Well, from the beginning it was noted that cell phone service in that area is not reliable, so whether they got rid of the landline or never had it in the first place, it seems strange that they would not have a landline.
Suzanne's father also said that after they moved to Colorado they had very little communication with her. I don't think he or AM would have mentioned it if it wasn't a change to what they were used to. I don't think they are exaggerating, especially since AM seemed convinced at first that BM had nothing to do with Suzanne's disappearance. I think he didn't see the warning signs at the time but once he realized BM might be responsible his actions took on a different meaning.
AM said that when he called them, he wouldn't hear back for several days. I don't think he said whether he left messages on Suzanne's phone or not, but he said he left messages for BM that were never returned. BM pointed a finger at SM's family for not communicating with her, but that still doesn't explain why he wouldn't answer AM's calls just to let him know how Suzanne was doing.
That BM was against Suzanne taking medication doesn't necessarily mean he was controlling, but it supports the claim early on that he was controlling and made all the decisions about the finances, and SM took a more submissive role in the marriage.
It's one thing to be against taking medication, but to browbeat, or give someone a hard time about their choices about their own mental health is another thing. Suzanne would know best what the side effects were for any medication she was taking, and it would be entirely her decision. She should not have been made to feel guilty about it, especially since guilt is a common symptom in the first place. I've never heard of any adverse effects of medical marijuana to treat cancer. How would she know if she never tried it? How could Barry know?
BM doesn't sound very supportive to me. According to SM's friend it was her daughter who went with her to the treatment sessions for cancer. If he was so concerned about medication and how she responded to it, why wasn't he there himself?
I think there may have been more problems in the marriage than her family knew, especially since SM had been isolated from them for the past two years. It seems she had confided in at least one of her friends, though.
I don't think money was the primary motivator either, but I do think Suzanne may have considered or asked for a divorce and BM was not willing to let her go.
IMO
Snipped and bolded by me - This is not directed at you
@MsBetsy but rather I am just jumping off your post as I remembered a thought I had that I have been meaning to post but kept forgetting to do it.
There's been posters that have wondered/commented why AM said he contacted BM instead of SM. I can think of an easily explainable possibility of why this may have been, as this has happened in my own family at different times. When my brother was fighting prostate cancer, I (and other family members) always texted and/or called his wife instead of him and we did it this way for several reasons, which includes some of the following. We couldn't always remember for example what days he had chemo treatments (or his radiation), so was he at the hospital where it may be more difficult for him to visit/chat/text. We knew it was difficult for him to get restful sleep, plus he napped a lot when the opportunity arose, so we didn't want to take a chance of texting and/or calling his cell phone and disturbing him. Also, not sure if they were having a late lunch, early supper, etc., based on what his appetite was that day, or that day at that particular time, etc. So, we would touch base with his wife and she would keep us updated and then when he had his feel better moments, he would then reach out to us on his time schedule and when it worked out best for him, which we were all just fine with this as we understood how difficult this all was for him, his wife, etc.
So, to sum it up, maybe this could be one of the reasons, or 'the' reason of why AM mentioned that he would contact BM sometimes rather than SM. I do not know this for sure - that's not what I'm saying here. But what I am saying is, that I don't think this has anything to do with his love for his sister, nor do I think it should be spoken about or referred to in a negative sense, because IMO, the love that he has for his sister is amazing and it shows!
JMO/thoughts
ETA - The moral to my story was, that maybe with SM having recently fought another battle of cancer, maybe that is the reason that AM chose to contact BM sometimes instead of SM as maybe AM wasn't quite sure if SM was at hospital/doctor for treatment/check-ups or possibly napping, etc.
