I've been watching this case from day one. My opinion/belief/sense is that Jenn is a deeply grieving mother, and was not involved in any way. Her regret will forever be that she trusted this manipulator who murdered her daughter. I do not think she turned a blind eye, or allowed it to happen, or ignored the signs, or was in on it, or helped to cover the murder, or had any knowledge whatsoever. I believe fully that she believed he was being a caring doting stepdad, and through the years she became complacent, and truly didn't recognize the signs. He groomed Jenn too. I suffer with mental health issues as well, stemming from years and years of SA abuse by my stepfather. I recognize and can relate to her struggles with her mental health, and being on meds for it can make life feel like a blur, and needing sleep, feeling loopy, unbalanced and out of it at times....it's all a difficult journey to manage, but she was trying. It makes sense to me that while she was navigating her mental health needs she was not as tuned in and present. In addition, in the initial interviews with different people, a friend of SS said that Stephan bragged to him about having access to Lunesta and that it could knock someone out quick. I'm not spreading rumors, I heard the audio of the friend say that with my own ears. Sure enough, Jenn mentions SS taking Lunesta, as well as other things for anxiety, etc. He likely drugged them both. It's also plausible that Jenn was suspicious of something and he gaslit her and told her she was horrible for thinking that so she dropped it and felt guilty for thinking it. He groomed them both so well, and she made the awful, awful mistake of letting her mom-guard down. I think she felt sorry for him because he's kind of weird, witnessed him doting on Maddie, and just trusted everything. It was a mistake she will forever live with. That doesn't make her the monster. As for being more concerned about her daughter missing than finding out about the SA was just because of shock and horror and not knowing where her daughter was, and DESPERATLY hoping there was some kind of hope that she was still alive somewhere......I think it was just an overwhelming amount of trauma to deal with in that exact moment. She couldn't fathom more than wanting her daughter to still be alive. Trauma can cause a lot of weird reactions.........I lost my entire home in a flood and all of my things, and I couldn't stop laughing until I cried. Personally, I am sensitive and empathetic to Jenn's struggles with mental health. It's a very difficult thing to deal with, and she thought she could trust and depend on SS. If she was sedated a lot, by him, then of course she'd be oblivious. When I'm struggling, it takes everything in me to remember to eat. If you have never dealt with mental health issues beyond general depression and general anxiety, then you have no clue how it feels, what it does to the mind, how the medications work, and none of us know the story of her personal issues and why she struggles with her mental health and so it's wrong to judge what you don't know. Of course everyone assumes all mothers would know something was up, or wouldn't date the likes of him, or would never date at all.....but no one was/is in her shoes. This is a mother's worst nightmare. She truly deserves more compassion than most are giving her. Her life sentence will be regret for the rest of it, her daughter is never coming home, and she has to replay all of her mistakes over and over forever. She didn't ignore Maddie. He was a master groomer, he played on Jenn's mental health struggles to get to Maddie. Until I see proof evidence of Jenn being a and ignoring her daughter and allowing it, or knowingly letting it happen, I will hold space for her to grieve and truly mourn her loss without condemnation. SS is the ONLY monster here.
