Originally posted by Novice Seeker:
Here's another amen with the choir singing in background.
One of the things that has bothered me so much about this entire case is the mom's passive behavior. We've heard about her driving around in her car looking aimlessly, sitting by the phone and speaking at vigils but how do these help more than getting out there on foot and walking thru the weeds, looking in the woods, turning over every stone or looking into or behind things?
Why wasn't she supportive of the K-9 team who was called in by the aunt. Why didn't she call TM and TES at the beginning or why did she hire a public medial specialist? What exactly is the purpose of hiring this particular specialist? How has MB helped thru her services to search for Lindsey?
Vigils and flyers are nice but passing out flyers to the same people time after time doesn't help as much as pounding the ground and searching with the eyes. Vigils are also nice b/c it allows supporters to gather together and comfort each other.
But, the only thing that has the best chance of bringing Lindsey home is getting out there and searching and that includes everyone.
Novice Seeker
In her defense, they do not want family members searching for their missing children. There are many reasons, but it would be horrific if they found them in a bad way. MB is doing what she can at the moment, imo. I am sure she is probably emotionally drained after all this time. I am surprised she can still put one foot in front of the other in the morning when she wakes up to this nightmare.
Evidently, MB is taking her cues from LE. It is my understanding she was only following what they had told her at the time and hiring this chap was not supported by LE. Did she get bad advice? Possibly. However, she must have felt like it was the wrong thing to do when he showed up after someone else hired him. When a child goes missing, some very questionable people come out of the woodwork to offer their "help" and often they are grifters or worse. (Not saying he is one of those, but maybe she didn't know.)
A public media specialist is necessary in this day of technology to take on the challenges of getting the right message across and dealing with the public for people who have no experience in that arena. It can make an enormous difference in the perception of the public when it comes to volunteers and other things.
She did contact TES. With LRC and Klaas Kids Foundation being closer to the scene, it was reasonable for them to conduct the searches. It isn't that TES would not respond, but logistics play a role when you consider the cost to transport their equipment, horses, and people to WA state from Texas.
Right now, I would let LE continue on the path they are following and wait to see if the POI turns up something. If it is a dead end then it would be a good time to call in TES.
The vigils are good not only for the family, but the community. They are all experiencing this loss of Lindsey. Pulling together to support each other is necessary for the adults and especially for the children. Her friends and classmates are dealing with the loss every day when they do not see her at school.