MSM article from Down Under. Screen grabs of Anna Williams' FB page indicate that by 6:30 PM EST there was a search underway, and the girls had not been in contact with anyone for at least a few hours.
Theory: Mom/family/whomever had told them to stick to the trail. Two young friends decided to stray off of the trail, either because they had done so before, or were doing it for the first time. Perhaps other kids at school had done the same, shared such info., etc. Innocent kids' stuff. We did it back where I grew up in Upstate, NY.
One spot we hung out at is a park which happens to have been a terminus for a railroad, and (wait for it) is bounded by a river and two cemeteries. It also happens to be where Arthur Shawcross dumped one of his victims, in fact friends of a friend found the corpse, we were high school aged at the time.
I guess part of what has drawn me to this case is the location. Kids are drawn to old historic stuff like that, I know we were, and often times the natural beauty and peace are reassuring. Unfortunately, some very bad people are also drawn to such places.
The fact that this took place on a beautiful, unseasonable February day here in Indiana, in, or adjacent to, a public park, tells me the perp planned it well in advance. Easy in and egress, due to the foliage (virtually none). This case just bothers me.
Again, the timeline. i'm thinking this would not have been the first time they had dragged their feet, before getting picked up. They're teens, I did the same thing, as did my friends. They got off the trail, and the perp was waiting for them, or other teens who were off from school that day, looking for something in the woods.
Chilling, sad, etc. Makes me angry that someone may have done something so premeditated in nature.