If the motive isn’t sexual then I suspect he may have some kind of attachment disorder, this is usually caused by childhood neglect, abandonment, abuse or lack of attention.
If he did experience some form of neglect or trauma at a young age, this could have manifested as caring for dolls, making sure they are well groomed and clean which has turned into an obsessive compulsive disorder, reflecting what he didn’t receive as a child. If he has difficulties interacting with people in real life due to a mental illness or past trauma he hasn’t been able to care for another actual human so has turned his attention to the dolls, then maybe when an opportunity arose to have in his mind his own real life doll, he snatched CS..
He’s described as a ‘loner’, there could be many reasons why he does not socialise much, I suspect it could be a psychological, neurological or cognitive issue when it comes to interacting with others. He may have been reenacting what he feels he should have received when growing up, or he may have a deep rooted need for a family or companionship but for one reason or another has been unable to maintain a stable relationship. The dolls may have started as a coping mechanism, and slowly became an obsession.
I’m hoping it didn’t have a sexual element for CS’s sake. Those who have a sexual attraction to dolls tend to pick one or two that become their ‘partner’, they take them on dates and are intimate with them many times for reasons I stated above, but this usually fulfils their needs and they would not go after a child for that purpose as they would consider that ‘cheating’ on their doll partner. This is why I’m leaning slightly towards it being an unresolved attachment issue from childhood that has spiralled into needing a real life companion and someone to care for. MOO
