I wondered this as well. He is in his late 40s. He will remember Yorkshire Ripper and other high profile cases. These were covered and shocking then and now but in the age of social media this case grew its own legs. There was even a missing case in Deal, her husband was only convicted in late 2019. Sorry l can't remember her name. This very likely took him by surprise. I think it has taken us all by surprise- it's not the first time this has happened but it feels so awful.
well that's not the same. The poor kid was thought to have been drowned for a start and water does different things and certainly speeds up the process. Then there's his family who are certain he was attacked.