Hi all...I've been thinking about this case and just re-read almost the entire thread. There are so many odd bits and pieces of this case that really could point in several different directions, and the insights and thoughts of other posters are really quite thought-provoking. Great sleuthing and theorizing on this case.
I believe it was GigTu who repeatedly has said that what her daughter has to say about her mother's disappearance is very critical to finding out what happened. I would still like to know if LE interviewed her, or whether any information was simply passed on by her husband to police. Originally I was thinking that the daughter must have said something to LE like, "Mommy told me just to wait for her here (kiosk) and she would be back but she never came back," which would explain why the reporter in the TC Palm opinion piece thought LE was more interested in pursuing child abandonment charges. However, if the child wasn't formally interviewed by LE...a number of other possibilities open up.
Was she old enough to lie or keep a secret? If Michelle voluntarily disappeared, did she tell her to keep her secret? Or did she just say "Mommy loves you, but has to go away?" I find that just as heartbreaking but perhaps not as bad as if she left her without explanation. And again, I come back to why she didn't just leave her at her dad's given that she knew that was where she surely would end up one way or another? I suppose if she wasn't rational nothing would make sense but it's hard to imagine a mother leaving her daughter in such a vulnerable position.
Another possibility is that the daughter is under duress and has been coached to tell a story that isn't true at all. I find this a little unlikely since kids tend to lie but truth slips out. But again, if LE didn't really interview her formally, to whom would this truth come out to? Grandmother? Agree that the fact that she was found at ice kiosk is more than odd given that was what Michelle was supposed to bring. Just a strange coincidence or....?
The last possibility which I haven't seen discussed much is the idea of completely random foul play/abduction. Perhaps all this other stuff - alleged mental illness, etc., doesn't come into play at all and Michelle perhaps did go to meet someone for something (not even gonna speculate) and left her daughter for what she thought would be a minute, really intending to come back, and something bad happened to her in that timeframe. The perp would have to have hidden the body quite well though, although if it was totally random there would be nothing to tie that person to Michelle. But wouldn't cameras have picked something up?
I don't know...but I pray a break in this case comes soon. I completely understand the hopeful stance that Michelle's family has taken given the circumstances, but as more and more time passes I worry that this is less likely to have a happy ending.
