Lizzybeth--I think you are referring to the torture and murder of James McNeely by the Harvey family of Ladonnia, MO. Many similarities, especially the involvement of women. There's also some similarities with Kyle's horrible case and with Megan of West Virginia.
Most of you know that I've worked with and parented a large number of people with developmental disabilities. Delightful for the most part but also challenging. I may be totally off base, but I'm seeing some DD here. If you read the latest link, the torture methods are extremely immature (horribly sick but still immature) and the mug shots give me a sense that we're dealing with a group of people who have some serious deficits. I think it's also worth noting how quickly this group was found and the crime "solved".
I do NOT mean to be disrespectful of the victim in any way as my heart breaks for her but she also looks to be compromised in some way. If this hunch plays out, I'm hopeful that the media does not minimize this crime. People with DD commit crimes and are victims far more than we'd like to recognize. They do, however, require very different methods of accessing the judicial system.
As I said, I could be flat out wrong, but I'm suspicious of what I'm seeing.