What if we change the current opening paragraph to read
"Natalee Ann Holloway (born October 21, 1986),  disappeared on May 30, 2005 during a high school graduation trip in Aruba, a Caribbean country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Born in Clinton, Mississippi and most recently from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School just days before the trip to Aruba. The disappearance generated a media sensation in the United States and in the Netherlands."?
This would avoid the question of "is/was" and still get across the same points. The recent wording seems awkward. -  talk