Watching the NBC video interview with the grandfather and Daralene Jones again, and again, and whooo boy it is bizarre.
The fact that grandpa is adamant that this was a random kidnapping. (?!)
That he believes the kidnapper didn't know the childs name til they were outside of the building. (?!)
Right about 2:20 in the vid, the reporter comes out with the fact that "every person" she talks to just can't believe that no one in his family knows who did this...
And his response to that statement baffles me.
His demeanor baffles me.
I hope that kid is ok.
Okay so I have been stewing on this subject for a couple of days now and am going to attempt to tackle the grandfather's apparent disparate view of the circumstances around the kidnapping.
First of all, it sounds to me as if when speaking with police most recently they posed the question to him "is it possible that this was done as some sort of retaliation against you?"
Now as a grandfather and an outspoken leader in the Muslim community, perhaps this same question has been churning round his brain since N was found. Perhaps he himself has questioned if this is possible. Perhaps the very idea of it is so hurtful to him that he has come back in a defensive posture. This cannot be blamed upon me! I cannot be "responsible" for what these monsters did to my precious grandchild.
As far as his insistence that the kidnapper asked N her name after exiting the school and then provided her own as Rashida. A couple of thoughts occur. Perhaps "Rashida" did ask N her name. Lets look at this.
Rashida goes into the school to ostensibly pick up her daughter N to take her for breakfast. She goes to the class pulls N out. N does not hear the conversation with teacher wherein Rashida claims to be N's mom. She is taken out of the classroom and out of the school. Rashida knows that N is not going to buy that she is N's mom. She is also concerned about getting a cooperative N to where they need to get, the house.
So Rashida as they are walking may have been questioned by N. Where are we going, who are you, you are not my aunt? etc. Rashida then introduces herself and tells N whatever story she has cooked up to feed her about why she is leaving school with a stranger. She then, to put N more at ease, walking towards destination all the while says "what's your name?"
Now to an adult, someone walking you out of school to a destination unknown for some cooked up reason would be hinky, and that person then asking your name would be even hinkier. But to a five year old? Maybe the escort not knowing her name fit with whatever the story was provided. Maybe the simple act of being a female, who looks similar to many females in N's life/family/community and who introduces herself and then asks N's name served to put little N more at ease with the odd situation.
