( CNN ) -- A jawbone found on an Aruban beach will undergo forensic testing to determine whether it is human and , if so , whether it belongs to Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway , last seen on the island in 2005 , authorities said Tuesday . Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken said a part of the bone was sent to the Netherlands Forensic Institute in The Hague , Netherlands . It will be analyzed to determine whether it belongs to an animal or human , he said . If it is human , authorities will attempt to find out whether it belongs to Holloway . `` They are testing for a DNA match , '' said Blanken . Investigators could know as early as Wednesday whether the bone belongs to an animal or a human , he added . Inge Oevering , a spokeswoman for the forensic institute , said the length of testing will depend on the condition of the material , but it normally takes about a week . The institute 's findings will be sent back to the prosecutor 's office , which will decide whether to make the results public , she said . Oevering declined to provide a description of the material . Blanken said a part of a jawbone with a tooth was found on Friday by an American tourist near the Phoenix Hotel , a large resort on the western side of Aruba . He took it to the police , Blanken said . Contacted by CNN , the hotel referred questions to local authorities . The Dutch paper De Telegraaf similarly reported Tuesday the jawbone was found near the Phoenix Hotel , a location that has been mentioned by Joran Van der Sloot , who was arrested twice in connection with Holloway 's disappearance but has not been charged . He has maintained his innocence in her death . The newspaper said a tourist couple found the bone on the beach and turned it in to the hotel clerk , who alerted authorities , offering a slightly different version of events than Blanken . 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 . `` 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 , '' he said . Holloway was 18 when she was last seen in the early hours of May 30 , 2005 , leaving an Oranjestad , Aruba , nightclub with 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 , 23 , is jailed in Lima , Peru , awaiting trial 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 is also charged with a count of wire fraud and a count of 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 . CNN 's Susan Candiotti , Laura Perez Maestro , Brian Walker and CNN Radio 's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report .
NEW : An initial test indicates the bone belongs to a young woman , prosecutor says . Authorities say definitive testing may take about a week . If the bone is human , DNA testing will be conducted . The jawbone was found near an Aruban hotel .