With their limiting the search to such a tight area it seemed obvious they had a suspect and knew of their whereabouts during a specific time window.

Yet, they let the news media rave on for weeks giving us constant updates of what they hadn't learned and when they hadn't learned it.

Once again WW scoops the big O.
However the editor of the O was busy pleading guilty to a DUII, and trying to keep out of the 'news' papers.

Sometimes I wonder if some medieval tactics might not be the only way to deal with individuals that enjoy harming the vulnerable amongst us.

Offer them two alternatives: castration plus a permanently implanted chip plus permanent probation; OR, the chance to go live in a penal colony (preferably very remote island) that only accepts child predators, murderers, and torturers.

I was on Skyline yesterday, saw multiple large posters of Kyron showing off his tree frogs, tacked to the telephone poles near the St Johns bridge... his eyes seemed to shine with a saintly quality, which did not give me any hope for a good ending.

I'm not sure that castration would be particularly effective on the stepmother.

A couple of things stood out to me when this case was first reported that made me suspicious. Aside from the fact that a significant majority of child abductions are committed by someone known to the child (relative, family friend, etc.), the documentation trail presented, right down to the last photo of Kyron, just seemed too pat. And what the hell was up with the "CSI" t-shirt? That's a big red flag. Someone in that family is seriously screwed up if they're letting a seven-year-old watch "CSI", no matter how interested in science he might be (and the science in "CSI" isn't very good). In any case, someone bought him the shirt and dressed him in it that morning. The morning he disappears.

Situation and alibi established with photos? Check. Big FU to investigators emblazoned on missing boy's chest saying "just try to solve this"? Check. It's like a damn episode of the show.

Tread carefully, compassionately. No matter what this is completely tragic for everyone involved.

Consider the article below -- been holding this since Day 1.

Notable excerpt:

At the other end of the spectrum is the truly devastating puerperal psychosis. A comparatively rare disease, it complicates only 0.1% to 0.2% of deliveries--but this is 12 to 14.5 times the prenatal incidence of psychosis.6,9 Symptoms generally present within the first 4 weeks postpartum, when the risk of hospitalization is 22 times greater, but can manifest up to 90 days after delivery. A second, smaller, peak in incidence is evident at 18 to 24 months. [emphasis added].

From "Postpartum Depression" by Kathryn A. Leopold, MD, Lauren B. Zoschnick, MD.
Women's Primary Health Grand Rounds at the University of Michigan; Timothy R.B. Johnson, MD, and Barbara Apgar, MD, Series Editors
http://www.obgyn.net/femalepatient/femalepatient.asp?page=leopold

Extended excerpt:

Although the current literature divides the spectrum of postpartum mood disorders into three distinct categories, these classifications frequently blend at the margins. At the mildest end of the spectrum is the "maternity blues" or "baby blues." Because this condition arises after 40% to 85% of deliveries, practitioners and patients often view it as a "normal" phenomenon. Nonetheless, patients and their families are distressed by the patients' depressed mood, irritability, anxiety, confusion, crying spells, mood lability, and disturbances in sleep and appetite. These symptoms peak between postpartum days 3 and 5, and typically resolve spontaneously within 24 to 72 hours. The primary treatment is supportive care and reassurance about the transient nature of the condition.

At the other end of the spectrum is the truly devastating puerperal psychosis. A comparatively rare disease, it complicates only 0.1% to 0.2% of deliveries--but this is 12 to 14.5 times the prenatal incidence of psychosis.6,9 Symptoms generally present within the first 4 weeks postpartum, when the risk of hospitalization is 22 times greater, but can manifest up to 90 days after delivery. A second, smaller, peak in incidence is evident at 18 to 24 months. Patients suffering from puerperal psychosis are severely impaired, suffering from hallucinations and delusions that frequently focus on the infant dying or being divine or demonic. These hallucinations often command the patient to hurt herself or others, placing these mothers at the highest risk for committing infanticide and/or suicide. Most of these patients suffer from affective disorders (primarily bipolar illness), but schizophrenia and even organic brain syndromes are also diagnosed.
[footnotes omitted].

Whatever the rationale for the act was and whoever was responsible, the story as it was originally reported had either a couple of unlikely coincidences or bizarre clues. If it was the latter, there was a certain amount of premeditation and planning, followed by (so far) a couple weeks of cover-up.

The latest:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/police_issue_questionnaire_ask.html

Unfortunately, this kid is likely deceased. If stepmom did it, and she's a CSI fan - likely no traces will be recovered. Very sad, but most kids are killed by family members. Kyron, our prayers are with you.

portland native:

I realize that sniping at the Oregonian is great sport, but Bob Caldwell is the editorial page editor. He doesn't have anything to do with the news room so his issues concerning the DUI would have no bearing on the Oregonian's coverage.

If the stepmother isn't responsible--WW needs to rethink it's policy of going out so far ahead. Crap like this can ruin people.

It made me cringe to read the WW story, only because it seems like a bunch of police gossip (which could indeed be well-founded), and we're talking about people's lives and deaths here. It seems like a reasonable caution is warranted.

Carla, WW is just pubicly saying what almost everyone I know has been saying for almost the entire two weeks.

Darrin, did you ever hear of Richard Jewel, the poor guy the FBI so very wrongly accused of the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta? That false accusation with never any apology wrecked his life permanently even after the right suspect was IDed and tried. Personally, while there is a lot of circumstantial evidence implicating the step-mother that's all it is for now. And given that the FBI effed up the Gaddis-Pond investigation pretty badly (with any kind of decent investigation Ward Weaver should have been hauled in after the first disappearance given that the first victim had accused him of a crime) so anything out of cases like this should be taken with a big grain of salt until there is hard evidence. For now, unless there is hard evidence or another missing kid, I don't expect much from this investigation.

If the stepmother's cell phone pings don't match up with her story, that would be some serious, serious evidence.

As far as the unwashed public speculating about what's occurred, it's perfectly normal. The police don't publicly announce the results of their work until the case is concluded, if ever. It's like when the Portland police kill someone -- their defenders get on their high horse and say "Wait until we have all the facts." But then we never do get all the facts. When are we going to see the depositions in the Chasse case? Never, apparently.

If the Kyron case isn't solved, or if someone pleads guilty, it will be the same thing. People figure they may as well start guessing now, because in the end, we may very well never get the full story.

A few points:
Everybody keeps going on about that CSI shirt. Wearing a shirt from OMSI to the science fair is probably not a a clue. Last year the science of CSI was their big exhibit.
My 7 year old daughter, having read the literature, is highly suspicious of stepmothers. And although her story has been odd, the police will always suspect that last person who had contact with the victim. There suspicion means not a lot.
Stepmom was apparently happily posting pics and info about the family on an open facebook page for some time. The list of possible suspects could be much longer than anyone would care to imagine.

Someone else might have been using her cell phone. The police might already have this info and had to keep it quiet so the person wouldn't skip town or destroy evidence. They might even be pretending the stepmom is guilty (you know - playing the media) so the real suspect doesn't skip town before they get enough to arrest him/her. The stepmom might have been forced into silence by the investigators. We just don't know yet. Let's wait and see what happens.

Let's wait and see what happens.

Before what -- even talking about the case? Seems kinda silly, when it's on the cover of People magazine.