Hello all! I am still catching up but read all the previous threads.
In regards to previous victims of sexual abuse seeing that sort of abuse everywhere, I don't think that is true. I think their experience may give them the benefit of seeing warning signs the rest of us might miss.
I have never been a victim of abuse and when a pretty young girl goes missing I just take it for a given that evidence will turn up that there was a sexual aspect to the crime simply because I honestly can't recall a
case on here where that didn't occur, or at least not many.
As far as not seeing a link from WH's previous crimes and these, I can assure that the detectives see a link. I can give a couple of fictional examples, if Timmy mutilated a cat then little Travis across the street is found
murdered, I can assure that detectives won't say, well Timmy only likes to kill cats. A man who has a propensity for violence against and a need to control those physically weaker than him is a threat everyone weaker than him.
He has show that he is capable of violence against his spouses that tends to escalate when they try to remove themselves from the relationship.
Another fictional example. Mary turns up murdered, detectives see that LE was called to Mary and Joe's multiple times in the past on domestics, she never testified and there were no charges, detectives are still looking RIGHT at Joe. I can assure. They aren't saying, well, no charges lets move on to the next guy.
Now lets shift it, say it wasn't Mary who turned up murdered but her pretty step daughter and Mary and Joe were recently estranged. Even without the past kidnapping, rape, choking indictment I can assure the police would STILL be
looking right at Joe until he could be cleared. But if Joe couldn't be cleared and kept lying to LE...
I think it would be naive to think a grown man who comes into a girl's life when she is a teenager is going to have the same bond as a biological father or someone who has bonded with her since she was a baby/toddler, not saying it isn't possible, there are great step-dads, just saying it shouldn't be a given.
Anyone who has been to a mall/restaurant/sporting event with a gorgeous teenager can attest to the fact that it's not only teenage boys who are ogling her. AJ was 18 , the most popular *advertiser censored* internet search is Teen, most of those girls are AJ's age or close to it, she would not have been an interest to only pedophiles. She was right smack dab in the middle age wise between WH's previous victims.
I for one LOVE the different minds on this site, I have liked MANY posts that I don't agree with because they were well written and thought out and they made me see things from a different angle.
I feel that some people have an excellent capacity to keep an open mind and stick to just the facts, I think these minds would be awesome in the courts and amazing jury members. Juries should go on just the facts.
But...those facts aren't there when a crime first comes to light, detectives have to use their experience, instincts, facts, probabilities and other non tangibles to direct them where to look for those facts we sorely need to
seek justice. What I like about Websleuths is the mix of posters, outside the box thinkers, and just the facts please alike. It's interesting reading.
Last point in my TLDR post, to any newbies to Websleuths or to this case in particular, I very much recommend if possible for you to read all the threads, this case has been fascinating to me and
it's well worth the time if you can spare it (I understand how hard that is!). There are just so many nuances to explain with just a timeline or quick post.
