I think a lot of people would expect a more emotional response, and are bothered by how he reacted. One thing to keep in mind is that most men are raised or conditioned to believe that strong emotional reactions, emotional outbursts, or other very obvious/powerful expressions of emotion are symbolic of "weakness". Many are taught by either family or society that men are supposed to be stoic; that men are supposed to suppress or hold in emotions, especially crying or anything that could be construed as "hysterical". He may be used to keeping his emotions in check, or he may be trying his hardest to be level-headed and some kind of stability or strength for his family. I am not saying this is an excuse, but rather, a perspective to consider.
Everyone reacts to extreme emotions, grief, etc., differently, and while I think it's only natural to seek answers or clues in the behaviors of the family, we have to also respect the fact that unless we have been in a situation like that, we really don't know how we would behave. It's easy to make assumptions about how someone SHOULD act, but like I said, we don't know all the factors that affect how a person behaves in such extremely emotional and traumatizing situations. His shock seemed genuine to me. He's been searching for his lost son, had just recently been told the investigation was moving into the realm of possible homicide, and was probably not only trying to digest all the emotions and thoughts that manifested from all of that, but also trying to be as calm and stable as he could be on national television so he's as effective/helpful as possible in raising awareness about his missing child. And then he's blindsided by NG on live television with the vague statement that they "found his son"? That's a lot to absorb in an instant, and I think his sort-of speechless and stunned was response wasn't shady or strange. Then again, JMO!
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If the abuse allegations are true, it's unfortunate that the stepmother didn't feel safe enough to approach police privately with the issue after the search began.
