5 of 6: Deadly Paradise

There have been quite a few theories of what happened to Max and Aruba on May twelfth, two thousand and four. One of which is that Max could have been a victim of sex trafficking. Now, since Max was never found, this theory cannot be completely ruled out, although considering the amount of time that's passed, it seems less likely. Back in two thousand and four, sex trafficking wasn't as well known as it is today, but it was very much still happening, especially in poverty stricken countries like Aruba, who relied on tourist events and attractions to keep funding flowing. This is also a huge reason why Aruba tries to keep all negative occurrences that happen on the island out of the media. It's ultimately to save the island's reputation as a preferred tourist destination. But at what cost the cost of a fourteen year old boy's life. This is episode five Deadly Paradise. There were so many ways that the Auruban government mishandled Max's case, and it started from the second Max disappeared. Now, let's compare the media coverage of Max's disappearance, which was essentially next to none to that of another well known case that happened in Aruba just one year later. That's the case of eighteen year old Natalie Holloway, who disappeared while on her senior class trip to the island. There was immediate coverage of Natalie's disappearance, and her parents were able to pay for whatever was needed at the time to help aid in finding Natalie. We now know what happened to Natalie after nearly two decades of searching for answers and having a lead suspect, but even finding out that she was murdered, her remains were never found. Natalie's case became a media sensation, and even to this day, Natalie Holloway is a household name. Now. I don't want to take away from the devastating loss that the Holloways experienced, but why wasn't Max's case covered just as much as Natalie's. Why was Max's case swept under the rug and given only a three day full search before getting called off as lost at sea. What exactly is the Uruban government hiding or did someone pay off the Uruban police to ensure this was swept under the rug, Possibly someone who was a well respected lawyer from Chicago who had the financial means to do so. It's hard not to dwell on the what ifs in this case. What could have been the outcome if this case was handled properly by URUBEN officials. What if there was more media coverage on this case? Would there be more victims of these two men coming forward? Would we have answers? Would we have located Max? Would these monsters be behind bars? And would there be justice for Max? These questions continue to haunt me, as I know they haunt Yvonne and Dominique. But it's not too late to get justice for Max. It's not too late for others to come forward and speak out. It's not too late to find out the truth about what happened to Max. Debrees, but what do we truly believe happened? Detective Corey Williams has a theory that seems to make the most sense and all the evidence seems to suggest. After reading the inconsistent statements from the older man and now seeing what his criminal background as involving children, I was feeling even more and more confident that my gut feelings right on that he if not he and the younger man had something to do with Max's disappear. After the Aruben authorities picked up the older man out in the ocean and brought him to shore, Yvonne was standing on the shore next to the older man, and Yvann noticed it scratches on the backs of the older man's hands and down his sides of his neck, and she was convinced that they were from fingernail scratches. During the reading of the older man's statement, I observed many times where he tried to what I believed, get out in front of the scratches and lay the groundwork that he was scratched up trying to climb onto a wave runner, which makes no sense at all. My first thought as a detective was Max was fighting for his life. He was being held under the water by this man, and Max was reaching up out of the water. And I noticed that at the time of the older man's arrest, the victim was fourteen years old, the same age as Max, and it was chilling when I read that. In the cases I've worked over the years, it's not uncommon for a victim to later become a pedophile himself. Times I've even seen it where they work together. The most likely scenario is that the Deviree's family was groomed by Junior and Senior. They built trust with the family, then developed a plan to get Max out on the water alone, taking him to a secluded area where no one would see, molested and possibly assaulted him, and then killed him to ensure he would never tell what they did. It is absolutely horrifying to think about what these men did to such a precious fourteen year old boy with his whole life ahead of him. How can there be such cruel monsters in this world that would do that to a child. Yvonne and Dominique have to live with that devastating loss every single day. In the next episode, will dive into the aftermath of Max's disappearance and where his case currently stands today. Episode six The Loss is available right now. Make sure to follow us on social media at an Unseen Truth podcast and visit Unseen Truth podcast dot com for more case information.