Saint X is a Hulu series about the disappearance and death of 18-year-old Alison Thomas and her sister’s desperate attempt to find out who committed the crime. When Alison died, Claire was only 7 years old. Over a decade later, Claire is still haunted by her sister’s death and determined to secure justice.
Saint X’s story resembles the real-life disappearance of Natalee Holloway
Saint X is based on Alexis Schaitkin’s fictional book of the same name. Consequently, the series isn’t based on a true story.
However, the story closely resembles the real-life disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005. In May 2005, Natalee and 124 classmates traveled to Aruba for a trip. Saint X, the island in the series, is fictional, but like Aruba, it is a Caribbean island.
A friend speaking to 48 Hours described the trip as fun. “We would wake up, go like, brush your teeth, go straight to the beach. We would literally stay in the water all day long because it was so perfect. We just hung out with our friends on this beautiful island,” she said.
The trip turned tragic when Natalee failed to arrive at the airport for the flight home. The police arrested three people, including Joran van der Sloot, who were seen with Natalee before she disappeared. Police released the trio, citing insufficient evidence.
Joran reportedly admitted to having sex with Natalee the night she disappeared. He claimed that she unexpectedly lost consciousness. Joran said he called a friend to help dispose of her body at sea.
Despite the confession, Joran wasn’t jailed. In Saint X, the primary suspect in Alison’s murder, Clive Richardson, remains free. Joran was eventually sentenced to 28 years for the murder of Stephany Flores. He killed Flores on the fifth anniversary of Natalee’s disappearance.
In 2017, 12 years after Natalee’s vanishing, her father, Dave, returned to Aruba in search of clues about her whereabouts. In Saint X, the victim’s sister reinvestigates her disappearance and murder over a decade after the crime happened.
Saint X parallels Natalee’s disappearance, but there’s no evidence that the stories are linked.