There is a lot of publcity that this case attracted without the efforts of LE, so they are stuck with that. Has its pluses and minuses. They are under scrutiny nationally now, and any mistake they make, inappropriate thing they do, any foolishness, any technicalities are going to be right out there.
I don't know how much national coverage helps these cases. Local, and state, yes, national, mm. Don't know. If indeed the orange car and JM were responsible for Hannah's disappearance, they had enough time to go over state lines and dump Hannah there, so there is that positive that the awareness does not stop where the coverage did. Frankly, if I were dumping a body, it would be as far away and out of state, not even an adjoining state unless time was of the essence, but most immediate crimes would not go through such calculations. I read that most crime evidence/bodies are found within an hour of where the crime was committed, and closer is more common.
But I think some of this is also grandstanding, yes. It can mean a rise in prospects for Longo, if he is successful in solving this case and others that have plagued the area. Oh, yes, it would be very big for him. But if he flops, it's a big one. THe Casey Anthony DA was pretty much let go when he lost that case. That happens with DAs , in particular, which is why we don't see much of him, yet as LOngo as stated, the DA is holding the reins on the case. DA has to nail it with a conviction and gets stuck with all of the mistakes and sloppiness the LE do in a case, especially if rights are not properly observed, procedures not followed.