This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," July 25, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: The reward is up to $1 million for anyone who can help bring Natalee Holloway (search) home safely. Joining live us in Aruba are Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty (search), and Natalee's stepfather, George "Jug" Twitty (search).
Beth, the fact that the reward has now been raised to $1 million, have you started to get more phone calls since that happened earlier today?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MISSING GIRL'S MOTHER: Well, you know, I'm not sure if they have, but I was kind of warned early on that — when we began this — that the phone calls could peak with this news coming out, so I'm sure they're capable and ready to handle them.
VAN SUSTEREN: Jug, have you monitored the calls since the first reward of $200,000 went up about a week ago?
GEORGE "JUG" HOLLOWAY, MISSING GIRL'S STEPFATHER: Have I monitored them? I know there are a couple of tips have come in. Actually, there's been several tips that have come in. I don't know that any of them have panned out. But you know, all that all goes through the FBI, through the Aruban police here. So I think if they find out anything, you know, that they really think is good, hard evidence, that they'll come to us, but they haven't yet.
VAN SUSTEREN: Beth, the reward is in two parts. One is $1 million for the safe return. For information leading to the whereabouts of Natalee, there's a lesser reward, is that right?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: That's correct. It's $100,000 for her whereabouts.
VAN SUSTEREN: Beth, who's in charge of this investigation? Do you know? I mean, I've met so many people down there. People have gone on vacations, retired. We've got the FBI. Who is in charge?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, there's a new lead investigator that's taken over right now.
VAN SUSTEREN: And Beth, is he an Aruban or is he Dutch? Is he FBI? Who is he?
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: He's Aruban. He's Aruban.
VAN SUSTEREN: Have you spoken to him, Jug?
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: No, he gives me information every day through a liaison that we have, that we've kind of done this for — even when Van der Straaten was in there, I'd get a call every day, you know, at 12:00 or 12:30, and they kind of tell me what they've done, you know, during that day or where they're headed, what they're doing.
And honestly, Greta, I'm all for it. I think this is awesome. I'm going to try to meet with Eric tomorrow or Wednesday and talk to him. But I think the whole investigation has taken a new life. And if we have to go back and revisit those things that happened the night Beth and I got here, I hope they'll go back and do that because we missed a lot of things there. And you know, I'll forgive whatever they did in the beginning, but let's go back and try to find Natalee.
VAN SUSTEREN: Jug, it's interesting. I went on line tonight, and even the Russian newspaper, Pravda, has a story and a picture about Natalee. Do you have the sense that tonight — with a new lead investigator — that things are really going to change?
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: I do. Absolutely. You know, I got here, Greta, at, like, 3:30 yesterday, and I told Beth, I said, from the minute I stepped on the island and when I started talking to people here, things are happening, all of a sudden. You know, you had the witness come forward, I guess, that Jossy talked about last night. They actually took that guy's statement last Friday. And of course, you know, I actually found out about it yesterday on FOX, I guess. And so, you know — but I know there's a lot of things happening. I think this is going to be a big week.
VAN SUSTEREN: Beth, Jug mentions Jossy Mansur's interview with the witness. And he's going to be joining us in a second. He's the managing editor for Diario newspaper. Do you know — what do you know about this new witness, Beth?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, not anything other than what has already been disclosed. But you know, I know that now they'll probably have to really seek to make this as credible as possible and that there are no holes in his stating of when he saw the boys, and just to know where he was coming from and where he was going. So I'm really excited about someone coming forward and, you know, pursuing this.
VAN SUSTEREN: Beth, how do you do brace yourself, though, for the ups and downs? I mean, right now, this looks very positive in terms of the investigation. We're waiting for the forensic on the blond hair on the duct tape. But this has been an up and down since May 30. How do you brace yourself for that?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: You know, I guess it's just coming from all the experience because we have been up and down so many times. I mean, from the moment we arrived on the island, they were just incredible. So I think that we've ridden out so many, Greta, that I'm just really learning now just to, you know, not put any stock in anything until every aspect of it has been thoroughly investigated. You know, just like this witness coming forward, I just want to make sure his story is completely credible and, you know, everything has been investigated and just trying to proceed cautiously. But I am very excited about having someone come forward.
