there is no evidence of any crime.

Giordano, a 50-year-old from Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been held in his own cell at the island's jail, but authorities plan to move him to a cell that he would share with two other prisoners, Stein said.

Giordano, who owns a temporary staffing business in the U.S., and Gardner, from Frederick, Maryland, arrived in Aruba on July 31 for what was supposed to be a five-day vacation. He was arrested three days after he reported her missing as he tried to leave the island. Her body has not been found.

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Boyfriend fears for safety of woman missing in Aruba

12:43 AM

gtventic

>> the new details in the case of a maryland woman missing in aruba . tom costello has the latest on this story. tom, good morning.
>> hi, matt, good morning to you. this case is similar in some ways to the case of natalee holloway who disappeared in aruba six years ago. 35-year-old robin gardner left maryland on the way to aruba without telling her boyfriend. the man she travelled with is under arrest. that's gary giardono on baby beach in aruba telling police he last saw her when they snorkeled together. now he claims she never came back to shore. his attorney in aruba is michael lopez.
>> my client has been detained for a murder investigation. he gave the police all kinds of cooperation.
>> they met on match.com a year ago and agreed to fly to aruba when she lost her job recently. she had a boyfriend richard forester. she told him she was going to florida to see family. now he fears for her safety.
>> i'm not angry with her. if she's found and brought back to me, i'll be angry then. but right now that's not even a factor.
>> back in maryland , gary giordono has a violent history. allegations of domestic violence against an ex-wife and two restraining ordered requested by previous girlfriends, one claimed he started to hit me on my face, neck, breast, and buttocks. he started to choke me with both hands. another report said that he threatened her and said the world would be better off without me and he could help. in 2003 , he was convicted for shoplifting electronics, the fbi has joined the investigation in aruba . former fbi profiler, clint van zandt .
>> giordono is alleged to have had a history of violence with past girlfriends. the authorities have to look at that and look at any evidence that's going to suggest they left the hotel together or he left by himself.
>> robin's disappearance is an eerie reminder of 18-year-old natalee holloway 's disappearance in aruba in 2005 . jury ran van der slojuron van der sloot was never charged. but despite the concern about the impact on tourism, robin gardner 's disappearance needs publicity.
>> no matter what they want or what they think is right, it is important that we get the media involved. aruba , of course, is a dutch territory. we're told that robin gardner 's blackberry and ipod have been turned over to the police. they sent the blackberry to the netherlands for a more thorough analysis. matt?
>> tom costello, thank you very much. robin gardner 's boyfriend, richard forester is with us. mr. forester, good morning to you.
>> good morning.
>> tell me about the relationship with robin, how long have you been dating her before she took this trip?
>> we've been together for about 2 1/2 years, but fairly exclusive, i guess, since about january of 2011 .
>> she told you she was going to see family members in florida. how did you find that out?
>> i found that out once i'd spoken to a family member when they told me she'd been reported missing.
>> did she send a text or e-mail at some point admitting that she's in aruba ? at that time, did she admit she was there with someone else?
>> no, i did get an e-mail saying that she was in aruba , but it's just a change in plans as far as where they were going.
>> mr. forester, have you heard of gary giordono? have you met him? do you know anything about him?
>> i never met him. i heard his name before. i was under the assumption he was just a friend.
>> when you got that e-mail that she was in aruba , she added no other information, she didn't talk about it being fearful, nothing that might help in this investigation?
>> no, i have to tell you, not when i got that e-mail. on tuesday morning on the second of august, a little after 2:00 in the morning, she posted a note -- a message on my face book wall saying this sucks. i didn't get it until the morning when i got to work. i questioned her, i didn't know what it feels. she didn't respond. i e-mailed her throughout the day. later on in the day, between, probably i don't know somewhere around 3:00 in the afternoon, she sent me an inbox message on my face book saying, you know, i love you, i care about you. we'll talk about this and sort it out when i get back.
>> sounds like she left more questions than answers.
>> yes. when you hear that the two of them went snorkeling and she didn't return to the beach when he did. he then tried to leave aruba , you say that has to be a lie. why do you say that?
>> just knowing her, matt, i -- i believe that she's too concerned about her hair, about her makeup. at that point in the evening afternoon, she -- being in a place like aruba or somewhere, she's probably had a couple of drinks and she's not going to stop to go swimming in the ocean at that point. she's probably going to be getting readdy to go out for dinner for the evening. but i know she's never been a fan of snorkeling, she said she may do it, but wasn't that interested. she is a swimmer, but would prefer to be in a swimming pool . now, being in a place like aruba , that might be a little different. but i just don't accept it for one minute that she was snorkeling. also the story from what i understand the change too, from they were snorkeling to they walked out to a point where the water was almost above their heads and they decided to swim back to shor. when he got back to shore, turned around and she -- he couldn't see her -- he couldn't find her.
>> i asked this. i hope you understand the tone that i ask it with. you seem to know her very well about what she would and wouldn't do, and, yet, it comes as a surprise to you that she would actually be in aruba with another man.
>> you're right. you're absolutely right. i do feel like i know her very well. she was going through some -- some tough times. she'd lost her job recently. so i can't say where her mind is at at that point. my biggest concern she was there with another man. obviously that's an issue. but my biggest concern is that she's found and found safely and i'm able to have that discussion with her.
>> when you hear allegations that mr. giodono has perhaps been violent or threatened other women in the past, do you fear that he has in some way brought harm to her?
>> very much so.
>> well --
>> very much so. i've done my own research. i've had people come out from his past who have contacted me and told me some pretty -- pretty bad details. so i -- i definitely have a -- a very bad feeling. but at the same time, i just try to stay optimistic and hopeful that -- that she'll be -- she'll be back and return home safely.
>> richard forester, i appreciate your time this morning. thank you very much.
>> thank you.

