I live in Pinellas County, so about 1:15 from where Jennifer vanished. I was slightly older than she was when she disappeared and in my long history of following these kinds of cases, hers was the first one that really compelled me. I followed the story in the St, Petersburg Times avidly.
I tend to get first impressions and stick by them. In this case I always wondered if it was a friend or acquaintance of Leslie Odom. Someone who knew Jennifer would be walking home alone. Someone who wouldn't necessarily raise a big red flag with her. An older boy, perhaps, who met Jennifer while visiting the Odom home. It seemed like a fairly brazen kidnapping. I could see a scenario where Jennifer was approached by someone she knew by association. Like a "I'm going to your house to wait for _____; why don't I give you a ride?"
I don't know. I just never believed this was a typical SO murder. I'm probably wrong. I'm always looking for a way to understand the inexplicable and usually isn't possible. I'm looking at this from the perspective of a local who really isn't local. Brooksville is like an hour from here, but it might as well be 30 hours. East Pasco (and a lot of Hernando) puts a capital R in rural. I suppose it's very possible for a girl to be spotted, incapacitated, killed, and dumped without being spotted by anyone, daylight or buses or not.
Why was the clarinet separated from its case? Found so many years later? Where were the other items? Why were items scattered in different places? That's an assumption, I suppose, but since the purse, boots, and sweater remain missing even now it's known that they weren't found with the bag and case. Did Jennifer make a break for it at one point? I could see a young girl, frightened and thinking "surely I'll make it out of this" seeing an opportunity to bolt and still having those irrational concepts like "I better not leave my books or clarinet. The clarinet's expensive" or whatever. Only to be overcome again.
I could see a SO seizing the opportunity, but why not just dump everything? Was the clarinet pawned? Did he keep the purse hoping there might be a few bucks in it? I picture SOs being controlled by their deranged urges and then wanting to get rid of the evidence fast once they get their jollies and realize what they've done. A lot of SOs live in extreme guilt over their actions, but they don't have impulse control. I'm sure some can be petty thieves, too, but it doesn't seem to be a theme.
Just some disorganized thoughts. RIP Jennifer; I still think about you even today.
