Aruban Prosecutors Appeal Brothers' Release

ORANJESTAD, Aruba – Aruban prosecutors have appealed a judge's decision to release two brothers jailed in the disappearance of an Alabama teen who vanished from this Caribbean island, the prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

The brothers, Deepak Kalpoe (search), 21, and Satish Kalpoe (search), 18, were freed Monday after a judge decided there was insufficient evidence to hold them in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway (search).

Holloway, 18, from Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared in the early hours of May 30, hours before she was to catch a flight home after the five-day vacation with 124 other students.

The prosecutor's office also said lawyers for Joran van der Sloot (search), 17, the only person who remains jailed in the case, have appealed the order holding him for an additional 60 days.

Under Dutch law that governs Aruba, a protectorate of the Netherlands, detainees may be held 116 days before being charged by a judge. The standard of evidence required for further detention increases with each court hearing.

Van der Sloot's mother has said her son told her he was alone with Holloway on a beach but he did not harm her.

The Kalpoe brothers, although free, still could face indictment until they are formally notified that no charges will be brought. They have not granted interviews since they were released.

All three young men have said they are innocent, and no one has been charged in the case. Numerous searches by Dutch marines, Aruban investigators and volunteer rescue groups have failed to turn up any trace of the young woman.

Attorney General Karin Janssen (search) has acknowledged that prosecutors have no solid evidence that Holloway is dead. They have said a murder conviction is possible without a body, but the case requires strong evidence such as a confession, reliable statements and forensic evidence.

The prosecutor's office said Wednesday that no date has been set for a hearing appealing the decision to release the Kalpoe brother. The office declined to comment further.