Joran van der Sloot’s former wife, Leidy Figueroa, has returned to public attention following the release of Netflix’s documentary series Taken: Natalee Holloway. The series revisits the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway and van der Sloot’s eventual confession to killing her. It has also renewed interest in his unusual personal life behind bars, including his prison wedding, the birth of his daughter, and the breakdown of his marriage.
Van der Sloot married Peruvian woman Leidy Figueroa in July 2014 while serving a prison sentence for the murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez. The couple welcomed a daughter later that year, but their relationship eventually deteriorated. By 2023, his lawyer had confirmed that he was pursuing a divorce after becoming involved with another woman.
Who Is Joran van der Sloot’s Wife Leidy Figueroa?
Leidy Figueroa, also known as Leydi Figueroa Uceda, is a Peruvian woman who became internationally known after marrying convicted murderer Joran van der Sloot.
She was living in Peru when she met van der Sloot, who was imprisoned for the 2010 killing of university student Stephany Flores Ramírez.
Figueroa was reportedly studying accounting and had a young son from a previous relationship before meeting him.
Unlike her former husband, she did not have a public career or international media profile before their relationship became known.
Her decision to marry a convicted murderer attracted widespread attention, particularly because van der Sloot was already associated with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.
Despite the controversy, Figueroa initially defended their relationship and expressed her belief that he had changed during his imprisonment.
How Did Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa Meet?
Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa met at a prison in Lima, Peru, where he was being held following his arrest for Stephany Flores’s murder.
Accounts of their first meeting vary slightly. His attorney said Figueroa was selling goods inside the prison, while other reporting described her visiting another inmate.
The two began communicating and eventually developed a romantic relationship.
Figueroa reportedly visited him regularly, sometimes bringing food and other personal items.
Their relationship continued despite the restrictions of prison life. Peruvian prison rules permitted certain forms of family and conjugal visitation, allowing the couple to spend time together.
Figueroa became pregnant, and the couple decided to marry before their daughter’s arrival.
At the time, van der Sloot’s lawyer insisted that the marriage was motivated by their relationship and the approaching birth rather than an attempt to obtain legal advantages.
Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa’s Prison Wedding
Joran van der Sloot married Leidy Figueroa on July 4, 2014, during a private ceremony at Piedras Gordas prison in Peru.
He was 26 years old, while Figueroa was 24.
The wedding was a small event attended by a limited number of people. His attorney confirmed that van der Sloot’s relatives were not present.
Figueroa was approximately seven months pregnant at the time.
The couple exchanged vows and signed their marriage documents inside the prison.
Van der Sloot reportedly gave his bride a painting he had created, depicting a woman in a red dress standing on a beach.
The ceremony attracted international coverage because of his criminal conviction and continuing connection to the Holloway investigation.
Their marriage also raised questions about how van der Sloot could maintain personal relationships while serving a lengthy prison sentence.
Did Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa Have Children?
Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa have one daughter together.
Their daughter, Dushy van der Sloot Figueroa, was born on September 28, 2014, at a maternity hospital in Lima.
She arrived less than three months after her parents married.
Her name has appeared with different spellings in public reports, including Dushy and Dusha Trudie.
According to reporting at the time, the name honored van der Sloot’s grandmother.
Figueroa also had a son from a previous relationship, making her a mother of two.
Their daughter is now 12 years old, although relatively little verified information is available about her upbringing.
It is also unclear how much direct contact she currently has with her father.
Given her age and the circumstances surrounding her father’s imprisonment, details about her schooling and private life have generally remained outside public reporting.
Why Did Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa Separate?
The marriage between Joran van der Sloot and Leidy Figueroa eventually deteriorated amid reports of his relationships with other women.
In 2023, his attorney, Máximo Altez, confirmed that van der Sloot was divorcing Figueroa.
The lawyer indicated that he had become romantically involved with another woman while incarcerated.
That woman was identified as Eva Pacohuanaco, whom van der Sloot reportedly met during prison visits.
Their relationship began around 2020, several years after his marriage to Figueroa.
Pacohuanaco later appeared in a documentary discussing her relationship with him and her involvement in a prison drug-trafficking investigation.
She said she had initially believed van der Sloot’s claims that he was getting divorced.
Some subsequent accounts describe Figueroa and van der Sloot as divorced, although publicly accessible reporting provides limited documentation of the precise date their marriage legally ended.
What is clear is that their relationship had broken down by 2023.
Where Is Leidy Figueroa Now?
Leidy Figueroa has largely withdrawn from public attention since her relationship with van der Sloot ended.
She is believed to have remained in Peru, although her precise current residence and employment have not been independently confirmed.
Earlier reporting identified her as an accountant or accounting student.
However, there is little reliable information establishing whether she continues working in that profession.
She has also avoided the extensive media attention that followed her marriage.
Her current relationship status has not been publicly established through authoritative reporting.
The limited information available suggests that she has chosen to maintain a private life rather than continue discussing her former husband.
Where Is Joran van der Sloot Now?
Joran van der Sloot remains imprisoned in Peru for the murder of Stephany Flores Ramírez.
Flores, a 21-year-old university student, was killed in a Lima hotel room in May 2010.
Van der Sloot was convicted of her murder in 2012 and originally sentenced to 28 years in prison.
He later received an additional sentence for drug trafficking while incarcerated.
In October 2023, he pleaded guilty in the United States to extortion and wire fraud charges connected to Natalee Holloway’s disappearance.
As part of that plea agreement, he admitted killing Holloway in Aruba in 2005 and disposing of her body in the ocean.
He has not been convicted of Holloway’s murder.
He received a 20-year federal sentence that runs concurrently with his Peruvian sentence.
As of November 2026, he is incarcerated at Challapalca prison in southern Peru, with his projected release from Peruvian custody reported as 2045.
What Happened to Joran van der Sloot’s Former Wife?
The renewed attention surrounding Taken: Natalee Holloway has brought Figueroa’s relationship with van der Sloot back into public discussion.
Their marriage was unusual because it began while he was already serving a lengthy sentence for murder.
Figueroa initially supported him and believed their relationship could continue despite his imprisonment.
However, reports of his involvement with other women eventually marked the end of their marriage.
For readers wondering about Joran van der Sloot’s wife, Leidy Figueroa is his former spouse and the mother of his daughter, Dushy. They married in a Peruvian prison in 2014, separated years later, and were reportedly divorced by 2023.
Figueroa has since maintained a low public profile, while van der Sloot remains imprisoned for his crimes.
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