BBM
I see that you used quotations around "Bowerman said" in your post above. I find that after re-reading the six lines suggested by you, not only is it not a direct quote from the parents as I stated previously, but it is also not a direct quote from Bowerman.
Although I do understand the point you are trying to make, what you are posting is not a "direct quote" from the sheriff.
Specifically, the paragraph you referred me to is:
Lines 1-6
The child's parents, DeOrr Kunz Sr. and Jessica Mitchell, told authorities they left their home in Idaho Falls on July 10 for a weekend camping trip that included their son, as well as the mother's grandfather and his friend.
They told investigators they thought their son had stayed at the camp when they left to hike. They said they realized he was missing when they came back and learned his great-grandfather did not know the boy's whereabouts, Bowerman said.
I do not see any quotation marks whatsoever in those six lines so it cannot be considered a direct quote from Bowerman.
The remaining lines of the article also contain a "Bowerman said":
Hundreds of tips have poured in from all over the globe suggesting the child has been seen as far away as Hong Kong, but Bowerman said he is ruling out a kidnapping.
Once again, even though it reads "Bowerman said", there are no direct quotes.
Last line of the article:
"There is no evidence suggesting DeOrr was abducted," the sheriff said.
This is the only direct quote from the sheriff in the entire article, and it has quotation marks around it, so it can be attributed directly to the Sheriff. As you can see, it does not state anything about when JM or DK Sr left their home."
But that's JMO, IMO, MOO
Do we even know if this Reuters reporter actually talked to the Sheriff himself? Did she talk to someone at the Sheriff's office? Did she talk to JM or DK Sr? Did she get her information elsewhere and just report on what she read/heard and quoted what someone else had previously quoted from the Sheriff? Is Reuters a local paper? Is she a local reporter? These are all things we should factor in before considering it factual, etc.