Warning: lengthy speculation coming.
People ring my doorbell all the time. No matter which state or what type of community I live in. I currently have no peep hole and I don't have a window that affords a view to front door. This means that each time I open it, I have no idea who is on the other side.
For this reason, I ALWAYS shuffle my children into the play room, tell them to be quiet, and close the door.
I think it is very plausible that a stranger could have arrived at the door and said they were broken down just down the road a bit--would it be possible to give them a ride in my own vehicle in order to jumpstart theirs.
If she was home alone... would she have said yes? I would have said no, reasoning that I had my children at home, was about to make dinner, was waiting on my husband to arrive, or some other excuse. But, if the motorist persisted and persisted, possibly even saying he left his own children in the car and needed to get back quickly. I think I would have given in and buckled my own kids in their car seats. I think I would have also phoned someone quickly to say that I am helping out someone and would call her later. Cause surely this scenario would be a scary one and I would want a safety net.
To me, this seems the most plausible situation. Why else would her car be so close to her home? Why else would the boy be left in the seat? Why else would relatives be adamant that she was helping someone. Why else would the friend be worried when she didn't hear from her and then go out looking for her?
