I feel so rotten for the mother, and terrible for the baby.
Okay, so I did not read the whole thread. But there are some things I see people bringing up that I have some thoughts on. Here are some of the questions I have seen:
A). Why did the dog not bark if something happened to the kid?
I have no idea what kind of dog this is. If it were a retriever or something that actually enjoyed fetch, and its ball went over the wall, then I would guess the dog was distracted. Probably watching mom go and get it. I see that there are rocks, and that the actual stairs are quite a ways away from the yard the ball went into. I doubt the dog could have figured out how to get the ball itself. But I bet it was watching that spot where the ball went over, and not the kids.
B) Why did mom leave the kids?
I don't think I'd be dragging my 2 year old over those rocks and along a walkway. I'd probably be thinking horror stories of her losing balance and falling on the rocks below - ESPECIALLY with the wind blowing as people are saying it was. So while I don't think it was a bright idea to leave the kids there, I can also understand why mom didn't take them, and may have thought it was the lesser of two evils to leave them playing in the sand - particularly if she had her eye on them most of the time - and particularly since they were together. I do see that there is a railing though, but with 2 little ones, it could be nerve-wracking up there all the same. Personally, I wouldn't bother getting the ball in that situation.
C) Why is mom choosing to believe her child drowned and already saying goodbye?
This seems obvious to me. In these situations, our mind goes to the absolute worst case scenario. While some might choose to believe their child was kidnapped because somebody wanted a child, I think most people would automatically be dreading the worst - and in this case, it seems like the most likely thing is that the baby fell into the water. I don't think the mother should be judged for being realistic... I bet she'd give anything for a different scenario.
Personally, I would have no problem going into somebody's yard to retrieve a stray ball. It is not as if I were committing a crime. If people were in the yard, I'd ask them to get it for me. If a dog was in the yard, I'd be knocking on the front door. But if the yard was empty, I would get my item. However, I wouldn't do it if that meant leaving my toddler alone on a beach. Forget the ball! But not everyone thinks that way. People do stupid things all the time.
Anyway. I think the whole thing is just a big tragedy. I don't think the mom did anything, but we all know how that is proven wrong sometimes. I just wanted to post my thoughts on some of the questions above and try to point out that these things aren't necessarily suspicious. Sorry if somebody already pointed them out.