"I'm happy that it's human. And the initial finding is that it's from a young woman, so maybe we will be able to solve this case. I hope so. But we will wait to see what the findings are," Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken told CNN.
The prosecutor said a forensic expert in Aruba made the initial determination. He cautioned that a final determination would be made by the Netherlands Forensic Institute in the Hague, but he did say the agency is "testing for a DNA match."
Tourists found the bone Nov. 12 on a beach on Caribbean island of Aruba, according to the Dutch daily De Telegraaf. The tourists turned the bone in to the front desk of the nearby Phoenix Hotel. Officials there subsequently notified police of the find.
Photos of the bone, which is believed to be a human lower jawbone, show a mandible with an intact molar, ABC News reported. According to CNN, experts will extract DNA from where the tooth meets the bone and compare it to DNA obtained from Holloway's biological parents.
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Joran van der Sloot, a longtime suspect in Holloway's disappearance, is behind bars in Peru, accused of the May 30 slaying of Stephany Flores. The Peruvian business student was found dead in van der Sloot's hotel room in Lima on June 2. Van der Sloot has been charged with first-degree murder and robbery in the case. If convicted of Flores' murder, he could face 15 to 35 years in prisonHolloway, 18, from Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared on May 30, 2005, while on a trip to Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation. Her body has never been found.
Inge Oevering, a spokeswoman for the forensic institute, told CNN it normally takes about a week for the agency to conduct a DNA test.
John Kelly, the attorney representing Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway, has not returned calls or e-mails seeking comment.