I recently discovered Alan's thread and have tried to read all the posts since the beginning. I have learned so much and thanks to everyone for the meticulous research, it has helped me to try and catch up.
His case is so sad and resonates, especially thinking about how hard the Thanksgiving holiday must have been for his family and friends.
He sounds like an all around great guy-- loyal, smart, and well loved.
A couple things that stood out to me:
1) Crime of opportunity: It seemed like he was in "errand mode" that morning, just trying to knock a few things off his to do list before the conference call at 7:00. I know his niece said he had already done his grocery shopping for the week, but he could well have realized they were running short on something for breakfast--like OJ or milk for example. Thus his going into the Racetrack store to look around. Then once he got into his car, he drove away from the pumps and spent a few minutes googling the closest convenience store ( or donut shot, etc). That would explain why he did not take the expected route home. Maybe he was approached in his car, or "bumped" as some have surmised and then became the victim of a car jacking/kidnapping/robbery. Who knows what state the perpetrator might have been in--hopped up on drugs, desperate, or whatever and the interaction went south. Maybe Alan had a medical emergency during the altercation. He looked so fit and trim, but could have had hidden heart problems. I read his brother had recently passed away--heart disease does run in some families. In this scenario though, why didn't they take his phone? Were they just rattled or couldn't find it? (if he had tucked it in the center console)
2) Targeted: Or maybe he was targeted at his gym and followed, maybe due to his sexual orientation. He could have been the target of a hate crime. That would tie in with the way in which his car and body were dumped. They didn't even take his phone. That makes sense if the primary motive was hate and not robbery.
3) Assignation: Sometimes highly motivated, driven individuals indulge in risky behaviors for the adrenaline rush. I see no indication of this in his background, and it doesn't seem to fit Alan (to me) , but feel like it should be considered, if only for the sake of elimination. this would include addiction of any kind. And I pass NO judgment if these were involved. Addiction is an illness. Against this theory is the fact his phone was left in the car. If he had an assignation with someone, it seems they would want to remove his phone which would contain apps, texts, etc.
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5) Self Harm. Again, no stigma attached to this in any way. this one does not resonate with me as much. For one: I don't think he would have been familiar with the area he was found in. I don't know why he would have chosen it for his final moments. Just based on what I have read.
6) The location he was found in can be used to geographically profile his killer. Do they live in or have contacts in the area? Have they used this as a dumping ground before? Maybe they work at the college? Sometimes perps leave their prey close by so they can monitor any possibility of discovery.
Anyway, I wanted to add my two cents.
