How the search for answers has unfolded since Natalee Holloway vanished in 2005

It's been almost 18 years since American teenager Natalee Holloway vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba.

Now, the prime suspect in her disappearance soon could be extradited to the United States to face justice in a related case. He maintains his innocence, and no one has faced trial or is currently charged in her death.

Here's how the story has unfolded:

May 30, 2005: Natalee Holloway, 18, of suburban Birmingham, Alabama, is seen leaving a bar with three young men: two brothers and Joran van der Sloot, then 17.

June 9, 2005: Van der Sloot and brothers Satish and Depak Kalpoe are arrested in Aruba in connection with Holloway's disappearance.

June 23, 2005: Van der Sloot's father, an Aruban judge, is arrested.

June 26, 2005: A judge orders the release of van der Sloot's father after finding "no sufficient suspicion for guilt," his attorney said.