Since this is a new thread, I'm going to try and recap what we know, or at least how I understand things to have gone down. I will inevitably be speculating, so I will put this disclaimer here now- I have not watched any of the linked videos so comments in that regard are based on the posts of others. This is all my opinion only. I will try to keep speculation in seperate paragraphs and italicised.
Aliayah was supposed to stay over at a friend's Friday evening, but was brought home because she was ill. She was apparently sick off and on throughout the night, and on Saturday morning the 9 year old sibling moved to her mother's bed because of it. Aliayah was last seen at 6:30, when mother saw stepfather off to work, and was found missing at 9:30. Finding her child missing, mom drives around for approximately two hours before calling Law Enforcement. Driving confirmed by cameras around town, route not released (?) so it's not clear how far she went at that time.
Nothing odd about most of this. Mom is 8 months pregnant, so this sleepover might have been a trial run for when mom was in hospital and the kids weren't to stay at home for some reason. Or they wanted to give mom a break. Or Aliayah likes sleepovers. Some kids want coddling and some want to be left alone when ill. If Aliayah fell quiet around that time, mom might not want to accidentally wake her by going in to check for no reason. Both my kids wake easily when ill, leading to them crying and being unhappy when what they need most is rest.
The assertion Aliayah wouldn't leave because she was sick- not necessarily. If she was running a fever, she might be less cautious/logical. I wouldn't go so far as to say delirious (although it is possible), just that her critical thinking skills (the tiny amount three year olds have) might have been impaired.
As for the driving- suspicious and odd, BUT she is 8 months pregnant with twins (walking might be awkward and painful, as serious joint issues aren't uncommon in even singleton pregnancies) and it is easy to lose track of time while searching. Mom might be reluctant to call LE given her past record or because she is concerned about a CPS investigation- the fear might be justified and it might not, but it is very real for many people. "Not going to take my kids" and such. Not right, but not inexplicable.
Law Enforcement are searching. Dogs (training type unpecified) have traced Aliayah's scent down the road and to a riverbank. Photos released of a nearby white shed. Divers have found nothing.
In the home are 5 children, the mother and a stepfather. Moved recently, said to have mostly kept to themself. Stepfather works at a golf course. Mother has made comments ot the media, including the assertion that Aliayah would not leave the house alone, but is mostly letting some aunts talk.
On the last point, who can blame her? The driving around, if true, undermines her "No way she left the house" assertion; clearly she thought it possible. So she doesn't think Aliayah is kidnapped and being held, so appeals to the kidnapper aren't needed. She probably knows exactly what speculation is being said about her, fairly or unfairly, and I can see trying to avoid the limelight. Not to mention the grief and denial.
Law Enforcement are not discussing possible suspects or theories. Mother does have a criminal record. Stepfather's grandmother and aunt appear to have gone missing in 1999, but he has not been named in MSM and this can therefore not be confirmed. Am I reading that part right? The mods seem to be deleting posts that go against the TOS- much appreciated, especially when there are minors involved, but it makes for some disconnected reading. Tragic, if so; I've known a few families where tragedy just seems to follow them. Family has moved out because the house is being considered a crime scene. RSO's in the area have been interviewed and seemingly cleared.
What vital pieces of information am I overlooking?
I would venture to guess probably milk or juice rot.
She didn't seem to have the healthiest of eating habits since she is seen in one of the pics carrying around a bag of Doritos.
It might also be an accident (since it's four top teeth right at the front, not the molars which seem to have cavities more often- that just strikes me as "smacked her mouth off something") or a genetic issue, but milk rot is a serious problem. It's very, very sad and preventable with the right information, but I do see how it happens. Misinformation, not enough information, not enough resources, poverty preventing parents from accessing the medical care that would inform them or help before it reached that stage.... Carrying Doritos doesn't mean she was eating them though. Full Doritos bags make a great deal of noise and are therefore a desirable toy, at least for my kids.
That poor, poor girl. I still haven't been able to shake my gut feeling that this was an accident. An accident in a home that might be neglectful or otherwise abusive (based on the suspicious but inconclusive things brought to light by the investigation), yes, but I still think accident. Well, more than the alternative. I can see a coverup as well, but that is a completely baseless thought with no evidence to support it. This poor little girl.
