Missing Alabama Teen's Mother Seeks Help

(ORANJESTAD, Aruba) - The mother of missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway requested more help from the United States in a massive search as police and volunteers in Aruba combed beaches and scrubland for a fifth consecutive day Friday on the Dutch Caribbean island.

Holloway's family wants the Dutch government to officially ask the U.S. government for more direct help in the search for the 18-year-old blonde, her mother Beth Holloway Twitty told reporters in a hotel conference room, reading from a brief written statement.

Aruba police and Dutch military are leading the search with assistance from FBI agents, who are playing a supportive role.

'We all have a common goal to find Natalee so we can bring her home,' the mother said, thanking officials, volunteers and residents. She choked up as she finished the statement and left the room in tears.

Holloway came to Aruba for a five-day excursion with 124 seniors and 40 chaperones from Mountain Brook High School, near Birmingham. The students came down on a commercial flight while the chaperones came in on a private jet, said airport ground handler Albert Groeneveldt, 22." More...