I finished the book this morning and I cried at the end. Actully I cried though out the book, as it really tells what the whole family goes though and what Steven endured and the readjustment into his home and school, it was hard for all. But the one school he was in, had a flyer, but it never got put up and no one knew it was him. I just feel like if Kyron is in this situation, it is possible he is in school, and no one realizes it is him. If a stranger would take him, he would have to have a job to support him and Kyron, unless he has unlimited funds and then why do this? If a stranger took him or TH gave him to a underground group or something like that, a person still has to work. Kryon would have to be with someone or be in school. The child is so scared or convinced that they are with this person for a reason, that they comply and don't tell what is going on. After awhile they can be "trusted" to have friends, go to school, be without the kidnapper all the time. Sean Horbeck was also like Steven where he had friends and went out after a period of time. I think it is important to at least consider the idea that Kyron is out there and maybe after 6 months able to be in school and not say a word as to what is going on. I am trying to keep an open mind about this, because I just feel it is a possibility.
I heard an interview some years back with a woman who was one of Steven Stayner's friends while he was being held. She said that her impression of the situation was that Steven's family was strict but she never dreamed he'd been abducted or abused.
Of course, she was only ten years old at the time. Still, Steven was allowed to go over to her house on occasion and her parents never saw anything suspicious either.
Other long term abductors have also let their captives interact with the public. For instance, Jaycee Dugard was basically acting as a clerk in Garrido's printing business, had access to email as part of her business duties, used the phone, etc.
I think the key would be for the captor to convince Kyron that the situation was normal, that he was supposed to be there, etc. Seven to eight year olds are still in the developmental stage where they are prone to magical thinking and are not always clear on the difference between reality and fantasy. They don't have enough life experience to know when they're being told something highly unlikely, such as "I was lonely and wanted a little boy to live with me, so your parents decided to give you to me. They want you to be good and to be helpful and to do what I tell you to do."
There was, BTW, a case quite a few years ago where a boy was abducted by a mentally challenged man specifically to help his mother (the abductor's mother) around the house. As in the case of Steven Staynor, that boy was allowed out of the house and to have friends pretty quickly. He just accepted that what these adults told him was the truth.
Back in the beginning when there were sightings of Kyron being reported from all over, I remember not feeling surprised because to me, he had sort of a generic boy look. Whenever I go to the store, I see little boys much like Kyron: short hair, slight build, permanent teeth growing in, etc. Put a pair of rectangular wire rims on them, cut their hair short, put them in a slightly oversized CSI T-shirt and I think they'd look a lot like Kyron.
Just the fact that his teeth were clearly in the process of growing in would change his look fairly quickly. As his teeth finished growing in, his face would look longer because his jaws would be a tiny bit further apart.
Add that to changing his hair and changing the type of glasses he wears and I think he could be unrecognisable to most people.
Yes, there would be some risk involved but if this was in any way a premeditated crime, the perpetrator is clearly not averse to taking risks.
