Thanks for link. Remarkable that they found the Miata! Great work! Interesting analysis, but a lot of unanswered questions. My understanding is that the seller of the car was an Osage businessman, but his name was not brought up in podcast. Has the identity of the seller of the Miata still not been established? Presumably the moonlighting salesman who brokered the transaction arranged for a purchase/sale agreement to document the transaction (would have been very unusual for a significant transaction to not have been papered in some way) and if so did Jodi's copy of that agreement wind up with Jodi's mother? Would be curious to know source of the $10k or so presumably paid for the car. Did Jodi have that much cash on hand after sale of her old car? Did she trade in her old car? Did she take out a bank loan? If not, did a private party - such as the seller or a friend - lend Jodi the money? Check Jodi's old bank records - did a lump sum move out in 6/1995, or is there instead a copy of a 6/95 bank loan agreement? If she hadn't the cash, and I'd bet she didn't, where did the cash come from? If the cash came from a private third party, that could be interesting... And was the transaction 'arm's length' i.e. at market value, or was it sold below market value as a 'favor'? Did police find in Jodi's possession the seller's vehicle title, with the part the seller is to have filled out executed, showing sales price? Jodi would have needed this to take to the courthouse to get new title in her name as new owner of the vehicle.
Huge long-shot but is it conceivable that Jodi's disappearance had to do with the transaction, to do with $$$ a 'follow the money' type deal? Such as, irate (dumped?) seller was waiting there right next to the car there to collect promised money due (past due?) him and get his plates back, things went south, lost temper, ....... Supposedly, a name sounding like 'John' was screamed around the time of the confrontation next to the Miata.
