I really wanted to believe that Dylan ran away or was being "harbored" by someone who felt they needed to "help" him stay away from what they thought of as an abusive father. Kids tend to exaggerate, and mom probably said the worst about him the father to everyone, so I could totally see someone trying to step in thinking they were helping. Hell, I'd consider it myself if a kid needed it. And I'm one of those people who feels like they could never serve on a jury, because I always feel there is some doubt.
But watching Dylan's fathers interviews just makes my hair stand on end. The words he uses and non-verbal signs have clues in them. Certainly a person's speech, actions, or there demeanor can be misinterpreted. But with his statements I see multiple clues that are typical of someone being dishonest or not forthcoming.
- He is laughing before one interview before he realizes it's live. Even a nervous laugh isn't natural when you are consumed by thoughts of a lost son and are about to go on camera to talk about how to get him back. But the laugh doesn't look like a simple polite laugh to me.
- "Well it's been a tough time for all of us, I know, it ca"
--His voice goes up when saying this. Have someone tell you a truthful statement, and then a lie. Which version has the higher voice?
--It sounds like he is about to say "it can" be something, and then stops mid sentence. He uses "can" and "could" in his interviews. Why talk about what it "could" be like when it IS?
--Mark has a kind of a bob while he talks. when he's is saying things like "your welcome", "how difficult it's been for his mom and his brother", "and his family over the colorado springs area", "I'm doing everything I know how to do", he has some average movement. But when he says certain things he has a huge shake of his head, indicating he may not believe what he is saying: "We are doing everything we can to find dillan" and we "want to keep the focus on dylan", "You know, I've been working with the investigators to make sure that, you know..."
--"He, a, i, was last seen at my house..." - voice goes up alot, and stumbling here trying to say the right thing. The sentence goes on and on and starts to not make much sense, like he's really strugging to make a point and come out with convincing things to say:
--"I know there is rumors going around that he has been spotted by people and n, you know, our concern is that, you know that something has happened, to the point now, that we just, we're...we just want to keep in the public's eye, you know, dylan's face, and keep the focus on dylan, and you know, don't worry about me, and everything (huge head shake here) is going to be alright on my end, that I know this is only a troubling time for elane and my son cory and i spoke with him last night and you know surprised that we haven't been able to hook up today because one of the things we are trying to do is unite, together, and I have my oldest son from the phoenix area and of course my brother is here, so we're trying to unite as a family and stay focused on what is important here and you know...and I saw him ___ and I saw him___ the morning I left to run my errands"... well you can listen to the rest.
- This all sounds to me like a rambling attempt to point blame away from himself, and convince us that his family thinks we need to believe him. And that he needs his son and ex wife to get on board (unite) with the plan.
It seems he is downplaying the situation also. The police say your son is missing, hasn't run away, and cadaver dogs hit on places near his father's home (the father that he was very upset at having to go stay with, and who refused to let him go out with his friends), and that is a "troubling time"? You hear your son's gone missing, and you think for the mother it is "frustrating"? "Devastating", "Painful" is more what comes to mind for me. He really doesn't talk about any of his own emotions whatsoever, and he doesn't seem to take the situation very seriously. Maybe he is medicated???
At this point I'm starting to wonder where his concern is. At this point parents of missing kids are talking to the people at home, telling them what to do ("Please keep his name out there. We are devastated. We need him home. We don't care what happened, we just want him home. Please"). Press interviews are opportunities to get your kid's name out there, and to move people to action. Mark hasn't even mentioned that maybe someone took him, or kidnapped him. He says in another interview that he doesn't feel Dylan ran away (and the police ruled that out). So why no attempt to even ask for his return, if that's pretty much what you are assuming happened?
And he seems like talking the police and providing his home for a search would be a privilege or a chore. If it were my kid I'd have been begging police to go through it with a fine tooth come, over and over and over until they found something. For me they wouldn't have to just ask to search it - they'd have ask to leave it!
"Do you have anything to say directly to Dylan"?
"Dylan my prayers are with you...I love you very much". Not "If you are out there and can, please come home" or "we'll find you", but "my prayers are with you"???? And I would assume they fought when Dylan got there - the kid is 13, is being forced to visit his father against his will, and was prevented from going to a planned playdate by said father that night. No "If there is a problem we can work through it. Please come home"? And he doesn't look at the camera when he talks to hypothetical Dylan - he looks up in the air. It sounds to me like he believes there is absolutely no chance he is actually saying something that Dylan can ever hear.
Then he immediately follows with "He was the light of my life. And he meant everything to me". My heart just dived when I heard this. I feel very strongly the father believes Dylan is dead. I so hope I'm wrong.
You can use this to get out ANY message you want"
Answer - "Well, I know, but I don't want the focus to be mainly on me, I want the focus to be mainly on...". As a parent of a missing child, you now have the chance to beg his captors to let him go, or to encourage the neighborhood to come out and keep looking for him. Instead, Mark seems to immediately think about the reason he decided to the interview (make sure the focus is not mainly on himself).
Maybe Mark thinks Dylan is dead from natural causes (accident in the woods?). I would find this highly unlikely since his body has not been found yet. It seems more likely they got in a fight about seeing his friends and having to stay there. Mark probably felt Dylan was ungrateful. Mark made a point of saying how he "made sure" Dylan got a direct flight on the last trip - I'm sure he had to pay for that, and pay extra for it. And he points out how very important Dylan's friends were and how he couldn't possibly expect Dylan to spend time there without spending much of it with his friends. I think he felt Dylan should be grateful that he brought him out there, but instead a very overtired and cynical Dylan gave him a very hard time. Maybe something happened that Mark knew he was going to be in serious trouble for (like something that would not just lose him the rest of his family, but risk jail time and reputation)?
The fact that multiple cadaver dogs hit on locations nearby means decaying human remains were there. That could just be a drop of blood. But human, since they differentiate human from animal. And they differentiate live from decaying. The fact that the dogs hit on a scent, but there was nothing to show for it, is suspicious to me. Like something was there, but then was removed.
I also notice they don't say anything about wilderness, search, or trailing dogs finding anything. That might be one of the major reasons they say they are confident Dylan didn't run way. He was probably taken from the home via a vehicle. I don't believe Dylan even got out of bed on his own. I think he would have texted his friends first thing.
I wonder if they boy Dylan wanted to meet talked to him, or texted with him.
I found it odd that they they brought in equipment to search every building, but told neighbors to please not go knock on people's doors because it would hinder the search. I've not heard that tactic before. Usually I read about search parties that are purposely formed to knock on every door. That sounds like they are interested in preserving evidence.
I find it very unlikely that a stranger would happen to show up just at the right few hours to kidnap Dylan. So if it was an abduction, a family or friend seems more likely. Yet Mark doesn't mention this as a possibility, or seem angry at someone who might have taken his son. As a bitter husband with a seemingly vindictive wife accusing him of ridiculous things, I'm surprised he doesn't suspect that just maybe she or a family member had a hand in it and is just trying to hurt him.
Mark just seems somber and hopeless. There is no urgency in him whatsoever to find his son, and his words seem strangely detached. He's appears from this early interview to have given up. Why?
I read that his mother and brother have also used past tense. I think the context is a little different (I think her meaning was more of "he WAS learning so much" i.e. doing well and getting out of the rut they were in with he was being raised with his father, UNTIL he was forced deal with his father or the custody dispute stuff.), but I do think she also believes it is unlikely that Dylan is alive, and I do think she suspects the father accidentally hurt him. I think she sincerely hopes otherwise, but doesn't have a lot of hope to go on.
Or maybe I'm just projecting my own feelings there. I sincerely pray I'm very very wrong.
