No physical evidence to tie Mr. Giordano to any crime involving Ms. Gardner has yet come about, but they are now uncovering some interesting circumstantial evidence against him.
Apparently, Mr. Giordano took out a $1.5 million accidental death life insurance policy on Ms. Gardner shortly before they took the trip to Aruba. The insurance policy names him as the sole beneficiary and was only good for the duration of their trip. He tried to begin redeeming the insurance money two days after reporting her missing, saying she had disappeared while they were snorkeling and he has no idea what happened to her.
So far, the search for the woman has turned up nothing.
It might also be interesting to note that this man also had pictures of the woman that were, according to at least one source, pornographic in nature, and in many of them you cannot tell whether Ms. Gardner was awake or not because you cannot see enough of her.
"You only see organs," Julia Renfro, editor-in-chief of Aruba Today, told People. "You don't know if she is awake. There are other pictures where she is posing naked."
I'm not sure if the photographs have anything at all to do with her disappearance. People allow significant others to take pictures of them like that quite often. At the very least, while not everyone does it is still not uncommon. So, the possession of pornographic photos of Ms. Gardner by Mr. Giordano is not in and of itself suspicious or strange.
Ms. Gardner apparently does have a boyfriend back home in Maryland, the state that both she and Mr. Giordano reside, but this also doesn't mean a whole lot. She seems to have willingly gone to Aruba with Giordano. Their actual relationship is not known, nor is their behavior toward one another on the trip, but they did share a room at a Marriott hotel. It's worth mentioning, I suppose, but the existance of a boyfriend back home likely means nothing to the case.
But, if you ask me, that insurance policy needs to send up a gigantic red flag. In fact, it should be neon red with flashing and sparkling lights.
This insurance policy seems to have been tailored from the start with her death in mind as inevitable and not possible. This insurance policy was taken out shortly before they went to Aruba. Did she have a policy on him? Did she even know he had one on her? It was made specifically to last only for the duration of that trip. And it made Gary Giordano the sole beneficiary. It was so new, that he even had to call and ask to make sure that the paperwork had been received by the insurance company. He couldn't stand waiting more than two days after reporting her missing before he had to start trying to collect the insurance on her, which was only apparently good for accidental death. Convenient that it happened mysteriously while snorkeling, with no sign of a body anywhere.
Actually, no. The absence of a body is not convenient for him as far as getting the insurance is concerned. If there's no body, she might just be missing but still alive. At least, as far as the insurance company is concerned. And they will use that as a reason to delay paying the money. But, it is convenient for Mr. Giordano in the sense that at the very least if there is no body there can be no proof that if she is dead it was by murder instead of an accident.
We all know how well the police in Aruba did their jobs when Natalie Holloway went missing. Let's just hope that since Mr. Giordano is not a native of Aruba, and doesn't have any rich relatives who are judges or politicians and upstanding members of Aruban society that they will actually do their jobs this time. That they will eventually find the Ms. Gardner or her remains, that her family will have some form of closure knowing what happened to her if she is dead or will be able to be reunited with her if she is somewhere alive, and that Mr. Giordano will pay for it if he has done anything to harm or kill her.
I really hope that this doesn't end up being another situation like with Ms. Holloway. The families of murder victims don't ever get real closure. Finding the remains isn't enough for real closure, neither is the person who did it getting caught and put behind bars forever or even being executed. Because, none of it brings back their loved one. That person is still dead and gone, unexpectedly and for no real reason. But, at least having the remains of the victim, being able to lay them to rest in whatever way they see fit, maybe even having a place to go to visit with the victim as if they were still there is still a comfort, even if hollow. And, having the knowledge that the person who did it is no longer out there and able to do it again to someone else's family members, that they are being punished for the crime against that person, is also a comfort even if also hollow. It will never be the kind of comfort and closure that they want, but it will be something at least.
A judge has ruled that there is enough evidence to hold Mr. Giordano in Aruban custody for another 16 days. He was first detained, if I am not mistaken, when he tried to leave Aruba.
There is other suspicious circumstantial evidence cropping up against him, as well. Blood was found behind a restaurant they are known to have eaten at, and witnesses have said that Ms. Gardner had appeared "woozy" at that time and that Mr. Giordano had been exhibiting erratic behavior.
Also, when he tried to leave, he did not mention that Ms. Gardner was missing, but rather just told customs officials that she was instead taking another flight. When he was apprehended and taken into custody, he was drenched in sweat.
It does appear that the Aruban police may be taking this case much more seriously than they took the Natalie Holloway case. Which, at least for Gardner's family, is a good thing. Maybe they will actually get some real answers here and actually solve this case.
I don't know how well Ms. Gardner knew Mr. Giordano. So, I can't say that the moral of this story is not to go on a trip, anywhere, with a man you just met. Generally, most crimes like this are perpetrated by people you think you know pretty well and often have actually known for a lengthy period of time.
However, I can say that at least one moral of this story is that if you are too stupid to adequately cover up your crime, and feel the need to leave too many suspicious trails and witnesses behind you, then you probably should not attempt murder, let alone actually carry it out.
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