‘Hope has to have action behind it’: Mother of murder victim; Beth Holloway speaks on resilience for Abilene audience

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene guests and members of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health (LWBIWH) met Wednesday night to hear from a woman whose name has been in national headlines for nearly two decades. Beth Holloway, mother of Natalee, who was murdered while traveling abroad in 2005, delivered a message of education and hope to the Abilene audience.

“When I received the invitation to come and present for this wonderful event, I began thinking that we really have a lot in common, the Laura W. Bush Institute and what my mission has been,” said Holloway.

Working to bring awareness to the differences women and girls face in healthcare matters, the institute provides resources to see to the proper care and safety of those affected. This mission resonated with Holloway Wednesday, since making those values her purpose nearly 20 years ago by educating teens and young adults on travel safety, and spreading a message of hope to those going through unthinkable tragedies.

“I have spoken to tens of thousands of young adults across the country, delivering those personal safety, travel safety messages… To hopefully prevent this tragedy from happening to another family or another young adult,” Holloway told KTAB/KRBC.

Holloway said her experiences showed her that hope is not just something that happens to you, but a daily effort you make to keep yourself fighting.

“In order to not give up and not just feel completely helpless, you have to recognize what you need to keep doing… I had to get up every morning and try to work through the tragedy that was occurring in my family,” recalled Holloway.

Her daughter Natalee disappeared in Aruba in 2005, and was pronounced dead in 2012. 18 long years later, her killer confessed to the crime. In that time, Holloway said hope was one thing she refused to give up. Keeping that hope with her even after her daughter’s passing, she’s dedicated her life to bringing positivity from her pain, speaking to thousands in that time, and working with others to ensure their hope won’t fade away.

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“Hope has to have action behind it. They have to be doing something… To keep them moving through the journey,” Holloway explained. “When you really try to focus on those small steps, it will carry you a long way through your journey. To get to where you can now begin to either find resolution, or begin the journey of healing.”

Knowing that her daughter’s death didn’t have to be the end of her story, and through her efforts, the thousands of young people she first spoke to in 2005 have taken that message to heart, now continuing to radiate positivity in a new generation.

“Through me they were able to share Natalee’s story… And it just kinda hit me when I was at a speaking event a couple of weeks ago that, kind of, the torch is being passed from that first generation to their children now,” added Holloway.

Her presentation Wednesday night was titled “Faces of Hope,” in which she shared her own experiences throughout the past 19 years of working to keep her hope strong and helping others in their struggles to retain their own.

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