I don’t think we know definitively that there weren’t other tire tracks. We know of the one cast they made (Kevin’s) and that after identifying that cast as an impression of Kevin’s car in 2004 they began looking at theories that did not involve a vehicle. What we don’t know, however, is why they chose only to make a cast of that car. Surely there would have been other tire tracks if nothing else from those of DR’s vehicle, depending on weather conditions. Perhaps Kevin’s were the most recent so that was the only cast they took thinking the most recent in/out would have been the abductor and the rest are lost to history. DR also talks about how LE were trampling over tire evidence while on horseback in his farmyard.
While the area is isolated, it is not far from a known partying place and there was a potential risk of someone happening along. If he was known in the area at all he could risk someone identifying him thus the desire to make certain he did what he could to remain unnoticed.
Maybe not a branch was used, but weeds I am sure were abundant, so if he attempted to hide the car at all there would have been some material available.
Of the known offender priest/monks, none fit the sketch. Why would the members of the abbey need to seek out children when plenty come to them? I do not rule out the possibility of rogue priest who has also not yet been identified as an offender, but I don’t think the order needs to go hunting outside the campus when they’ve weaved a perfectly good web.
If the Paynesville cases, Jared’s, and Jacob’s are indeed all the same person then where I lived would not have been in the perps area, so I would not have likely ever have seen anything pertinent. I will say where I lived was equally an isolated area where you knew everyone going in or out and occasionally a strange car would park itself by a wind row down the road to which my mother often attributed to people dealing drugs but other than my mom’s paranoia about drug dealers no one thought about a kid getting stolen. I only mention this because I think that may have often been the mindset at the time. We were allowed to ride our bikes everywhere at all times of day until Jacob disappeared and then we went into lock down.
I have never met DR but I know people that went to the school where he teaches and some that have interactions with him now. From what I hear there is something odd about the guy but none of the people I know believe he is the perp—its interesting that it seems the people that knew him back then are less suspicious of him that those that met him post becoming a POI. I guess it goes to show how our feelings and opinions are shaped based on media reports.
