I think BL is of above average intelligence and considers himself self-educated and smart. I don't share the view that he thinks he's smarter than everyone else - he knows he's not. He's a close observer (and disliker) of humans, from what I see in the bodycam video. He knows how to adopt the proper stance for the situation. I doubt he's had many run-ins with police, so it's not like he's had practice.
There are so many possibilities about why his parents aren't coming forward, but they all boil down to: "The parents do not expect to ever see him again."
Just wanted to say that I find your posts valuable and that you are bringing a realistic perspective to the problems of this case. I totally agree about the nature (and will add that the fringes of all the Western NP's are filled with what are basically homeless people - who work in so-called "gig" jobs and camp on people's property/break into cabins/live in tents, etc.) Tourists leave SO much gear in dumpsters or just at the curb (near motels) in the gateway towns. Since these people are mostly solo males, they have a kind of...solidarity? They don't turn each other in. They do get shot breaking into places, sometimes, but they are rarely found dead from the elements.
In the Sierra, all you have to do in a NP to get food is open one of the hundreds of communal bear boxes at any trailhead and help yourself. I've seen people do it. I've interviewed people who did it (and there seem to be some norms - you don't take a bunch of stuff, you take less perishable "junk").
The West Coast (particularly Oregon and Washington right now) are perfect for that lifestyle.
Fortunately, you are also right about there being some degree of...watching...of these people. More cabin owners are getting cameras. LE is still scant in these regions, but much of it is federal and the fire starting behavior of these "homeless by choice in the mountains" people is of grave concern. And in the NP's and NF's, I believe they will remember his face - at least until the next crop of young employees take the place of the ones there right now. BL will also age. He's been indoors a lot, he will acquire the weathered look of the outdoor life.
The only thing Nature demands is scrupulous attention to its own laws, like the law of gravity and the laws of thermodynamics. Very predictable, unlike people.