"Later [on the night EO was reported missing], courtroom testimony revealed Bustmante's family drove her to St. Louis and checked her into a psychiatric hospital."
tgrlaw, you and I think alike. This seems like a pretty huge revelation. I'll go a step farther than "some inkiling" and say that, if true, it means that the gransparents had a reason to know or actual knowledge that Alyssa had done something to Elizabeth. It makes me really curious about exactly when/how/if the Brookes told LE. Can Jodibug or W8nc confirm that this really was the testimony yesterday?
I was not able to attend the afternoon session, and I didn't hear this in the morning hearing. First I heard of it was on KRCG at 10pm last night. I went looking for it on their website to see if they said where the info came from, and couldn't find it.
I can see several possible explanations....IF IT'S TRUE....
1) they knew EO was missing, saw AB acting strangely or maybe with blood on her and did realize there was, or could be, a connection, and decided to get her out of town. Could be for her own safety or the safety of the other kids, or could be to get her off LE radar till they could make a decision about what to do.
2) they may have seen AB with blood on her and thought she'd either killed an animal or had been cutting herself in a serious way and not even connected it to EO's disappearance.
3) AB may have hidden any bloody clothing, but still displayed erratic or psychotic behavior that scared them, so they took her in for treatment.
4) story may not be true at all
If they drove her to St Louis, did they take the rest of the kids with them? Did the other kids go to school on Thursday? Did aunt KP babysit the other kids while GM/GF/AB were driving to St L and back? When did AB get back? How did she get released so quickly? Was that because JC LE already knew (grandparents called and told them what was up maybe?), so they controlled the search and the news until they could get a chance to talk to her? Maybe the written evidence is a statement she gave at the psychiatric facility?
So many possibilities added by a single sentence I heard on TV news......
:banghead: