Thank you for reminding all of us.
Sometimes, it's difficult not to dissect every word that LE, a family member or a friend says when there's a missing child, but it's important to remember that these people are stressed and often have had little sleep or no sleep. Please take note of the case of Isabel Celis, a 6 year taken from her bed in 2012. For six years Isabel's parents have endured speculation and outright accusations of harming their daughter - until a little more than a week ago when a stranger was charged in the abduction and murder of Isabel as well as another child. Please read the apology written by a reporter at the Arizona Star to Sergio and Becky Celis here:
Steller column: After indictment, we owe the parents of Isabel Celis an apology
Children with autism who are runners are not the same as children without autism who run from their parents. A child with autism typically has no sense of danger of getting lost or harmed and they run like someone with an adrenaline rush. Often, we don't even know why they are running. I don't know how to describe how quickly they can get away, They do not look for cars, or things they could trip on; they don't pause for people or objects in their path. There is no hesitation at all. You have to experience it to really understand.
Maybe there is something sinister in this case, but just maybe there isn't. There is nothing to prove that what the father said is not true. If LE comes to believe what the father told them is false, they will state that in time and we can discuss it then.