The evidence is compelling enough against the POI that I am willing to accept this as a loose end; however, all loose ends need to be addressed eventually. My best guess, and it is just a guess, is that something odd happened with JEW and his M.O. changed as a result. Something about that M.O. made the reporting of sexual assaults less likely. Suppose, for example, that he really didn't intend to kill JEW. He was in the MN Guard and a video of a handgun in his safe was shown, so I am convinced now the firearm was real. Suppose JEW tried to escape and he shot him. In the boonies, at 10 p.m. I spoke to a gun nut about this. The agent called it a "pistol". Technically, that means a semi-automatic firearm. But the key point is that it was a handgun. The sound doesn't travel as far. He hastily hides the victim and flees the area. He comes back later to conceal the remains. But he is not murder material. So he changes his M.O. to avoid killing. To what I don't know, but it would be to something that doesn't result in the acts being reported or the nasty situation of what to do when your victim tries to flee. Or, maybe he just takes long road trips. But the event is stark enough to cause him to drastically change his M.O. All just conjecture, but one possible explanation for how an M.O. can change.
BTW: the first car had child safety locks, the second did not. The same thing could have happened to JS if he had been able to get out of the car. In other words, the intent here may have been no different than it was with JS, only that the POI intended to fully satisfy his urges this time. Same M.O. Same comfortable, "safe" place to do the deed.