I just want to say that my prayers are with you and your family during this time... she looks like such a sweet woman, i can't imagine why anyone would want to harm her. Hopefully Websleuths can help catch the perp that has her and bring justice!
The information you have given us is telling. From that i'm going to go over the info, please correct me on anything if i am mistaken.
That the perp took nothing from the house, looks like it was personally motivated. Robbery wasn't the motive. If they wanted to rob the house they also could have waited until no one was home. It's a personal attack against your mother by the perp.
Your mother is a fighter, and defended herself from the attacker in the home and also 1/2 mile down the road she was able to escape the vehicle and more evidence is found.
The perp would be familiar with the area, knowing where to find your mother. She was a half mile away from the nearest neighbor in a rural area where an attack could potentially go unheard.
Her move was after a long difficult divorce with an ex-husband who is very bitter?
Has the ex-husband and all his friends,family, associates been looked into?
Not to mention the friends of his new wife and all her family and associates. If he is bitter about your mother he may be obsessively bitter to the point where it has spilled over onto his new wife and she is bitter about your mother as well. (If i didn't explain this right, let me know and i'll try to better)
He owns a lumber mill, and most of the family quit after he left your mom for a younger woman, which made him bitter. He was also mad that your mother got what she was entitled during the divorce?
A dually pickup truck was seen near the residence, does anyone know if LE checked for tire tracks (all 4 of them) to see where it was parked and if they got impressions of the tire tracks? This is extremely important as if they were to find the vehicle, it may have a couple of new different brand tires on it (say one had a blow out and was replaced) that would help differentiate it from other duallys.
LE should check the DMV for records of duallys, and also any that may be registered to any rental companies near the county or also businesses.
The exhusband is bitter so that would give him a motive, his anger would be his reasoning. Possibly the new wife, as well.
They need to be looked into. Also any property or relatives' property that the ex-husband has access to.
Until LE clears him of any wrongdoing and has very good reasons for clearing him, not alibi's, i would look into him. He may have hired someone to "kidnap" your mother for him, if not done it himself.
Would your mother have opened the door to him or anyone of his family or friends that she knows?
Does he have any sons from previous marriages that may blame your mother for what happened with the divorce and the mill? If most the immediate family quit after he married the younger woman ( i don't blame them for quitting, i wouldn've too) he may blame your mother for any financial problems he is having as well.
Has LE did a DNA test on the baseball cap? Maybe get the DNA of the owner out or off of it. They could run it through the system to see if it matches up to anyone, not to mention once there are suspects the DNA from the hat can be compared and matched.
Was their fingerprints on the money clip?
It is possible whoever did this doesn't have a criminal record, however prints are another good way of securing a solid case against a suspect.
