Hey Friends,
I signed up to comment on this case after skimming through the postings over the past month. I suppose I am interested for the same reasons as everyone and as I have a few kids, including a 15-year-old daughter. I also am directly acquainted with one of the families of one of the "DC missing girls" who turned out not to be missing in the way they were thought to be so the issue in general has been on my mind.
Here are my thoughts on this case.
1) it is a kidnapping. Yes there is a subtle difference an adult taking a 5-year-old by persuasion and a 16-year-old by persuasion. But that is not relevant as a minor simply cannot consent, and adults can't plead ignorance to the fact that this is a crime, and an in loca parentis teacher especially can be expected to know the law against this.
2) Sexual contact in this case is felony sexual assault, and likely rape.
3) the kidnapper in this case is just a basic run of the mill predator. The fact that attraction to post pubescent children is not the same as pedophilia does not matter. The laws against sexual contact and kidnapping are in place for a reason.
4) I think this child is in danger of both sexual assault, and also in danger of becoming a homicide victim, as the perpetrator may well reach depression as options become reduced.
5) I am not surprised they have not been found. yes, he is an idiot. Yes, not only is he not CIA, (that fake claim really just tells you he is a very low self esteem type who has to invent backstory) he has demonstrated a serious lack of knowledge of any of the basics of avoiding detection. His teaching of High school "forensics" is likely based on little to zero qualifications. The episode in the walmart shows a total lack of any sense of concealment. The average front stoop package pilferer and theft-from-auto low level criminal knows to wear a hoodie and a baseball cap pulled low to reduce ubiquitous security camera risks. so this guy is not a bight penny,
But the fact is it is a big country. They are not particularly noteworthy, They look like a grandfather and daughter or father and daughter. Rural areas are especially difficult to police. People in western society are notorious bad at identifying faces, they key on hair and clothes and if those are changed their identification by non-LEO would be low, or worse yet generate a huge number of false positives
6) He can't marry her in any US state, Canada or Mexico. Firstly duress is present by definition because of her kidnapping. Secondly he is married and looking at his state laws, the fact that he is a fugitive gives his current wife a lot of benefit of the doubt in asset division (and she needs to file in order to protect assets which would be an easy civil target for the victims family) but the actual divorce will take a while given one party is absent. I think it is more likely he researched child marriage so he could present the victim with partial information to convince her this is possible, when it is not.
7) the fact that the Walmart tape does not show physical duress is irrelevant. Trying to read their body language is not really meaningful to the crime except to show that catching maybe more difficult since he has created a false trust between himself and his victim