Could one of the owners of the quarry nearby also be an owner or involved with the quarry at Alum Creek? Did this person also live in Marble Cliff? This person would certainly know his way around where the body was found and if he lived in Marble Cliff then he was most certainly known. And quite possibly friends with the Klitch family.
I feel there is something here....
UFO Boy,
Good point! Where is the quarry in relation to the Tennis court where Mike was playing, compared to the quarry at Alum Creek Lake. I actually did not know about a nearby quarry, just the one twenty five miles out where Mike's body was found in the shed. I strongly believe that Mike's abductor knew the area well and was a local resident, possibly even within the Marble Cliff Community.
More questions for study:
Do you think anyone could have seen Mike talking to his abductor, or heard anything, and they have just been quiet all these years? Or do you think that any conversation started out on false pretenses because Mike knew his abductor? In this case, the horror of what was happening to Mike was not realized, until he was in the abductors vehicle? My feeling is that the horror did not begin at the tennis court itself. The killers' motive was to get out of the area, or at least out of sight where he would do something bad to Mike at that time. My gut feelings are that Mike knew his abductor and killer.
Or do you think that Mike was exhausted from the heat, walked over to those woods to cool off and was attacked in the woods? Are those woods really "woodsy?" meaning if someone wanted to do something bad to someone, the trees would muffle their screams and cries for help? How big is that wooded area? How far does it extend? This could be the scenario if Mike was attacked by surprise, or even a stranger abduction.
I am discounting the idea that he hopped a train. Mike knew his time on the court was only limited to about forty-five minutes to an hour of play. He would not worry his family like that. He knew his Mother was coming to get him around 3:30 or shortly thereafter. If Mike had planed for some daring or exciting (in his mind) adventure, he would have said something like, "Mom, don't pick me up for about two hours."
If Mike set that special tennis ball down on the court by his own doing, he would certainly intend to return for it. What could have made this a surprise attack with little to no time for Mike to react is if he was attacked from behind or attacked with a weapon, such as the butcher knife at the tennis courts. This could make Mike drop his tennis ball. But there was no evidence of a struggle on the court. It just seems that if the killer used a weapon at that time there would be blood evidence there.
On the other hand, if this was say a 200 lb athletic adult, it may not take much of a struggle at all to lure a 12-year old 85 lb kid away, no blood, nothing found to indicate a struggle in this possible example. Mike could have been forced away by a much stronger individual who could have threatened him if he did not comply. Mike could have been killed with the butcher knife later in a struggle with his killer at another location. I believe that Mike's killer knew that the shed in which Mike's body was found was going to be underwater. Could Mike's killer have sought to burn the other evidence found nearby, but got distracted? (Mike's clothes? Mike's tennis racket?)
I believe Mike's killer wanted to disassociate himself from the kidnapping and murder by getting out out town, far enough away, to horrifyingly use this plan to not get caught. I wish there was away to extract ALL the evidence, the special tennis ball, Mike's tennis racket, Mike's clothes, and the charcoal lighter fluid (was it one or two cans?) I think two cans that were found near the shed that had Mike's body inside. Test all that evidence for DNA. Or would that not work?
Satch