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Bringing this map forward again. Out of the 3 routes suggested by Google, the one that goes through Decatur also takes them by Corpus Christi (it's about 140 miles from the suggested route to the beaches). I'm aware the police were not able to verify that sighting with surveillance, but it still opens the possibility.
Click on map to enlarge.
View attachment 113430
Okay, so like we have discussed, I remain open to remote U.S. possibilities as well as attempted crossings into Mexico. I'm going to try to explore both routes a little bit and will report back what I find on both. Would love to know what you know too.
Using the route in the quoted comment above, which goes from Columbia (their hometown) through Decatur (where their phones pinged) to the Laredo, TX border crossing, here is what I see:
--The Mexican town on the other side of the border is Nuevo Laredo. There are 15 options for 2 people to rent in Nuevo Laredo via Air BnB. https://www.airbnb.com/s/Nuevo-Laredo--Mexico/homes?adults=2&guests=2
--Nuevo Laredo is the most important trade border crossing of Latin America. Wikipedia (admittedly, that's a source open to misinformation) says approximately 8500 trucks cross the border each day. Would there be enough white Americans traveling for business in this area that they wouldn't stand out a ton? Or would this increase their likelihood of being spotted?
--It's about a 3 hour drive to a heavily wooded system of parks including Big Bend National Park which shared 118 miles of border with the U.S. side of the park. There is a border crossing INSIDE the U.S. part of the park even. From there, you can pay $5 to cross the Rio Grande and then pay for a truck or mule ride into town. An American couple's experience is detailed here. https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/border_travel.htm, https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/border_travel.htm
In Boquillas, a small village on the Eastern Side of Big Bend park in Mexico, there is lodging available. https://visitbigbend.com/lodging-chart/
In this same system of wooded parks, I found multiple Air BnB options advertised as well. Here's one: https://www.airbnb.com/s/Valle-Colo...s=2&guests=2&allow_override[]=&s_tag=HeXqiIul
--In the same forest system is the Sierra Maderas del Carmen that allows "zone camping" (basically you just find a spot out in nature) which is described here: https://texasflashdude.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/beneath-the-sierra-maderas-del-carmen/
--Rincón de Guaybitos is a beach town about two hours’ bus ride north, in the state of Nayarit.
--There are twelve universities and 3 "teacher training schools" in Nuevo Laredo. Could Tad think he could potentially get a job at an educational institution somewhere?
--Nuevo Laredo is served by the Quetzalcóatl International Airport with daily flights to Mexico City. Could they have some sort of IDs which they believe would pass Mexican airline checks?
--Transporte Urbano de Nuevo Laredo (TUNL) is the mass transit system that operates in Nuevo Laredo with fixed routes with millions of passengers per year. Could they have sold the car in a private sale and have crossed on foot?
--There is a Walmart about 500 km away in Matehuala, MX. http://www.tiendeo.mx/matehuala/walmart
--One Lonely Planet traveler reported that from this area, "Its too easy to get back to a crossing into the US without stopping and not handing all your permits back in. Friends of myself have done that, they were surprised to be back in the US." https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thornt...exico/mexico/laredo-tx-border-crossing?page=2