The woman who killed a friend connected to the investigation of Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance says she knows what happened to the 18-year-old who vanished while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba.

Emily Heistand, 23, has reportedly admitted to killing John Ludwick in self-defense last month after he allegedly tried to kidnap her from her driveway, threatening to slash her throat if she tried to escape.

In an interview with Dr. Phil, Heistand spoke about the self-defense killing and her prior relationship with Ludwick, who for years claimed to be a friend of Joran van der Sloot and knew that he was involved in the girl’s disappearance. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Ludwick said he knew where van der Sloot had disposed of Holloway’s body and helped him move the remains.

According to the Daily Mail, Heistand said on the “Dr. Phil” show that she briefly dated Ludwick but ended the relationship when he told her about his friendship with van der Sloot, who is in prison in Peru after he was convicted of murdering another woman in 2010.

“He told me that Joran did do it, and hid the body,” Heistand told Dr. Phil in an interview that was aired Monday.

“John told me that Joran got this Natalee girl all drunk at a bar and Joran took her to the beach and they were having a good time and she started seizuring and foaming at the mouth.”

Ludwick also told Dr. Phil that Ludwick claimed van der Sloot’s father came to help him dispose of Holloway’s body. Ludwick later claimed in an interview with Oxygen that van der Sloot paid him $1,500 to dig up the remains where they had originally been buried near a residential property, and move them to another, unspecified location in Aruba.

The woman said she stopped seeing Ludwick after his confession, which made her feel “creeped out.”

In mid-March, Ludwick reportedly showed up at Heistand’s home.

“I just pulled into my house, took my keys out of the ignition, put them in my pocket and I was texting my boyfriend, “Have a good day at work. I love you.”‘

That’s when Ludwick allegedly attacked her, she said.

“I think he jumped out at my car and ran at me … He got on top of me, I was screaming, he had a knife to my throat. He was shoving something into my mouth and I can’t talk and he was able to shove me into the passenger seat.”

Ludwick then threatened to slit her throat if she didn’t give him her keys, Heistand said.

“He’s not letting go, so I swung the knife back slowly at him a couple of times and I realize its me or him,” she said.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, an injured Ludwick fled the scene on foot and was later discovered by a passerby. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

North Port police spokesperson Joshua Taylor told ABC News in March that all signs pointed to Ludwick’s stabbing as an act of self-defense.

“From every ounce of evidence we have so far, she was a victim in this case,” Taylor said.

[Feature image: Emily Heistand; Dr. Phil/Daily Mail screenshot]