I might be wrong, but IMHO,I kinda feel like the shirt and possibly some of the other unknown contents of the bag, are trophies from other previous victims. I think that's why maybe they're still being tight lipped about all of it, why they're still convening the task force regularly to meet on Asha, and why two decades later, they're still actively pursuing it, rather than letting it fall to the wayside as many other cases have done.
This is a very interesting line of thought. I have wondered why not much more has been made about the photo of the mystery girl and this now has me thinking in new terms. Your theory about this being the reason they are tight-lipped about to this day makes me wonder if they know what they need to know about the girl in the photo and no more information is needed from the public about that piece of this very complicated puzzle.
The whole thing has elements of a bizarre treasure hunt, like a game or puzzle whose purpose is to lead or mislead the investigation.
If that is the case, who might most be inclined towards those activities? imo.
Another excellent line of thought here. We know that some perpetrators of these type crimes can be very diabolical and are almost as entertained by the puzzle they leave behind as they are the crime they are committing.
LONG POST ALERT* So many things about this case perplex me & I have read a lot of inconsistencies over last few month which could be a result of unreliable sources...
The timeline is what I keep coming back to. The articles from Shelby newspaper in days around her disappearance don't mention things that to ME seem important details to omit:
The power outtage duration & all areas impacted.
The father's trip to get candy for valentines day/anniversary has been said to be around 11-11:30...
Normal family routine vs circumstances of this night. It's Valentines day AND her parents anniversary...
Snipped & BMM
Excellent points. This didn't seem like a routine night in the household after a pretty full weekend of activities. I still don't suspect the parents, but this is just another odd bit of this puzzle.
Interesting about the lock. They said her key was in her purse. However it still seems strange to me that she would leave and take her key, bookbag and no coat! That's the part that made me think she may have walked out to get in a vehicle or to get something then got locked out.
If it can be confirmed that dad left to go to store I could see her either asking to go too if she'd woken up or getting in the car.
I also feel like the items found in the barn were not placed there. Winds blew WSW up to 51mph gusts. These items could have blown from the road or something? I also considered that if she was put in a car that she may have intentionally tossed them out of a moving vehicle or fell out of a bag in a struggle to get her in a car.
BBM
Firstly, I applaud this kind of thinking outside the box because taking a look through a different lens can often reveal details overlooked previously, much the same as proofreading your own words over and over again only to have another do it and find the errors your eyes have passed over. However, I do think that many of the small details that were listed as facts in the original investigation get lost in the years and current discussions of this case. One of which is the way her belongings (
were they even all hers and were they planted there?) that were found in the shed and also the fact that the book bag was found buried in a garbage bag (
why?) at a location (
were they planning to come back for them?) far enough away and in such a situation that, IMO, takes the parents being under suspicion completely off the table.
I feel like the original descriptions of the items found in the shed painted a picture of a child sitting down and eating some of her candy, leaving the wrappers there with the other things left behind. I cannot picture candy wrappers, hair ties (
or were they plastic barrettes?) and other items ALL being blown into the barn and settling in such a fashion as to suggest she sat down in one spot to eat her candy. The big question for me regarding these items is whether or not this child, who was so scared of the dark, thunderstorms and dogs, just suddenly braved all of her fears at once and entered a strange, scary, dark barn where the people had dogs and went inside. Was she alone or was someone with her? Or, were these things cunningly planted there to lead everyone down the path of "runaway". How convenient.
Sorry for the length, but I wanted to respond to some of these really great thoughts and ideas brought forth recently and also say how glad I am this precious child is not forgotten. I have not been able to forget since I first heard about her disappearance.
This case has long baffled me and broken my heart. I hope to someday see some measure of justice done for Asha.