Lawyering up and refusing to talk to police are not the same thing although they are often conflated.
AM, MH and BD all lawyered up. The advice they received was go to police and make a full statement. I think we can all agree it was good advice.
If I were ever arrested or questioned as a suspect in regard to a murder, I would certainly lawyer up. There's too much that can go wrong if you don't.
It's also not especially relevant to compare a suspect's decision to lawyer up with a lawyerless victim reporting a crime. I'm not going to lawyer up either if a family member is murdered. Two entirely different situations.
I think there is relevance in the contrast I described between how CN and MB behaved compared with TB's family, IMO. Often those closest to a missing person or murder victim are the first suspects in a case, and often they come under intense scrutiny and investigation by the police, IMO. For one example, when Scott Peterson's wife Lacey went missing he lawyered up as soon as he thought the police considered him a suspect, IMO. So many cases I've heard about where the crime victim's closest family or friends are under suspicion, IMO. Some get lawyers and many of those cases I've heard of ended up with the lawyered up relative charged with the crime, IMO. That's why I think the way TB's family opened themselves up willingly to the police so they could be ruled out early as suspects stands out, IMO and because they had no involvement in the crime they had no reason not to cooperate, IMO. Maybe that's just a perception on my part but public perception matters, IMO in cases like TB's where the family counted on the assistance of a sympathetic public to help locate TB, IMO.
Then when I think of CN and MB, they were not to my knowledge in those first few days after DM and CN dropped off the trailer that contained TB's truck to MB's house named suspects by the police, IMO - DM was the suspect not them, IMO. As you said, even if they did get lawyers there was nothing to prevent either of them from cooperating with police to help them in their investigation, IMO. That CN tampered with evidence by removing prints from the trailer is one reason IMO that she got a lawyer ASAP, and I believe MB was right there with her instructing CN not to cooperate with police, IMO. I bet they all - DM, CN and MB shared the same lawyer too, IMO, and wouldn't that be a conflict of interest if it is true?
Also about AM and MH having lawyered up, I don't know how quickly either of them got lawyers or what advice they received from their lawyers about cooperating with police, but IMO lying to the police 40 times over several interviews as in MH's case, or lying IIRC for the first 60 pages by AM's in his interview(s) that got him arrested and charged with first degree murder - even before DM - and only cooperating by telling more of what he knew then to clear himself, IMO, and neither AM or MH inspires any admiration from me, IMO.
Im not saying no one should ever get a lawyer in any circumstance, but if it were me and my son or boyfriend was charged with a truck theft and forcible confinement of a still missing man, getting a lawyer for myself would not be among the first things I would do, IMO. I would have contacted the police immediately upon hearing of my loved one's arrest to report the trailer in the driveway and perhaps then call a lawyer to accompany me to the police station so I could be interviewed, IMO. I would want the opportunity to help clear my boyfriend or son because I would believe that my son or boyfriend would never be involved in such a crime, IMO. I do believe those who are guilty of something behave differently than those with nothing to fear, like the Bosma's whose consciences were clear, IMO.
All MOO.