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Aruba Missing Woman – Her Companion is Prime Suspect

3:54 AM

gtventic

The authorities has apprehended the companion of U.S. resident Robyn Gardner, 32, after she went missing following a snorkeling trip in Aruba last August 2.

The prime suspect is her 50-year-old companion Gary V. Giordano after his statements hinted some leads to the police who asked him a series of questions about the incident.

“Statements made by the traveling companion led to such questions that on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011, it was decided to detain him for further questioning on the possible drowning of the woman,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Micheal Lopez, Giordano’s lawyer in Aruba, said his client should not be detained by the authorities.

“Our client emphatically denies being involved in any malicious act concerning his friend and consequently does not consider himself a suspect,” Lopez said in a statement.

Lopez further stated that Gardner and Giordano both entered Aruba from America and decided to go snorkeling in a shallow-water area called Baby Beach. However, the two Americans were soon pulled by a strong sea current which caused Giordano to tap on Gardner’s leg as a signal to swim back to shore.

However, when Giordano returned Gardner was not with him.

Lopez told the Associated Press that his client made an effort to search for Gardner through the waters before running to get help.

After the official search for the missing woman ended on Saturday, Giordano attempted to leave the island but was apprehended at the airport.

According to reports, Giordano and his first wife, Sharon Lynn Cohen, had a history of domestic disputes chronicled in Montgomery County Circuit Court records. Both Giordano and Cohen filed simultaneous protective orders against each other on Dec. 12, 2001.

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Md. woman missing in Aruba; travel partner held

7:17 AM

gtventic

FREDERICK, Md. — An American man detained in Aruba denies he had anything to do with the disappearance of a woman vacationing with him on the Caribbean island, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Attorney Michael Lopez said his client is being unjustly held in the disappearance of 35-year-old Robyn Gardner of Frederick, Md.

In Frederick, Gardner's boyfriend of two years, Richard Forester, said he just wants her back. The two fought but made up before she left for the trip, Forester claimed.

Lopez said in a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press that Gary V. Giordano has told Aruban police that the woman disappeared in strong ocean currents while they were snorkeling.

Aruban authorities reported that Gardner was last seen Aug. 2 at the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino in Oranjestad. The Aruba Prosecutor's Office said Giordano told authorities he was going snorkeling with Gardner behind Nanki Country Club when he signaled her to return to the beach, but she didn't show up.

She has not turned up despite days of air, land and sea searches by Aruban police, coast guard and divers, officials said in a statement obtained by NBC News.

Giordano "emphatically denies" any wrongdoing, his lawyer said in a statement. Giordano had sought to leave Aruba on Friday because he was told he wasn't a suspect and didn't have to stay.

Police detained the 50-year-old Giordano as he attempted to leave "for further questioning on the possible drowning of the woman," the prosecutor's office said.

A Facebook page was set up to discuss the disappearance.

According to an Aruban newspaper, Giordano and Gardner had met on an online dating site.

For many people, this case is all too familiar, NBC station WHAG in Hagerstown, Md., reported.

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"I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it's another missing United States citizens, female in Aruba and blonde and beautiful," said Forester.

Gardner had been staying in the same resort Natalee Holloway disappeared from back in 2005.

Forester contacted the Natalee Holloway Resource Center in Washington, D.C., which helped spread news of Gardner's disappearance. The organization that provides assistance to the families of missing people.

While the case has not been escalated to a murder investigation, Aruban officials believe Giordano played a role in the disappearance.

"They said they have her computer, her iPad and I asked them a couple of hours ago when I was talking to them, have you gotten into it yet and they told me they're working on it," explained Forester.

Forester, who had fought with Gardner about her trip with Giordano before she departed, says the last words they exchanged were "I love you." Now they're words he hopes to hear once again.

"They told me they were sending the BlackBerry to the Netherlands because they were more capable of getting into it there," explained Forester. "They told me that the FBI is involved, the Interpol is involved and I said you know I want that BlackBerry put in the FBI's hands."

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