As I said in #2 I always have reservations about conspiracy theories. But what seems irrefutable is that Heather Brown has reappeared and confirmed key elements of the story printed (including the police proposition to plant evidence), and I do believe investigative reporting by the New York Times which confirms the rampant corruption of the DA's office. Additionally, whilst the original reports came from local blogs, the article referred in #3 is from The Slate. This is the main online presence of the Group which owns The Washington Post - so a pretty reputable source. Again, as I said in#2, the correct way forward would be for the case to be taken over by others, such as the FBI and federal courts. However, I am aware that the US system places clear limits on the abilities of federal authorities to take over cases, which is an unfortunate weakness in the system since it enables local bad apples to flourish unchecked.
As the saying goes......if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck then, in all probability, it is a duck.
But lets be glad about the good news. Heather is alive.