Very interesting points. I’ve always been of the belief that Claudia was at home on the evening prior to her disappearance. My theory has always been that she spoke to her mother (from home) and then probably went to sleep shortly afterwards due to having to be up very early for work the following morning. The additional info regarding her being ‘hungover’ and having had no sleep before her shift that day strengthens this theory I think. I just think she would’ve been shattered and not in a fit state to be going to meet someone at 10pm that night.
My current line of thinking is that she left for work early that morning (the 19th) and got into the car of somebody she knew, at the very least on a nod at them in the street level . This may or may not be the car seen braking heavily outside her house at 5:42. I believe this man is either somebody she has had relations with but moved on from and he still has an obsession with her OR he’s someone who has had an obsessive crush on her for some time (perhaps without her knowledge) but has never been intimate with her, much to his dismay.
After she willingly gets in the car (she may have felt uncomfortable refusing the lift, from what we hear of her ‘easily led’ character) I can see it playing out a couple of different ways. Either he has almost immediately incapacitated her (seems unlikely) and drove away and disposed of the body or more likely an argument has taken place inside the car first. This could’ve been for a number of reasons, perhaps he’s come on too strong or tried something on and she’s shouted/fought back. Maybe he’s an ex lover who was married and left his marriage and lost everything to be with her but by this time she’d moved on with someone else. There’s endless possibilities here but these are just some of my theories.
Now, if as I believe she did willingly get in the car and an argument has taken place, could this link up with the sighting of a parked car with the passenger door wide open and a lady matching Claudia’s description arguing with a hooded man? This was close to the university campus I believe. So it seems completely possible that he was intending on genuinely giving her a lift to work until the argument has started, at which point I think she may have started shouting “stop the car, let me out etc etc” maybe even physically attacking him while he’s trying to drive and he’s pulled over and she’s got out, at which point the witnesses argument has took place. The only thing that doesn’t make sense with this theory is her getting BACK into the car again willingly. He would’ve had to have incapacitated her in public or dragged her kicking and screaming into the car??
I’ve just finished chapter 8 of Gone and as always my opinions and thoughts can change but I thought I’d post my current line of thinking here for those who are interested. I’ve come to this opinion from following the case on and off since 2009, watching documentaries and reading posts here. Nothing I’ve read in Gone (yet) has really influenced this.
