jellybean96
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Snipped- So it sounds like Lewis stated Tom placed an outgoing call at 12:23, but Klein muddies the waters a bit saying it last pinged at 12:10 which contradicts that statement, I think. Don't phones ping when you place calls/send texts? What about when you receive them? Was Lewis confusing mom's last text as activity from Tom or were Klein's statements incorrect?
I'm not a huge fan of Klein, so that may be clouding my opinion here. I feel like Klein has something to prove. He says he just wants to find the truth, no matter what the truth may be, BUT he was hired to basically either prove that LE were inept or they were involved in a cover-up of some sort. So while I'm not saying he was being intentionally dishonest/incorrect, he might have reason to only see what proves his theory.
On the other hand, if LE was involved in Tom's death or at least the subsequent cover-up of his death and Lewis was aware from the first night, they'd have reason to steer the investigation the wrong way from the beginning. Presumably, they'd also only give Klein information that didn't prove any wrongdoings on their part. If they had access to his phone from midnight or so that night, they could pretty much control the narrative in any way they see fit (like searching a suicide hotline, turning off a phone, saying the dogs followed a scent trail that didn't actually exist, moving Tom, his vehicle, his belongings, etc).
I honestly could go either way in this case, but suicide seems to be the easiest conclusion for me to reach. His age, quitting football, possibly some bullying, a recent break-up, even family and friends mentioning suicide being a possibility all seem to point to it. It's a lot harder for me to find a possible reason for LE to be involved. Other than the fact that one particular officer seemed to have some sort of beef with Tom, there's really nothing that gives me reason to believe that in itself could lead to murder. I'd be far more likely to believe another kid was involved and LE was covering for the kid, but that theory seems to have been discounted.
Lewis had a beef with Tom. And his deputy has shown a history of poor judgement (and was on duty, using his personal phone while looking for Tom). Those two things, by themselves, are not good. BUT when combined, I just cannot give LE the benefit of doubt in this case. Throw in the reports of LE telling searchers not to look where Tom was eventually found. Throw in the missing photo of Tom at the gas pumps. The evidence that wasn't processed immediately and Tom's truck being turned back over to his parents, almost immediately. I just cant sweep all that under the rug and go with suicide.