( CNN ) -- Natalee Holloway 's family may soon learn whether a jawbone found on an Aruban beach last week belongs to the 18-year-old teen , who disappeared five years ago . Investigators are first trying to determine whether the bone is that of an animal or human . If the bone is human , authorities will then attempt to find out through DNA testing whether it belongs to Holloway , who was last seen on the island in 2005 . The results of the testing , which is being carried out by the Netherlands Forensic Institute in The Hague , Netherlands , may be available Friday . Holloway 's dental records were sent to the forensic institute on Wednesday , the FBI said . `` We provided her dental records to the Dutch authorities . They were sent electronically , '' said FBI spokesman Paul Daymond . The information-sharing is `` what we do , nothing out of the ordinary , '' he said . The Holloway family had told HLN 's `` Nancy Grace '' that the records were sent to The Hague . The length of testing can vary , but normally takes about a week , according to a representative of the institute . The findings will be sent back to the prosecutor 's office in Aruba , which will decide whether to make the results public . Part of a jawbone with a tooth was found a week ago by an American tourist near the Phoenix Hotel , a large resort on the western side of the island , Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken said . Contacted by CNN , the hotel referred questions to local authorities . The prosecutor said the bone was initially examined by a forensic expert in Aruba , who determined the bone was from a young woman . But Blanken cautioned the final determination would be made by the forensic institute in the Netherlands . Holloway was 18 when she was last seen in the early hours of May 30 , 2005 , leaving an Oranjestad , Aruba , nightclub with Joran van der Sloot and two other men . She was visiting the island with about 100 classmates to celebrate their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham , Alabama . Van der Sloot was detained twice in connection with Holloway 's disappearance but never charged . He is now awaiting trial in Lima , Peru , on a murder charge in the death of Peruvian student Stephany Flores . Her body was found in May in a hotel room registered to van der Sloot . The two were seen entering the room on a surveillance camera . Van der Sloot , 23 , is also charged with wire fraud and extortion in Alabama for allegedly attempting to extort more than $ 250,000 from Holloway 's family in return for disclosing the location of her body . HLN 's Rupa Mikkilineni , CNN 's Susan Candiotti , Laura Perez Maestro , Brian Walker and CNN Radio 's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report .
Natalee Holloway 's dental records are sent to the Hague this morning . An initial evaluation indicates the bone belonged to a young woman , the prosecutor said . If the bone is human in a second evaluation , further testing will be conducted . The bone was found near an Aruban hotel .