I looked up historical rain and weather for that area. It rained a little 2/11 and 2/12, but nothing for the 13th or 14th. It's possible the ground was softer in that area. I know it was a little hilly.. so perhaps that location was a flatter area in a location that had some hills.. that would cause water to settle in the dips or flat areas. I'd say even the ground being soft could allow for a bullet to be stepped on and pushed down just a little bit and not be laying on top of the grass or leaves or whatever was there. Since it's very wooded, I am thinking there were likely dead leaves and things also on the ground. Unless that bullet fell out exactly as he was exiting the area, I think it's reasonably likely RA stepped on it or otherwise pushed it down when he was doing whatever he was doing with the girls

It wouldn't take much in my opinion to "push" it down enough that when LE went to remove it, they noted it was in the ground or taken out of the ground. To me that just means it was not laying on top of the leaves or other debris that was on the ground.
In the defense world apparently.
I think this guy was tipped in and they looked at him.. if someone has an alibi, they have an alibi.. can't make them be BG if they physically can't possibly be in that location at that time and we know the window for the time they were dropped off, abducted, and left is VERY small so in this case it would easier to rule people out or in based on if they were in a location they could not possibly get to the bridge and do that all was done in the time it happened in and then get back to somewhere else. Example: if he was an hour away, 30 minutes before the video was taken.. can't be him, if he was at work clocked in and with coworkers all day.. can't be him, etc. I don't know where he was or what LE had to exclude him, but that early on if there was any possibility it was him, why would they not follow up on it? I think it just makes a good story so the defense runs with these things. Because they looked into the Odin theory early on and this guy was known to be involved in that also, it is just a distraction and the defense can say whatever theory they want, does not mean it is true. They can look at photos of the scene and try to make it fit Odin symbols and anything else they want to.. it's legal for them to come up with whatever theory they want, but I don't believe it.