[varina davis]

There are many good reasons for them to be tight lipped about their investigation. Jeanne Boylan found that peace of mind, maybe we will to.

Sandude, I think there would be much more fuss and stir if LE really thought there was a perpetrator out there -- that is, a total stranger not connected in any way to the Smart family or their acquaintances.

This case is inactive, IMHO, because LE either knows or suspects someone is being protected or harbored or both, and they're waiting for something or someone to tip their hand.

[Bella]

YES!! :-)

[Palladin]

FWIW--9/24 edition of NE: "Utah Kidnap Mystery Solved! How Cops Cracked Elizabeth Smart Case"--this is the headline, followed by a lot of nothing. The article states that SLCPD detectives have concluded that Ricci was their best and only suspect, and that further investigation into the case will not be fruitful.

Their predominant theory: it was a robbery gone wrong, and Ricci accidentally awoke Elizabeth, who recognized him, and so he had to take her.

Elsewhere the article says that the FBI says the case is definitely still open. There are other suspects. They say MK knew Ricci well, and that's NOT the man with the hairy hands whom she described to authorities.

So, what do we have here? Dueling Law Enforcement Agencies? If it is true that SLCPD wants to cold-case this already, what would be their reasoning?

[Devil_Anse]

This case is inactive, IMHO, because LE either knows or suspects someone is being protected or harbored or both, and they're waiting for something or someone to tip their hand.

Maybe--or maybe they really do think Ricci was a big part of it, or maybe even think he did it alone.

Maybe they are getting lazy and have just decided, well, the main guy is gone, so we don't need to do more. Maybe the FBI, on the other hand, has more funds and/or manpower available, and is raring to go.

This is not to say that SLCPD are necessarily correct if they are concluding that Ricci was it. But it does seem as though they think that.