Gosh darnit. I was trying to post a quick update on my iPad but the browser crashed. Thought analysis of this new information should be expeditious in delivery. Hopefully this will post.
Full disclosure: I have successfully completed the verification process. Simply waiting for this to be displayed publicly, when the site's administrator has time.
Today, the FBI released that they had found the car, obviously. They didn't say where or even when. In essence they said, "we just have the car." Upon reviewing the information released today, based upon my training and experience, I would hypothesize that members of the investigative team likely have some confusion still present, to a certain degree.
First, their update is extraordinarily vague. The FBI and it's law enforcement personnel are detail oriented. Every clue counts, as an analogy. Sometimes, their cautious nature translates publicly as ambiguous. For example, if they were to say, "the sky is blue," some may argue that is incorrect; the sky merely appears blue, rather. This gets the public to talk about a case. This leads to my next point. Here, they hadn't released any new substantive information in weeks, prior to today. What does this get the average, everyday citizen to do? Talk about the case. Think about it. Discuss with neighbors.
More importantly, this small piece of information; or lack thereof, shows the investigative team still has some uncertainty regarding the suspect(s), at the very least. Furthermore, by not disclosing the vehicle's dump location, they aren't enlisting the public's help in the area (at least in the traditional press conference sense). Why? If they were "hot on the trail," of an offender, would they have released anything today? I would guess probably not, they hadn't in weeks prior. Why now?
In contrast, the vehicle will possess clues. Even just the geographic area is a clue, at this point. In my opinion, by releasing this information, they have shown they still require the public's assistance. So keep discussing.
Finally, if I were to guess, I would say the vehicle was recovered in a fairly remote or rural area. If it is an urban area, I would guess that it may be concealed, in some sort of manner. Garage? Parking garage? Commuter train lot? Long term hotels or apartments? Anything is possible as it currently stands. In our current era, citizens can listen to law enforcement radio channels on their telephones. Journalists and I'm sure quite a few citizens nationwide, do this frequently. Add in the fact that nearly every single phone has a camera and internet access. What does this equal? More complexity. How can no one find this crime scene, even after hours of this information being out there? That doesn't happen anymore. Cops don't say hey we found the scene without journalists already on location or on the way to that location. That's bizarre.
Lastly, the best news out of all this? The language. The investigators have not once transitioned their language from, "finding," to, "recovering." That means hope still exists. Above all else, it means that the victim and her family may still yet be reunited.
Don't forget: It only takes one thought or tip to help this case. Discussion and disagreement is healthy in civil discourse. So long as it is done effectively and appropriately, It shows that we care. Great posts on this case thus far. I've no doubt that the same quality of posts will continue to be present in light of this new development.
- Nick
