Also re: the bike being found on the property, the wording varies greatly (in my opinion) between the above linked article and the official Sheriff's press release, and the difference in meanings matters quite a bit in terms of the significance of the bike being found on the property.
News article:
Erath County Sheriff Matt Coates said Sharla’s mother called authorities after noticing the bike about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators immediately went to the home, but there was no sign of Sharla. “Investigators have searched that location every day since Sharla disappeared and the bicycle was not there Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday,” Coates told Beneath the Surface News. [Source]
LE Release (
8/2):
The bicycle that was originally reported as missing was discovered at the residence today by members of the family. The Sheriff's Office investigators along with a Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger have been conducting interviews of all involved parties. [Source]
I think the part that sticks out to me is "The bicycle that was
originally reported as missing was
discovered..."
For some reason, to me it sounds like there is a possibility that the bike was not ever actually missing, just overlooked somehow. I realize the previous quote says they searched the location every day and the bicycle was not there, but the article was written on the same day the press release was issued, so the discrepancy is a bit strange... to me, at least. Not even sure of the significance of it, but it does seem like it could give some kind of hope that she returned it herself on Tuesday, OR indication of someone else being involved if it wasn't Sharla returning the bike... unless it was in fact there all along and not noticed. So I guess it could make a difference, but may mean nothing if it's just a case of using different words at different times.