VAN SUSTEREN: Jug, how do you brace yourself? Because you've sort of got a couple problems. One, your wife is the mother. You're the stepfather. You're close to Natalee. You've been up and down, racing back and forth to the United States to do your work, trying to burn the candle at both ends. How do you brace yourself for this?
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: Well, first of all, fortunately, I work for a company, and I have employees that work for me that — you know, they take care of everything. I don't have to worry about that. I'm here to support Beth, you know, and I get up every morning and we kneel at night and say our prayers. And you know, I just support her by saying, you know, Beth, tomorrow's going to be a better day. Something's going to happen.
I truly believe, since I've been here, you know, the last 30, whatever, 24 hours, something's getting ready to happen. There's just too much talking going on down here. And I believe the FBI is really getting involved now. And thank goodness to the prime minister. I think he wrote a letter. Maybe he spurred it. I don't know who spurred it, but I can tell by some conversations that we've had today that things are really starting to happen.
VAN SUSTEREN: Beth, have you ever met the prosecutor who's now at Quantico, Virginia, at the FBI lab, the one who was sent here on Sunday? Have you ever met her?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: No, I have not, Greta.
VAN SUSTEREN: How did you find out? I hope it's not from us in the media, but how did you find out that this prosecutor would be headed to the FBI lab at Quantico?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: I did find it out from our attorney, Vinda De Sousa.
VAN SUSTEREN: And what is the purpose of this?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, I know that she was going to deliver some evidence, but I think there was probably another part to it. But you know, I'm not exactly clear on that, so I better save that one for her to answer.
VAN SUSTEREN: What about the four experts that apparently have arrived from Holland in Aruba? You have two that will be participating in the investigation. You have a behavioral person. I mean, that's a new addition to the investigation, isn't it, Beth?
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Oh, absolutely, it is. And that is going to be taking place this week. I think there's a lot to digest and get involved in this investigation, and I think they're just going to be very thorough and probably go back to the very beginning, which Jug and I are really hopeful about, that there will be one piece of evidence there that may have been overlooked, and hopefully, we can hang on to it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Jug, take me back to the beginning. You met Joran van der Sloot. Tell me again what happened?
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: Well, we came to the island. Beth and I were in the hotel. We searched around. We went to Carlos and Charlie's, and everything. Long story short, one of the guys that was with us paid somebody on the beach $100 to find out who this kid was, where he lived. Basically, we went to the police station, got two uniformed officers, which I'm really interested in seeing those names. I've asked for those from the beginning because they were actually with us at least two hours that night because we took them to his house. Then we left there and went to the Windham. Then we came back to his house, and then we left there and came back to the Holiday Inn.
And I've asked, you know, every time I get in a meeting with whoever, authorities, that I would like to see those statements from those two policemen.
VAN SUSTEREN: Now, when you ask, what happens? I mean, when you ask to see those statements, what answer do you get?
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: All different kinds of answers, but we're working on it. You know, I mean, I just — you know, they don't give out things here, like they do in the United States. And that's the part that's so hard for a family because they don't communicate the way would you think that they would communicate in the United States. Beth's done a lot of investigation by herself. That's why I worry, when — you know, when I go home, especially when I hear my friend calling me and say, Guess where Beth and Greta are? And I go, Oh, boy. You know, so — Beth has done a fantastic job and — well, everybody, and all my friends, all my family. You know, we've got tremendous support down here. And everybody's doing something to try to get answers, so...
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Jug, I just followed her there. She didn't follow me, I followed her.
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: OK.
VAN SUSTEREN: She's doing an incredible job.
GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY: OK. I hear you.
(LAUGHTER)
VAN SUSTEREN: Anyway, she's doing an incredible job. And hopefully, now we are going to have progress on this. Beth, Jug, thank you both very much.
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