hey guys. I am one of the visitors that you've had here for the last couple days. I wish you guys were in charge of this investigation because you all are great!
I live in christiansburg, just up the highway from salem/roanoke area. I see there are alot of my neighbors on here too, so hello to all.
Here's what i'm thinking about the tent. As a camper myself, i'd bet this guy is not experienced in camping at all or else he wouldn't be buying a tent. It is soooo cold here that in order to heat this tent, he would need some type of propane heater or build fires. The only type heater that walmart sells that would work, a dual heater which uses two canisters of propane at a time, is a mr buddy. From fri/sat until today, he would need at least 20-30 canisters of propane and you can tell from the few items in the buggy, he did not buy propane or else the buggy would be full to the bim. The heater is also fairly large and i don't see it there either. I'm hoping he is building fires, that would make it much easier to spot from the air or land, but how would he keep the tent warm? Le stated today that he bought 'camping items' and also gatorade. (any liquid not sitting directly on a fire, or extremely close, is going to freeze in these temperatures. Quickly. The last couple nights it has been in the teens with a wind chill hovering around zero.) you just can't 'go camping' around here without some planning and alot more supplies that what they have in the that buggy. There are so many items which i'm sure he wouldn't even think about unless he's actually camped before.
I read that le has ruled out craig co and botetourt. Anyone know why? Also, does anyone know if vdot records traffic on their trafficams and could those be reviewed to see if they can figure out if he got on i-81 and which way he went? I-81 is very close to this walmart. If the guy is thinking at all, then he may head somewhere near water. Sml area? (he was seen in se rke) or giles co along the new river maybe? There are lots of hunters out so i hope they are keeping a lookout but if they are in the tent, a hunter would probably not bother them unless they saw the car or a pic of the tent. Le did say that they think he is being helped out. Do you think mom might be keeping in touch and not telling le? There has to be a reason they think he is being helped and unfortunately that hasn't been reported.
Ok, i see this is super long, i'm sorry! Last thing, i hope this child is found alive. Whatever her involvement has been, and i honestly believe he has 'flirted' with her but i just can't bring myself to believe she is involved on the level that some people do. Yes, i know, i'm naive. And a mom, my son is her age. It's heartbreaking.