Hi
@Gardener1850 !
Since we learned about DB & her daughter going missing, I think the general consensus here is there may be unaccounted/unknown victims out there, anywhere between the east & west coasts.
Seems like the more answers we get, the more questions pop up.
As for the barrels, since he was a carpenter/electrician by trade, he would know the logistics of putting the biggest 2 victims together, so I don't think his placement of them was hasty or random. It took more time & effort to put Marlyse & Marie together. So why make it more difficult?
Here's my theory:
He paired them the way he did in an effort to make them the least recognizable to Sarah's paternal family, if/when they were found.
I specifically mention Sarah's paternal family because I have a sneaking suspicion they were on the east coast when this all went down and that Marlyse may have been in regular contact with them, as opposed to her own family, or Marie's paternal family, out west. Sarah's paternal family may not have known Marie all that well. By placing Marie with their mother, as opposed to placing Marie with Sarah, or Sarah with Marlyse, it made them the least recognizable as a group.
Of course the placing of the barrels, and them becoming separated and discovered years a part, played a big part in it taking so long to ID them, but TR couldn't have predicted that. So he did what he could right then to throw off authorities, and any nearby family members, should the four be discovered, by placing them the way he did. He was buying time. How much time turned out to be a twist of fate.