I don't know how I missed reading a couple of the early posts from a few years back, but I just got to them, and have a couple more thoughts.
First, I hope the older sister isn't still holding guilt for the disappearance of her younger sister. A twelve year old is not responsible for another child's well being, the mother is. It sounds like the twelve year old had a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. I hope she understands this is not her fault, and she should be relieved of that guilt. God Bless her!
Second, I just picked up on the fact there were patients living in that apartment complex from a (then) recently shut down mental health facility. This is obviously a red flag, and I certainly hope these individuals were thoroughly interviewed.
While my instincts tell me the mother wasn't directly involved, I would highly suspect her lifestyle choices, including her associates, might have significantly contributed to this crime.
Unlike others, I do not believe she is with relatives and living a great life since, although that would be a wonderful outcome.
I am interested in learning more about the tip that came from the psychic, and the apparent lead that came out of it. (Some farm close by with a red barn etc. ) Any additional insights on that Tracker? I think there is definitely something there. It's setting off flags for me.
Finally, the notion that someone walked with her a mile was being discounted. I think the tracks have already reinforced that? And I understand that sounds a little odd for "a get away", but Tracker indicated the larger set of tracks were walking close to bushes & trees. To hide, we can assume. And while I agree it wasn't necessarily a slick get away, it did work. They must have known the time, the route, and the probability of discovery. Or, it could have been someone with an altered state of reality who didn't weigh those possibilities? Whoever it was, she knew them.
What adults was she quite familiar with living at that apartment complex? The older sister would know. I would suggest there is a very high probability that you will find your Perp right there.