Craigslist or unknown Abductee theory
We did explore this early on in the discussion, in Thread 2 I think (along with many other angles) and threw it out because the evidence is too inconsistent with that kind of scenario. As others here have said, there would also be at least one clue to this on her computer or phone, or friends who could have been near her. As far as we know, all friends have been looked at and cleared. This means they had a solid alibi or otherwise don't match what evidence LE does have.
The first question is, would AJ have used Craigslist? The feel I get with younger people is that it isn't as popular as it once was, and is known for being seedy.
With that said, let's still look it over in more detail as part of trying to put together Aj's activities that day. There are about 4 listings for a goPro on Norfolk Craigslist before March 3, only two of those she might have considered based on location or price. I am confident LE checked this out if they think it is relevant. If they do, they have probably asked Craigslist for logs so know if there were listings that have since expired or been deleted. It is worth mentioning that one of the listings stated a pickup location about 15 mins north of the search location off Battlefield and Volvo Parkway. There are other points of interest closer to that site, though.
A GoPro is not something that a trafficker would probably choose as a lure, since the listing is very specific and can easily expire before it gets any bites. They tend to choose things like rentals, roomates, iphones or other broader topics that they can more easily tailor to attract a certain type and which will get more hits. Chat rooms ae dating sites are more common than Craigslist IMO. Sex trafficking in particular tends to not resort to high-risk situations like classified or daytime abductions, and is not likely to target a girl like AJ that could trigger a high profile search (they go for girls with no connection, lower class, homeless, drug abusers, prostitutes, runaways, and especially under 18 and like to scope victims out first). I am confident the FBI are looking at this angle as hard as they can. Here are some resource that gives some astute information
https://sites.google.com/site/asocialepidemic/top-20-lures-into-sex-trafficking
http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/what-human-trafficking/human-trafficking/traffickers
The fact is, most victims that match a profile like AJs go missing as a result of someone they know. We believe LE have had ample time to fully clear all close connections to AJ, including her neighbor. All connections but one.
But let's look at the runaway angle before getting back to that point. Another missing persons case just recently in San Bernardino featured a young woman that went missing early in the morning one day, missing work and classes, her phone and laptop found in the bushes. Bloodhounds lost her trail at the street - she was taken in a car! LE was convinced she was abducted or killed by people she knew. But a couple weeks later, she saw herself on the news and called her father from a shelter in LA where she had escaped to take a break from issues she was dealing with. She never intended to stay missing.
Stories like these make it easy to believe it could be like that here. The primary difference, though, is that the evidence in this woman's case did not lead anywhere. It was a total mystery. LE also claimed how incredibly shocked they were at the outcome, as it is so very unlikely given what they had to go on.
To understand what it might take for AJ to disappear herself, we have to consider the things you would need to ponder before making that decision.
She would have to give up her academics and sports
She would be dropping her boyfriend and sisters, who she loved very much
She would have to swallow never speaking to her mother again, who she was close to
She would need access to a new identity or be absolved to living off the grid or dependent on someone else for a long time
She would have found a way to move money out of her account prior to taking off, at least in part. $200 from Wes is not enough for long
She would need transport and a plan
These are just not things I see her deciding on, given what we know about her. At least not this long. By now there is no way she would not be aware she is being looked for, adding another point to the list which is: She would have to not care how much pain she is causing people, and how much time and resources are being spent looking for her.
Consider the text received by her mother early in the AM 'I'm OK, I'm just not ready to come home yet."
If this was really her, then it implies she intended to take off, is safe, and is saying so. But then her phone goes dead and is never heard from again. If she took off voluntarily and had no issues telling her mom, she would have taken her phone charger or charged it again by now. I don't think she went as far as to cover up her tracks so expertly that the FBI haven't located her. You would only ever need to do that if you just committed a serious crime.
So you must think about WHY she might have done that. There is no reason we know of. At 18, she can get a restraining order against anyone quite easily. She had her own vehicle and can drive anywhere. She supposedly had 200$ and possibly more in the bank. She had no motive to go missing, but she did have the means.
I can't tell you how many hours I have stared at the ceiling thinking over the timelines and how things could have gone down. There is a reason for the basic procedures used in missing persons cases though, and if we follow them the trail leads us to one place.
Zach, I think you will find this resource useful and clarifying in how some of the thought processes you're witnessing work. Most of the talk around WH is dealing with the convoluted task of clearing up inconsistencies:
http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC74.pdf
I think a good exercise now might be for us to put WH's statements in a box and approach the story without those variables. Where does it lead us?
1. AJ was last seen by her mother and sisters around 7AM March 2nd.
2. At 2:30PM, little sister texts AJ (ie "hey where are you") and AJ replies "With Friends ". Her truck is still in the driveway.
3. Sometime between 4:30AM and 5:30AM on March 3rd JH receives a text from AJ that she is OK, just not ready to come home yet.
4. At 9:15PM AJ still is not home and no one has heard from her since the text early in the morning. JH reports her missing.
5. Sometime on March 4, the neighbor found a piece of her debit card on Halprin Dr while walking back home from work.
6. Family and friend search the neighborhood on March 6th and find another part of the card
7. Wes breaks into the neighbor's house and claims he found AJ's jacket "balled up behind a couch cushion". Locals confirm the police were called to the house. LE did not confirm the jacket as being hers, but instead showed Wes pictures of some other items.
7. Between March 19 and March 21, police search a 3 mile radius around the Southern Packing Plant off Battlefield in Chesapeake and recover several items believed to belong to AJ.
8. Wes is arrested on March 20.
So here are the questions/comments that raises:
Were there other texts between AJ and JH between 2:30PM March 2 and 5:30AM March 3?
How did she leave the house?
Were her keys found at the house or are they missing? What other items may she have had at home are no longer there?
The neighbor was not arrested and we should assume he has been cleared by LE. Is there any other known possible reason he may be of interest?
The items reported by the media and reported on the scanner are in conflict. I can't comment on specifics but I question how the media knows exactly what was found after the fact when LE has not made a statement or confirmed the items are AJ's.
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