ORANJESTAD, Aruba – A court ruled Wednesday that three suspects in the disappearance of a U.S. teenager can remain free without conditions — overturning an earlier decision that restricted their travel.
The appeals court ruled there was a "lack of sufficient grounds and serious suspicions" to keep the restrictions on Joran van der Sloot (search) and two Surinamese brothers, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, the Aruban prosecutor's office said.
The three young men remain suspects in the May 30 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway (search), the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Holloway, 18, vanished on the final night of a high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. Extensive searches have failed to find any trace of her in Aruba.
Van der Sloot, 18, and the Kalpoe brothers — the last people seen in public with the American — were released from jail on Sept. 3 on the condition they remain available for questioning.
Van der Sloot, who is Dutch, has since left for college in Holland, where he traveled with the court's permission. The Kalpoe brothers were barred from leaving Aruba.
Prosecutors filed an appeal seeking to have all three returned to jail, but the court rejected the request and removed the restrictions, said David Kock, a lawyer for 18-year-old Satish Kalpoe.
"They are totally free," Kock said.
Vinda de Sousa, a lawyer for the Holloway family, expressed disappointment with the ruling.
"Of course, it's not what we were hoping for, but I'm convinced that this is not the end of the investigation," de Sousa said.
The Aruban prosecutor's office did not comment beyond the brief statement.
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