I watched the Disappeared episode. Was done pretty well. I've followed this case very closely and found the show was mostly information I already knew. Was hoping for something new or more details.
IMHO Brad Mason is the person responsible. He had a history of rape and abduction of women and once lived within 2 miles of the gas station. He looks somewhat like the sketch of the man seen in the van leaving the scene.
http://woodtv.com/investigative-story/is-dead-man-missing-link-to-jessica-heeringa-disappearance/
http://fox17online.com/2014/02/07/family-identifies-sex-assault-suspect-shot-killed-by-officers/
Some coincidences and thoughts to consider:
- Her live in boyfriend Dakota Quail-Dyer visited her at the station a few hours before she was reported missing. They had a troubled relationship.
- Rob and Sue Follett just so happen to be riding their motorcycle by the station at the time she was abducted? Either that is pure coincidence or they know who did it or were somehow in on it. Rob made advances to Jessica previously.
- Jesse Ammerman seems to be a likely suspect however I don't think he did it. If he did, someone would have spilled the beans. He appeared to have somewhat of an alibi as well. If I knew I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t take a lie detector test either, in fear they would get it wrong and think I did it.
- Assuming the sketch reflects the general look of the perpetrator, it would seem that Sue Follett should easily be able to determine if it was Brad Mason or Jesse Ammerman that did this. Has she given an opinion on either?
- Has every angle been pursued on the gray van? Do any of the persons of interest own or have access to a similar van?
- I recall reading previously on WS that someone at the gas station overheard some small talk between Jessica and an unknown man in a gray van at the pumps earlier in the evening. I don’t remember who reported this. They said all they heard was his voice. Has this angle been pursued? Could the person who witnessed this listen to voice recordings of the suspects voice to rule in or out potential suspects that came back later to the station to abduct her? He could have been casing out the place earlier to look for cameras etc.
- Did the police do a thorough enough job looking for cameras in the area? I would have asked every business throughout Norton Shores and Muskegon to save their video from that night. The perpetrator may have stopped for food, gas, groceries etc. on that night. We’re talking Norton Shores, MI not New York City. Perseverance in this area might have paid off if a suspect’s face or plate could have been captured.
Lastly, I found this study of facial recognition by Greenwich University quite fascinating. You can take an oline quiz to see if you are a “super recognizer”. If you score higher than 10 you are asked to take a more detailed test, which I have done both. I would like to think if I saw the suspect in the van I could have matched him up to known suspects.
https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/are-you-a-super-recognizer-test-tells-if-youre-121678964207.html
https://greenwichuniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3xDuCccGAdgbfT