Okay, I’ll play devil’s advocate here. What would fit the facts that we know thus far but, would not have SM as a murderer?
SM is in some sort of trouble for which she is being blackmailed. (Affair, drugs, sex?)
Blackmailer tells her if she lets him “use” her boy for a couple of hours, he’ll stop blackmailing her.
She drugs Gannon up hoping he will not remember what happened to him. (The neighbor’s video shows a listless Gannon getting into the red truck.)
She drops Gannon off to the blackmailer at a preplanned location north of CS.
She is to pick him up a couple of hours later.
She goes back, but the blackmailer does not show up with Gannon.
She comes home, panics, makes up the runaway story. She digs herself deeper with story changes as police debunk the runaway theory.
She finally tells LE the truth. This would account for her telling us that LE has a description, that Gannon will come home safe, that she would never hurt Gannon. (In her sick mind, she does not believe she is the one responsible, it is the “blackmailer”.)
The police search using her information, but have not been able to find this person or Gannon.
Personally, I don’t believe this is what happened. However, it does fit the odd statements and time frame as we know it.
Thoughts?