Is ‘Saint X’ on Hulu Based on a True Story?

Saint X, the new drama series on Hulu, follows a young woman named Emily (Alicia Debnem-Carey) who decides to investigate the brutal rape and murder of her older sister Alison (West Duchovny) twenty years prior while Alison was vacationing in the Caribbean.

As Emily’s search for answers unfolds, the story becomes more complicated as the episodes are told from multiple characters’ points of view over the course of multiple timelines.

With the central story being that of a young white woman killed on vacation, the premise has a “ripped from the headlines” vibe, which might make you think Saint X is based on Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, but was the eight-episode series based on a true story? Here’s everything we know:

Is Saint X Based On A True Story?

Saint X is based on Alexis Schaitkin’s 2020 bestselling novel of the same name. While the novel contained parallels to the disappearance of Holloway, the Alabama teenager who vanished while vacationing in Aruba in 2005, it is not based on that story. Rather, it appears to have been inspired by the attention it garnered.

Saint X (both the novel and the series) examine the cultural and racial implications of what happens when a white, privileged tourist goes missing, and the subsequent sensationalized media frenzy that results.

There are several differences between Saint X and Holloway’s story. For starters, Saint X itself is a fictional island, fabricated for the show, and all of the characters and events depicted in the show aren’t real. Additionally, in Saint X, Alison’s body is found soon after her disappearance, while Holloway’s body has never been found.

And as for who the actual killer is? Well, in Holloway’s case, the primary suspect is Joran van der Sloot, though he has never been convicted of the crime. In Alison’s case, there are still three more episodes left, so you’ll have to keep watching to see what Emily uncovers.

Saint X is now streaming on Hulu.