I agree, or at least they told them that in all likelihood he is dead.
Also, I believe LE probably did have a gentle, come to Jesus sit-down with them and gently asked them to refrain from being so accusatory in the press, specifically with DS. For weeks, nothing, and then all of a sudden DS is in the picture and there's the threat of a lawsuit if she doesn't cooperate, and that was just a hot mess, IMHO. Threatening those who may have peripheral knowledge with a lawsuit isn't the kind of atmosphere that makes people want to come forward with information, IMHO. LE had to realize this even if DY and KH didn't.[/QUO
Threatening a civil lawsuit against DS was justified, IMO. The heinousness of a missing or murdered child warrants the threat of a civil suit, particularly if you consider that it is very likely that LE told them that DS was not being forthcoming with LE. Sure, the threat of a civil suit creates a hot mess, but sometimes a hot mess is what is needed to put pressure on people to tell what they know. It very well could be that LE suggested to them to threathen DS with a civil suit. We may not know until much further down the road, if ever.