Hi Everyone, I am new to websleuths and this is my first time responding in a conversation. Sorry for the long post but after reading the whole blog...
I just finished reading all the posts with regards to this case, I am sorry I don't have much to add about the case specifically but the case resonates so close to home with me having had experience with a relative who had gone missing, found murdered, lived in the world of addiction/drugs and who also had children.
1. The mention of Donna lying, there are so many ways someone could look at this: Didn't have a healthy relationship with her parents, felt guilt of her behavior, embarrassed how she has been in her life, then there is the one we have all probably been "its my life and I don't need to tell my parents everything" so we have lied.
2. Dating Websites: I would consider myself smart but can be gullible/naive sometimes as someone told me personally from one of those dating sites. I was lonely and to be honest just liked the attention I received from the messages and posts. I was selective on who I met but I can imagine a young girl having a child and needing the feeling of validation or of importance. So as I was reading those parts of the posts, I thought to myself I was lucky and I had been 34-35 at the time.
3. There has been a lot mentioned about her son, whether she left him or did not and would not. I know personally with my cousin that she lived a risky life and did not want her children to be around it or see her when she wasn't in a great place so their father was where they stayed but she would never not want to be in their life. Even, living the life on the streets. Why I mention this is because Donna may have never wanted to not be in her sons life but with the life she was choosing she became a victim of something as my cousin did. Not being naive to what could happen but something even worse then anyone could think. No one chooses to die a certain way but can expect a certain amount of risk.
4. Law Enforcement: Mixed feelings about this, having a stepparent being in LE who has been in involved in every avenue of LE. Having a cousin being a victim because LE did not take or think previous missing women seriously because of their way of life. So yes we can blame them for dropping the ball because they did/do/have and will continue to but I can also see how they can make the mistake of "assumption". This is something I have struggled with for 15 years because of the circumstances surrounding my cousin's murder.
I know for certain you are asked not to divulge information you receive from Law Enforcement or Advocates when the case is still pending, I also know being in that situation when answers are not being given to parents and family members it is incredibly frustrating. Also, if the person of contact for the police asks that only they are told the information it can cause a lot of craziness between family members. So sometimes you will hear a mix of what is assumption and first hand information.
I apologize again for this being so long, I just thought I had some first hand experience with some of the things mentioned in the blog and honestly wanted to share in hopes it might in someway help.
K