I haven't been an active poster in this forum (yet), and I've been following this disappearance very closely - several times a day - since November. After careful consideration, I'd like to chime in and share my thoughts now!
I have been extremely hesitant to point the finger at MR, and have tried so hard to keep an open mind. Even though odds seemed slim that it was a stranger abduction, lost in the woods, etc., I've kept all options open. That said, I've now carefully watched all the interviews again, read all of the archived news articles and Facebook posts. I'm certain about what happened. The uncut footage of Mark sealed the deal for me.
I made 20+ pages of notes, but don't want to hog with the page with them, so I’ll share what I think are my highlights. There is another good analysis at http://.blogspot.com that also breaks down MR's interview. My notes below are all from the MR uncut interview on YouTube:
Initial Conflict
Marks brings up several points of conflict from his first hours with Dylan:
- Dylan wanted to see his friends right away, dad said no
- Dad wanted to go out to eat at a restaurant, Dylan wanted McDonalds (We didn’t even eat IN McDonalds” he says)
- Dylan is “adamant” about having his snacks. Shaking his head in a “no” motion, says “Dylan wanted to throw a few videos he found in the $5 bin. (Mark having to accommodate).
Overall, there are definite signs that there was tension and some disagreements immediately, as acknowledged by MR. D's emoticon to mom was also a sign.
5:50 – “I was correct in assuming he wanted to spend time with friends”
6:14 – “When he wants to spend time with his friends, I get that. I understand that. I have no problem with that.”
6:46 – “When he’s with me, it’s me and him”. Then adds after pause “...with the exception of his friends”.
During the interview, Mark repeatedly emphasizes how important Dylan’s friends are to him, and how he (MR) apparently approved of him spending time with his friends. He emphasizes this many, many times.
Mark was obviously angry that D didn’t want to spend time with him, but rather his friends and this was likely the cause of an altercation. MR was probably even more frustrated after fighting to get to see D again, battling in court for D, then having D not want to spend time with him but his friends instead.
6:00 – Mark says Dylan made mention of wanting to go to Castle Rock to see Mark’s brother during the visit. (This doesn’t seem likely – Dylan’s main focus was seeing his friends. Would he really want to leave to visit MR's brother?).
Body language/Speech
11:35 – “Which is one of the movies we would watch….the night (long pause) ...we were together”. The night that what happened? This is extremely revealing – watch it.
12:59 – shaking his head “no” when he says “He was texting on the couch”
16:38 – Shaking his head ‘No’ when he sayd “I told Dylan … if you need anyting, call me when you get up”
His physical gestures are contrary to what he is speaking. A tell-tale sign of deception, well documented.
A few other concerning things:
8:48 – In answering the question “Are you convinced someone abducted him”, he pauses a long time - about 4 seconds – looks up, then says “Well, I am. (PAUSE). I struggle with the fact that it could be somebody he knew.”
If MR didn’t do anything wrong and it all went down as he says and apparently believes, then abduction is the only possibility. Why the hesitation and somewhat indirect answer?
9:00 – “I didn’t find out till later on that he was known to be a hitchhiker”
9:15 – “That boy would talk to anybody. He never knew a stranger….And that’s concerning”
Both nicely set up for how he may have been abducted by someone else.
13:20 – There are only 2 places in the house where Dylan could get cell phone service; then the reporter’s phone rings – she’s not in one of those places. (Not conclusive, but an interesting note).
He’s making it a point to stare straight at reporter and control his mannerisms, gestures, and movements. He is obviously aware and trying so hard to consciously control his body language. He also gives long, rambling answers to many questions, providing more or different information that was asked for. This is extremely common when people are being deceptive.
I know the interview was broken down and discussed earlier, so sorry if I’m late to the party. The above notes are just a few that I made, and IN MY OPINION I now firmly believe that Dylan never made it home that night. MR snapped, had a lot of time to clean up, and likely drove a long way before dumping Dylan somewhere impossible to find. He’s confident that D won’t be found nearby so he doesn’t have a problem with dogs in his area, and knows there is no evidence, so he can pretend that he is using all his resources, hire a PI, etc. His immediate actions in the days after D disappeared are highly suspicious as well.
MR's biggest enemy is himself. I’m very interested to see how he responds on TV, and hope Elaine has some questions that will trip him up – I can think of several myself. It's guaranteed that investigators are watching closely as well.
Sorry to be so long-winded! All of this is my theory and in my opinion only.
