Thanks VV for a great post. Hope I quoted & snipped right ... Im new at this.
So ... thinking along the same lines as the scenerio above ... as LS was spiraling downward, perhaps Person X was called in to take her back to Smallwood since LS had her key card. (Was JR on a "no visit" list at SMallwood also? Might be a reason why he didn't take her back himself).
If LS and Person X went on foot to SMallwood, this could be what the mystery witness saw at 3:38am.
But why wouldn't cameras have captured their "walk" back? Hmm?
any thoughts out there?
That bartender who saw LS slumped over a person who is not apparently a POI, was very certain it was LS from my recollection of the statement.
Either if this person walked from the Gravel Lot Entrances at 5N over to Building #4 (I think it was referenced as "Men's building?" ) between Building #4 and the building just to the north of it (A small Museum if I recall correctly) they would apparently have avoided cameras. Or if they came out on 11th St. side of 5N and then walked down College Ave, also avoids cameras.
Now where do they go? What else did the Bartender see? If he put her into a car right there... it may have shown up on a street cam at some point later, maybe hours later, maybe a day later, maybe he left right away. There was an area on College Ave where you could not park due to construction, but I think you could park on the west side of the street north of that #4 building. So that car would likely have traveled south bound past the waffle house and past smallwood, or it could have made a U turn and gone up college north or turned either way on 11th. Not sure if there are cams in all 4 directions. This should be known because of all of the attention on the white truck.
Instead of putting her into a vehicle, what if Person X lives in building #4, and brought her there? Did cadaver dogs sniff around Building 4? At some point police are swarming around, smallwood, 5N the alley, the gravel lot. But are they watching building #4? Where do people from building #4 typically park? On College Ave? But with Construction on College did that cause people to park further north up on College, or do they have a lot/garage somewhere?
Either way, this person wasn't walking very far or they would have been captured on camera.
Holly2325 asked why someone would take on this task.
Assuming she was alive and taking her to the ER was the original plan, I could see just about anyone agreeing to do that. Yet if she died enroute, then they are put into a very difficult to explain situation. If she were already dead, then I agree it would be more of a criminal mind to undertake this activity. And yes I would agree the most likely criminal element here would be a drug distributor / gangster. And if it was this sort of person who the Bartender saw with LS at 3:38, seems again we are faced with what did he do - put her in a vehicle or take her into another apt, like building #4.
sidenotes - if this person walked out of 5N with LS on the 11th St. side
it could be a way that JR had planned to pass a polygragh... the questions would have to include details of another person. If they simply asked.... did you see LS leave 5N and travel down 11th st. Towards College Ave from your tiny balcony. He could say "YES" and not be lying!
why was CR and MB up fairly early the next day asking around about LS?
If they last saw her alive in their apt... why would they do that?
Seems that they would have been updated by JR. If she were alive and was going to ER, then JR may have come back and explained to them she never made it and so, here is what you have to do, otherwise you guys are going prison! So, they wake up... CR needs to go to the drugstore to function... but they are asking about LS to deflect culpability that they know would be forthcoming. They do this prematurely and nervously.
If they actually witnessed her die, all the more reason they would be restless and CR sleepless even when sleeping is most likely what he would be doing otherwise.
If LS died right there on the floor in CR/MB's place there would be no need for further meetings to work out a story, no need for phone calls or to check back with each other. One simple pass of pact where here is what each of you has to do and just stick to it... I can see someone saying "Just act natural"
If person X was a totally innocent friend who was sucked into taking LS to the ER and she passed away on the way. Their behavior could be more unpredictable. Seems to me most people might panic and do something like make phone calls, etc... If this person had a cool head and decided to leave her somewhere, they would have no doubt gone back to JR and explained. Somewhere along the way here this is where I used to think MB/CR could separate themselves from JR. But knowing that MB is a liar, and knowing that LS is missing, MB has to be able to put 2 and 2 together even if she did not technically die in his presence. Where Person X is involved, if Person X was in CR/MB's apt that night, MB is effectively protecting Person X. IF this got scooted over to JR's place where it was just LS, Person X and JR it's easier to keep X's role a mystery.
Enter possibility of a Dark sinister twist. If Person X is of the Drug Distributor / Ganster variety, they may have taken it upon themselves to see this as a no win situation even if Lauren was still alive. They may have concluded that there would be too many questions that would lead back to them or the business. Keeping people quiet/loyal is how organized crime works.
For now, Person X to me ranges from the naive to hardcore evil. Unfortunately either way, it seems far more likely than stranger abduction and that's heavily supported by the inconsistent polished stories and lies.
If CR/MB and JR were credible and truthful, stranger abduction would be a real possibility. It's not for me me any longer.