Just to be open minded, I’ve been trying to think through the scenarios that might’ve unfolded if the orange car really did break down. (I lean toward them purposefully abandoning it rather than it breaking down, fyi, but just going through the thought exercise).
One possibility is that they could use a burner phone or borrow a neighbor’s phone to call a taxi or Uber. They’d likely have to wait a while for it to come in this more rural location if so. And you would think there’d be neighbors or passerbys who might’ve seen them waiting or a car service who remembered giving them a ride and called it in then.
Another possibility is that they called one of their family members or childhood or criminal acquaintances. I’m adamant that I don’t think they would want to increase their risk by involving a third party. But, if there was a genuine breakdown before they planned to settle down or to switch cars, this might force their hand to enlist an accomplice. If so, I ask myself who would be willing to risk breaking the law to help them? And the only thing I come up with is immediate family (a parent or sibling) or, less likely, a lifelong cousin or best friend etc. So I ask you, sleuthers, who lives in the area that they know? Surely LE has already checked the basements and out buildings and activities of people in that category? If a hypothetical accomplice helped them buy or acquire a new vehicle or dropped them off at a hiding spot, they’re going to be hard to find unless the accomplice turns on them.
It’s possible they’d carjack a car and take or kill a hostage, or to hitchhike, but I think VW would try to avoid this scenario for several reasons. And also, we haven’t heard of any missing persons yet.
It’s possible they walked away in foot and combed the area for an abandoned house or barn. We know LE asked the bus drivers’ dad (I think that is who it was) to search his property so LE are probably considering that they hid away in the immediate area. But because investigators didn’t know the orange car had been picked up by a tow truck, the two actually had five days-ish to find a new vehicle.
Any other ideas for what they might do if the orange vehicle really did break down?