That’s sort of how it sounds to me as well. Doesn’t make him less of a criminal (or pervert), but it’s a different kind of crime, and may make them harder to find.
Anybody remember Mary Kay Letourneau? (Spelling might be bad...) Remember all the bad things that were said about her? Remember the Sh!tstorm she lived through and where she is now?
Just as morals cannot be legislated, neither can a group of people - legislative or otherwise - dictate who a person can love and set penalties for crossing their arbitrary line. I don’t know these people but I do know a man who married a woman 21 years younger than him. They’re happily (?) paying their bills and loving their grandchildren as I type this.
Whatever happens to this couple, he’ll never get a teaching job again and I sincerely hope they end up happy, together or not.
Yes...an abductee who might be inclined to leave a trail of 'bread crumbs' is easier to locate than someone who doesn't want to be found.