The town is right off Highway 8, which is a 4-lane highway between Olympia (the capitol) and Aberdeen (a major port). There is a sign on the interstate indicating the exit for the Shell. There are NO SIGNS OR BILLBOARDS INDICATING LINDSEY IS MISSING anywhere near the Shell, along Maple, or along Mommson- or anywhere in that town that I saw.
Maple Street is very open as far as visibility. The houses only have chain-link fences and not much vegetation to block your view. Lots of kids playing outside on the corner where Lindsey was last seen. Most houses have front porches where people would be outside on a nice summer evening- lots of potential witnesses in the event of an abduction. However, lots of escape routes off Maple...
The Shell is a LARGE, BUSY gas station and the parking lot is ADJACENT to the police station parking lot.
There is literally police cars and a police station right in the middle of the scene of the abduction- this is where I have a problem with the story. Who is going to abduct a kid in sight of a police station? There is a lot of traffic at the Shell station- TONS of potential witnesses. The police station is about 5 blocks from the friend's house on Maple and three blocks from Lindsey's house- easily in sight of her house!
However, NO cameras pointing along the sides or rear of the Shell, so Lindsey would have made it past the Shell and all the way home without being captured on video (unless the police station has video outside- they might have caught her walking- didn't check that building so can't say).
As for the "white vehicle" or white Honda Ridgeline possibly seen on Maple and the witness had to go around them when they saw Lindsey and told her to go home: A Honda Ridgeline in this neighborhood would stick out. They might as well have abducted Lindsey in a Lamborghini. This is a poor town, small town, everybody obviously knows each other. If there was an unfamiliar car, lots of people would have noticed it. People were staring at my car today like I was from the future or something. No way would something like this go unnoticed on Maple. How many people on this street know Lindsey from the stories I've read here? It seems like they ALL knew her- see what I mean? The story does not fit the reality of that street.
Mommson has less visibility than Maple and seems "tighter" and a smaller space than Maple. Also quite poor. Again, any car newer than 1997 would stick out on Mommson.
So here is what I think:
1. At least some of the townspeople know what happened to Lindsey
2. She was likely not abducted on the street- it is too open, too many witnesses outside on a summer evening, too many cops within a few yards of either house or the Shell. If someone took her from the street, they KNEW for CERTAIN they didn't have to worry about the cops right there in view of the abduction. Otherwise why not drive another 30 minutes to Aberdeen or Olympia to a neighborhood not in sight of a police station?
3. There is no visible effort to keep Lindsey's disappearance fresh in the minds of the townspeople. There are two signs on the entrance door to the Shell for lost pets but no missing child sign for Lindsey.
My theory: Lindsey either never left the friend's house or she did make it home. She was not abducted in between those houses, it is much more likely she was abducted AT one of those houses or within a few feet of either house- NOT in between.
Washington State is a major area for human trafficking with all of the ports in the area. I believe that Lindsey was trafficked- sold to pay off a drug debt.
http://www.atg.wa.gov/HumanTrafficking/SexTrafficking.aspx#.UTwWdDfNTMo
Maple Street is very open as far as visibility. The houses only have chain-link fences and not much vegetation to block your view. Lots of kids playing outside on the corner where Lindsey was last seen. Most houses have front porches where people would be outside on a nice summer evening- lots of potential witnesses in the event of an abduction. However, lots of escape routes off Maple...
The Shell is a LARGE, BUSY gas station and the parking lot is ADJACENT to the police station parking lot.
There is literally police cars and a police station right in the middle of the scene of the abduction- this is where I have a problem with the story. Who is going to abduct a kid in sight of a police station? There is a lot of traffic at the Shell station- TONS of potential witnesses. The police station is about 5 blocks from the friend's house on Maple and three blocks from Lindsey's house- easily in sight of her house!
However, NO cameras pointing along the sides or rear of the Shell, so Lindsey would have made it past the Shell and all the way home without being captured on video (unless the police station has video outside- they might have caught her walking- didn't check that building so can't say).
As for the "white vehicle" or white Honda Ridgeline possibly seen on Maple and the witness had to go around them when they saw Lindsey and told her to go home: A Honda Ridgeline in this neighborhood would stick out. They might as well have abducted Lindsey in a Lamborghini. This is a poor town, small town, everybody obviously knows each other. If there was an unfamiliar car, lots of people would have noticed it. People were staring at my car today like I was from the future or something. No way would something like this go unnoticed on Maple. How many people on this street know Lindsey from the stories I've read here? It seems like they ALL knew her- see what I mean? The story does not fit the reality of that street.
Mommson has less visibility than Maple and seems "tighter" and a smaller space than Maple. Also quite poor. Again, any car newer than 1997 would stick out on Mommson.
So here is what I think:
1. At least some of the townspeople know what happened to Lindsey
2. She was likely not abducted on the street- it is too open, too many witnesses outside on a summer evening, too many cops within a few yards of either house or the Shell. If someone took her from the street, they KNEW for CERTAIN they didn't have to worry about the cops right there in view of the abduction. Otherwise why not drive another 30 minutes to Aberdeen or Olympia to a neighborhood not in sight of a police station?
3. There is no visible effort to keep Lindsey's disappearance fresh in the minds of the townspeople. There are two signs on the entrance door to the Shell for lost pets but no missing child sign for Lindsey.
My theory: Lindsey either never left the friend's house or she did make it home. She was not abducted in between those houses, it is much more likely she was abducted AT one of those houses or within a few feet of either house- NOT in between.
Washington State is a major area for human trafficking with all of the ports in the area. I believe that Lindsey was trafficked- sold to pay off a drug debt.
http://www.atg.wa.gov/HumanTrafficking/SexTrafficking.aspx#.UTwWdDfNTMo