Will Joran van der Sloot Be Prosecuted for Natalee Holloway's Murder? Aruba Authorities Leave Possibility Open

Aruba's statute of limitations for murder is 12 years, but whether Joran van der Sloot can be prosecuted "cannot be answered unequivocally," say authorities

Joran van der Sloot confessed this week to murdering Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005, but it’s not clear if he can still be prosecuted in the Caribbean country.

Aruba has a 12-year statute of limitations for murder, which has already passed. Holloway, 18, went missing while on a senior trip to Aruba in May 2005. Long suspected of having killed her, van der Sloot finally admitted to the murder as part of his guilty plea in U.S. federal court in Alabama for extorting Holloway’s mother, Beth.

In his confession, previously reported by PEOPLE, van der Sloot, who was 17 at the the time, said he beat Holloway over the head with a cinder block after she rejected his sexual advances.

The admission of guilt provides long-sought answers to Holloway’s family, though it’s still possible he will never face charges for the murder itself.

Related: Joran van der Sloot Pleads Guilty to Extorting Natalee Holloway's Mother

A spokesperson for the Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office told CNN that despite the statute of limitations, the Holloway case remains an open investigation, and also said the question of whether van der Sloot could still face murder charges in the country “cannot be answered unequivocally.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from PEOPLE.

The prosecutor’s office also said it has requested records from the U.S. Department of Justice related to its investigation, the spokesperson told AL.com.

Van der Sloot can’t be prosecuted for the murder in the U.S. The Dutch national was extradited to the U.S. from Peru in June to face charges of extortion and wire fraud after he extorted about $25,000 from Beth Holloway in 2010 in exchange for the promise of information on her daughter’s death, but never gave her answers.

Van der Sloot is currently serving out a 28-year sentence for murder in Peru, after he beat Stephany Flores Ramirez to death in his hotel room on May 30, 2005, five years to the date after Natalee Holloway’s disappearance.

Related: Natalee Holloway’s Mom Says Joran van der Sloot’s Courtroom Apology for Killing Daughter 'Didn’t Mean Anything'

A judge sentenced van der Sloot to 20 years in prison for the extortion charges, which will run concurrently with his sentence in Peru. If he is released early during his murder sentence, he will serve the rest of the 20 years in the U.S.

While pleading guilty in federal court, van der Sloot apologized to Holloway’s family, but in an interview with NBC, Beth rejected the apology.

“He doesn’t have that in his existence,” she said. “Just to say the words? It’s fine. It didn’t mean anything.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.