That makes sense about extra cars being around. But you are right, if they had actually been looking for her car, they likely would have found it. It seems like there were a lot of dropped balls, miscommunications, you name it. She was likely already dead by the time the family notified someone on Dec. 19, so the outcome wouldn't have been much different. Everybody involved in the search is busy pointing the blame at the next guy. Here's a latest article from the AP,
Urgency of Search for Marine Questioned
Seems like the family thinks the sherriff didn't treat her case very seriously up front. It appears the Onslow county sheriff's dept. was contacted by police in Ohio, initially (where her family lived?). They then contacted Naval investigators. Not much happened from the Marine side of things. It doesn't seem that anything much happened until Monday when the family flew in and met with various folks. Then the search became serious. Very, very sad.
Usmcobra, yes I noticed the diving rod thing. Sounded goofy to me. (And yes, I know some swear by it for finding a good spot to dig a well.) Wasn't the ground disturbed or burnt or new grass growing in that area? I doubt it would have been too hard to notice, but who knows.
Usmcobra, yes I noticed the diving rod thing. I recall reading that they used something fashioned from a coat hanger to poke in the ground when they found what felt like a cavity. Being near the coast the ground is rather sandy in general although I am not familiar with the back yard in question. From the photos if I read them correctly there are no trees on the lot.
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/divining+rod
divining rod or dowser, stick used in searching for underground water or minerals. This form of divination is still in common use in many parts of the world. The instrument is typically a forked twig. The operator holds the forked ends of the twig close to his body, with the stem pointing forward. When he walks over a spot under which water or the desired mineral lies, the stem of the divining rod is supposedly pulled down. Impartial research, however, has indicated that successes in this method result mostly from chance and possibly also from a heightened sensitivity to visual cues of which the diviner is unaware.