I would love to be able to name names if I had them, and I am certainly not shy about offering my opinion and identifying it as such. I have been re-reading the early threads that still remain. In some cases, especially since 2014 when persons of interest were identified, there is indication that some of the posters display bias and either defend individuals and/or deflect interest in other directions--especially when someone wants to consider or suggest an alternative to "bloody bags being burned on the mountain."
When you consider the "bloody bag burning" story, there are some "facts" to consider:
1) the story is totally corroborated only by people on the mountain at the times or by family members of the suspect/person of interest (true, no one else could possibly know or remember that from 40 years ago);
2) eliminating consideration of anything else stymies recognition of any other possibilities;
3) if this case ends in a trial over the "bloody bag burning," regardless of the final decision, many will see it as "The End" of the investigation whether or not it is proven true. In order to take the case in any other direction, LE would be forced to try to disprove a case they tried to prove in court, possibly with only circumstantial evidence. Not a pleasant situation to be in.
4) Without being derogatory to the people involved, it is a fact that clannish lifestyles of the area make almost everyone in the Taylor Mountain area "Kinfolk." This means that any investigation and/or trial in the area is likely to include. "kinfolk" in directing the outcome either innocently or purposely.
(modsnip)
IMO, some are seeking an "end" while others are seeking "truth in the ending," and what is being sought may not be one-and-the-same. Unless every possibility is examined, in or out of the neat little box being presented, how can we be sure? I think this is an appropriate question to be asked in a forum titled, "Websleuths."
I have followed these threads for years, until recently by reading only, but it is amazing what you see when you re-read information with an eye connected to a brain that has taken in knowledge through the passage of time. Additionally, I have reviewed available public information on other cases listed in WS looking for things that are similar and things that are different. I have considered the wildest claims of posters and the most sympathetic, not using emotions but with an eye for facts which can be disguised as fiction and fiction which can be disguised as fact. I have reread the "fictional novel based loosely on fact"
What the Dead Know, looking for "subtle" ties. How subtle would the name of the owner of the house in which RAW lived in 1975 being the same as the name of the lead-detective-in-1975-in-the-book which was published in 2007? Just one that I found--Is it the only subtle connection? (That information/connection was only discovered (by me) in the last few months.) IMO, NO! (For the record, I am not interested in selling old books! You can verify information by just looking up on line the names of characters in the book. Seemed like more than a coincidence to my mind. If you have read the book or still have the book, I would be interested in hearing what you think.) Modern technology and social media contains an ever-yielding vault of information which the average person may stumble upon without recognizing it. I shudder to think what the knowledgeable, well-trained can actually do with it either for positive or negative results.
What none of us here know (including me) is exactly what led to the the discovery of the new evidence? Was it just a new detective looking at the case file? What other cases might have influenced the new look? Cases within the family or extended associates involving children? Cases involving child
? Extended family names or associated connections? Many past posts here involved information on extended family members and associates having public judicial records now reachable online--remember that ever-yielding vault of information?
The truly sad part is that all of these cases involve REAL human lives--not characters in books created for entertainment of other humans--and there are plenty of crime novels utilizing fact and fiction to entertain readers. These were once innocent children living their lives and expecting to grow up just like the majority of us have in the last 40 years--another quote from another past-post regarding this case in WS and social media , ". . .evil does exist in the hearts and souls of many."
To answer your question, Foureyes, I think we are putting too much faith in people who possess the cunning ability of nature to lead and hide which has served them well for more than 40 years. I don't know names; I don't possess proof; but I do believe I recognize signs which need to be considered. Indeed, your own comments and posts have yielded a plethora of historical information on the Mount Rainier, Brentwood, Cottage City, Hyattsville area since the 1940's, which I sense you wish to see revealed rather than to hide. YOU asked for my opinion, and you have it.
And again, I find myself wondering if I have "Cabin Fever Jonas" or real sleuth skills to share?
