I don't have the time to check this out... I'd be interested to know if anything made you see this case differently though, or if it gave you any ideas that we haven't talked about.
This case is rare. There are a few larger categories that most missing fall into, which sometimes you don't know until it's resolved. The rest get more tricky. For me it only increased suspicions about those last to see Lauren.
It really amazes me the number of bones and traces of people that turn up years later. Did the person(s) last to see her get lucky, or are they really that clever that in just a few hours that morning they caused her to vanish forever? There are cases where a body was left in plain sight and wasn't found for years. There are tons of cases where the problem is incompetent and/or stubborn LE. I do think in this case I've given too much credit to how smart they would be in a panicked situation. They may think they are steps ahead of LE, yet most likely did make some mistakes that have not yet been realized.
Can you answer me this: I thought earlier I knew this answer to this but couldn't find it in my notes. The next day CR/MB were out to buy headache medicine and a witness said CR asked if he had seen a little blonde girl. I'm forgetting what time this was. How did CR know that LS was missing? That day there was a chain of events that also seems sketchy. A complete timeline of what is known would be helpful. At some point it seems that someone was knocking on CR/MB's door and/or calling. What was the earliest activity at any of the POI's residences or phones after 4:15am It seems everything just stops at 4:15am. If the situation were already contained by 4:15am that would only leave a max of about 1hr. to have done something and probably much less. Unless someone took LS and just kept on going and never came back (like a guest). Otherwise someone immediately involved who had to come back, would have maybe only had 1 hr total. I think the amount of time they had, would change where and how I would look. So if for example, I had evidence and a significant reason to believe CR did the ditching, but not enough to convict, I would be trying to figure out where CR could go and come back within 1 hr. Maybe a 20 minute radius of 5N. Lots of ground to cover in a 20 minute radius if you look real carefully. People tend to be found a lot closer to where they disappear, than not. The immediate 1 to 2 miles is most likely.
Intersecting with some of the other information here are some thoughts:
1) If you were going to take LS to the hospital you would most likely head south on Rogers correct? Perhaps taking Monroe South first and then hanging a right on Kirkwood, then a left on Rogers. The Hospital is just about 1 mile from the gravel lot, or maybe 5 to 10 minutes if you had to get into a vehicle and hit some lights on the way. Say about half way, it was realized that LS was clearly gone. Now which way would you go? Stay on Kirkwood and head towards the Hwy (37 / 45)? After a few blocks a cemetery appears - Rose Hill. There is also, but not as obvious, another cemetery a few more blocks way Vahalia memory gardens.
2) Ok no hospital, it's already too late, so Griffy reservoir (as has been brought up several times) would seem another natural place. How do you get there? Go up Walnut? this is about 2 miles away, but because of turns and roads could wind up taking more like 20 minutes to get there and find a spot. Can Griffy be ruled out at this point? Don't see how it could.
3) If you go out to a radius of 20 miles there are other lakes(Lemon, Monroe, etc) and multiple state forests. Possible to get to most and back within a few hrs. A needle in many haystacks at this point. Yet, most likely off of a known road, or previously traveled route or location.
4) Going back closer again to 11th, there are the smaller parks, and quite a bit of land along the rail road tracks in the area to the North. It is possible this could have been achieved on foot. But then, why go to that trouble when you could use a sewer, for example?
