I know there have been a lot of posts about maps, what route BG and the girls took and why, etc. Not being from the area and just looking at a map it's really hard to tell why someone did what they did, the actual distance, etc. So I was playing around on Google Maps and the Delphi County Property Map this afternoon and wanted to share my thoughts. All of this is IMO.
If BG parked in the former CPS lot, why there instead of one of the trail parking lots? He was likely there to commit a crime so he certainly wouldn't want to park in one of the trail lots since they are very small and any vehicle would likely be noticed/remembered.
Why the CPS lot instead of the Delphi Cemetery? Some reports have mentioned that there was a vehicle parked at the Cemetery and that LE made contact with the owner(s) of the vehicle immediately after the girls' bodies were found so the vehicle could be removed from the Cemetery lot. I'm not sure if the vehicle had broken down or why it was parked there, but it seemed LE didn't feel it had anything to do with the crime. So if BG thought about parking at the Cemetery he likely changed his mind because this vehicle was there and he would have been afraid of being noticed.
Why park at the CPS lot (in relation to the bridge/trail)? The car may not have been noticed here and, even if someone did notice it, they would have been more likely to assume it was someone checking out the building or related to one of the nearby businesses.
Why park at the CPS lot (in relation to "get around quickly")? The CPS Building is easily accessible to the Hoosier Heartland Highway (Route 25) - 0.7 miles (2 minutes).
A WLFI News report said the following information was from ISP Sgt. Kim Riley - "The importance of the car also ties into why police now believe the killer is local. Riley said after reviewing many tips, investigators determined he was able to get around quickly on the day the girls were killed, and seemed to know the area."
I think being able to "get around quickly" was important to BG so he could try to maintain an alibi (and to not get caught).
Walking Distances (approximate) -
CPS Building to 1st Trail Lot (not where the girls were dropped off) - 976 ft (0.18 mi)
1st Trail Lot to Monon High Bridge (far side) - 3554 ft (0.67 mi)
Monon High Bridge (far side) to Crime Scene - 646 ft (0.12 mi)
Crime Scene to CPS Building (path through woods, NOT direct path) - 5014 (0.95 mi)
End of the bridge to Crime Scene to CPS Bldg - 1.07 miles
Total "round trip" - 1.92 miles
I have never been 100% convinced whether BG intended to kill the girls in the bridge area or if he intended to abduct them in order to have more time with them before he killed them. The distance from the end of the bridge to the approximate Crime Scene and back to the CPS Building (walking through the woods in order to remain hidden) is about 1.07 miles - not really that much of a distance if you are cocky and think you are in control of two young girls (with or without a weapon). If he did intend to abduct them, he may have been scared and quickly killed them if he may have heard Libby's phone ring and/or heard DG's voice calling for the girls.