Kamille
As far as I'm concerned, TPS saw that craigslist ad and either recognized it as being EJ trying to find help or that is the first contact they had. They tried everything legally available to them to handle this in AZ without going out of state but when LM kept filing right behind them they had no choice. There is no way that EJ, a destitute single mother with no income and no vehicle could plan this herself. No way. She wouldn't have a clue about where to start even. If TPS hadn't stuck her nose in this somewhere around the 9th of December, EJ and LM would have reconciled..again...and would still be having problems but not like this. EJ knew her only option was LM and the support he was giving her and she would have taken him back and Gabriel would have spent his first Christmas with his Mom and Dad. LM had never tried to take custody away from EJ before. He loved her and Gabriel and wanted them to be a family despite her problems, which were probably not too bad when she was on medication if that is the case. She went off them, went nuts, threw LM out and the rest is history. TPS swooped in there and gave EJ an alternative and she jumped on it IMO.
If you go to EJ's myspace page you will see the conversation she had with her friend from Boston about the trip. It's not even mentioned until the end of June I think. As of June 30 it looked like the trip was cancelled. Can't say for sure if EJ went or not but it looks like it might have been planned and then cancelled? If she did go, Gabriel would have been at least 2 months old at the time so even that doesn't add up. Nothing does.
You will also notice that there is not one post by TPS on her wall from the time they supposedly met until Dec 31 when she probably posted a CYA message about wondering what was going on or something because she had heard of the arrest on the news.