I just can't believe Susan left of her own accord. I'm not discounting that possibility, it just doesn't seem likely to me.
Hi. I'm nervously posting on this thread for the first time. Everyone seems so experienced and thorough in their thought processes. What could I possibly add? However, I came across this case last night and it's been nagging at me so I need to toss this out there so I can have peace of mind:
Sara Jane Fawcett, 52, Pollock Pines (missing since Sept 23, 2011)
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150296
"Her family says it’s unlike Sara to leave her home without her purse and cell phone." ... is this what's nagging at me? Something so out of the norm for her just like Susan? Besides the obvious- leaving behind loved ones with no explanation (which in my opinion, seems a bit dramatic to stage your own kidnapping if you want to escape an unhappy life but perhaps that is way more common than I could ever imagine!)
If my (limited) online research is correct, Sara is still missing, this does not seem that far away and she was also a very petite, beautiful woman - considering her job, she would have been in public often enough for someone to observe, maybe converse with or even follow home (or maybe had given her a ride home from work one time so knew where she lived????) ... I could speculate endlessly and have found so few details on this case.
Sadly, it's not difficult to imagine that someone may have watched Susan while walking her dog - or met her at the grocery store (especially if she shopped at the same store regularly), perhaps was friendly enough so she was 'familiar' with them ...
What's unnerving for me is that I can easily picture myself sitting in my car in a store parking lot (no rhyme or reason to where I park either - sometimes near, sometimes far) - maybe checking in my wallet for cash or a receipt (so a bit distracted) - and if someone approached me with a familiar face and had a compelling story, would I jump out of my car (maybe even wallet in hand without paying attention) and follow that person? Probably not now that I follow WS and am becoming aware/paranoid.
Maybe I read too many crime novels or watch too much TV but I agree with SCmom.