Aruba Authorities: Bone Isn't Natalee Holloway's

(Nov. 23) -- A jawbone found recently on an Aruban beach was not that of Natalee Holloway because it contained a wisdom tooth and the missing Alabama teen's had been extracted, investigators said today.

Aruba Solicitor General Taco Stein made the announcement late this morning.

The bone is human, Stein said, but added that he could not say if it is from a male or female. One thing is certain: It is not that of Holloway, who disappeared May 30, 2005, at age 18 while on a trip to Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation.

"We could exclude that because from the dental records it was established that with Natalee, [her] wisdom tooth had been extracted, and in this bone there was a wisdom tooth present, so that made the exclusion possible," Stein said.

The news was yet another blow to the Holloways.

"We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," Natalee's father, David Holloway, said in a statement, according to CNN. "We remain hopeful that someday we will have the answer to the whereabouts of our daughter, Natalee Holloway. We want to thank everyone for their support in our efforts to find justice. We ask that you continue to remember Natalee in your thoughts and prayers."

Beth Holloway, Natalee's mother, issued a statement to CNN through her lawyer, John Q. Kelly.

"Beth accepts the forensic conclusions, is emotionally exhausted from the inexplicably long wait, and deeply disappointed in the time and manner in which she learned of the results. Apparently Aruban prosecutors were more sensitive to media concerns than the painful vigil of a mother," he said.

Tourists found the bone Nov. 12 on a beach on the Caribbean island, according to the Dutch daily De Telegraaf. The tourists turned the bone in to the front desk of the nearby Phoenix Hotel. Officials there notified police of the find. The bone was then sent to the Netherlands Forensic Institute in the Hague for DNA testing.

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Stein said experts have not been able to determine whose bone had been found. "They say there is too much mixed material here to say if it is either male or female," he said. "[It is] from a resident of a young age. That's the only thing they will say." He also said there is not enough material present to give "any lead to a cause of death."

Stein said the bone had been in the water a long time. He also said investigators are checking to see if they have other missing persons they can compare the bone to.

Joran van der Sloot, a longtime suspect in the case, is behind bars in Peru, accused of the May 30 slaying of Stephany Flores. The Peruvian business student was found dead in van der Sloot's hotel room in Lima on June 2. Van der Sloot has been charged with first-degree murder and robbery in that case. If convicted of Flores' murder, he could face 15 to 35 years in prison.