Also - as someone who worked in public service for decades, I just want to say that a LOT of people/families live different lifestyles and make different choices than you might. Just because I would never go fishing with 3 kids at midnight (or EVER lol) doesn’t mean that my lifestyle is superior or proper compared to someone who makes this choice. It’s just different.
I’m only throwing this out there because in these threads I repeatedly encounter those who seem to think just because someone else did a thing they would never personally do that it’s a big red flag, and a lot of times it’s just not. I think a lot of people would be shocked to realize how differently a lot of people live from them.
What he was doing and when is significant to the case, of course, but it sounds to be in character and shouldn’t be subject to personal judgment, IMO, just because I would make a different choice.
All that said, why did he not stick to the plan of meeting his brother before fishing. Maybe the younger ones wanted to get a few minutes of fishing in before being babysat by cousins, idk. Was that lake on the way to the meetup point? If so, I’d be scouring the path from there to his brother’s.
If it’s not, why didn’t he let his brother know he was deviating from the plan? Why didn’t they report them missing for several days?