Very interesting case.
I think most likely Judy was on the 2nd flight to Philly. The ticket was used, there were the correct number of passengers, and a Dr. claims to have seen her on board. Additionally the hotel desk clerk and one other person claim to have seen her at the hotel.
It does seem strange that she showered and didn't at least put on clean underwear, but we don't really know what she brought along in her backpack, as opposed to the suitcase that apparently went on the first flight.
Mr. Smith seems to have tried hard to locate her. If it were just for show, he cold have done half as much and it still would have looked like a respectable effort. Mr. Smith also faxed dental records to NC. If he had killed her earlier and buried her in the woods in NC would he really want the body identified?
Wouldn't it be better for him if she remained "missing"?
Apparently Judy's kids saw her the day before the trip, and there are plenty of witnesses to place Mr. Smith at the convention. I'd pretty much have to rule out him being the killer - at least under any scenario where he kills her prior to the convention.
One of the articles mentions that Jeffery and one of Judy's sons spent a week
searching for her in Boston, right after she disappeared. So it's unlikely he could have taken her to NC and killed her after the convention.
It's possible that there was a murder for hire scenario, but nothing really supports that. There are all sorts of possible scenarios we could make up, but there is no use without at least a small amount of evidence to base it on. Truth is we don't have a clue how Judy got from Philly to NC. Hitchhiking, rental car, abduction..... all are possible and none are supported by any evidence we know of.
We do know Mr. Smith reported her missing at midnight and was told to wait until she'd been missing 24 hours. There was no undue delay in reporting her missing.
I don't know what to think of the eyewitnesses. I wouldn't remember details about someone 6 hours later, much less 6 months. But there are people who
remember the smallest details, and remember for a long time.
My biggest problem is the long underwear. I can't see that someone used to Boston's climate would need long johns, in NC, even in April. Maybe, if sleeping outdoors, but even then, it seems unlikely. Certainly long underwear would not have been packed for a hotel stay in Philly.
There is a lot of individual variation in people's comfort levels at different temps. Still, most people coming from Boston would have found the temps in NC quite comfortable, especially if engaging in hiking. Wearing long underwear, while hiking in 50 degree weather would have been unbearable for most northerners. Also comfort levels are seasonal. When temps dip into the 50s in the fall we northerners start to put on light jackets or sweaters. But in
the spring, when temps get into the 50s, after having been cold all winter, we tend to be out in our shirtsleeves. It's hard for me to believe someone from Boston wants to wear long underwear to go hiking in NC in the springtime.