I would assume that there is not much left to do. With all the searchers out since June, incl. National Guard, etc. I would think they have stopped them.
I know it is hunting season now, at least Bow season, and pretty soon gun season will start. I live in the country, and I would shudder if my kids wanted to go outside! So it is not safe for searhers.
I don't know if the Center is even open now. What else is there to do? Also, maybe it was quite a drain on Lois with all of this plus being called in on or around this time for that long questioning period. It has to be draining on her.
I agree that Mr. Smart could make a statement to those who have been so diligent in the search via the media, even if it is in SLC. The press would then report it to the masses that didn't see it. I am sure they have thanked and over thanked them tho., and it would be wonderfull if they did call a PC to alert the press to this. Although it looks like the media has dropped this until further information is available. so sad. But they can't be reporting on nothing. Maybe the FBI can now step it up.
I have some questions about this. What, exactly, is the working relationship between the SLCPD and the FBI in this case?Rumors popped up on these threads some time ago about the two agencies not working well together. More recently, there have been a couple of things reported that would seem to possibly support this.
The National Enquirer (yeah, I know....) printed an article a couple of weeks ago with a front page "CASE SOLVED" headline. In the article, the SLCPD's case against Ricci was outlined, and it was suggested that Ricci was the SLCPD's final "solution" to the crime. However, at the end of the article, there were a few paragraphs stating that FBI sources had expressed skepticism over SLCPD's emphasis on Ricci. The article indicated that the FBI would be continuing to pursue other avenues of investigation.
On Sept. 20, the Deseret News printed an article entitled, "Officials say Elizabeth Smart rumor is false." According to this article, there had been televised reports that Elizabeth Smart was living in Yuma County, AZ. A spokesman for the SLCPD is quoted as denying the reports. A spokesman for the FBI said only that the FBI had been "told" by the SLCPD that the story had been discounted based upon a photo. Now wait a minute....if this story was deemed substantial enough to have been reported on television, surely it would merit more than a simple photo examination! Wouldn't the FBI have been the most appropriate agency for investigating an out-of-state rumor of this magnitude? According to the Deseret News article, it appears that the FBI was not included at all in checking this story out. To add to the mystery, the alleged "television reports" of this sighting never seemed to come to fruition......did anyone see this story reported anywhere besides in the Deseret News?
On Sept. 7, there was a Deseret News article in which SLCPD admitted that its officers had failed to secure the crime scene for a full 3 hours after arriving on the scene. Although SLCPD reportedly "downplayed the impact" of their failure to secure the scene, there are no comments from the FBI on how this might affect their avenues of investigation.
Can anybody here provide a source that might shed some light on the interplay between local police and the FBI in a case such as this one? Is there indeed a point at which the FBI steps in and takes over, or is always a joint effort?