rrbm
Hi, Oriah. I've been trying to get back over to this thread for days now. Every time I started to post I was interrupted, and now I can't remember everything I wanted to write :waitasec:. I'll just say that I agree with you and Backwoods that we're looking at a combination of characteristics, and that's more often the rule than the exception.
Regarding the bolded statement, I waver on this one because of McD's various statements about the most foolproof way to dispose of a body is to simply toss it in the trash. (Not his exact words, but pretty close.) Based on that, I sometimes think leaving the torso in the trash can was a means of disposal. If that's true, he came very close to succeeding. Another hour or so, and the trash would've been picked up, and we'd still be wondering if LG was dead or alive. But it was also pretty sloppy, imo, and gives me pause to wonder if he wasn't in a panic after LE arrived to take the missing persons report. Or was it just part of his plan to put the remains in the trash the night or morning before "garbage day". Either way, it was a manner of disposal.
On the other hand, he was efficient in concealing the other body parts, so why leave the torso behind? Why not dispose of it with the rest of the body? So called "torso murders" are relatively common, where the torso is meant to shock and garner attention. Yet, I can't say that was his intent because given another hour or so, and the trash would have been picked up, and no one would've been the wiser. Seems to me if you want to make a statement, you leave the body where it will be seen. I was just looking at a case the other night of a torso left in a rest stop just west of St. Louis. The perp could've disposed of the body in any wooded area along the highway. But he chose at a site, albeit in the bushes, where sooner or later it was bound to be discovered. That wasn't the case with McD. So I go back to the sloppy/panicked disposal theory. And I'm reminded of the possibility that he held onto the torso until fear of discovery forced his hand.
Now to the rumors Backwoods and Tomkat have mentioned, I don't specifically recall one about a tip from the sanitation supervisor. What I do remember is a post from a member whose relative lived in the back building or around the block. This poster told us neighbors were talking about dogs -- and I think he/she said HRD dogs -- hitting on trash cans along the street, and even chasing behind the garbage truck. I remember thinking at the time that it made sense and fit with my impression of McD. Yet again, in another hour or so, give or take, the trash would've been hauled away. I think he could get away with taking a late night stroll and dropping smallish packages into trash cans. But that trash went to the city dump, if I'm not mistaken, and it was searched the same day. If the rumor was true, the evidence would've turned up.
The next most likely place is the river, imo. Nearby, convenient and efficient. If I had to choose, the river would be my guess. I still have some suspicions about the grandfather's property, but I can't see him driving that far with a body in his car.