I have an honest, sincere question.
Do you see a difference between people accusing/labeling CB with mental health issues vs. people saying that one of the possible explanations is that she left due to stress, mental health etc.?
Because I don't feel like most people here are engaging in victim bashing--which is deplorable. But I do think there's a few people saying, let's not rule out any possibilities based on our opinions...let's wait until we have facts to exclude each option.
While I still think it's most likely that Kelsey met with foul play at the hands of someone she knew, the facts leave other possibilities open.
For example...
There has been no evidence of a struggle.
They haven't found a body.
PF doesn't have a criminal record.
They haven't *yet* released anything incriminating they found on the farm, if they found anything at all.
So in addition to me believing Kelsey most likely was abducted/harmed by someone known to her, I also keep other possibilities open and I advocate for doing so. Statistics, as well as my experience here on WS, leads me to believe that sometimes missing persons cases turn out to be best explained by the less likely scenarios.
Some people who have disappeared were not killed by their last known partners. Some...
--were killed by their spouse (CW)
--were killed by an acquaintance (Mollie T.)
--were killed in an accident (Toni A.)
--faked their own disappearance (Abbygail F.)
--committed suicide (Kristin W.)
--re-started life and lived elsewhere for years (Brenda H.)
While we think foul play is most likely, we don't know which of any of these or other explanations might apply to Kelsey. Because in many cases right here on WS, families are surprised by the details that come out about their loved one's struggles...and we don't know if that could end up being the case here.
But, for many of us, there is enough to suggest we keep other options open.
For example...
We know Kelsey's phone pinged a tower in Idaho.
We know LE publicly said that if KB left on her own and didn't want to be bothered, she could just contact them.
Her own mother said she believes KB is out there.
Her own aunt asked truckers to be on the lookout for KB.
Her own cousin said the reason there was a delay in reporting KB missing is a "long story" and we will understand it when all the information comes out.
Kelsey's social media posts do include more than one post that include hashtags about recovery and other challenges...(although we have no idea how or if these applied to anyone in her life)
So even though I think Kelsey Berreth sounds like an outstanding human being who is compassionate and caring and has, as far as I know, a great track record of being responsible and stable, that doesn't mean she couldn't have human moments of vulnerability or need extra support or space. And it DOESN'T mean I or others judge her if she did encounter one of these very human lows. Which of us hasn't had a stretch where we faced more challenge and felt more overwhelmed than others?
To the contrary, I say it's because we care that we insist on a true search...and we leave the option open just in case it could prompt other helpful avenues of exploration or trigger additional locations where she might be found.
I'm all for you insisting people be polite and balanced in how they reference this issue. Victim bashing is deplorable. But there are many unknowns here. And what we do know could still end up being explained several different ways. So when people are respectful and use facts to suggest reasonable alternatives within WS' TOS, I don't think they should be shamed for it.
Unless users are disrespectful or asserting false ideas as fact. And then, yes, by all means, report, report, report.
