Thank you. I hear you. I have Mariah in my mind where iirc they called it homicide once they had made an arrest.
I think I always want it to be the dingo, you know? It is hard to realize the extent of the evil that exists all around us. I'm still pretty new to following these in real time, though I've followed true crime in various forms for most of my adult life.
My heart wants him alive, safe and sound. I loved Midge Montana's idea of some elderly lady with dementia taking him in, thinking he was her son and spoiling him rotten with love. That would be a perfect scenario, where she has no clue he's a missing child and he gets away from an abusive monster.
Unfortunately, my head takes over and says, no way could he be alive after 8 days without food, shelter, water, warm clothing. Locals have given the weather reports day by day since he went missing- a few of those days were too cold for a child that age to survive. Also taking in how small he is- not enough body fat on him to help keep him warm for a couple of days. No shoes on his feet- his shoes were found in his bedroom.
Your heart is in the right place, and honestly, you could be right. Lucas may very well be out there somewhere in the wilderness, roaming around and figuring out ways to survive. That is a positive scenario, and better than what we're all thinking.
The only other thing I can think of is that EG could have sold him into sex trafficking or something else. No evidence yet to suggest this, but if that were the case, he could still be alive, but in what condition is anyone's guess. Especially if he's being abused more.